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LOS ANGELES -- Vinny Del Negro is out as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers after a season in which the team won its first division title but lost in the first round of the playoffs. The team said Tuesday he wont be offered a contract when his current one expires at the end of June. He is just the second coach to leave the team with a winning record, following Larry Brown in 1993. "This was a difficult decision, but we feel this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward," said Gary Sacks, vice-president of basketball operations. Del Negro had a 128-102 regular-season record in three years with the team. The Clippers made the playoffs the last two seasons, including last year when they advanced to the second round for only the second time since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1984. This season, the team won a franchise-record 56 games, including a 17-game winning streak. And with All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the Clippers were one of the NBAs most exciting attractions, with acrobatic dunks and dazzling playmaking. But the post-season was quick and disappointing -- an exit in six games to Memphis despite a 2-0 lead. "We would like to thank Vinny for everything he did during his three years with the organization," Sacks said. "Vinny helped this team win a Pacific Division title and we greatly appreciate all that he and his staff helped us accomplish." The search for a new coach will begin immediately. Del Negro had the highest winning percentage (.557) for a coach in the clubs beleaguered history. He is the only coach to have consecutive winning seasons since the Buffalo Braves moved to California and became the Clippers in 1978. The Clippers had just six winning seasons in their first 41 years. Now theyve put together consecutive winning records and playoff appearances for the first time in 20 years. "Weve set every franchise record," Del Negro said two weeks ago. "So Im proud of a lot of things we did." Much of the credit for the dramatic turnaround went to Paul and Griffin. Del Negro was criticized at times this season for his rotations, and there was speculation about whether he would return. Paul and Griffin have been supportive of their coach, and two weeks ago Sacks acknowledged that the players opinions would be part of the decision on Del Negro. "I think Vinny did a great job of managing the egos and taking this team to a new level," veteran Matt Barnes said after his exit interview at the end of the season. Del Negro had said he enjoyed working with Paul and Griffin. "Theyre the nucleus of the team, obviously, that you want to keep intact and move forward with," he said. Sacks made it clear that the teams top priority is to re-sign Paul, who becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. He could receive a five-year, $108 million deal. Del Negro came to the Clippers from the Chicago Bulls, where the 46-year-old coach went 82-82 in two seasons including back-to-back playoff appearances before being fired. Before that, Del Negro had front-office roles with Phoenix from 2006-08. He previously worked as a broadcaster for the Suns and San Antonio. He played in the NBA for 12 years.Stitched Royals Jerseys . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Royals Jerseys China . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Kansas City Royals Gear . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Kansas City Royals Store . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle.SAN DIEGO -- Tony Gwynn will be on everybodys mind during All-Star Game festivities, perhaps no more poignantly than how his death affected American League starter Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.He actually made a very big impact in my life. I chewed tobacco from 2007 until the day he passed away, Sale said at a news conference Monday. I remember seeing that, and just being so shocked. He was a larger-than-life person. He was an inspiration to the game for many, many people for a lot of different reasons. But I quit that day, and I havent touched it since.In a sense, I owe him a huge thank you for not only myself but for my family and, you know, hopefully I can maybe sway somebody in the right direction as well like he did for me.Gwynn died of salivary gland cancer on June 16, 2014, at 54.Gwynn was one of the most beloved figures in San Diego sports history, as well as the face of the Padres for two decades. At the time of his death, he was in his 12th season as coach at his alma mater, San Diego State.The All-Star Game will be played Tuesday night at Petco Park. Gwynn had as much to do as anyone with the downtown ballpark being built. He played for the Padres his entire 20-year, Hall of Fame career, retiring after the 2001 season. The ballpark was approved by voters just two weeks after the Padres were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series. Gwynn batted .500 in those four games, including hitting a home run off the right-field facade in Yankee Stadium in Game 1 off San Diegan David Wells.Gwynn will always be remembered as the greatest Padres player ever. He never played in Petco Park but there are plenty of reminders of him. Days before Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, the Padres unveiled a larger-than-life bronze statue of Gwynn beyond the outfield. It depicts him in the middle of his sweet left-handed swinng.ddddddddddddOne of the streets outside Petco Park is Tony Gwynn Drive. His No. 19 is one of the teams retired numbers that greets fans as they enter the ballpark.Without giving details, the Padres said Gwynn will be honored during pregame ceremonies Tuesday.Gwynns death stunned baseball.Still, there are many happy memories of the Hall of Famer, who had 3,141 hits, a .338 lifetime average and won eight NL batting titles.Some All-Stars have direct connections to Gwynn.Cole Hamels of the Texas Rangers grew up in San Diego and played at Rancho Bernardo High. Gwynns son, Tony Jr., played at Poway High.Most of my memories of Tony Gwynn are because he lived very close to where I grew up, Hamels said. Being able to see him driving down the street in that Porsche that he had, youd see him go by. Playing against his son, hed go hide out in the outfield to watch his son play because he didnt want to get bothered, and it was kind of cool to know that Tony Gwynn was watching your game, even though he was watching his son. But we always convinced ourselves that Tony Gwynn was there to watch us, too.Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals was an unpolished player at West Hills High in suburban Santee, but blossomed under Gwynn at San Diego State, becoming the first overall pick in the 2009 draft.Strasburg recalled Gwynn as one of the greatest hitters of all time, No. 1, but one of the greatest people of all time, as well. I grew up a huge Tony Gwynn fan being here. Playing for him I got a chance to develop that relationship with him. I learned a lot, how to be not only the best baseball player, to be a real pro, but also to be, hopefully, a good human being.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson ' ' '