CHICAGO -- Tommy La Stella wanted to share his story with teammates on the Chicago Cubs. From La Stellas perspective, they were the only people who needed to know more about why he refused to report to the minors when he was demoted in July.La Stella met with the team after he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, providing his account of his time away from the organization. But other than that meeting before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the infielder stayed mostly quietly about the circumstances surrounding his departure and eventual return.I understand that theres going to be people out there who kind of draw conclusions and stuff and thats fine, La Stella said. Im not necessarily out here to make anybody see anything or explain anything. As long as people understand that there are things out there that are kind of personal to me and Ive shared those with the guys. Its not necessarily going to be just like a cut-and-dry, black-and-white answer where everybody goes `Oh yeah, I get it now. That answer doesnt really exist.La Stella was the victim of a roster crunch when the loaded Cubs activated outfielder Chris Coghlan from the disabled list on July 29. The 27-year-old La Stella had options remaining, which left him vulnerable in a crowded infield.La Stella was hitting .295 with a .388 on-base percentage at the time, and did not take the news well, according to manager Joe Maddon. He went back home to New Jersey and the Cubs gave him some time to report to Iowa before placing him on the temporary inactive list on Aug. 10.La Stella said he understood why he was sent down, and that had nothing to do with his refusal to report to the minors. He chalked up his time away to personal baseball reasons and not necessarily personal issues with me or anything like that, more just personal stuff throughout my career.Asked if he missed the game while he was away, La Stella responded I missed the guys.Like I said, man, the game to me, thats kind of just the avenue for the other type of enjoyment that I get through those guys and the stuff that we get to do together, he continued.After weeks of dialogue between the New Jersey native and the team, La Stella joined Double-A Tennessee in mid-August. He batted .296 (8 for 27) in eight games in the minors before returning to the big leagues.The Cubs could have waited until major league rosters expand on Thursday to make the move, but Maddon said they liked the matchup with Pirates right-hander Ryan Vogelsong on the mound for the series finale. La Stella started at second base, and reliever Spencer Patton was optioned to Iowa.La Stella was greeted with a warm round of cheers when he batted for the first time in the second inning.Hes been interacting with the guys, Maddon said. Theyve accepted him back, so its time to move forward.It was La Stellas 23rd start of the year, and he likely will remain in a mostly reserve role the rest of the way. But he could be a nice lefty bat off the bench in the playoffs for the major league leaders.Said it before. The guy could wake up in the middle of the night, hit a line drive on a 1-2 count, Maddon said.La Stella, who was acquired in a November 2014 trade with Atlanta, said he isnt sure if he will keep playing baseball beyond this year. He also praised Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein for how he treated him during his time away.He understands people and he treats you like a person, La Stella said. This whole time, the dialogue, he was just talking to me as a guy and he wasnt talking to an employee, which I really, really appreciated throughout the whole process.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Fake Jordan Shoes . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. China Shoes For Sale . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. http://www.fakeshoesonline.com/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Fake Yeezy . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Fake Shoes Outlet .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tom Izzo insists he has no idea what to expect from his team this season.Its easy to see why.Michigan States coach, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last month, has not had his program turn over as much as it has in 15 years. The Spartans are without seven players from last years team, which won 29 games, including the Big Ten tournament final, before being stunned in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to Middle Tennessee State.Denzel Valentine, The Associated Press national player of the year, was one of four players who moved onto professional basketball. Another player graduated and is in medical school at Vanderbilt. Two more players chose to transfer, seeking more playing time.The last time Izzo had that many departures was 2001, when the Spartans went to a third straight Final Four and also had to replace seven players.Instead of being anxious about the challenge, he is fired up.Thats invigorating, to be honest, Izzo said Thursday at his teams media day.In addition to the departures, the Spartans have to cope with the losses -- for at least the start of the season -- of two senior forward due to injuries. Ben Carter, a graduate transfer from UNLV, had knee surgery last week and Gavin Schilling will have knee surgery soon.That will put even more pressure on perhaps Izzos best recruiting class led by possibly the best player he has brought to campus since taking over the program in 1995.Highly touted Miles Bridges leads the group that includes Joshua Langford, Cassius Winston and Nick Ward.I could see us starting four freshmen sooner than later, Izzo said.Bridges, a 6-foot-7 forward from Flint, is ready for the challenge of producing with all eyes on him.Its a lot of pressure, he said. But I dont let it get to me.Winston, a 6-foot point guard from Detroit, has lived up to high praiise Izzo gave while talking to assistant coach Dwayne Stephens about him three years ago.ddddddddddddI said he could be the best passer since Magic Johnson in this state, Izzo recalled telling Stephens. Two weeks or three weeks of practice has not changed my opinion.Langford, a 6-5 guard from Alabama, will get a chance to play a lot in part because Izzo plans to put two guards, two wings and one post player on the court to play small ball, out of necessity.Ward, a 6-8, 250-pound forward from Ohio, has a chance to play a pivotal role in the post without Schilling and Carter. Ward has lost more than 20 pounds to prepare him for the opportunity.I feel a lot lighter, he said. I jump a little higher and I can get up and down the court better.While Izzo will lean on his freshmen to play early and often, senior guard Eron Harris will get the green light to shoot much more than he did last season in his first year with the team after being a high-scoring guard as a freshman and sophomore at West Virginia. Senior Alvin Ellis, who said he didnt consider transferring as Javon Bess and Marvin Clark did, junior Tum Tum Narin and sophomore Matt McQuaid give the team some relatively experienced options in the backcourt. Like Ward, 6-6 sophomore Kenny Goins is going to get every chance to play on a team that has a thin frontcourt.As usual, Michigan State will have a tough schedule. For the first time, though, they may play three or more top-15 teams in November for the first time. And, they will fly more than 13,600 miles over a 22-day stretch that will include games in Hawaii, New York, the Bahamas and North Carolina at Duke.Were going to find out a lot in the first month, which might not be healthy for me, Izzo said. ' ' '