short by four assists, finishing with 37 po

CHICAGO -- The Cubs placed infielder Tommy La Stella on the inactive list Tuesday as he contemplates retirement if he cant play for the big league team.In fact, La Stella, who was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on July 29, said the Cubs are the only team he wants to play for as his priorities have changed over the last year.Im a baseball player by profession. My identity is not tied up in that, La Stella said in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon.Thats not who I am as a person. I dont need to make every life move centered around my profession, because thats not who I am. I kind of disassociated with that identity. It felt a lot better to me going out there playing because thats what I felt in me, not because I felt obligated to do it. It was a lot more enjoyable this year.La Stella, 27, went home to New Jersey instead of reporting to Iowa after being optioned. A valuable role player, he was caught in a numbers game but was likely to return.La Stella stressed there is no animosity with the Cubs and that his decision was just what he felt was best for himself.Its a reflection of where I am in my life and my career, La Stella said. I told them, I know you have a business decision to make. I completely understand where theyre coming from. I dont fault them for making that choice one bit. Theyre doing whats in the best interest of the team. I understand that 100 percent.La Stella even contemplated retirement last offseason but returned to the Cubs because he wanted to be with his teammates who have backed him.Everybody that walks through those doors, were happy to have them, right fielder Jason Heyward said. Especially someone like La Stella, who contributes so much even when he isnt playing. Hes a guy that spoke up during the game, rooting us on and things like that. Stuff like that is missed. If you see someone like that, who brings that every day, when he comes into the clubhouse, you welcome him back with open arms every time.La Stella spoke publicly about his situation for the first time Tuesday in order to take some pressure off his teammates, who have had to answer questions about him over the last several days. He also said he expressed his thoughts to the team in the spring.Going into this season, it was a shift in how I looked at it, he said. I said if Im going to do this Im going to do it the right way. Im going to be here because I want to be here. That was pretty much what I told them in spring training when we had that sit down meeting. I thought that went well.La Stella also said he thinks his conversations he has had with the front office since being sent down have gone well. The team is trying to be understanding of his situation.The perspective weve chosen to take is, were dealing with 25 different human beings in that clubhouse and everyone has different backgrounds, and we try to be understanding of that, general manager Jed Hoyer said. I know his teammates like him I know he can help his teammates win. Right now were trying to give him time to clear his head.As a left-handed bat off the bench, La Stella has given the Cubs plenty of value, compiling a .388 on-base percentage in 122 plate appearances. He repeatedly stressed that his decision to go home after being optioned wasnt a response to being sent down. He said he simply doesnt want to be anywhere else but Chicago.There wasnt much more that went into it than this is where I want to be, La Stella said. It was as simple as that. It didnt feel right to me to go be somewhere else just to continue playing. Thats not what my thoughts center around, being a ballplayer and making it happen anyway possible. We all have a right to dictate what we do to some extent.It had nothing to do with trying to leverage anything. It was just where I was in my life and my career. It was an obvious decision for me. There was no other consideration.La Stella even said he would rather step away from the game then play for another team meaning a trade was out of the question. He doesnt want to go anywhere.That would have been it, he said. Im not going to go play for someone else. Thats not something I have any interest in doing. Im here for a reason. This is where I want to be...Im just waiting to hear back from the team and keeping up with all the workouts and training and hitting.So for the moment hell stay in shape with his private trainers as he waits for what the Cubs will do next. He understands not all fans will understand his decision but is hopeful hes not looked at in a selfish manner.Im not going to fault anyone for what they say or assume about the situation, La Stella said. Im ok to step away. Its something Ive been preparing for, for a while. Its an accumulation of things. With injuries and stuff like that. Its a bunch of stuff thats personal to me.Though the Cubs were hopeful La Stella would report to Triple-A they were at least aware of his mindset.To say we were completely shocked would be the wrong thing to say, Hoyer stated. We were surprised and hopeful to get him back helping this team.La Stella says if the Cubs bring him back hell give his 100 percent to help the team win and thinks he and team executive Theo Epstein at least understand each other.(Epstein) understood where I was coming from, La Stella said. Or else I felt like he did. The conversations were great. I got off the phone feeling really good about it.La Stella has stayed in contact with Dr. Ken Ravizza, who the Cubs employ as a sports psychologist, as well some of his teammates. Some didnt know he hadnt reported to Triple-A but all publicly support him. He would still love to return.Im just trying to get people to hear where Im coming from and whatever conclusions they draw are up to them, La Stella said. If that day does come that they decide they want me back hopefully we can make that happen. Custom Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. 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OKLAHOMA CITY -- It lasted 16 days and spanned seven games, but Russell Westbrooks triple-double streak finally came to an end in the Oklahoma City Thunders 99-96 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.Westbrook fell short by four assists, finishing with 37 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.Honestly, Im just happy we won tonight, man, thats the most important thing, Westbrook said when reflecting on the streak. Me as a player, I always try to look forward. Maybe at the end of the season I can talk about it, but as of right now my job is to move forward and get ready for Portland and try to win that game.Westbrook was at the front of another Thunder comeback, this one from 13 down, and completed it with the go-ahead bucket with 30.6 seconds left on a driving lefty layup. On the following possession, Westbrook forced a tie-up with Avery Bradley and then won the ensuing jump ball to help seal the win for OKC.Ill say this about the triple-doubles, because I always find this interesting, on a night like tonight with all the things he did, is it any less special than if he would have had a couple more assists? Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. To me, sometimes we get wrapped up if he had 37 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists, is it disappointing? I get all the stuff of people wanting to talk about it, but at the same point, part of the reason he didnt get a triple-double was we didnt shoot the ball particularly well.dddddddddddd think Russell understands and sees that certainly getting those seven straight games is remarkable, Donovan said, but I dont think tonight is any less remarkable of what he did.The Thunder struggled shooting, hitting only 3 of 21 shots from 3-point range. Westbrook didnt record an assist on a made basket farther than 8 feet.Westbrooks run of triple-doubles tied him with Michael Jordan for the longest since 1989 and put him within two of Wilt Chamberlain (1968) for the longest ever. Westbrooks previous career long was four, set during the 2014-15 season.During the streak, the Thunder went 6-1, the lone loss coming Friday against the Houston Rockets, 102-99. He has 12 triple-doubles on the season; the Thunder are 9-3 in those games.?I always take the same mind