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Before Team Canadas semifinal against the United States at Sochi 2014, Bobby Loo tweeted this picture of him and Canucks teammate Ryan Kesler. Andrew Luck Black Friday Jersey . Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! Goodnight! Huge game tomorrow! #ThePriceisright pic.twitter.com/Aa5QpLCL8e � Strombone (@strombone1) February 20, 2014After the Team USA Olympic roster was announced, Luongo tweeted his support to teammate Tom Sestito, who (not surprisingly) joined Bobby Ryan on the list of players not on the team. Chin up @TomSestito23 ...... Bobby Ryan didnt make the US Olympic team either � Strombone (@strombone1) January 2, 2014Then there was Luongos infamous feud with Tim Thomas, dating back to a "misunderstanding" during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals of who should pumping whos tires. Luongo tweeted this prior to a game against Thomas and the Florida Panthers this season. Just at Canadian Tire picking up a few essentials for tomorrows big tilt....... pic.twitter.com/0XXjbBbpNt � Strombone (@strombone1) November 18, 2013There was also, of course, Luongos well-documented goaltending controversy/ bro-mance with Cory Schneider. Luongo let it be known how he felt with Schneider gone this season. Miss you buddy.....?? pic.twitter.com/wjc5da78Ss � Strombone (@strombone1) October 8, 2013Finally, Luongo was never afraid to laugh at himself in the Twitter sphere. After an 8-3 loss to the Red Wings during the 2013 season, in which he allowed all eight goals on 28 shots, Luongo tweeted this. I just wanted to apologize to all the people who had to replace their Budweiser Red Light bulb after yesterdays debacle #LUON8O � Strombone (@strombone1) February 25, 2013Comeback soon Bobby Loo, you will be missed. Johnny Unitas Black Friday Jersey . Stamkos suffered a broken leg 10 weeks ago and continues to rehab in hopes of returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup before the Olympic break. As a result of the positive feedback from the X-ray, Stamkos will continue to ramp up both on- and off-ice workouts. Reggie Wayne Jersey . Poyets immediate challenge is to produce Sunderlands first victory in the league, with the northeast club bottom with just one point from seven matches. "Trust me, believe, connect with the team," Poyet said after signing a two-year contract.NEW YORK -- Re-Enter Sandman? The New York Yankees selected Mariano�Rivera III, the son of the former record-breaking closer, in the 29th round of the Major League Baseball draft on Saturday. The 20-year-old Rivera, a starting pitcher as a sophomore at Iona College, went 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA and five complete games and a team-leading 50 strikeouts in 70 innings for the Gaels. The 5-foot-11 right-hander bears a strong resemblance physically to his famous father, who saved a major league-record 652 games and helped lead the Yankees to five World Series titles. But Rivera III allowed 72 hits and opponents batted .269 against him, and he was considered by many to be a fringe prospect because of his inexperience on the mound. Yankees manager Joe�Girardi spoke to Mariano�Rivera recently and asked him for a scouting report on his son. "Mo wasnt sure if he got drafted what he would do," Girardi said before the Yankees played the Royals in Kansas City on Saturday night. Pat McAfee Black Friday Jersey. "But I think its neat he got drafted by the Yankees and well see what happens." Rivera III has a fastball that sits in the low-90s and a terrific slider -- although his cutter isnt quite yet as devastating as his dads. He also wore the No. 6 at Iona, rather than his fathers familiar No. 42. "Well, his velocity, I mean, hes gotten bigger and stronger and its increased," Girardi said. "Mo didnt have much to say -- Mos always been a humble guy -- but he loves what hes doing." Rivera transferred to Iona from Quinnipiac and was originally an outfielder before redshirting and moving to the mound last year, when he pitched in 11 games for the Gaels. ' ' '

Lydia Ko says it feels like shes going home. Zach Mettenberger Jersey . The New Zealander became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour when she captured the CN Canadian Womens Open at the age of 15 two summers ago. Ko won again last year, and will headline the field for the 2014 tournament -- now known as the Canadian Pacific Womens Open -- when it gets going later this month at London Hunt & Country Club. "I love playing in Canada and the support Ive been getting is huge," the 17-year-old said on a conference call Monday. "To me, Canada feels quite close to what its like in New Zealand. It feels really welcoming whenever I go there. "Having my first LPGA win in Canada, thats huge and thats always going to be with me. They always say the first is one of the most memorable and its definitely been the case." Tournament director Brent McLaughlin said the Canadian golf community has a strong connection to Ko because of the success shes had the last two years. "Any time you see young talents just excel youre proud of them," he said. "Its even brought further to the forefront when you feel like youve had a part in helping them along. "People need heroes. They need to rally around heroes and they need a reason to watch." Ko was an amateur and didnt collect any winnings when she won her back-to-back Canadian championships at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., and at Edmontons Royal Mayfair Golf Club. She turned pro in October 2013 and has already won two tournaments this season, including the Marathon Classic last month. "This year has been very exciting, first year on the tour as an LPGA rookie. Its been a fun year. Ive learned a lot of things along the way," said Ko. "I really look forward to going back and playing the Canadian Womens Open. The last two years, the Canadian Open was a very exciting tournament for me." While shes happy with her decision to play on tour full time, Ko said dealing with the weekly grind has been an adjustment. "Ive been trying to balance life outside the course and not over doing it and taking some time off," she said. "Outside the golf course I do the normal teenage things -- watch TV, talk to my friends on Facebook. "I think that kind of helps me to bring back my life outside of golf and outside of what I do most of the time, and actually be like a normal teenager and talk about school and gossip about things." Ko -- who was named one of Time Magazines top 100 most influential people in April -- is still adjusting to her fame, including being viewed as a role model. "Thats pretty cool because Im only 17 myself," she said. "When I hear these little girls or boys say Youre my role model and I look up to you it is kind of cool and it makes me feel like I need to become a better person, a better player so that I live up to what they expect of me." Ko is one of a number of big names set play at this years Canadian Open in London, Ont., from Aug. 18 to 24, but one player who wont be taking part due to injury is Michelle Wie. "Shes such an awesome player and it would have been great to have Michelle there because we all know that she brings a lot of the crowds out," said Ko. "Hopefully the crowds will still come out. Its really unfortunate that it happened during this time." Meanwhile, the Canadian contingent will be led by 16-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who finished second at last weeks U.S. Womens Amateur tournament in Glen Cove, N.Y. Ko said there is a buzz on tour about playing in Canada, not only for the $US2.25-million purse, but because of how the tournament is received. "When players talk to each other ... they want to go and play and theyre super excited to play. They dont want to miss out on it," she said. "Its been a great experience for me" Authentic Jake Locker Jersey . Grabner scored on a breakaway 3:53 into overtime as the Islanders defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Tuesday. Craig Stevens Tennessee Titans . -- Look at London�Fletchers career stats, particularly the column of numbers under the letter "G.MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Kyle Busch has seen it time and again at Martinsville Speedway. Driving down pit road, heading back onto the track and in contention for the lead, Busch is used to seeing the pole-sitter gun the engine just off the jack and reassume the race lead. Busch hopes to finally get to experience that for