The reigning rookie of the year will be the icon cover

SEATTLE -- While the Oakland As enter their final series of the season in the all-too-familiar position of also-rans, the Seattle Mariners are in somewhat unfamiliar territory.The Mariners (84-74) will be on their home turf for a late September series that actually matters. Seattle trailed Baltimore by two games in the American League wild-card race and has a legitimate shot at ending its 16-year playoff draught. By taking two of three games against the Houston Astros, the Mariners have kept their postseason chances alive.We have a shot, third baseman Kyle Seager told MLB.com after Wednesday afternoons 12-4 win over the Astros. We obviously need some help. We cant control that, but we just need to continue to play as long as theyll let us.The Mariners open the four-game series against the hapless As (67-91) on Thursday needing to win at least three games to have a realistic chance of staying in contention. Adding to the complication is a Detroit team that sits between Seattle and Baltimores current spot for the second wild-card berth, meaning the Mariners are going to need two teams to stumble at the finish line if theyre going to have any kind of a shot at getting into the postseason.Seattle has not been to the postseason since winning 116 games in 2001. The Mariners own the longest playoff draught in Major League Baseball and are the only American League to never make an appearance in the World Series. Star pitcher Felix Hernandez, who is scheduled to start Sundays regular-season finale, has never pitched in a postseason game.Hernandez and fellow veteran Hisashi Iwakuma are scheduled to pitch the two weekend games, but the Mariners will rely on a pair of youngsters to keep them in the race until then. Ariel Miranda, a 27-year-old rookie, is scheduled to start Thursdays series opener, while 24-year-old Taijuan Walker is on tap to start Friday.Miranda (5-2) has been a surprising contributor to a team that acquired him at the trade deadline. At the time, Seattle was falling out of playoff contention and traded veteran starter Wade Miley to Baltimore in an effort to get younger. Miranda, coincidentally, has since joined the rotation and now might be a key to Seattle catching the Orioles in the wild-card race.Oakland will go with 25-year-old Kendall Graveman, who is about as close as the young As have to a veteran starter. Graveman (10-11) got tagged for 12 hits and eight runs in a 14-3 loss to Seattle 2 1/2 weeks ago, and hes failed to beat the Mariners in four tries this season -- going 0-3 with a no-decision. He cant expect much offense from a team that has scored an AL-low 638 runs heading into the Seattle series.The As are 26 1/2 games behind division-leading Texas and were officially eliminated from the wild-card hunt earlier this month, so the only motivation is playing the role of spoiler to a longtime West Coast rival.Theyre right in the middle of it and I think that will be good for our guys, too, Oakland manager Bob Melvin told The San Francisco Chronicle this week. Nothing is on the line for us, but whenever youre in that atmosphere, theres an intensity to it thats similar to postseason.Itll be good for us, inspirational. There will be big crowds and lots of excitement. Good for them, and hopefully good for us, too. Tyreek Hill Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Ty Law Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-terrell-suggs-jersey-large-1296n.html . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Deron Cherry Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Carlos Carson Jersey . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has been tabbed to be the face of 2Ks mobile companion application to NBA 2K17 video game, which is set to launch on Sept. 8.The reigning rookie of the year will be the icon cover athlete for MyNBA2K17, the latest in a series of high-profile endorsements for Towns. The NBA 2K franchise has been the No. 1 selling NBA video game for the last eight years.Ive been a dedicated NBA 2K fan since I was young, and being selected as the face of MyNBA2K17 is an incredible milestone this early in my career, Towns said on Wednesday. Playing MyNBA2K and NBA2K is an essential part of my offseason and keeps me grounded during the season with all my travel. I love that I will have the opportunity to connect further with my fans through MyNBA2K177.ddddddddddddThe free app connects players to the NBA 2K17 console game and includes facial scanning technology. That allows fans to design players for the game on Xbox One or PlayStation 4 using their own facial features. The app also allows users to watch 2KTV on their mobile devices and play quick games and season tournaments against users around the world.Towns also has deals with Nike and Samsung among others and made a guest appearance on the Disney television show Gamers Guide to Pretty Much Everything this summer.On the court, he is teaming with Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn to try to end the Timberwolves 12-year playoff drought. ' ' '