PHOENIX -- Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo was hired Friday as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.I appreciate the opportunity to join the D-backs family, Lovullo said in a statement. Im excited to get to work with the staff and players to help lead this organization back to title contention.Lovullo will be introduced at a news conference Mionday. He had been considered a leading candidate for the job after Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen was hired as Diamondbacks GM.Im excited to have Torey as our manager, Hazen said in a statement. We share the same goals and mindset about how to be a championship-caliber organization.Lovullo replaces Chip Hale, who was fired after two seasons. Hazen took over from Dave Stewart, who also was dismissed after two years.The 51-year-old Lovullo has been manager John Farrells bench coach in Boston since 2012. He was interim manager for the final 48 games of the 2015 season after Farrell went on medical leave. The Red Sox were 28-20 with Lovullo at the helm.He was first base coach on Farrells staff in Toronto in 2011-12.Lovullo brings a wealth of experience managing in the minor leagues. His teams compiled a 661-609 record in nine seasons in Bostons and Clevelands systems.A fifth-round draft pick out of UCLA in 1987, Lovullo played parts of eight seasons in the majors primarily at second base.Hazen and Lovullo inherit an organization coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in its history.After signing Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million contract, the Diamondbacks were considered a potential contender in the NL West. But the rest of the pitching staff faltered badly and the Diamondbacks ended with a 69-93 record, 22 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.That led to the dismissal of Stewart and Hale.Tony La Russa lost his position as chief baseball officer but has been offered an advisory role. Nike Uptempo Ελλαδα .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Nike Air Force 1 Ελλαδα . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. http://www.airforce1greece.com/air-more-uptempo-greece.html . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Nike Air Force 1 Sage Low Γυναικεια . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Nike Air Force 1 Low Γυναικεια . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. For fans of boxing, movies and Sylvester Stallone, today is a pretty important day. No, its not Slys birthday, or even the announcement of a new Rocky film. Were going to have to go back a bit farther for that -- on this date in 1976, the world met one of its greatest-ever film heroes for the very first time:Thats a long time for a single film to live in the collective consciousness of a culture, butt Rocky has lived up to the billing, spawning an entire series that has covered most of the fictional Rocky Balboas life and career.ddddddddddddEveryones got his or her favorite Rocky film, but were giving you a chance to make your voice heard. Which one is your favorite? ' ' '