himself at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday after earning the pole on NASCARs smallest, tightest track for the first time in 19 career starts. "I think thats a great thing for us," Busch said after winning the pole with a lap at 99.674 mph. "We get to pit there and of course drop the jack and just lunge across the line and be good. "You need to still run up front all day. I think that its a great opportunity for us to pick up some spots say if were second, third, fourth, whatever, but you definitely always want to stay as close to the front as you can and try not to use that box as much as some guys have in the past." The pole is the 14th of Buschs career. In an interesting twist under NASCARs new knockout qualifying system, Busch won it while Joey Logano set a track record. That came at 100.201 mph during the first phase of two-session qualifying. All 44 cars competed in the 30-minute first session, and the top 12 moved into the 10-minute phase two. Denny Hamlin earned the No. 2 starting spot with a lap at 99.548 mph, and will be followed on the starting grid by Logano and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. That puts Busch in some pretty accomplished company because Hamlin (4), Johnson and Gordon (8 each) have won a lot. Busch, though, is coming off a victory last week at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and while he said it wasnt dominaating, it gave him hope that the Joe Gibbs Racing teams are coming together. Authentic Nate Washington Jersey. "It just seems to be working well right now, whatever is working," he said. Hamlin, who promised earlier in the day that he would win on Sunday, wasnt in love with the outside starting spot because it can be tricky to get down to the bottom on restarts from the outside, said nothing that happened in practice or qualifying made his change his view of how it can all unfold. "I knew, even going into this weekend, I knew we were going to be really good contenders and be in the mix anyway," he said. "I feel like after running a couple laps of practice I felt like this was a car that was capable of winning. I think with tire management being more of a factor than its ever been, it kind of lends itself to my driving style even more. For that reason I think well be tough on Sunday." Logano has two top-10 finishes on the 0.526-mile oval, but none since 2010. "So weve got a track record, but we dont have a pole. How does that work?" he asked. A solid pit position, he said, could help turns things around on Sunday. "Obviously, the pit stall is very important, especially here. Its a dangerous pit road, so you want to get a nice spot you can get in and out of, but obviously here its a slow pit road and you can make up a lot with timing lines on pit road," he said. "For that reason alone its big, and thats worth multiple spots throughout the race when youre thinking about making a lot of pit stops." Danica Patrick qualified 10th, her best starting spot in a race not held at Daytona. Her previous best starting position was 21st, accomplished twice last season. ' ' '

ST. Max Unger . LOUIS -- The Dallas Stars are trying to make a late playoff push. Against a team battling for first place overall in the league, the Stars stepped up their game. Colton�Sceviour got the first two goals and Antoine�Roussel scored on a breakaway in the third period to give the Stars a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. "This was a huge test for us," goalie Kari�Lehtonen said. "One of the best teams in the league and we played last night and travelled here late, and showed up, and it was just a huge win." Cody�Eakin had a goal and assist and Lehtonen made 33 saves for the Stars, who have won four of five in pursuit of a Western Conference playoff spot. Dallas entered the day three points out of a playoff spot before winning for the second straight night and saddling the Blues with just their sixth regulation home loss. The Stars opened a five-game trip after beating the Predators 7-3 on Friday and won without production from their top line of Tyler�Seguin, Jamie�Benn and Valeri�Nichushkin. "I dont know if desperation is the word. That kind of sounds bad," Sceviour said. "But definitely we feel like these are games we need to win. "This is a start and we want to build off it." Alex Steen had a pair of power-play goals for the Blues, who had been 8-0-2 in their previous 10 at home including an overtime loss to Dallas earlier this month. St. Louis fell one point behind Boston for first place overall in the NHL after a showing coach Ken Hitchcock labeled "sloppy." "What we are right now is too inconsistent," Hitchcock said. "Weve got too many players who are having good games and then are following it up with poor games." "Have to send a few messages here in the next couple games and see if we can get everybodys attention." Dallas led 1-0 and 3-1 against the Central Division leaders. Roussel skated in alone on Ryan�Miller for the clincher after the puck hopped over defenceman Kevin�Shattenkirks stick at the opposite blue line at 7:56 of the third. If the Blues had been ahead, Shattenkirk would not have been trying to hold the line. "We feel like wed been all over them in the third period, then they get the fourth one," Steen said. "We were a little late tonight." Steen has 33 goals on the season. He scored on a deflection from the high slot in the second period and beat Lehtonen scrambling across the net on a long rebound in the opening minute of the third, each time shaving the deficit to one. Sceviour has three goals the past two games and Eakin also has scored in consecutive games for the Stars. Hitchcock picked a trio of former Stars -- Steve�Ott, Brenden�Morrow and Derek�Roy -- for the opening faceoff. That line surrendered the only goal of the first period, with Otts turnover leading to Sceviours sixth of the season, and finished a combined minus-5. Sceviour tapped in a rebound off his skate to make it 2-0 at 7:21 of the second. "Theyre not the prettiest goals, but well take them," Sceviour said. Dallas needed just 25 seconds to answer Steens first goal on Eakins deflection. Notes: Stars D Alex�Goligoski tied his career high with four points against Nashville on Friday a day later when a scoring change gave him a fourth assist in a 7-3 victory over Nashville, and he had an assist in the second period against St. Louis. Goligoskis other four-point game came with Pittsburgh when he had a goal and three assists against Tampa Bay on Jan. 5, 2011. ... Stars F Vernon�Fiddler earned his 200th career point on a second-period assist. ... Stars coach Lindy Ruff worked his 1,239th game, tying Bryan Murray for 10th on the career list. ... Shattenkirk had two assists and set career highs with 35 assists and 44 points. ... Steen has three goals and four assists the past four games. ... David�Backes had an assist for 356 career points, passing Pierre�Turgeon for 11th in Blues history. 12th Fan Jersey . His agent told TSN that the deal is "virtually done" and will be official in the next day or two. The news comes with Torontos season opener set for this Saturday on the road against the Seattle Sounders (TSN, 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt). Tony McDaniel Authentic Jersey . The Winnipeg Jets head coach, whose parents are French-Canadian, lost much of his mother tongue the result of playing and coaching hockey in the U.S. but still speaks enough to get by. