ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Gomez, the former All-Star who was released earlier this month by the Houston Astros, stepped into the batters box as a member of the Texas Rangers for the first time Thursday night.Two pitches later, Gomez hit his first homer as a Ranger, a three-run blast that led Texas to a 9-0 win over the Cleveland Indians.I feel so blessed, Gomez said after the game. To come from not having a job to a team in first place and to start like this right away is a gift from God.And just like that, the Rangers latest reclamation project made an impact on the team with the American Leagues best record.This is a team thats been known to take chances on players.General manage Jon Daniels has done it with players with off-field concerns such as?Josh Hamilton (twice), Milton Bradley and Matt Bush, and now Jeremy Jeffress, who was suspended twice in the minors for violating the leagues drug policy and was jailed at 5:13 a.m. Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence.Daniels has also done it with players that have more on-field concerns, such as Manny Ramirez (who never made it out of Triple-A), Ian Desmond coming off a down year in Washington and now Gomez.Houston released Gomez because he didnt produce on the field -- a .210 average with five homers and 29 RBIs this season -- and because the Astros grew weary of his over-the-top antics, whether it was swinging so hard his batting helmet fell off or making too many mental mistakes in the field for a former Gold Glove outfielder.You cant run scared from talented players, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. Hes an energy guy. Hes going to excite you. He pushes the envelope, which I dont mind. We have some guys who do that already.Daniels can take a chance on adding a player such as Gomez to a team in the middle of a playoff run because he has built the roster with leaders such as Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond and Cole Hamels, who control the clubhouse.It seems like we can accept everybody with open arms, and weve proved it time and time again, said first baseman Mitch Moreland, who is in his seventh season with Rangers.It starts with our front office and coaching staff and trickles down to the players and the whole environment we have set around here that allows everyone to thrive whatever your past may be.But Daniels has also hired managers, Ron Washington and Banister, who excel as communicators and set expectations.Neither has a bunch of rules, and they dont mind players with personality as long as they play hard.Still, baseball is a game built around the discipline required to play 162 games in 183 days.We dont expect you to change anything, but we do expect you to embrace our organizational concepts of accountability of work and having a certain responsibility to yourself and teammates, said former Ranger Michael Young, who was recently inducted into the teams Hall of Fame and now serves as an assistant to Daniels.If they embrace those things, they have all the freedom in the world to be themselves, but theres a certain conduct thats expected. Theres an unwritten code of what a Ranger is supposed to look like, so either fall in line or get of town. Its simple.Whenever the Rangers add a player who could disrupt the chemistry theyve worked so hard to create, the club spends considerable time vetting the player. The Rangers speak to former managers, teammates, trainers and scouts. Not everyone survives the process, but we usually dont hear about those players.You want an accountability and contrition, Daniels said. Weve tried to stay away from guys who dont own their past.If you own it, acknowledge it and youre making changes, thats a different deal than if youre indignant and saying, I didnt do anything.Before the Rangers added Gomez, they spoke to players in their own clubhouse such as Jonathan Lucroy and Jeffress, who played with Gomez when he was an All-Star in Milwaukee.And they spoke with Carlos Beltran, who has mentored Gomez throughout his career.Hes very loved by his teammates, said Young, but hes a very emotional player, and in baseball the emotional guys tend to grind on other teams. Everything we got back, we had just fantastic reports.When Gomez attempted to bunt for a hit in his second at-bat Thursday, it was Beltran who gently chastised him.Carlos Beltran is a guy who has taken care of me in my career, Gomez said. He been straight with me. We always keep in touch. I love Carlos. He my second dad.The Rangers believe Gomez will fit because they wont rein in his personality. Banister has never wanted a club full of robots.Are there things in his game that can be frustrating? Banister asked. Yes, hes not unlike any other player. This is not a perfect game. But it was a perfect start for Gomez. Kd Shoes Clearance .