picked a side of the plate." Travis Snider added an RBI grounder in the ninth against Carlos Villanueva after Martins walk and Pedro Alvarezs single. NOTES: Pira

MANKATO, Minn. Mariano Rivera Jersey Large . -- The Minnesota Vikings trickled into the residence hall for their two-week training camp stay, toting the usual duffel bags, electronic gadgets and mattress pads.Coach Mike Zimmer came with a contract extension.The Vikings announced Thursday theyve added to Zimmers deal, rewarding their revered coach well before his contract status ever became a headline and further galvanizing an organization already buzzing with anticipation of the season and the future.General manager Rick Spielman declined to disclose the terms of the deal, revealed when the Vikings reported to Minnesota State University, but Zimmers original contract was not close to expiring. Zimmer even said he saw no rush to address it, entering his third season on the job.They really didnt have to. There was nothing that was pushing this deal, Zimmer said. But I feel very, very fortunate to be the coach of the Vikings. Its a great organization, a lot of great people.Talks took place over the past month between Spielman and Zimmers agent, Marvin Demoff.Our ownership, myself, the entire organization felt very strongly about getting something done with coach Zimmer, Spielman said.We have so much excitement building up with the new facility, the new practice facility, and I know how strongly we feel about coach Zimmer in leading this football team in the future.The ribbon has been cut at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Next week, theyll break ground on new suburban headquarters. Coming off an 11-5 regular-season finish that earned them the NFC North title, the team has plenty of momentum. Now the power structure has even more stability.I can tell you, in my 26 years in the NFL, I have not had the experience and the cohesiveness with a head coach as I do with coach Zimmer, Spielman said.Zimmer, a long-time defensive coordinator for Dallas and Cincinnati who got his first opportunity to be a head coach with Minnesota at age 57.Hes 18-14, with one loss in the playoffs. Only Dennis Green, with 20, had more wins in his first two seasons as coach of the Vikings.I dont want to oversimplify it because I think hes done a lot of things, safety Harrison Smith said, finally settling on a favorite: Really, just the get-it-done attitude. Theres no excuses for anything. Its either you got it done or you didnt get it done, and guys really enjoy that. Because its just straightforward, and you know where you stand, and that allows you to get better.Both sons of football coaches, Spielman and Zimmer have been in step from the beginning. Spielman is the boss, but Zimmer said theyve hardly had any disagreements about decisions regarding the roster.Were kind of like the odd couple. Hes messy, and Im the clean one, Zimmer said, before his tone turned serious. Its been a real good relationship, and Im looking forward to more.Zimmer is the kind of coach who can keep a team carrying high expectations appropriately grounded. Supplementing his own brand of defiance, fueled by all those head coach positions he interviewed for but didnt get, Zimmer has rarely missed an opportunity to prod his players by slapping the doubt card down on the table.Deep passing and the kicking game are the biggest questions surrounding this team, not the danger of complacency.When you have a lot of good people, guys who work hard, all the things that Ive been saying about this team, I think its easy, Zimmer said.Throughout his first two seasons, Zimmer often said half-jokingly in response to queries about the future that he wasnt sure whether hed be around for it. He once dismissed a question from a team official about the color of the wood in the new stadium locker room: I said, `Heck, I dont know if Im going to be here for the new stadium.Here he is, with the Aug. 28 exhibition opener against San Diego a month away.Thats what pushes me, that someone else can come and take my job or we dont play as good as we can play or proving people wrong, the 60-year-old Zimmer said. Thats just my mentality.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Miguel Andujar Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Paul ONeill Jersey . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. http://www.customyankeesjersey.com/custo...large-114i.html . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. CHICAGO -- Francisco Liriano wasnt quite sure where his pitches were going. The one thing he did control was his emotions. Liriano pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 Friday for their major league-leading 10th shutout, matching Pittsburghs total for all of last season. It is, as manager Clint Hurdle said, a "remarkable number." And it stands out even more because the Pirates dont have a complete game. Liriano (4-2) walked five, his most since Sept. 1 last year, but struck out eight to help Pittsburgh stop a three-game losing streak. "I didnt feel, location-wise, I was that good," he said. "I was missing my spots a lot, and I walked too many guys. You know, just keep fighting til the end." Liriano walked two in the second and two in the fourth. But rather than get rattled, he worked his way out of trouble both times and came away with the win after a two-start losing streak. Mark Melancon pitched the eighth, and Jason Grilli finished the five-hitter for his major league-leading 23rd save in as many chances. After two-out singles by Ryan Sweeney and pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro, Grilli struck out Darwin Barney to preserve another shutout. "We had 10 (shutouts) all last year and actually we pitched a lot better last year than we did the first year I was here," Hurdle said. "It just speaks to the job the pitchers are doing here, No. 1 throwing strikes, keeping the ball down. Weve been able to get a little better at it every year, and this year, obviously, weve taken it to another level at this point in the season." Russell Martin had two hits, including an RBI double off Travis Wood (5-4) in the sixth, as the Pirates won for the second time in seven games. Jordy Mercer doubled twice. Pittsburgh continued to struggle at the plate after managing just one hit off Julio Teheran in a 5-0 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday. This time, the Pirates finished with seven hits. Wood gave up one run and four hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts, but couldnt quite match Liriano on thee mound. Mike Tauchman Jersey. "He kept us off balance, kept the ball down all day," Wood said. "He really worked us. Even though he had several walks, he was able to battle around that and pitch a good ballgame." He had the Cubs first hit, a one-out single in the fifth, after hitting his first career grand slam in a win over the Chicago White Sox last week. "Travis has been the same all year," Barney said. "Hes been consistent pounding the zone. He was a little bit more sporadic than he has been. But he still had good stuff. He keeps them off balance." Outscored 29-11 and shut out three times in their previous six games, the Pirates went ahead in the sixth. After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second, Wood retired 11 straight before Mercers one-out double. Mercer advanced on Andrew McCutchens fly to right and scored on Martins double. "I just told myself I was going to be aggressive and not wait around," Martin said. "Hes throwing lots of strikes, and I picked a side of the plate." Travis Snider added an RBI grounder in the ninth against Carlos Villanueva after Martins walk and Pedro Alvarezs single. NOTES: Pirates LHP Wandy Rodriguez is to throw a bullpen session on Monday before the team decides whether he will go on the DL, although manager Clint Hurdle did say there was no "acute structural damage to the ligament" in Rodriguezs throwing arm. Rodriguez got only one out in Wednesdays loss at Atlanta before leaving with tightness in his left forearm. ... Sweeney, the Cubs CF, made a neat catch in the eighth when he raced to his right and dove to snag Starling Martes drive. ... Sveum said Rafael Dolis, on the 15-day DL with a mild strain in his right forearm, is "a lot better," and Shawn Camp (sprained right big toe) threw a bullpen session on Friday. Sveum also said no date has been set for Kyuji Fujikawa to have ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow. ... A.J. Burnett (3-6, 3.22 ERA) starts Saturday for the Pirates, with Jeff Samardzija (3-6, 2.96 ERA) going for the Cubs. ' ' '