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- It just wouldnt be the World Cup without Germany in the semifinals. Harnessing all their big-game experience, the Germans delivered a performance of maturity and efficiency to hold off France 1-0 on Friday and become the first team to reach four straight semifinals in the sports marquee tournament. Defender Mats Hummels scored the winning goal in the 13th minute, outmuscling his marker at a free kick to glance a header in off the underside of the crossbar. Criticized for poor defending in earlier matches, Germany selected a more robust lineup and restricted a flat France team to only a handful of clear-cut opportunities in muggy conditions. "There was not much in it," France coach Didier Deschamps said. But, "we dont have the international experience Germany has." While Frances young players slumped to the ground and some shed tears after the final whistle, the Germans soberly saluted all corners of the Maracana Stadium. One job done, nothing more. And next up for Germany is a meeting with host nation Brazil, which beat Colombia 2-1 later Friday. It will be Germanys 13th appearance in the semifinals in 20 editions of the World Cup. "I guess were playing the kind of football which will give us a chance to win," said Hummels, who produced a couple of decisive blocks to snuff out two good chances for France striker Karim Benzema. "We defended well today . I think we deserve to carry on." France struggled to impose the kind of attacking game that made the team one of the most exciting in Brazil during the group stage, although Benzema -- the teams chief attacking threat -- squandered chances in both halves. Late in the first half, the Real Madrid striker seized on a rebound following Manuel Neuers save from Mathieu Valbuenas shot but his close-range effort was deflected wide by Hummels. Then, in stoppage time, he created space for himself about eight yards out at an angle, but a fierce shot was swatted away by Neuer. "We played like a team again," said Germany captain Philipp Lahm, who returned to right back in one of a string of tactically astute chhanges made by coach Joachim Loew. Jeremy Lane Jersey. "Overall it was a good performance from us." In Loews eight-year tenure, Germany has reached the last four in every major tournament it has played -- but remains without a title since winning the European Championships in 1996. While the German team seemed comfortable at this level, the occasion was perhaps too much for a young, revamped France team playing together at the World Cup for the first time. And it continued Germanys recent dominance over France at World Cups. The most notorious of those previous meetings was in the 1982 semifinals in Spain, when Germany won on penalties following a 3-3 draw in a match marked by a late and high tackle by Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher on France defender Patrick Battiston that escaped punishment. That went down as one of the most riveting matches in World Cup history, but the rematch -- 32 years on -- couldnt have been more different. A turgid first half was illuminated by the goal from Hummels, who held off Raphael Varane and met a typically dead-eye delivery from Toni Kroos with a header that gave goalkeeper Hugo Lloris no chance. The warm and humid conditions played a part in the slow tempo of the game but France stepped up the pressure in the second half. Benzemas late chance got French fans excited but Germany should have been 2-0 ahead by then, with Lloris saving a low shot by substitute Andre Schuerrle on a counter-attack. "We just werent efficient enough," said Valbuena, who sat, dejected, on the field after the final whistle. "Our efforts just werent enough, its incredibly disappointing." Lineups: France: Hugo Lloris; Mathieu Debuchy, Raphael Varane, Mamadou Sakho (Laurent Koscielny, 72), Patrice Evra; Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye (Loic Remy, 73), Blaise Matuidi; Mathieu Valbuena (Olivier Giroud, 85), Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema. Germany: Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Hoewedes; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Mesut Ozil (Mario Goetze, 83), Toni Kroos (Christophe Kramer, 90), Thomas Mueller; Miroslav Klose (Andre Schuerrle, 69). ' ' '

MINNEAPOLIS -- At the crack of the bat, San Diego Padres manager Bud Black didnt think centre fielder Alexi�Amarista had a chance to get Eduardo�Escobars screaming line drive. Johnny Unitas Colts Jersey . Step by blazing step, it didnt take Amarista long to give Black and the rest of his team some much-needed hope. Amarista made that game-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth inning and Seth�Smith followed with a solo homer in the 10th to lift the Padres to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. "Then I saw Alexis route, and youre sort of watching Alexi and watching the ball," Black said. "And then in flight, you think maybe." Amarista ran backward on a dead sprint and laid out for a brilliant diving catch of the drive with two on and two outs to keep the game tied. "When he hit it, I thought game over," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We just watched their whole outfield move way in with two strikes, and he moved way in when that ball was hit, and Esco got a hold of it really nice, we thought he had no chance to catch that ball. But the young man ran it down, and it was a hell of a play." Smith had two hits and two RBIs. Joaquin�Benoit picked up his fourth save in five tries and the Padres earned a split in the two-game series. Trevor�Plouffe had a homer and three RBIs for the Twins. But All-Star closer Glen�Perkins blew his fourth save in 32 chances this year. San Diego trailed 4-3 going into the ninth against Perkins, but Everth�Cabrera tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The Padres earlier in the day hired Texas Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller as the teams new general manager, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The speedy Amarista was a late-game defensive replacement, and what a move it was for Black. He raced a good 35 yards or more to track down Escobars hit and the Padres bench erupted when he hauled it in. Smith responded with a drive more than 400 feet off Anthony�Swarzak (2-1) into the right-field stands for his 12th homer. "It was nice to win a game like that," Smith said. "Those are the games you need to win." Kevin Quackenbush (2-2) got the win. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Yangervis Solarte came up hobbling in the sixth inning after sliding home to tie the game at 3. Solarte appeared to actually roll over a bat laying in his way as he made the slide. But he was able to finish the game at third base. Twins: Gardenhire said first baseman Joe�Mauer and right-hander Ricky�Nolasco both had successful debuts on their rehab stints with Class A Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night. Mauer (strained right oblique) was scheduled to play first base on Wednesday. If all goes well, Mauer will join the team in Houston next week. Gardenhire said Nolasco (elbow) "felt great" after throwing 51 pitches. He will make at least one more start before being activated. FOR STARTERS Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne gave up four runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. It was his third straight outing allowing at least four runs and his third straight where he hasnt reached the seventh inning. "Hes been a little bit too up out over the plate for the most part," Black said. YONDER HEATS UP Alonso went 6 for 8 in the series to raise his average to .233. He was activated from the disabled list last week after dealing with right wrist tendinitis, and Black said he can see the difference. "Theres no soreness in his wrist," Black said. "His forearms, his hands, everything having to do with gripping the bat feels good. His timing is there. Hes one of the guys that we need to continue this hitting." UP NEXT Padres: San Diego is off on Thursday before opening a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday night. RHP Ian�Kennedy (8-9, 3.59) will start the opener against Pirates RHP Vance�Worley (4-1, 2.43). Twins: Minnesota starts a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday night. RHP Yohan�Pino (1-3, 4.57) pitches for the Twins against newly acquired As LHP Jon�Lester (11-7, 2.59). T.Y. Hilton Jersey . - The Washington Wizards are in a great position to make the playoffs for the first time in six years, and John�Wall has a lot to do with it. Reggie Wayne Colts Jersey . Pro Bowl centre Maurkice�Pouncey ripped up his right knee and linebacker Larry�Foote ruptured his biceps during Pittsburghs 16-9 home loss to Tennessee, likely sidelining both players for the rest of the season. DETROIT -- On a night of desperation, dispute and finally, delirium, Max�Scherzer and the Detroit Tigers kept their season alive by the slimmest of margins. A tying home run, helped along by a couple of fans in right field. A full-count pitch with the bases loaded that was low and inside but became strike three when the batter swung. A line drive down the line with the bases still full -- foul by a few feet. During a relief outing to remember, Scherzer escaped a major jam one inning after two fans reached out to try to reel in Victor�Martinezs disputed home run, and the Tigers rallied past the Oakland Athletics 8-6 on Tuesday to force a decisive fifth game in their AL division series. Scherzer was in line to start Game 5, but the 21-game winner came on Tuesday instead for his first relief appearance since the 2011 post-season. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the eighth inning and got the win. "We took our best shot and we had to because we were behind the 8-ball a little bit," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We took that shot and, hey, both teams are going to have a good pitcher going two days from now." After avoiding elimination, the Tigers can now send Justin�Verlander to the mound Thursday night in Oakland. Verlander shut out the As at the Coliseum in Game 5 of the division series last year. Oakland hasnt announced a starter for Thursday. It is Bartolo�Colons turn in the post-season rotation, but rookie Sonny�Gray could also come back on normal rest after a brilliant performance in Game 2. "We havent decided anything yet," manager Bob Melvin said. Playing catch-up most of the way in Game 4, the Tigers tied it first with Jhonny�Peraltas three-run homer in the fifth and then on Martinezs solo shot in the seventh. A couple of fans attempted to catch Martinezs drive, and at least one of them bobbled the ball as he reached over the railing above the wall. That prevented right fielder Josh�Reddick from having any chance at a leaping grab. Reddick and centre fielder Coco�Crisp immediately protested, pointing up at the stands in the hope of a fan-interference call. But umpires upheld the home run after a replay review. "I have no doubt I was going to catch that ball. When I looked at the replay, thats what I thought," Reddick said. "Its totally frustrating that a fan can influence the game." Gary Darling, the crew chief, was umpiring in right field. He disagreed, even after the replay. "It was clear he was not going to catch the ball, so it was clearly going to be a home run," Darling said. "There wasnt any other evidence on replay to turn it another way." Scherzer came out of the bullpen in the seventh and gave up a run, then ran into trouble again in the eighth. With the Tigers ahead 5-4, he allowed a walk and a double to start the inning. But after an intentional walk to load the bases, Leyland left his ace on the mound. Scherzer struck out Reddick, who swung and missed at what would have been ball four on a low, inside pitch. Stephhen�Vogt struck out too, but pinch-hitter Alberto�Callaspos line drive to left nearly fell in before landing foul. Adam Vinatieri Jersey. Callaspo eventually lined out to centre. "It was surreal," said Scherzer, the winning pitcher in both Detroit victories this series. "Maybe its not the ninth inning, but thats the stuff you dream about pitching -- bases loaded, eighth inning, no outs, and I was able to do it." Detroit, held hitless through four innings in a game of twists and turns, added three runs in the eighth on a wild pitch and a two-run double by Omar�Infante that made it 8-4. Yoenis�Cespedes hit a two-run single in the ninth, bringing the potential tying run to the plate, but Joaquin�Benoit struck out Seth�Smith to end it. Crisp had four hits and three runs for the As, who led 3-0 and 4-3 but couldnt close out the defending American League champions. The Oakland bullpen hadnt allowed a run all series until Tuesday. After Crisp put the As ahead 4-3 with an RBI single off Scherzer in the seventh, Martinez lifted a fly to right against reliever Sean�Doolittle. It would have been an extremely difficult catch for Reddick, and it looked as though the ball might have cleared the wall even without the fans involvement. It was certainly an anxious wait while umpires reviewed the play, which brought back memories of Derek�Jeters fan-aided homer against Baltimore in the 1996 AL championship series at Yankee Stadium. Peralta followed with a double, and Austin�Jackson -- who was 1 for 14 with 10 strikeouts in the series to that point -- managed a broken-bat single to put the Tigers ahead 5-4. It appeared Detroit was in big trouble in the eighth, but Scherzer was able to protect the one-run lead, and the Tigers eventually added to it. Detroit starter Doug�Fister allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings before being relieved by Scherzer, who came back on three days rest after his victory in Game 1. Oakland took the series lead with a win in Game 3, and Crisps leadoff triple Tuesday put the Tigers on their heels again. Detroit brought the infield in -- a sign that even one run could be vital -- and Crisp scored on Jed�Lowries one-out single, putting immediate pressure on the Tigers slumbering offence. It appeared the Athletics were on their way to the ALCS when Lowries two-run homer in the fifth gave Oakland a three-run lead. With slugger Miguel�Cabrera still hobbled by injuries, As rookie Dan�Straily held the Tigers hitless until the fifth. But after a bloop single by Prince�Fielder, Martinez grounded a base hit to right. Peralta, who moved from shortstop to left field after returning from his late-season drug suspension, lined one over the wall in left, finally bringing the Comerica Park fans to life. NOTES: Cabrera hit a sixth-inning single. Hes reached base safely in all 28 of his post-season games with the Tigers. ... Detroit had gone seven games without a homer. ... Peraltas homer was the first extra-base hit allowed by Straily since Sept. 7, according to STATS. ' ' '

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TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors have re-signed forward Patrick�Patterson. Jussi Jokinen Authentic Jersey . Toronto announced the deal with the restricted free agent on Saturday. The terms were not disclosed. The 6-foot-9 Patterson was acquired in a seven-player trade with Sacramento in December. He averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 48 games with the Raptors. Masai Ujiri, Torontos team president and general manager, says "We were very pleased with what Patrick brought to us both on the court and in the locker room last season." The 25-year-old Patterson is averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds over 252 career NBA games with Houston, Sacramento and Toronto. He was selected by the Rockets with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Rob Scuderi Penguins Jersey . At the moment, neither do the decision-makers. Dustin�McGowan is front-and-centre in this ongoing saga, having thrust himself into the conversation with a dominating three-inning performance against the Phillies on Thursday, just hours after manager John Gibbons appeared to pour cold water on the notion. Brooks Orpik . The Olympic hockey rookies will face top-seeded and 2006 Olympic champion Sweden on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Kopitar, who plays for the Los Angeles Kings, is the only NHL player on the Slovenia squad. His father, Matjaz, is the national teams coach.BERLIN -- Nuremberg and Eintracht Braunschweig were relegated on the final day of the Bundesliga season Saturday, while Bayer Leverkusen clinched the last Champions League qualification place. Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. "We knew we had to win," Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said. Hamburger SV got the relegation playoff place despite losing 3-2 at Mainz, which secured Europa League football next season by finishing seventh. Mainz general manager Christian Heidel said after the game that Thomas Tuchel wanted to resign after five years in charge. "He has a contract until 2015. We dont want to rescind the contract," Heidel said. Media reports were linking Tuchel with Schalke. Neither Nuremberg nor Braunschweig could capitalize on Hamburgs loss. Nuremberg lost 4-1 at Schalke and Braunschweig stayed bottom after a 3-1 loss at Hoffenheim. It was a Bundesliga record eighth relegation for Nuremberg, while Braunschweig returns to the second division one season after securing promotion. "When you look back over 34 games we simply didnt get enough points, thats a fact," Braunschweig midfielder Mirko Boland said. Hamburg, the only side to have played every Bundesliga season since the league was formed in 1963, now faces home and away games against the third-placed finisher in the second division for a place in the top flight next season. "On Thursday at home we have to win," Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka said of the first leg. Hamburg completed its worst ever league campaign, with 75 goals conceded, more than any other side. "We still have a chance and well give everything we can," Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart said. Robert Lewandowski scored twice in his last game for Borussia Dortmund, a 4-0 win at Hertha Berlin, to finish as the leagues top scorer with 20 goals. The Polish striker opened the scoring in the 41st and Milos Jojic curled a fine effort from the right of the penalty area inside the far post three minutes later. Lewandowski, who is joining Bayern Munich next season, scored with a brilliant free kick in the 80th, two minutes before Henrikh Mkhitaryan completed the goals. Already crowned champion Bayern left it late to beat Stuttgart 1-0 and get its title celebrations underway. Claudio Pizarro scored two minutes into injury time for Bayern to finish the leeague on a high. Matt Niskanen Penguins Jersey. It was the Peru strikers fifth goal in four games. Pep Guardiolas side had clinched the title with a record seven games to spare and the former Barcelona coach was doused in beer by jubilant players as he held aloft the championship shield. He also dropped it. "It was cold," Guardiola said of his first beer shower. "Its all OK now after having a proper shower. Im happy." Stuttgart coach Huub Stevens, who saved his side from relegation, stepped down after the game. "Im not staying with Stuttgart. The reasons are personal. It has nothing to do with Stuttgart, nothing to do with the players. It only has to do with me," the Dutchman said without elaborating. Also Saturday, Augsburg defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 and Hannover beat Freiburg 3-2. Hannover honoured captain Steve Cherundolo before kickoff for his service to the club he joined in 1999. The San Diego native, who made 87 appearances for the United States, is retiring because of persistent knee injuries. Schalke safeguarded third place to secure direct qualification for the Champions League next season. It started badly for Nuremberg when Joel Matip scored with a header from a corner in the sixth minute. Roman Neustaedter made it 2-0 before the break, Julian Draxler scored in the 75th, and Chinedu Obasi added another in the 90th. Nuremberg striker Josip Drmic scored his sides consolation in injury time. Leverkusen provisionally lost fourth place to Wolfsburg after Theodor Gebre Selassie fired Bremen ahead in the 21st and Kevin de Bruyne put Wolfsburg 1-0 up against Gladbach in the 30th. Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak equalized with a fine header in the 34th and Heung-min Son put his side back in fourth place by scoring in the 53rd for a 2-1 victory. "Of course theres a bit of sadness after such a last game after six intensive weeks," said Leverkusen interim coach Sascha Lewandowski, who is making way for Roger Schmidt. Schmidt guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. In Wolfsburg, Christoph Kramer equalized for Gladbach in the 64th, before Ivan Perisic and Robin Knoche responded in the 68th and 81st respectively as the hosts won 3-1. Perisic struck the crossbar in the first half, and then the post, crossbar and the other post with one shot in the second. The season comes to a close next Saturday with Bayern and Dortmund meeting in Berlins Olympic Stadium for the German Cup final. ' ' '

It appears that due diligence is being done to bring an NFL franchise to Toronto. Luke Willson Jersey .�In a letter received by TSN, members of the citys corporate community are being asked for feedback on the potential of an NFL franchise and stadium in the Greater Toronto Area.�The letter, which was sent from CSL International - a sports facility planning and advisory firm based in Texas - states that Toronto is "at the forefront of potential relocation markets" for the NFL.�While the letter also states that no decisions have been made regarding bringing an NFL team to Toronto, it includes a survey to assess how it may provide an "exciting experience for fans and the corporate community alike." The letter did not specify whose interests were being represented. Paul Richardson . -- Having played six seasons with the Kings, Kevin�Martin is very comfortable at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. 12th Fan . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The owners of California Chrome are putting all their hopes into the chestnut colt to win the Kentucky Derby. After all, hes the only horse they own. California Chrome, based at lesser-known Los Alamitos racetrack in suburban Los Angeles, is the early 5-2 favourite for Saturdays 140th Derby with good reason. He has won four straight races by a combined 24 1/4 lengths under Victor Espinoza, who won the Derby in 2002 with War Emblem. "Hes so light on his feet," Espinoza said. "He just does things so easy and makes my job easy." California Chromes owners, Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, are no Kentucky blue bloods. Theyre a couple of working stiffs who live near Reno, Nevada. A trainer called them "dumb asses" for getting into the racing game, inspiring the duo to put the letters DAP on their silks, which stands for Dumb Ass Partners. "Were going to go down in history," Coburn predicted. California Chrome is the product of an $8,000 mare and a $2,500 stallion. Hes earned more than $1 million already, making it somewhat easier for Coburn and Martin to turn down a pre-Derby offer of $6 million for a 51 per cent stake in the horse. "Weve been blessed with this colt," Coburn said. "The first time we saw him, we knew it was going to be something special." If their tale seems improbable, well, its happened before at Churchill Downs. Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot owned and trained by two guys from New Mexico mocked as cowboys, pulled off the stunning upset in the 2009 Derby. At 77, Art Sherman, who oversees California Chrome, would be the oldest trainer to win. His colt would be the first California-bred to wear the garland of red roses in 52 years. "Hes feeling good and hes doing good," Sherman said. "Hes coming up to this race right." Rosie Napravnik wants to grab history, too. No female jockey has won the Derby, although she came closest -- fifth last year. Napravnik will ride 20-1 shot Vicars In Trouble. Her husband, Joe Sharp, works closely with the Louisiana-bred colt as assistant to trainer Mike Maker. "The story wouldd almost be too good if we won it," she said. Bruce Irvin. Wicked Strong is the early 6-1 second choice. The colt is named for the victims of last years Boston Marathon bombings and is trained by Jimmy Jerkens, who has his first Derby horse. Trainer Todd Pletcher has four horses in the Derby -- Danza and Intense Holiday are both 8-1 while his other two are longer shots, 30-1 Vinceremos and 50-1 We Miss Artie. Danza is named for "Taxi" actor Tony Danza, who planned to attend the Derby. Maker will saddle three horses, all long shots. Besides Vicars In Trouble, he has 15-1 General a Rod and 50-1 Harrys Holiday. "When those gates open, anything can happen," Maker said. Three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert is down to 20-1 shot Chitu after being forced to scratch early second favourite Hoppertunity because of a minor foot problem. "California Chrome has proven hes a really good horse," Baffert said, adding, "Theres a lot of parity in this field. Everybody might have a chance." Getting the ideal trip in the 1 1/4-mile Derby is important, especially with the traffic from 19 horses making a chaotic charge into the first turn. Jockeys want to avoid anything that would prevent their horse from getting into rhythm, like being bumped, cut off or blocked. Sherman believes the key is the first 70 yards. "You want to get out and get yourself some position," he said. Trainer Steve Asmussen takes a shot with Tapiture, who started three times at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old. Asmussen is under investigation by Kentucky and New York racing officials after an animal rights group alleged he and his former assistant mistreated horses in their care. The forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 73 degrees, with a crowd of at least 140,000 expected. Keep an eye on jockey Calvin Borel. He and 15-1 shot Ride On Curlin will break from the No. 18 spot in the starting gate. Borel will try to hustle the colt over to his favourite path on the track -- the rail. The rider nicknamed "Bo-rail" for his fence-skimming rides has three Derby wins in the last seven years. ' ' '

