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SAN DIEGO - Kevin Cash says he is excited, rather than nervous, about replacing Joe Maddon as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.Cash, who has no managerial experience, was hired Friday to take over a team that made the playoffs four of the last seven seasons under Maddon.I look at it more as kind of an honour to be following him in what hes done over the course of his career here, Cash said Monday at baseballs winter meetings.I think its great. You embrace it. Im always somewhat appreciative what hes been a part of, a big piece, and kind of built and now the opportunity to join that group. We all know what a job hes done, what hes meant in the Tampa Bay community. Hes moved on but you still value and respect everything hes done.Maddon exercised an opt-out clause in his contract on Oct. 24 and was hired as the Chicago Cubs manager a week later.Cash, who turned 37 on Saturday, is the youngest active manager in the majors.Cash was a catcher for parts of eight big league seasons, including a brief stint with Tampa Bay in 2008. He was Clevelands bullpen coach the last two seasons under Terry Francona. Cash played for the Red Sox for parts of three seasons while Francona was their manager.He hopes to talk to other managers this week about what to expect.Id be open to hear anything, any opinion, he said. I think I have somewhat of a perspective but youre always willing to take more and learn more.Matt Silverman, the president of baseball operations, said the Rays are stable enough to take the risk with someone with no managerial experience.There certainly is risk, Silverman said. We talked about it. It was one of the questions that came up over and over again in the interview process. The risk of the first-time manager, the games speeding up, doing things for the first time, while we expect to compete. Its different if we were rebuilding. Its different if this were the 2005 Devil Rays. Its not. We have a club that can compete for a playoff spot. We recognize that risk and felt good about taking on an inexperienced manager, because of Kevins personality, because of his experience, and because of the coaching staff and clubhouse that we have in place.But he does get to forge his own path here. Hes not bound by constraints. He has to come in and put his mark on things, knowing that we have a really good situation already.Tampa Bay went 754-705 in nine seasons under Maddon. It made the playoffs four times, won two AL East championships and the 2008 AL pennant — all while operating under the constraints of one of baseballs lowest payrolls.The Rays finished 77-85 in 2014, ending a stretch of six consecutive winning seasons. Maddon was under contract through 2015, but exercised an option to leave when talks on a new deal broke down.Cash, a Tampa native, said the text messages and phone calls of congratulations are still coming in.I get a text message and a picture about every 30 minutes from my mom where theres something on the billboard at the high school, congratulations, he said. Saturday, the 6th, my birthday, I think my mom cried from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., good tears.So its been an exciting time. Its probably more beneficial that she was there and got to be a part of it kind of by herself, a lot of attention. So good for her and the rest of the family thats been down there.Cash still has to hire a bench coach and familiarize himself with the roster. Nothing too heavy, yet, like figuring out whos batting leadoff.Im trying to get everyones names right now, he said with a laugh. Fake Yeezys Store .C. -- Kurt Busch put his chances at "70 per cent" at running the Indianapolis 500 this year because of recent developments that have pushed a potential program along. Fake Yeezys Outlet . New York Red Bulls. TSN primes Vancouver fans for the start of the 2014 season with MLS on TSN: Season Preview Special airing tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN2 (encore Friday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN2). http://www.fakeyeezysforsale.com/fake-yeezy-boost-350-v3/ .C. -- Duke sophomore Rodney Hood is entering the NBA draft. Wholesale Fake Yeezys . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. Cheap Fake Yeezys . JOHNS, N.DETROIT - Die-hard fans of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets might be hard to come by in the hometown of the Detroit Lions. But theres certainly no shortage of fans of free tickets to an Empire State matchup in the Motor City.More than 67,000 tickets were handed out for the Bills home game Monday night in Detroit that was postponed a day and moved 250 miles away after heavy snow in western New York.The price was difficult to beat — football fans snapped up all available free tickets.Being free definitely sweetened the deal, said Jennifer Trimmer, a receptionist who got four tickets. She was making the roughly 80-mile drive from the state capital of Lansing to Ford Field with her boyfriend and meeting another couple there to tailgate and take in the game.Its an exciting thing to do, and not something that normally happens, said Trimmer, a self-described regular watcher of all things football but first-time visitor to Detroits stadium. Never again are we going to see the Bills-Jets at Ford Field.Of course, the free ticket is a two-edged sword — a fun thing to nab but not a guarantee of turnout to see two teams at the bottom of the AFC East playing hundreds of miles from their home turf, even in a climate-controlled facility that holds 65,000. It was also a Monday night game thats not on Monday Night Football, played in a town thats snow-free but experiencing high wind warninggs as a cold front moves through.ddddddddddddBills President Russ Brandon said he was impressed by how rapidly the tickets were distributed and that the team is looking forward to a robust house. Still, he acknowledged that with free tickets, the no-show rate tends to be higher.Its the second time in four years Detroit has answered the call for another NFL team in need. In December 2010, the Minnesota Vikings home game against the New York Giants was moved to Detroit a day later after the Metrodomes roof collapsed.The Giants won 21-3 before an announced crowd of 45,910. Admission was free, with holders of tickets of the scheduled game in Minnesota offered opportunities to sit behind both teams benches. The Bills worked with Lions staff to offer similarly preferred seating for Buffalo ticketholders willing to make the trek.Yvette Abela, a Lions regular-season ticketholder, said she was among the lucky folks to receive an email notification the day before everybody else about the giveaway, so she picked up four. She, her husband Tony and two children were planning to cook up some burgers while tailgating and then head into Ford Field.My son, Anthony, is 6, and hes so psyched about going to a Monday night football game, the Dearborn resident said. Hes a big New York fan, but hed never root against the Lions.___Follow Jeff Karoub at https://twitter.com/jeffkaroub ' ' '