ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves have dismissed pitching coach Roger McDowell.The team announced Friday it had declined the 2017 option on McDowells contract, ending his stay with the organization after 11 seasons.The Braves have not made a decision on who will manage the team next season or the status of the remaining coaches on staff. Team president John Hart said this week that the coaching staff wont be determined until a manager is hired, but team decided to go ahead and cut ties with the 55-year-old McDowell.Atlanta ranked no lower than fourth in the NL in ERA during seven of McDowells seasons, and led the league in 2013. But after deciding to rebuild, the Braves ranked 13th in 2015 and 11th this past season with a 4.51 ERA.McDowell, who pitched in the big leagues for a dozen seasons, most notably with the New York Mets, joined the Braves in 2006 after Leo Mazzone left to become pitching coach of the Baltimore Orioles.McDowell remained on staff after manager Bobby Cox retired in 2010 and was replaced by Fredi Gonzalez.Roger is a terrific coach and an even better person, general manager John Coppolella said. We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.Gonzalez was fired early this season, with Brian Snitker taking over as the interim manager. The Braves finished strongly, winning 50 of their last 97 games, but still finished last in the NL East. The starting pitching was a major issue and failed to produce anyone with double-figure wins.Snitker is one of the candidates for the managing job, and the team also planned to interview former big league managers Bud Black and Ron Washington this week. Wholesale Running Shoes Canada .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Clearance Running Shoes Canada . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. http://www.runningshoesoutletcanada.com/ . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Running Shoes Canada Outlet . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Running Shoes Canada Sale . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotas defense delivered an overpowering performance. Mitch Leidner provided the finishing touch.Leidner threw his first touchdown pass in seven weeks and Blake Cashman and Steven Richardson each had two of Minnesotas season-high seven sacks , leading the Gophers to a 29-12 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.Playing at home for the final time, Leidner found Drew Wolitarsky from 9 yards out with 6:46 left to give the Gophers (8-3, 5-3) a 22-6 lead and then ran in a 12-yard score with 2:31 remaining. The fifth-year senior, who was intercepted once, ended a five-game streak without a touchdown pass.Its been long overdue, Wolitarsky said, smiling.Emmit Carpenter made three field goals and Shannon Brooks totaled 110 yards from scrimmage for the Gophers, whose offense sputtered through most of the afternoon after an 80-yard game-opening march into the end zone and before the late Leidner-led push.Hey, find a way to win this thing, coach Tracy Claeys said. Who cares how anybody has played?Clayton Thorson threw for 276 yards and a late score, but the Wildcats (5-6, 4-4) were denied on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 16 in the second quarter and fourth-and-1 at the Gophers 13 in the third quarter. They lost two fumbles and failed on both 2-point conversion tries.Weve just got to learn how to finish, wide receiver Andrew Scanlan said.CARR CRASHAustin Carr, the Big Tens leading receiver, had five catches for 68 yards for the Wildcats before leaving the field a bit woozy from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Minnesota safety Duke McGhee. The targeting penalty, the seventh time this season a Gophers player has received the automatic ejection including two for McGhee, helped set up Northwesterns first score.He knows better than that, Claeys said.Fitzgerald declined to discuss Carrs condition, beyond he seemed to be doing well after the game. The 4-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson with 2:17 left in the third quarter finished the drive and cut the lead to 15-6, but the Gophers werent deterred.Emotions were pretty high at that point, but were a level-headed team and we didnt let that affect us, said linebacker Jack Lynn, who had 1 1/2 of Minneesotas 12 tackles for loss.dddddddddddd.TAKE THATRichardson recalled a recruiting visit that Fitzgerald once made to his high school, Chicagos Mount Carmel, that left him feeling snubbed. Richardson, listed at 6 feet and 300 pounds, said Fitzgerald was immediately turned off by his lack of height.I saw that guy come into my high school coachs office and just look me up and down and just look at me like Im way too short to play the game, Richardson said. It was really nice to play one of these types of game in front of him, just because he doubted you.EMPTY SEATSWith a kickoff temperature of 30 degrees, including an 18-degree wind chill factor, the Gophers played in front of their smallest crowd (38,162) in eight seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. Less than half of those fans were still in the seats by the fourth quarter. Minnesotas average attendance this year was 43,814, the lowest since 2002 when the team played at the Metrodome.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern: With the Thorson-to-Carr connection quiet even before the star pass-catcher departed the game, the Wildcats were uncharacteristically unproductive on offense until they entered catch-up mode late and padded their statistics.Minnesota: Eliminated earlier in the day from Big Ten championship game contention, the Gophers can still tie for first place in the West Division by upsetting Wisconsin and having Iowa beat Nebraska. They reached the eight-win mark for the third time in four seasons, a feat not accomplished by the program since 1905.UP NEXTNorthwestern: Hosting in-state rival Illinois on Saturday, the Wildcats need a win for bowl eligibility. Theyve beaten the Illini in three of the last four meetings.Minnesota: Seeking their first victory over Wisconsin since 2003 on Saturday, the Gophers have not won at Camp Randall Stadium since 1994.Itd be a great way to top off the year, no question, Leidner said. I know its really important to a lot of guys on this team.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '