For someone who has played as great a heel as?The Miz?has over his past 10 years in the WWE, theres an undeniable babyface quality to the journey of his career behind the scenes.Ask about the constant battle for respect after his unlikely transition from reality television personality to legitimate WWE superstar, and the arrogant qualities of his villainous character quickly fade from his voice. Instead, youll hear the real Miz, born Michael Mizanin in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio, who credits his success to the kind of attributes -- hard work and perseverance, to name a couple -- typically reserved for the back of a John Cena T-shirt.Those same attributes were put to the test when his career was at a crossroads in 2015. With The Miz increasingly booked as a punchline, it seemed laughable to imagine him ever returning to the pinnacle of sports entertainment, a level he achieved when he won the WWE championship in 2011 and successfully defended it against?John Cena?in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII. His characters constant reminders of his one shining?moment became his calling card and added fuel to the idea that The Miz had been something of a one-hit wonder.Although he retained plenty of fans for his comedic microphone work as host of the recurring Miz TV segment on RAW and SmackDown, the idea that, at 35, his future had more value as a full-time mouthpiece than in-ring performer was gaining traction. The Miz wont budge on whether the chatter got to him as he toiled away on the lower mid-card -- he prefers to mention that fighting off critics is the story of my life -- but what has come to pass over the first half of 2016 can best be described as a career renaissance, with The Miz putting forth arguably the best work of his career.Think about when I first came to WWE, The Miz told ESPN.com. Everybody said Id be gone within the first three months, and then here I am 10 years later, still at the top of my game, performing at the top level.People are always going to criticize you. They are always going to tell you that youre horrible and you suck. But if you keep evolving and putting the work in, then someday, somehow, they will respect you and will learn that Im not just a guy who can do commentary. My prime is still right now in that WWE ring.What changed? His wrestling certainly became more crisp and fluid. But the catalyst of the rebirth of The Mizs confidence was the return of his wife, former two-time WWE Divas champion?Maryse, who debuted as his?manager one night after WrestleMania 32 in April.Maryse, who left WWE in 2011, emerged from the crowd to aid in The Mizs victory over?Zack Ryder?on RAW, which allowed him to begin a fifth reign as WWE Intercontinental champion. More importantly, Maryse provided an?instant boost to the look and credibility of her husbands character.As soon as she got hired, it gave me a whole new confidence in everything -- in my ability to do promos, in my ability to be in the ring, said The Miz, who gives his wife full credit for his reinvention. When your wife is sitting there watching you ringside, you are kind of showing off, and you dont want to look stupid -- ever.Maryses full-time return to the road has meant even more to their two-year marriage.Im not in one of those relationships where Im like, Ugh, Im with her all the time, and it sucks, The Miz said. Im like, This is what I want. I want to be around her all the time because shes my best friend, and we talk about everything. It brings a whole new light to my life. To be away from her kind of puts you in a down mood.The Mizs turnaround has become one of the WWEs best feel-good stories, with his journey resonating with fans who view him as more of a common man than other larger-than-life superstars. Many have watched him grow from a 21-year-old frat boy on MTVs The Real World: Back to New York in 2001 into a performer who has regularly defeated the backstage odds.In fact, its a testament to how far The Miz has come that his first brush with celebrity was a negative moment that is largely forgotten. During the season opener of The Real World, he stumbled into a heated argument about race with an African-American roommate that presented him as ignorant, if not racist. When the show aired nine months later, there was enough heat and bad press building up in Cleveland that he moved in with his grandfather in Florida until it died down. But as the season progressed, Mizanin went on to win over both castmates and viewers.Sometimes the worst things that you can say really teach you a lot about what you can learn, The Miz told MTV.com in 2014. It made me realize where I was at in my life. Im glad I went through it because it allowed me to open my mind even more and get educated.Subsequent stops on the reality show circuit further showcased his personality (and penchant for cutting pro wrestling promos), which caught the attention of WWE. He was added to the fourth season of WWEs reality show, Tough Enough, and despite finishing as the runner-up, he was offered a developmental contract. Over the next 15 months, in stops at Deep South and Ohio Valley Wrestling, The Miz found the work ethic he grew to rely on.They put me through everything -- hoops and ladders -- and I realized that I could take anything and apply it to any work, life or career, he said. The WWE doesnt just get you ready for the WWE ring. It gets you ready for life.Looking back at his early WWE promos, the influence of?The Rock?