Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine opened the series by playing the National

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Adidas NMD XR1 Ale . - John Dorsey likes to say that it takes several years before a verdict can be returned on a draft pick. There is a learning curve for rookies, often a steep one. The pro game is faster, players are stronger and the plays more complex.If thats the case, the first two draft classes of the Chiefs general manager — panned so often by fans and pundits — may actually be right on track.First-round pick Dee Ford played nearly half of the snaps in Sundays win over Oakland, a vast improvement over early in the season, when the linebacker barely got on the field.Third-round pick Phillip Gaines is now starting at cornerback. Fourth-round pick DeAnthony Thomas returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown against the Raiders. Sixth-round pick Zach Fulton has been starting at guard. Kicker Cairo Santos and wide receiver Albert Wilson, a pair of undrafted rookies, have become key components of the Chiefs playoff run.Thats a tribute to John, coach Andy Reid said. Were sitting here later in the year and all of a sudden you are seeing these guys, the Albert Wilsons of the team, produce. Fulton has continued to mature. Dee Ford, you saw him out there, the last two weeks hes had a lot of snaps.Important snaps, too. The Chiefs (8-6) have been teetering on the edge of post-season elimination, and remain on shaky ground heading to Pittsburgh — another playoff contender — for Sundays game.Dorsey brought his draft philosophy with him from Green Bay, where he learned on the knee of longtime GMs Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson. The basic principal is to draft the best player on the board regardless of position or need, which is easy to say but difficult to do.It worked most clearly when the Packers chose Aaron Rodgers in the first round despite having Brett Favre at quarterback. Fast forward a few years and, while other teams scramble to address their quarterback situation, the transition from Favre to Rodgers was almost seamless.In Kansas City, the idea may be working out in similar fashion.The Chiefs were seemingly set at outside linebacker with Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, but chose Ford this year anyway, despite pressing needs elsewhere. Now, if Ford is able to push for more playing time, it might make Hali and his albatross of a contract expendable. And that would give the franchise the flexibility to address other holes, such as signing Houston to a long-term deal.All of that lies in the future, though. Right now, the Chiefs are focused solely on the present, and that means trying to squeak into the playoffs. And the production of the last two draft classes will promise to be just as important in that endeavour.Left tackle Eric Fisher, the Chiefs first-round pick a year ago, will need to be able to pry open holes for running backs Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis while protecting quarterback Alex Smith.Davis, a third-round pick, has had to carry more of the burden in recent weeks with Charles banged up. He ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in last weeks win over the Raiders.Then theres tight end Travis Kelce, another third-round pick. On a team that does not have a wide receiver that has caught a touchdown pass this season, Kelce has filled the void. He has a team-leading 56 catches for 747 yards and five touchdowns — and a penchant for early celebrations.Youve just got to go out there and make sure you are playing within the fundamentals, he said, and the techniques of the game and not getting too high or too low.Thomas, who has played more on offence lately, said after springing his punt return for a touchdown last week that the game is slowing down. Everything is coming into focus. And that could go for all the first- and second-year players who are being asked to perform.Ive been learning. Ive been learning the whole season. Its to the point where Im starting to get a feel of it, he said. I want to go out there, make plays and get our team going.NOTES: WR Dwayne Bowe and DT Jaye Howard missed practice Thursday with an illness. Hali was out with a bothersome knee that limited him in practice the previous day. Adidas Prophere Ale . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a course-record 10-under 62 on Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Adidas NMD Cs2 Suomi . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-nmd-r2-halvalla.html . The announcement was made by the hall on Friday, March 14. She joins Switzerlands Denise Biellmann as this years inductees to the Hall, based in Colorado Springs, CO.INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George scored 24 points, David West had 19, and the Indiana Pacers protected their home court with a 107-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana led wire-to-wire and never even gave the Heat a chance to tie the score after starting the game with a 5-0 lead. Game 2 is Tuesday in Indiana. The home team has won all five meetings this season. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points and LeBron James had 25 for the two-time defending NBA champions, who lost for only the second time in 10 playoff games. Indiana had a 30-point first quarter for the first time since Feb. 27, extended the lead to 19 in the third and Miami couldnt get closer than nine the rest of the way. For months, people wondered what happened to the Indiana team that dominated the first half of the NBA season. On Sunday, those Pacers suddenly reappeared. Indiana swarmed the glass, exploited its size advantage, knocked down early 3-pointers with regularity and defended well enough to force the Heat to play catch-up the entire game. The fans that occasionally serenaded them with boos during the first two rounds of the playoffs spent most of the first half on their feet and finished the game with repeated chants of "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!" All five of Indianas starters and backup C.J. Watson reached douuble figures as the Pacers produced their highest point total of the post-season. Adidas Falcon Ale. . Indiana has lost Game 1 at home in its first two playoff series, but it was obvious right from the start that this game would be different. George Hill scored the first five points to give the Pacers the lead, which they extended to 20-10. They spent the rest of the game either pulling away or fending off Miami challenges. When the Heat trimmed the deficit to 30-24 after one and eventually to 41-37 midway through the second quarter, Lance Stephenson scored four points in a 5-0 run to make it 46-37. When James again cut the deficit to 50-45 with back-to-back baskets late in the second, the Pacers closed the half with five straight points to make it 55-45. Then the Pacers poured it on. Roy Hibbert and West scored eight of Indianas first 14 points to open the second half, making it 69-52. James and Wade again rallied the Heat, getting Miami within 81-70 late in the third and 83-74 early in the fourth. The Pacers used a 7-0 spurt to rebuild a 102-84 lead and closed it out at the free throw line. Notes: Miami has lost six straight series openers on the road. ... The last two games these teams have played were both decided by double digits. ... Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine opened the series by playing the National Anthem on his harmonica. ' ' '