ANAHEIM, Calif. Authentic Wesley Woodyard Jersey . -- C.J.�Cron hit an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues, doubled his second time up and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. Howie�Kendrick capped his first four-hit game of the season with an RBI double in the ninth and scored two runs. Right-hander Garrett�Richards (3-0) allowed three runs and nine hits over six innings with two walks and a career-high nine strikeouts after three straight no-decisions. Kendrick doubled with two outs in the sixth against reliever Shawn�Tolleson (0-1) and scored the go-ahead run when Cron lined a 1-1 pitch to left. Joe�Smith followed Fernando�Salas and Ernesto�Frieri out of the Angels bullpen and got three outs for his third save in as many chances since replacing Frieri in the closers role. Cron, born in nearby Fullerton and drafted by the Angels with the 17th overall pick in 2011, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game after third baseman David�Freese went on the disabled list with a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger. Freese was hit by a pitch in the Angels series-opening 5-2 loss. The Rangers threatened in the sixth when No.9 hitter Robinson�Chirinos doubled with two outs and continued to third when the ball skipped away from Collin�Cowgill in the right field corner. But Richards struck out slumping Elvis�Andrus after an intentional walk to Shin-Soo�Choo. Andrus was 0 for 5 with a game-ending double-play grounder and has four hits in 46 at-bats over his last 12 games. Matt�Harrison made his second start of the season for the Rangers, allowing three runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings. The left-hander, was pitching on five days rest -- a combination of Thursdays off day and the teams desire to keep his turn in the rotation from coming up during next weeks interleague series at Colorado. Harrison, who signed a five-year, $55 million contract after winning 18 games in 2012, was sidelined for more than a year because of back problems after losing to the Angels in his second start of 2013. For the second straight night, the Rangers spotted the Angels a 2-0 lead before pulling ahead 3-2. Prince�Fielder led off the fourth with a single and scored on a fielders choice grounder by Mitch�Moreland. Chirinos and Choo drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with two-out RBI singles. The Angels tied it in the bottom half with an RBI single by Albert�Pujols, who grounded into a force at third with the bases loaded to end the second inning. Cron drove in Mike�Trout with a two-out single to left field. Choos one-hop throw to the plate bounced off Chirinoss glove, allowing Cron to take second. But Erick�Aybar grounded out to shortstop Andrus, whose low throw was scooped out of the dirt by Prince�Fielder. The Angels added a run in the third on a fielders choice grounder by Aybar, after Kendricks infield single and a drive to right-centre by Cron that bounced out of centre fielder Leonys�Martins glove as he ran full-speed toward the warning track. NOTES: Crons three hits were one more than his fathers entire major league total. Chris Cron was 2 for 25 in 12 games with the Angels and Chicago White Sox between 1991 and 1992. ... Cron led all of minor league baseball with 123 RBIs in 2012 while playing for Inland Empire of the Class-A California League. ... After walking his first batter of the game, Richards struck out Andrus, Adrian�Beltre and Fielder in succession. Fielder fanned on a ball in the dirt, one pitch after Choo stole second with an enormous jump before Richards came out of the stretch in his delivery. ... Beltre, still looking for his first home run, has played eight games since coming off the DL. Authentic Taylor Lewan Jersey . The Bruins suffered their share of setbacks, a notable one just a week earlier. Once the Pac-12 tournament got rolling, the Bruins took off. Mike Martin Tennessee Titans . Left guard Clint�Boling tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 17-10 victory in San Diego on Sunday. The Bengals put him on injured reserve Tuesday.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Toronto Blue Jays have promoted Gary Allenson to manage their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Its a move up for Allenson, who spent last season managing the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate in Manchester, N.H. The 58-year-old is in his second season with Toronto, and has 19 seasons of experience managing at the minor-league level. He also has six years of coaching experience at the major league level, split between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. Delanie Walker Tennessee Titans. Allenson is a former catcher, who spent most of his six-year major league career with Boston, before closing with Toronto. In Buffalo, he replaces Marty Brown, who decided not to return with the team in December. Allensons staff will include pitching coach Randy St. Claire and hitting coach Richie Hebner. ' ' '

CHICAGO - Injured Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew�Shaw will miss his fifth straight game against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference semifinal.Shonn Greene Tennessee Titans . Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville says Shaws lower-body injury is progressing, but he wont make the trip for Tuesday nights Game 6 in Minnesota. Chicago can eliminate Minnesota and advance to the Western Conference final. Quenneville hopes Shaw will skate in the next day or so. Shaw sustained the injury during Game 1 of the series in Chicago. Shaw had a career-high 20 goals and 19 assists during the regular season and scored twice in seven post-season games. Akeem Ayers Jersey . -- Brandon�Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. George Wilson Tennessee Titans . Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.PHILADELPHIA -- Reid�Brignacs first start for the Philadelphia Phillies ended with him being mobbed by his teammates. Brignacs RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning gave the Phillies a 6-5 win over the New York Mets on Friday night. Domonic�Brown hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Phillies, who snapped the Mets six-game winning streak at Citizens Bank Park, dating to last season. Marlon�Byrd reached second when right fielder Chris�Young dropped his fly ball for an error leading off the 14th. Carlos�Ruiz followed with a single to centre off Jenrry�Mejia (4-2) that sent Byrd to third. After pinch-hitter Cesar�Hernandez was intentionally walked, Brignac drove an opposite-field shot that one-hopped the wall in left. Brignac rounded first base and kept running into shallow right field before he was swarmed by teammates. "I was just messing around, trying to make them catch me," Brignac said. "It felt great coming through." Brignac started at third base for Cody�Asche, who is on the disabled list. Hernandez had played third since Asche got hurt. "That was a big swing," manager Ryne Sandberg said. Young refused to blame the wind for his error, even though it was blowing in hard by the end of the game. "I was looking dead at it when it was coming down," Young said. "I cant explain it. I have no idea how I dropped a routine fly ball, but it happened." Justin�De�Fratus (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win. Phillies starter A.J.�Burnett had a season-high 11 strikeouts, but allowed five runs and five hits in seven innings. He had to pitch out of trouble often because of six walks. "Im missing here and there, but six is a lot," Burnett said. "I have some work to do." Mets rookie Rafael Montero lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing four runs -- three earned --- and seven hits in the shortest of his four career starts. Authentic Andy Levitre Jersey. Coming off a 10-strikeout performance last Sunday against Arizona, Montero didnt fan any of Philadelphias strikeout-prone batters. The Phillies struck out 15 times in a 4-1 loss to the Mets on Thursday night. Bobby�Abreu hit a two-run double to give the Mets a 5-4 lead in the fifth after David�Wright and Curtis�Granderson struck out with two runners on. But the Phillies answered in the bottom half against Daisuke�Matsuzaka. Byrd walked, went to third on Ruizs double and scored on Browns groundout to tie it at 5. Byrd walked to start Philadelphias fourth and Ruiz singled. Brown then hit a high drive out to right to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Brown, an NL All-Star last year, was hitting .199 before connecting for his fourth homer this season. Brown hit 12 of his team-high 27 homers last May. Burnett helped himself with a leadoff single in the third. He went to third base when Abreu booted Jimmy�Rollins single to right for an error. Chase�Utley followed with an RBI groundout to cut it to 3-1. The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the second on Lucas�Dudas RBI double, Travis�dArnauds RBI groundout and Ruben�Tejadas RBI single. NOTES: Abreu stole second base in the eighth for his 400th career steal. The call was upheld after a video review. ... Rollins had two hits, moving within 12 of passing Mike Schmidt for first on the Phillies career list. ... The Mets are playing five consecutive days in the same city on the road for the first time. ... Granderson was 0 for 3 with a walk. He is in an 0-for-19 slump. ... Burnett has walked five or more batters in four of his 12 starts. He had double-digit strikeouts for the 33rd time in his career. ... RHP Jacob deGrom (0-2, 1.83 ERA) pitches for the Mets on Saturday against Kyle�Kendrick (1-5, 4.04). deGrom struck out as a pinch-hitter in the 14th. ' ' '

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers reinstated reliever Octavio�Dotel from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Damian Lillard Jersey . The 38-year-old Dotel had been sidelined since June 3 with right elbow inflammation. In 21 appearances this season prior to the DL stint, Dotel compiled a 1-2 record with a 4.42 earned run average. To make room on the roster, the Tigers optioned pitcher Thad�Weber to Triple-A Toledo. Nicolas Batum Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Martin�St.�Louis and Ryan�Callahan swapping places. The Rangers Get: RW Martin�St. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey. - Gaston Fernandez is making the most of his new job with the Portland Timbers.EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas�Eakins wasnt concerned with how his team won on Tuesday, simply that they did. Jordan�Eberle scored in overtime as the Oilers continued to try to drag themselves back from a tough start to the season with a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Oilers had led 4-1 at one point, but allowed the Hurricanes back into the game. Carolinas Justin�Faulk took a penalty early in the overtime session for a hit from behind on Ryan�Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers forward was able to remain on the ice and set up the winner, sending a pass to Eberle at the side of the net to put the game away 1:48 into OT. "Id love to have a win every night. I dont care how we get them," Eakins said. "It was two points. Would we have like to have ended that game 4-1? Absolutely. But the important thing is there is two points in the bank." Eberle said it was a good feeling to come away with the victory, especially after almost letting it slip away. "It was a relief to get the win," he said. "We played extremely well in the first and for a little bit in the second and then completely took our foot off the gas. I dont know what it was, but we just started turning pucks over and losing battles and playing bad defensively. Its frustrating when that happens, but we found a way to win and thats the biggest thing." Taylor�Hall, Nail�Yakupov, Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse�Joensuu also scored for the Oilers (11-18-3) who have gone 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. Edmonton also improved its troubling home record to 7-9-2 with a 2-1-1 record through the first four games of a five-game homestand. "We are working hard to get out of the hole we created for ourselves and it seems we are on a bit of a run now," Hall said. "Now it is time to get two in a row, something we havent been able to do for a while." Tuomo�Ruutu, Jordan�Staal, Eric�Staal and Jeff�Skinner replied for the Hurricanes (13-13-6), who have lost two in a row on the heels of a three-game winning streak. "Were a pretty resilient team," said Carolina head coach Kirk�Muller. "We have to look at the positives, we got a point. We got out-played in the first, and came back in the second. We had a really good second and third. We got a really big point and possibly could have had two." The Oilers were buzzing to start the game and got on the board just 1:33 into the first period. Hall had a clear lane to the net and seemed to catch Carolina goalie Cam�Ward napping with a quick shot that beat him glove-side. It was Halls 12th goal of the season and fifth in the last three games. The Hurricanes tied the game just over six minutes into the opening frame on a power-play goal. Ruutu was able to tip a Skinner shot on net and then get his own rebound after Edmonton defender Nick�Schultz failed to clear the puck in front and put it past Oilers starter Devan�Dubnyk. Edmonton vaulted back in front with nine minutes remmaining in the first period as Yakupov took a pass from Hall and sent a blast from the slot that went through the legs of both defenceman Ron�Hainsey and Ward. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey. It was just the fourth goal of the season for the 2012 first-overall draft pick. Yakupov was looking for another with three minutes left with another bullet from in tight, but the puck went off the post. Edmonton kept coming and made it 3-1 with 1:46 remaining in the first period as Nugent-Hopkins was able to beat Ward with a shot up high while sliding in towards the net on his knees. Edmonton out-shot the Hurricanes 14-6 in the opening 20 minutes. The Oilers added to their lead less than two minutes into the second period as Mark�Arcobello worked hard to get a backhand away off his knees from behind the net to set up Joensuu for a quick shot on the doorstep and a 4-1 Edmonton advantage. Carolina started to push its way back into the game and was finally rewarded for it midway through the second. After sustained pressure in the Edmonton zone, a puck came loose to Jordan�Staal in front of the net and he buried his seventh of the season through Dubnyks legs. The Hurricanes made it a 4-3 game eight minutes into the third period, as Eric�Staal was able to pick off a poor Eberle pass and streak down the ice on a short-handed breakaway. Staal faked a slapshot and got Dubnyk to commit and go down before calmly putting the puck into the empty net behind him. Shortly after, Carolinas Riley�Nash was tossed from the game and given a major penalty for a hit from behind on Edmontons Corey�Potter. But it was a wasted opportunity for the Oilers, who barely registered a shot. "We definitely lost some momentum there and they gained some," Nugent-Hopkins said. "We cant let that happen. When you get a five-minute power play, you have to get at least one goal. That wasnt our best job. But it is a big win for us and we have to build off this now." The lack of offence proved costly as the Hurricanes tied the game with just over five minutes remaining in the third after Edmonton failed to clear the zone in a sloppy sequence. Skinner was able to take a no-look turnaround shot from the point that somehow got past Dubnyk for his 10th goal of the year to make it 4-4 and eventually send the game to extra time. Both teams return to the ice on Thursday as the Hurricanes play the third game of a four-game trip in Calgary against the Flames, while the Oilers wrap up a five-game homestand against the Boston Bruins. Notes: It was the first of two meetings this season between the Oilers and Hurricanes, who havent played a game against each other since December, 2011. It was only the 19th regular season meeting ever between the two teams, who met in the 2006 Stanley Cup final. Their next game will be on March 16 in Carolina. ... The game featured the NHLs top two stars from the past week. Skinner was the leagues first star after scoring five goals and adding an assist. Hall was the second star with four goals and two assists. ' ' '

