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ATLANTA - John Schuerholz completed what he called the best negotiation of my entire career by convincing his longtime friend John Hart to accept the role of president of baseball operations.With Hart taking the newly created title on Thursday, the Braves arent looking for a general manager. The 66-year-old Hart agreed to a three-year contract that will continue through the teams first season at its new stadium in Cobb County.Hart became interim general manager Sept. 22. The team had sought a full-time replacement for Frank Wren, who was fired last month after a 79-83 finish this season.Hart, Schuerholz and former Braves manager Bobby Cox formed the GM search committee. Hart said last month his only interest was in the interim job, but Schuerholz, the team president, wouldnt accept that as a final answer.We met as transition team quite a number of times and when we were at the meetings invariably Id pull out my list and Id say OK, are we going to talk about the GMs? Hart said. At some point John would get up, hed take a phone call, hed go to the bathroom. ... I think all along I did feel and know that John clearly wanted me to take this job.Hart, the former GM for the Rangers and Indians, joined the Braves last year as a senior adviser.Schuerholz described Hart as a man who has demonstrated great ability in constructing winning baseball organizations, winning baseball teams, creating staffs of very capable people empowered to do great jobs in each of the organizations he has run.Hart said he has turned down similar opportunities with other teams that lacked the personal component he has with Schuerholz.Schuerholz, who was the Royals GM before taking over as the Braves GM in 1990, returned to Kansas City for Game 1 of the World Series this week. He said he was asked by owners and executives why he hadnt convinced Hart to take the full-time role in Atlanta.Schuerholz said he was told it would be great to have Hart back in baseball.So I was motivated by that and came back and had my last and final conversation with my dear friend, Schuerholz said. I was able to persuade him this was the place to be and this was the organization he could have so much of an impact on in a very positive and energetic way and get us to where we want to be, and thats at the very top, the gold standard baseball organization that we have always been regarded as.Schuerholz said assistant GM John Coppolella will be Harts right-hand man.Coppy was a big part of the reason I took this job, Hart said. I think you will see Coppy is a young man who is going to develop and grow.Schuerholz sat with Kansas City GM Dayton Moore at the World Series. Moore was a former assistant under Schuerholz with the Braves, but Schuerholz said he never approached Moore about the Braves position.It would be disrespectful for me to even talk to him about that, Schuerholz said. . He made the comment at a media availability Saturday prior to Game 2 of the Boston-Montreal playoff series when a Quebec reporter said there is sentiment in Quebec that the NHL looks more favourably on Seattle than Quebec City when it comes to future expansion. . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. http://www.soccerportugalnationalshop.u ... al-Jersey/. The result means Atletico Madrid now tops the table, with Madrid level on points in second and Barcelona a point behind in third with nine games remaining as the title race shapes up to be the closest in years. . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday.MILWAUKEE -- The New York Yankees injury-plagued rotation has taken another big hit. Struggling left-hander CC Sabathia was placed on the 15-day disabled list before Sundays 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers with inflammation in his right knee. Manager Joe Girardi said he hoped Sabathia would just need two weeks. Sabathia had right knee surgery at the end of the 2006 season while with the Cleveland Indians. This is the only time he has experienced inflammation since the operation, Sabathia said. Both skipper and pitcher were relieved that the injury wasnt more serious. "See the doctor tomorrow and go from there," Sabathia said after Sundays game. "Theres no tear so hopefully everything will be all right." The move came a day after Sabathia allowed three home runs in a no-decision against the Brewers. Milwaukee won 5-4. Sabathia is making $23 million this season, the sixth in a deal that will pay him $161 million over 7 years. He is 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA, with opponents hitting .301 off him this season. Until now, all the questions about Sabathia were about his arm and a drop in velocity. Turns out his right knee is a bigger problem. Sabathia said he started feeling a tweak a couple starts ago. He said it got worse through his start May 4 against Tampa, when he gave up five runs and 10 hits in 3-2/3 innings. The lefty came forward to Girardi about his knee after his sttart Saturday against the Brewers, when he said he felt it most of the game.dddddddddddd "He said that his knee was hurting; his landing knee, his right knee but he hadnt mentioned anything to us before that," Girardi said. The Yankees will have to find yet another pitcher to plug into the rotation with Sabathia having been scheduled to pitch next on Thursday night against the Mets at Citi Field in the Subway Series. The once-reliable ace has lost his touch at a time when the Yankees needed him most. New York is already minus two injured starters in Ivan Nova (season-ending elbow surgery) and Michael Pineda (back). Japanese rookie Masahiro Tanaka has taken over at the top of a rotation that looked formidable just a few weeks ago. Sabathia said he didnt say anything earlier because the rotation already had problems, "but Ill do more damage to the team by trying to hide it." Right-hander Matt Daley was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Sabathias spot on the roster. Pineda had completed his 10-game suspension for using pine tar and was placed on the 15-day DL last week. Girardi said Pineda was playing catch, though his recovery might take a little longer than the initial timetable of three to four weeks. Girardi also said that reliever Shawn Kelleys sore back is feeling better. Kelley last pitched Tuesday against the Angels. ' ' '