DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers werent about to make a change for the sake of change.Brad Ausmus will return next year for a fourth season as Detroits manager after the team announced Wednesday it was exercising the 2017 option on his contract. The Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, but a 12-game improvement from 2015 was enough for Ausmus to keep his job.I think the team is prepped to compete and improve going forward, and I think Brad had a big part in that, general manager Al Avila said.Ausmus is 250-234 in Detroit and the Tigers have finished first, last and second in the AL Central during his tenure. He took over after the 2013 season, when Jim Leyland stepped down. After leading Detroit to its fourth straight division championship in his first year, Ausmus has presided over a decline that may have been in some ways inevitable as the Tigers have battled age, injuries and the departure of some key stars.Detroit made a run at a wild card this year, going 86-75, and Avila said missing the playoffs wasnt necessarily a reason to switch managers.Its not as simple as, `Hey, you didnt get in, you ought to whack a guy and move forward, he said.With Ausmus coming back, the Tigers could begin next season with plenty of continuity. If they pick up options on closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron Maybin, they wont have any major free agents who might leave this offseason. The core of Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez was able to stay fairly healthy this season, and Verlander re-established himself as one of the American Leagues top starters.Ausmus is looking forward to the opportunity to keep managing a team with a chance to win, and theres never been a hint of discord between him and Avila, who just finished his first full season as GM. Although Detroit fell short of its goals this season, the manager and front office appear to be largely on the same page.Im excited about it, Ausmus said. Al and I work very well together. We get along great, which from what I hear isnt always the case.There was speculation toward the end of the 2015 season about whether Ausmus would be back, but the team kept him for 2016. His position seemed particularly tenuous this past May, when the Tigers lost 11 of 12, but they fought back and were only a half-game out of a postseason spot before dropping their final two games at Atlanta last weekend.Detroit stayed in it thanks to the performance of Verlander and rookie Michael Fulmer, who boosted a rotation that was hurt by Jordan Zimmermanns injury problems and Anibal Sanchezs continued decline. Justin Upton struggled for most of his first year with the Tigers but went on a late-season hitting tear that nearly lifted the team into the postseason.Ian Kinsler had a fine season at second base, and Cabrera produced his usual outstanding line with a .316 batting average, 38 home runs and 108 RBI.Detroit has a clubhouse full of veterans, many of whom have accumulated their share of individual accolades and experienced plenty of team success. Avila gives Ausmus some of the credit for the fact that the Tigers were able to stay in contention all the way until the end this season.A manager obviously manages people, manages situations, Avila said. In this case, I think he manages the clubhouse very well.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister John Lucas II Jersey . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Isaiah Hartenstein Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. 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There is a glimmer of hope for both Sunderland and Hull City in their battle to avoid relegation.The struggling sides meet at the Stadium of Light on Saturday in a match that already feels like it could be pivotal in deciding the make-up of the Premier Leagues bottom three come May.But there is reason for optimism at both clubs.Hull (3-1-7) ended a run of eight games without a league win when they eked out a 2-1 victory over Southampton in their final match before the recent international break.Sunderland (1-2-8), meanwhile, recorded their first win of a tricky campaign to-date under new manager David Moyes in their last outing, beating Bournemouth 2-1 on Nov. 5.However, despite those results, both clubs remain in the relegation zone, and Hull defender Curtis Davies admits that these sides are yet to reach a turning point.Sunderland had a great win against Bournemouth before the break and we know that theyll have rolled their sleeves up and be up for a fight, Davies said. Theyll probably see the game on Saturday as a chance to get kick-started, but we dont want to be their catalyst for that. We want to be the ones who kick on and push ourselves on in the table.Were ready for a big period in the season. We know we let ourselves down during the run of games after the last break up to the Southampton fixture. We have to take the momentum and confidennce from that win forward with us now.ddddddddddddSunderland will also be looking to pick up some momentum after a less than ideal life to start under the management of much-maligned Moyes.The Scot has struggled to gel a cohesive unit at Sunderland, but he introduced one or two intriguing young prospects. One of whom -- American Lynden Gooch -- has spoken of his admiration for the coachs style.Results havent gone the way wed hoped, but the manager has put a lot of belief into us and we still feel that, little by little, were improving, gradually moving in the right direction, Gooch said.The manager wants us to keep the ball, pass it and play good football and thats my game. Thats how Ive been taught to play all the way through the academy and its helping me now. I feel that, under David Moyes, I can keep progressing.Gooch may be in contention to start against Hull, particularly given the clubs fitness concerns over Jack Rodwell, Jan Kirchhoff and Lee Cattermole. Fabio Borini, Paddy McNair and Victor Anichebe are also injury doubts for Saturdays game.Hull are missing Andy Robertson, Alex Bruce and long-term absentees Will Keane and Moses Odubajo, while striker Abel Hernandez remains a couple of weeks away from a return. ' ' '