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Kd Shoes Mens Sale . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. http://www.cheapkdshoes.net/ . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Kd Shoes On Sale . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Kevin Durant Shoes Clearance . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. NEW YORK -- Once the rain stopped, the hits came for the New York Mets. Jeremy Hefner and the Mets handed Patrick Corbin his first loss, breaking away from the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-1 on a drizzly Tuesday night and sending the NL West leaders to their season-worst fifth straight defeat. Josh Satin hit an RBI double that put the Mets ahead 2-1 in a seven-run seventh inning that lasted about 2 hours, albeit with a rain delay of 1 hour, 41 minutes in the middle. "I know we havent scored a lot of runs here in this ballpark, so seven was pretty good," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Just took an hour and a half to finally get them." When Arizona retook the field, there was another halt -- the grounds crew hadnt redrawn the batters boxes or put a rosin bag on the mound. Corbin (9-1) was pulled and the Mets poured it on against the bullpen. Anthony Recker, who began the day batting .157 and then homered, hit an RBI single off Brad Ziegler when play resumed. "We had a lot of momentum going" before the delay, Recker said. "I was really excited about that at-bat. When they decided to put the tarp on, I was a little bummed out." No problem, he got the burst going again. Omar Quintanilla hit a two-run single and Eric Young Jr. lined a two-run double as the Mets quickly made it 8-1. "The inning got away from us," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. Hefner (3-6) won while the Diamondbacks continued a most curious streak -- their starting pitchers are 0-11 in 24 games since June 5. Arizona fell to 1-7 on its road trip after two straight losses to begin this four-game visit to Citi Field. "Were not really clicking on anything right now," Corbin said. The Mets, meanwhile, posted their most lopsided victory at Citi Field since opening day and won consecutive home games for the first time since late May. Hefner allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two in seven innings. It was his sixth start in a row permitting two or fewer earned runs. "If I give a quality outing, go deep into games, Ive done my job," Hefner said. "If we score runs, then Ill get a win. If we dont, then I might get a no--decision or whatever.dddddddddddd Just as long as the team wins, Im happy." Martin Prado homered off Hefner in the seventh, tying it at 1. Prado was the only hitter on the Arizona roster who had previously faced Hefner. Corbin was trying to become the first lefty starter in the majors to begin a season 10-0 since Ron Guidry opened 13-0 for the New York Yankees in 1978. The 23-year-old Corbin left with the bases loaded and no outs when play was delayed. All three runners scored, and he was charged with a season-high five runs. He was denied in a sixth try for his 10th win of the season. Satin doubled home David Wright and extended his hitting streak to eight games, and is batting .390 (16 for 41) this season. Satin has been playing first base since Ike Davis was demoted to the minors, and his lively bat has impressed Collins. NOTES: This was the first time in franchise history the Mets beat a starting pitcher who began a game at 9-0 or better. ... Quintanilla drove in three runs ... Arizona OF Gerardo Parra was out of the lineup, a night after jarring himself trying to make a diving catch on the warning track. Parras arm was bandaged and he had scrapes on his face. Gibson said Parra had been due for a day off. ... Heath Bell was set to close for the Diamondbacks. J.J. Putz, who blew a save chance Monday night in his first try since going on the DL in May, will work in middle relief for now, Gibson said. ... Young started at 2B in place of Daniel Murphy. Collins said Murphy was worn down and "stinkin out of gas." Murphy pinch-hit in the seventh and stayed in. ... Wright has taken a lead of nearly 850,000 over the Giants Pablo Sandoval in fan voting to start at 3B for the NL in the All-Star game at Citi Field. ... Mike Piazza has been added to the roster for the All-Star celebrity softball game at Citi Field on July 14. Comedian Chris Rock, actor Kevin James and singer Ashanti also will take part. ... Hefner struck out in both of his at-bats. He is 0 for 23 -- the most at-bats of any player in the majors this year without a hit. ... Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins pitched his 907th game, moving past Cy Young for 22nd place all-time. ' ' '