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CHICAGO -- This is the genius of Joe Maddon:Next week, all four of his infielders will start for the National League at the All-Star Game, a trick no team has turned since the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals. Yet when those Cubs return to Wrigley Field next Friday to face the Pirates, two of them -- Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist -- could wind up starting in the outfield. They might not be the only ones playing a different position.If you want to know what separates Chicago from the handful of other title contenders at midseason, versatility is a good place to start. And that starts with Maddon.Ive always been about that, he said recently.Maddon has never been shy about testing his players skill sets, either, because hes always challenging himself. He could write a book about turning the tables on decades of received baseball wisdom and whats hes learned along the way. But on this day he limits himself to a list of benefits a manager gets having guys who can play multiple positions: reacting to in-game changes is easier; you can carry an extra pitcher if you need to; more flexibility in scheduling rest days; and it keeps everyone on their toes.But he saves the best argument for the end of his pitch. Its the same one Maddon employs to stick a toe outside his own comfort zone, and how hes talked a few dozen grown men into donning pajamas for charter flights home from West Coast road trips.And the last point, he summed up, is they love it.Most of the time, anyway.A week earlier, in a 15-inning marathon at Cincinnati, Maddon used three pitchers in the field in the same game for the first time in a century or more. Reliever Pedro Strop, the third pitcher to enter, was in the Cubs bullpen that inning when the phone rang, but he knew better than to assume anything.You never know with Joe, he said. The guys not afraid do anything. ... So I was almost kind of ready for that, because I was the only extra player we got.But the other one? Man, he continued. I was like, `Whoa.That was a year ago, just ahead of the midsummer break with the Dodgers in town. The Cubs were already struggling with a manpower shortage in that same infield.Bryant, the third baseman, was wilting in the heat of his first big-league season and Maddon was trying to give him a day off. That plan fell through when shortstop Starlin Castro -- since traded to the Yankees -- headed off to the hospital for the birth of his second baby. It also forced Maddon to move Addison Russell from second to short and pencil in his only other healthy infielder, reserve Johnny Herrera, at second.Thats when Strop noticed the manager eyeing him.Joe comes over and says to me, `So, what position can you play better? he recalled.Strop has been a pitcher since he broke into the majors in 2009, but hed played more than 200 games at shortstop in the Rockies minor league system before a weak bat convinced him to try throwing off a mound. The prospect of a cameo back at shortstop both tantalized and terrified him -- exactly the response Maddon was looking for.But then Starlin drove back from the hospital, Strop recalled, chuckling at the memory.No matter. Point made.Maddon came by the philosophy while working on his managerial chops as an assistant in the Angels organization and then as the boss in Tampa Bay. In both organizations, he saw talented ballplayers capable of contributing stuck in place because the guy in front of them had the position locked down. Maddons first convert to make a splash was Zobrist in Tampa Bay, who eventually mastered four positions, joined him in Chicago this season and will play second base in the All-Star Game.Bryant, who will start at third, has played three different positions in the same regular-season game. Russell, who didnt become a full-time shortstop until after the midseason break in 2015, will start there in the All-Star Game. And Maddon has already convinced rookie Willson Contreras, who was drafted as a catcher, to try left field and first base during his first month in the majors.A few lockers down, Albert Almora Jr., another highly touted rookie, wondered whether hed get the talk. Hes played center field since being called up June 7 from the Triple-A Iowa club, and hasnt received any further instructions from Maddon.I watch him when Im not playing and it seems like hes three, four moves ahead of the game, Almora said. So hes not afraid to try things, even with the rookies. Just about the first thing he said is he doesnt care if you mess up. ...Like if youre in a situation where you think you should bunt, and he says hit and it doesnt work out, hell come up to you right away and say, `Thats on me, he added. He doesnt just say have fun, he shows you how. That means a lot to a young player.Another few lockers over, 39-year-old David Ross, a backup catcher playing his final season, offers the last word on his smooth-talking, sometimes-zany manager.Too many guys want to equate smarts with being uptight, Ross said. Joe doesnt. He just says, `Do simple better.---This story has been corrected to show the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals had four starting infielders at All-Star Game.Authentic Soccer Jerseys . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Authentic . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Soccer Jerseys China . PETERSBURG, Fla. Fake Soccer Jerseys For 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.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- It took nine games for West Virginias Daxter Miles Jr. to start to find a rhythm.Miles scored a season-high 20 points and the 15th-ranked Mountaineers overcame an early lull to beat VMI 90-55 on Saturday and give coach Bob Huggins his 799th career win.Miles missed the first three games with an unspecified illness and was ejected for throwing an elbow in the first half of a close win over Virginia last Saturday. The lack of court time set him back on a team where a dozen players are getting extensive minutes.Against VMI, the junior went 6 of 9 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.It feels good, Miles said. I just had to get back into the basic of things, and just whatever it takes me to do. Did I feel like it was my time? No. Everybody has roles and we all kind of know what each other likes to do.West Virginia (8-1) followed up a 53-point win over Western Carolina on Wednesday night with a lackluster first half to finish its final exams week.VMI (1-7) accomplished what no other mid-major opponent has done in the first half this season -- handle West Virginias full-court pressure defense and keep up in scoring for a while.The Keydets lost by 18 points at home to Gardner-Webb in their last game but were scrappy out of the gate against the often-substituting Mountaineers.After falling behind by 16, the Keydets were within 22-17 before Miles made two 3-pointers, and Elijah Macons free throw with 4 minutes left until halftime put the Mountaineers ahead by double digits for good, 32-22.I thought we competed, especially for the first 25 minutes, VMI coach Dan Earl said. I give West Virginia a ton of credit. They come at you for 40 minutes. They wore us down a little bit.Esa Ahmad added 12 points and Brandon Watkins had a season-high 11 pooints and grabbed 10 rebounds for West Virginia.ddddddddddddQJ Peterson scored 17 points for VMI, which was limited to three field goals over the final 12 minutes of the game.BIG PICTUREVMI: The Keydets might win more games if they match the intensity that they had midway through the first half, when they went on an 11-0 run, including seven points by Peterson, who led West Virginias Hedgesville High School to a state championship in 2012.West Virginia: The Mountaineers lead the nation in forced turnovers with 26.5 per game, including at least 34 turnovers in two of their last three games. Two years ago VMI committed 36 against them. But the defensive effort wasnt there from start-to-finish Saturday for West Virginia, which forced 22.Twenty-two forced turnovers to most people is good, Huggins said. And were looking at it like we shouldve had some more.ADRIAN SLUMPINGThe Mountaineers havent gotten much production lately out of Nathan Adrian, who no longer is the teams top scorer after getting two points each against Western Carolina and VMI.POLL IMPLICATIONSWest Virginia should move up in the AP poll after No. 12 Saint Marys and No. 13 Xavier lost earlier in the week.CHARITY CLANKWest Virginia isnt going to win many games at the free throw line. The Mountaineers are shooting 66 percent from the line this season and went 26 of 42 (62 percent) on Saturday. They fared better from 3-point range, going 10 of 19.UP NEXTVMI: Hosts Charleston Southern on Tuesday.West Virginia: Can give Huggins his 800th win when it hosts Missouri-Kansas City next Saturday.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '