NEW YORK -- Phil Jackson is back in New York, providing the Knicks stability, championship-building ideas and a link to the franchises best days. Madison Bumgarner Jersey . Now they need him to get some good players. Jackson was introduced Tuesday as team president of the Knicks, in the midst of another difficult season and with no easy path to a quick fix. But Jackson has won here before, done plenty of it since and says a couple of years off have left him ready to take on what might be his toughest challenge, turning this dysfunctional franchise into a champion again. "It would be a capstone on the remarkable career that Ive had," Jackson said. Jackson was a member of the Knicks title teams in 1970 and 1973, and they havent won since. He went on to win 11 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. This will be his first time as an executive and the Knicks say he will be in charge of all basketball decisions. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said he "willingly and gratefully" is stepping back to give Jackson the power to make the changes. "Phil has a vision for the Knicks that I know will put us on the path for success," Dolan said. Steve Mills will remain general manager. "I think that we have a teamwork situation here thats going to be really quite swift and capable of making some important changes as we move forward," Jackson said. The Knicks announced the hiring in the lobby of Madison Square Garden, with a giant "Welcome Home Phil" sign overhead and racks of his old No. 18 jersey on sale. He signed a five-year contract that reportedly will pay at least $12 million annually. After living in California for many years, Jackson said he would spend significant time in New York, starting with Wednesdays game against Indiana. Hes got big decisions coming up involving Carmelo Anthony and coach Mike Woodson. Its the second reorganization in six months for the Knicks, who fired GM Glen Grunwald days before the start of training camp. Mills replaced him even though he had no previous experience running the basketball side. The deal began to take shape at a holiday party hosted by a mutual friend of Jackson and Dolan. Though Jackson quickly declined interest in coaching, they agreed to keep talking. It will be tough for Jackson to make big changes quickly in New York, where the Knicks face with the salary cap problems. Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani will all be in the final year of expensive contracts, making them difficult to unload. And they traded their first-round pick to Denver in 2011 to acquire Anthony. Jackson alluded to that, saying the Knicks "were going to have to go out and work the bushes for players this next year." But he has a vision for how he wants to do it, a change from the Knicks way of too frequently adding big-name players who dont fit any particular style. Jackson said he wont insist that the Knicks run the triangle offence that worked so well for him with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, then Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal. But he made it clear he believes in the systems principles of passing, movement and teamwork. But its not just Xs and Os that have doomed the Knicks during a mostly disastrous decade. Its the policies of Dolan, who has too often involved himself in basketball decisions. Jackson said he will be accessible and will focus on things such as "how players are treated" and "the kind of culture thats built." "This organization has suffered in the past few years from things I think have just been created, by press, by lack of continuity, by lack of solidarity." It wasnt like that when Jackson played in New York. Those teams not only thrived on the court but were well-known and well-liked around the city, players such as Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere. "This is the best place to play basketball," Jackson said. Jackson is marrying the daughter of late Lakers owner Jerry Buss and said he will continue to spend time in California, where his children and grandchildren live. Jackson said he didnt know how much day-to-day work he would handle. After five knee and hip surgeries, Jackson is "not easily able to move around" on commercial airlines or scouting at small gyms. That ruled out coaching, the job that Knicks would have loved him to do. But the work needed from the front office might ultimately be more important. "Now to come back to where Ive started in basketball, its a great feeling," Jackson said. Tony Watson Jersey . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. Hunter Pence Jersey . -- New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no concerns about the health of shortstop Derek Jeter, who was limited to 17 games last season due to leg injuries. http://www.sfgiantsrookiestore.com/Giants-Barry-Bonds-Kids-Jersey/ . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with cornerback Kelvin Hayden.CHICAGO -- The Washington Nationals hit the halfway point of the season tied with Atlanta for the NL East lead. Adam LaRoche will take that. "I like our position in the standings and I like how our team is playing," LaRoche said after Washington swept a day-night doubleheader from the Cubs on Saturday. LaRoche and Wilson Ramos homered, Blake Treinen earned his first major league win and the Nationals beat Chicago 7-2 in a rainy nightcap. Gio Gonzalez pitched two-hit ball over seven innings in the opener for a 3-0 victory. In the second game, Washington tagged Jeff Samardzija (2-7) for six runs over five innings to salvage a four-game series split. LaRoche led off the second with a long drive to right for his 11th homer, and Ramos connected to start the fifth, sparking a four-run rally that made it 6-2. Making his fifth major league start, Treinen (1-3) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the 26th man on the roster for the doubleheader. "It means a lot," he said about the win. "Im definitely excited, thats for sure." Ross Detwiler pitched three perfect innings for his first career save. The only runs for the Cubs came on a two-run homer by Luis Valbuena that tied it at 2 in the fourth, right about when the rain started falling. With two outs in the inning and Nate Schierholtz batting, play was stopped for 55 minutes. Once the game resumed, it didnt take long for the Nationals to regain the lead. Ramos connected on the first pitch of the fifth for his second homer, and Washington sent up nine batters in the inning. With two outs and a man on first, three straight singles by Anthony Rendon, Kevin Frandsen and Jayson Werth resulted in two more runs. First baseman Anthony Rizzo then let LaRoches hard smash get by him for an error, bringing in Frandsen to make it 6-2. "Coming out of the rain delay they jumped on me right off the bat, and then they hit some fastballs over the plate and hit them up the middle," Samardzija said. "Made me keep throwing pitches. Like I said, they did a good job. They were ready out of the break." In the first game, Gonzalez dominated in his third start back from the disabled list, outperforming Dalllas Beeler in the rightys major league debut. Gaylord Perry Jersey. Rendon had three hits, including a two-out double against Beeler in the sixth before scoring the games first run on a wild pitch. Rendon added an RBI triple off Justin Grimm and came home on a sacrifice fly by LaRoche against Wesley Wright in a two-run eighth. Denard Span chipped in with two hits and scored a run, and the Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak. Gonzalez (5-4) struck out seven and walked two while improving to 2-0 in three starts after missing a month because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Rafael Soriano finished for his 19th save in 21 chances. "Obviously, coming (off) the DL and trying to work your way back is going to be a process," Gonzalez said. "Its not going to happen overnight. Its good to see, little by little, using fastball and changeup at the same time. Its good to know when you need them theyll be there." Beeler was about as good as Gonzalez. Called up from Triple-A Iowa as the 26th man, he pitched four-hit ball while allowing an unearned run in six innings. Beeler also singled in his first at-bat when he lined the first pitch he saw up the middle in the third, drawing big cheers from the crowd. "I was a lot calmer than what I thought Id be," he said. "I walked out there, took a deep breath, threw my warmup pitches, kind of looked around again, exhaled and I was like, All right, same game Ive been playing for the last 20 years." NOTES: Nationals OF Bryce Harper hit three homers and drove in five runs in a rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg. The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year is working his way back from a torn ligament in his left thumb. He went 4 for 5 as the DH against the Cleveland Indians Akron affiliate. Washington manager Matt Williams said hes not sure if Harper will play another game for Harrisburg on Sunday. The Nationals are optimistic he will return early in the week, if not Monday, when they open a three-game series against Colorado. ... The Cubs have their first scheduled Sunday off in 82 years because of the annual Pride Parade in Chicago. The last one was on June 19, 1932. Chicago played the Giants in New York on a Saturday and then went to Philadelphia on a Monday. ' ' '