BOSTON -- Alex Rodriguez has been turned down in his request to play the field for his final game with the New York Yankees.Manager Joe Girardi said A-Rod wouldnt be at third base Friday night at Yankee Stadium against Tampa Bay.Rodriguez had asked to return to his old position for the last game. He hasnt played the field this season.We thought about it but he hasnt done any work, Girardi said before Thursday nights game at Boston. Its not that I wouldnt like to see it, but were in a part of the season where we are trying to win. Were still in this and I just felt that the situation hasnt presented itself.The Yankees plan a pregame ceremony Friday night to recognize Rodriguez. The team announced last weekend that after the game, he will be released and then become an adviser and instructor for the club.Rain is in the New York forecast Friday night.Rodriguez batted cleanup as the designated hitter Thursday. He was booed by Red Sox fans when he came to the plate in the second inning and had a soft lineout.Rodriguez did not play in the series opener Tuesday and was a pinch-hitter Wednesday night. 49ers Jerseys 2021 . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. San Francisco 49ers Pro Shop . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. https://www.49ersjerseysale.com/ . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Wholesale 49ers Jerseys . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. San Francisco 49ers Store . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. BEREA, Ohio -- Theres one loss Browns coach Hue Jackson doesnt have to fear this season: his job.Despite a 0-10 start and the prospect of going winless in his first year with Cleveland, Jackson has the support of owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who believe they hired the right coach to turn around their floundering franchise.We are not focused on 0-16, said Sashi Brown, the teams vice president of football operations. Hue is going to be here as our head coach. We talked about continuity being one of the core premises of what we wanted accomplished going out in January. We know that we have a head coach that can be successful here and lead us to a lot of victories and a lot of winning.That appears to be a long way off for the young Browns, whose progress this season has been muted by the worst start in team history and some key injuries.To his credit, Jackson has kept the Browns playing hard and he feigned some surprise when he was told that Brown had acknowledged he will be back for a second season.I never thought I was going anywhere, he said with a smile. I know thats been part of the plan since Day 1, before I took the job. I felt very comfortable. I know there has been a lot of mudslinging going around, but I get it. Thats part of it when you have the record that we do, I expect things to be said. But we are comfortable and we know exactly what were trying to do.I think its a tremendous plan. We all support it. Its not where we want it to be, but we do have a plan in place that we feel very strongly that were going to get things headed in the right direction as soon as we can.Brown, whose promotion from team general counsel and salary-cap expert to the top spot in Clevelands front office preceded Jacksons hiring by 10 days, met with media members for the first time this season. Brown understands that Browns fans are frustrated at the lack of significant progress, but said the team has no regrets about any decisions to this point and intends to exercise patience in seeing the plan through.Its hard to look at this other than wins and losses, he said. Im disappointed for our fans and the folks here working in the office. We dont want to be here. But we also think were on the way to a much brighter future.Theres no easy fix for the Browns, whoo host rival Pittsburgh on Sunday, when thousands of noisy Steelers fans will make Clevelands FirstEnergy Stadium feel like Heinz Field.ddddddddddddBoth Brown and Jackson acknowledged the losing has many in the organization on edge. But they each rejected a report that said the coachs decision to bench rookie Cody Kessler in the second half of Thursday nights loss at Baltimore has created tension between the front office and coaching staff.I do have a tension headache, Jackson joked. My head hurts.I dont know where any of that comes from. I have never felt that, heard that, any of that. Like I said, my head does hurt from time to time when we lose, and that is about it. The things we do here, I am the head coach of the football team and I will make decisions sometimes based on what I think is right. Sometimes, that is just part of it, but I have not heard that, felt that or seen that from anybody in our organization.They have been outstanding in their support of me and what we are trying to accomplish here.Publicly, at least, Brown said he has no regrets about any decisions. The Browns passed up taking quarterback Carson Wentz in the draft, trading the No. 2 overall pick to Philadelphia for a first-rounder next season. Brown also doesnt bemoan the choice not to re-sign any free agents, preferring to stay focused on the future, not the past.And while the poor record shows scant progress, Brown believes the team is on the right path.The winning ways are coming, he said. Were confident in that. We just have to stick to the plan and support our fans through that process.Game notes Quarterback Robert Griffin III, out with a broken bone in his left shoulder since the opener, could be back before the end of this season. Griffin has been on injured reserve but is now eligible to return. Once he practices, the Browns have 21 days to decide whether to place him on the active roster. Hes getting closer, Jackson said. Griffin signed a two-year, $15 million contract with Cleveland in March. He is due a $750,000 roster bonus after this season.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '