ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Don Zimmer wasnt a fixture in baseball forever. It just seemed that way. He played alongside Jackie Robinson on the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win the World Series. He coached Derek Jeter on the New York Yankees latest dynasty. And his manager once was the illustrious Casey Stengel. For 66 years, Zimmer was a most popular presence at ballparks all over, a huge chaw often filling his cheek. Everyone in the game seemed to know him, and love him. Zimmer was still working for the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior adviser when he died Wednesday at a hospital in nearby Dunedin. He had been in a rehabilitation centre since having seven hours of heart surgery in mid-April. "Today we all lost a national treasure and a wonderful man," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. Zimmer started out as a minor league infielder in 1949, hitting powerful shots that earned him the nickname "Popeye." He went on to enjoy one of the longest-lasting careers in baseball history. And oh, the stories he could tell. "I loved listening to him every day," Billy Connors, a coach under Zimmer with the Chicago Cubs, told The Associated Press. Zimmer played on the original New York Mets, saw his Boston Red Sox beaten by Bucky Dents playoff homer, got tossed to the ground by Pedro Martinez during a brawl and was Joe Torres right-hand man as the bench coach with the Yankees. "I hired him as a coach, and he became like a family member to me. He has certainly been a terrific credit to the game," Torre said in a statement. "The game was his life. And his passing is going to create a void in my life and my wife Alis. We loved him. The game of baseball lost a special person tonight. He was a good man," he said. A career .235 hitter in the big leagues, numbers could never define all that Zimmer meant to the game. He did have tremendous success, too -- his teams won six World Series rings and went to the post-season 19 times. Zimmers No. 66 Rays jersey had been worn recently by longtime Tampa Bay third base coach Tom Foley in tribute. The Rays hosted the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, and Foley was crying in the dugout. Earlier this season, the Rays hung a banner in the front of the press box at Tropicana Field that simply read "ZIM." There was a moment of silence at Dodger Stadium for Zimmer before Los Angeles played the Chicago White Sox. "On behalf of Major League Baseball and the many clubs that Popeye served in a distinguished baseball life, I extend my deepest condolences to Dons family, friends and his many admirers throughout our game," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. Zimmers biggest admirer was his wife "Soot" -- they were married at home plate during a minor league game in 1951. Two years later in the minors, Zimmers path took a frightening turn -- he was beaned by a fastball and left in a coma, and doctors had to put metal screws in his head. He recovered well enough to wear a lot of uniforms during his 56 years in the majors. He played for the Dodgers, Mets, Cubs, Cincinnati and Washington. He managed San Diego, Boston, Texas and the Cubs. "Probably the best baseball man I knew," Connors said. Yankees executive Hank Steinbrenner echoed that sentiment. "I loved Zim. I loved his passion. He was a great, great guy. He was a great baseball guy," he told the AP. "Everybody loved him." Steinbrenner, son of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, said Torre and Zimmer were the "perfect team" during New Yorks run that brought four titles in a five-year span. "Joe was low-keyed. Zim would get fired up. He was a bench coach for real," Steinbrenner said. "He was an extremely important part of the 1990s success." Zimmer hit 91 home runs and had 352 RBIs in 12 seasons. He started Game 7 when Brooklyn beat the Yankees for the 1955 crown and was an All-Star in 1961. The next year, he played under Stengel on the 1962 expansion Mets, who famously went 40-120. "Dont blame them all on me," Zimmer once said. "I got traded after the first 30 days." Zimmer was the 1989 NL Manager of the Year with the Cubs and was at Yankee Stadium for three perfect games, by Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series and by David Cone and David Wells in the late 1990s. "Its a sad day for the game of baseball," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said after a 3-2 loss at San Diego. "Don impacted lives from the time he put a uniform on in the minor leagues until today." Zimmer is survived by his wife; son Thomas, a scout with the San Francisco Giants; daughter Donna, and four grandchildren. cheap jerseys from china . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. fake jerseys china .Currently no, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions, said Tuesday in an interview from Ottawa. https://www.chinajerseysreplica.us/. Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. wholesale jerseys china . "Im proud, obviously. Its been a long day, but now Im a Crystal Palace player, Im very happy," Bannan said. "The seasons been started now for a couple of weeks and Ive not featured at Villa. cheap china jerseys .J. Barea during a three-game shooting slump that was getting him booed off his home court with regularity.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Cam Newton said his focus is on getting back on the football field, not a new contract. The Panthers quarterback said Wednesday hes happy for San Franciscos Colin Kaepernick, who recently signed a six-year, $126 million contract. He even sent a congratulatory text message to Kaepernick, who beat Newton and the Panthers in the NFC divisional playoffs 23-10 in January. The Panthers have talked about a long-term contract for Newton but no deal has been completed. "For me, thats the last thing thats on my mind," Newton said. Newton didnt practice Wednesday as he continues to rehab his left ankle following surgery in March, but spoke to the media inside the stadium afterward. He said he wants to participate in next weeks three-day minicamp, but isnt sure if hell be ready. Newton and Kaepernick are linked in many respects because they came out of college the same year. Newton was selected first overall in the NFL draft in 2011, but only this past year did he finally get the Panthers to the playoffs. Kaepernick was selected 35 picks behind Newton but has helped the 49ers reach the NFC championship game three straight seasons. "Two different people, two different organizations," Newton said. "I wish Colin the best. ... I reached out and told him he deserved it. To do what he has done up to this point, he deserves to get paid." Newton can make an argument he does too based on three impressive statistical seasons. He has started every game for the Panthers since coming into the league and thrown for 11,299 yards with 64 touchdown passes and 42 interceptions. Hes also run for 2,032 yards and 28 TDs. But while general manager Dave Gettleman said Newton has proven to him that hes a franchise quarterback, the salary cap strapped Panthers havent signed the former Heisman Trophy winner to a long-term deal. The Panthers did pick up the option on the fifth year of Newtons rookie contract, which means Newtons sallary will jump from $3.dddddddddddd million this year to $14.6 million in 2015. Newton has been working on an underwater treadmill in recent weeks, receiving ice and stem treatments for his left ankle. Hes also been throwing passes on the side during six of the teams last nine OTA practices. He said hes still experiences some pain in his ankle that reminds him hes not quite 100 per cent. The teams three-day minicamp begins Tuesday. "Physically Im coming along fine and Im on page right where I expected to be, but mentally Im bored," Newton said. Newton said hes spent the last seven weeks pouring over game film from last year and practice film from OTAs. He acknowledged that while the extra time in the film room has been beneficial, he said it has become "a little monotonous." When he returns to the field Newton will be looking to develop some chemistry with an overhauled corps or wide receivers. The Panthers cut ties with their top four wide receivers from last year, including Newtons go-to guy Steve Smith. The team added free agents Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Tiquan Underwood and drafted Kelvin Benjamin in the first round. While Newton wasnt ready to say this years group of receivers is better than last years, he did say they have a chip on their shoulders. "The elephant in the room has already been stated," Newton said. "Those guys have already accepted the challenge. You dont have to go in there and tell those guys, Hey, youre projected (to be) the sorriest receiver (group) in the NFL. We already know. "But with that, those guys already have that fire in their eyes. I would rather those guys be like that and for them to go out there and bust their tails like theyve been doing. Its kind of like a slap in —not only their face — but my face as well." ___ AP NFL website www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow Steve Reed on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SteveReedAP ' ' '