-- whom The Miz calls the reason I wanted to become a WWE superstar -- is undeniable. But over time, he began to add from others, including the late?Ravishing Rick Rude.I sometimes literally take some of his lines out and use them because its just an homage to him and how much I really loved his promos, The Miz said. Im looking at this guy basically swinging his hips around and saying, Hey, I want all you fat, lazy sweat hogs to shut your mouth while I take off my robe. Thats just one of the best promos I could ever think of.The Miz is quick to point out that nothing has ever come easily for him as a wrestler -- not even talking -- but he quickly learned the importance of being a student of his craft. After botching some early speaking chances, he went to an improv school in Los Angeles and got an acting coach. From there, he practiced cutting promos on everything in sight, including stop signs while stuck in traffic.Theres a very real underdog mentality to The Miz, and it still drives him.I wasnt born talented, he said. My dad didnt have that great genetics. It wasnt just honed in on me. I was always the person that had to kick, scratch and claw for any ounce of talent that I ever had. I have a competitive edge to me. Im not the most talented person in the world, so I have had to earn every ounce of talent that I had.As The Miz walks confidently into the second half of his WWE career, hes mindful of the lessons he learned from his first run at the top.When you main event WrestleMania in front of 80,000 in a sold-out Georgia Dome, theres a huge and immense amount of pressure, he said. Can you live through that pressure? It made me realize that I have to work harder to get back to WrestleMania. Its hard enough to get to WrestleMania, but to get back to the main event of WrestleMania is even twice as hard. So now, Im on that upward slope of basically trying to get back to where I was in 2011. Julio Teheran Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Deion Sanders Braves Jersey . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/kevin-gausman-braves-jersey/ . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Sean Newcomb Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. John Smoltz Braves Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. PORTLAND, Ore. -- Defense was the difference for the Trail Blazers.After struggling for the past half-dozen games, Portland had more of a complete effort in a 119-104 victory over New Orleans on Friday night. Damian Lillard scored 27 points and CJ McCollum added 24 to snap the Pelicans four-game winning streak.I think what we did on the defensive end allowed us to get out in transition and move the ball, and play at the pace that we wanted to be at. It worked in our favor, once we did it consistently, Lillard said.Lillard added 11 assists for the Blazers, who were coming off a 1-4 road trip. It was the 2,000th win in franchise history.Anthony Davis, who went into the game ranked second in the league with an average of 31.3 points a game, led the Pelicans with 31 points and 13 rebounds.The Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but the Pelicans closed to 105-101 on Terrance Jones dunk and Jrue Holidays jumper. Portland responded with an 8-0 run, capped by Maurice Harkless reverse layup that made it 113-101, and New Orleans couldnt catch up.Obviously its really good to get a win, Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. Weve been struggling a little bit. I thought offensively we were pretty good for most of the night. Defensively, after about two minutes into the second quarter, we were good the last three quarters.The Pelicans have rebounded after an eight-game losing streak to start the season and were coming off a 117-96 victory at home over the Timberwolves. But the win was costly because New Orleans lost Dante Cunningham in the first half because of a non-displaced right proximal fibula fracture. He will miss four to six weeks.The four-game winning streak coincided with the return of Holiday, who missed the start of the season to care for his wife, Lauren Holiday, following the birth of their child and surgery to remove a tumor on the right side of his wifes brain. Lauren Holiday was a standout on the U.S. womens national soccer team for eight years until her retirement last year.Holiday finished with 16 points.Portland, coming off a 137-125 loss in Cleveeland, led by eight points in the first quarter but New Orleans pulled in front by the second, taking a 38-32 lead on Holidays 3-pointer.ddddddddddddPortland reclaimed a 47-43 lead on consecutive baskets from Jake Layman and McCollum.McCollum led all scorers in the first half with 19 points and the Blazers led 66-57.The Blazers went on an 8-0 run to open the third quarter, capped by McCollums 3-pointer that made it 74-57. Meyers Leonards dunk and Lillards long 3-pointer extended Portlands lead to 94-78.If youre going to be content to exchange baskets with this team youre probably going to struggle because theyre really good offensively, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.TIP-INSPelicans: New Orleans players and coaches had Thanksgiving dinner at the family home of Jones, who grew up in Portland. His family was terrific to us, Gentry said. ... The Pelicans have four players on the injured/inactive list: Tyreke Evans (right knee), Quincy Pondexter (left knee), Cunningham (right leg) and Cheick Diallo (D-League assignment).Trail Blazers: It was Stotts birthday. ... There was no update on the status of Al-Farouq Aminu, who has a strained left calf. ... Mason Plumlee finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds. ... Portland has won 11 straight over the Pelicans at the Moda Center.SECOND CHANCESThe Blazers had 23 second-chance points compared to two for New Orleans, something that was a concern to Gentry: You give up 12 offensive rebounds and they get 23 second-chance points, he said, that means theyre scoring every time they get a rebounds and that puts way too much pressure on your offense.MILESTONESBesides his birthday, it was also Stotts 191st win as coach of the Blazers. He ranks fourth in franchise history behind Jack Ramsay (435), Rick Adelman (291) and Nate McMillan (266).Portland is the 15th NBA team to hit 2,000 wins.UP NEXT:Pelicans: New Orleans visits the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.Trail Blazers: Portland hosts the Houston Rockets on Sunday. ' ' '