Canada will have two men in the mens normal hill ski jumping competition after Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes and Dusty Korek qualified on Saturday at the�RusSki Gorki Jumping Centre�in Sochi. Will Allen Steelers Jersey . Austrias Michael Hayboeck was tops in qualifying, leading the way with a jump of 101 metres and a score of 128.6. Calgarys Boyd-Clowes was 21st in the qualifier, jumping�95m for a score of 113.4. Korek, also of Calgary, was 28th, qualifying with a score of 107.4 after a jump of 92.5m. Two Canadians didnt make the cut, with Matthew Rowley of Red Deer, Alta., was just one spot away from qualifying of the top 40 jumpers. Calgarys Trevor Morrice was 47th. Ten athletes, including Polish medal favourite Kamil Stotch, had already qualified for Sundays event,�which starts at 12:30 p.m. ET. Hines Ward Jersey . It was almost exactly like the way Babcocks Team Canada won gold at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The result was a 2-1 Red Wings victory on Swedish Olympian Gustav�Nyquists rebound goal with 28 seconds left in overtime. Rocky Bleier Jersey . Ekblad led all defencemen with 23 goals and finished tied for fifth in scoring among blue-liners with 53 points in 58.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Memphis Grizzlies are making a move in the Western Conference and are doing it on the road. Zach�Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Memphis overcame another strong effort by Kevin�Love to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-90 Friday night. Courtney�Lee added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight games and 10 of their last 11. Memphis has won six straight away from home, including a sweep of a three-game trip to Portland, Sacramento and Minnesota. "It feels good, we are still getting to where we want to get," Randolph said. One-half game behind Dallas for eighth place in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies are 13-7 on the road and 12-13 at home. "This is huge for us, especially for the goals we have as far as making that playoff push," Lee said. "It definitely builds momentum." The win could be costly because Memphis played the final 6:37 without starting guard Mike�Conley, who sprained his right ankle when he landed on J.J. Bareas foot. Conley had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting after scoring a combined 46 in his last two outings. He is to be re-evaluated Saturday. "I can put weight on it now," Conley said. "Tomorrow is looking iffy, but hopefully after some treatment tonight and the next day we will go from there." Memphis hosts Milwaukee Saturday. Playing on a sore left ankle throughout the second half, Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Kevin�Martin had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who lost for just the second time in seven games. "We had our chances in the end and had some really, really great looks. We just didnt convert," Love said. Randolph did. He scored six points during a 9-2 Memphis run that turned a one-point deficit into a 91-85 lead with 59.6 seconds to play and later added two free throws. "Hes the man, hes the go-to player. Hes a proud man, hes an extremely competitive man," said Memphis coach David Joerger. "Think of all the banging those guys take night in and night out, year in and year out. When he got down there and got it done going 11 of 20 with some offensive rebounds, makes big free throws. Im really proud of him, really happy." With Minnesota trailing by one, Love scoreed on a fadeaway jumper and on a layup after a feed from Barea for an 83-80 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Brett Keisel Steelers Jersey. Love hurt his left ankle when he collided with Marc�Gasol on a drive with 2 minutes to play in the first half and landed on the foot of another Memphis player, yet gutted it out until halftime. "When I was moving it felt fine and I continued to keep it moving," Love said. "But right now it doesnt feel so good. We just need to do all we can before tomorrow night and hopefully be ready to go." Minnesota is at Atlanta on Saturday. Loves gimping was gone to start the second half much to the dismay of Memphis. With the Timberwolves trailing 59-43 early in the third quarter, Love scored 14 points during an 18-4 run to get them within two. His jumper with 12.8 seconds left in the quarter gave Minnesota its first lead of the game at 67-66. Love outscored the Grizzlies 18-16 in the frame. Ricky�Rubio helped lead the comeback in the third with six assists, but did not get off the bench in the fourth as coach Rick Adelman thought Barea "was the best option for us to win." Rubio finished with six points on 2-of-7 shooting. "Its coachs decision and I respect it. He always does what he thinks is best for the team. Of course I wish I could play, but I respect my teammates and my coaches and what he decides," Rubio said. Early on, Memphis took advantage of Minnesota playing its second straight game without bruising centre Nikola�Pekovic, who is out indefinitely with bursitis in his right ankle. Memphis had 36 points in the paint in the first half, and finished with 56. Gasol and Lee each had nine points in the first quarter as the Grizzlies shot 63.6 per cent from the field, and had 22 points in the paint in building a 30-22 lead. A putback by Randolph and a two-handed dunk by Ed�Davis off a Minnesota turnover increased Memphis lead to 42-28 midway through the second quarter. NOTES: Minnesotas 37 first-half points were a season low. ... Memphis F Mike�Miller, who was questionable after spraining his right thumb Wednesday, finished with five points. ... Minnesotas Gorgui�Dieng blocked Davis twice in a 58-second span early in second. ... Joerger grew up in Staples, Minn. ' ' '

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers reinstated reliever Octavio�Dotel from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Damian Lillard Jersey . The 38-year-old Dotel had been sidelined since June 3 with right elbow inflammation. In 21 appearances this season prior to the DL stint, Dotel compiled a 1-2 record with a 4.42 earned run average. To make room on the roster, the Tigers optioned pitcher Thad�Weber to Triple-A Toledo. Nicolas Batum Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Martin�St.�Louis and Ryan�Callahan swapping places. The Rangers Get: RW Martin�St. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey. - Gaston Fernandez is making the most of his new job with the Portland Timbers.EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas�Eakins wasnt concerned with how his team won on Tuesday, simply that they did. Jordan�Eberle scored in overtime as the Oilers continued to try to drag themselves back from a tough start to the season with a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Oilers had led 4-1 at one point, but allowed the Hurricanes back into the game. Carolinas Justin�Faulk took a penalty early in the overtime session for a hit from behind on Ryan�Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers forward was able to remain on the ice and set up the winner, sending a pass to Eberle at the side of the net to put the game away 1:48 into OT. "Id love to have a win every night. I dont care how we get them," Eakins said. "It was two points. Would we have like to have ended that game 4-1? Absolutely. But the important thing is there is two points in the bank." Eberle said it was a good feeling to come away with the victory, especially after almost letting it slip away. "It was a relief to get the win," he said. "We played extremely well in the first and for a little bit in the second and then completely took our foot off the gas. I dont know what it was, but we just started turning pucks over and losing battles and playing bad defensively. Its frustrating when that happens, but we found a way to win and thats the biggest thing." Taylor�Hall, Nail�Yakupov, Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse�Joensuu also scored for the Oilers (11-18-3) who have gone 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. Edmonton also improved its troubling home record to 7-9-2 with a 2-1-1 record through the first four games of a five-game homestand. "We are working hard to get out of the hole we created for ourselves and it seems we are on a bit of a run now," Hall said. "Now it is time to get two in a row, something we havent been able to do for a while." Tuomo�Ruutu, Jordan�Staal, Eric�Staal and Jeff�Skinner replied for the Hurricanes (13-13-6), who have lost two in a row on the heels of a three-game winning streak. "Were a pretty resilient team," said Carolina head coach Kirk�Muller. "We have to look at the positives, we got a point. We got out-played in the first, and came back in the second. We had a really good second and third. We got a really big point and possibly could have had two." The Oilers were buzzing to start the game and got on the board just 1:33 into the first period. Hall had a clear lane to the net and seemed to catch Carolina goalie Cam�Ward napping with a quick shot that beat him glove-side. It was Halls 12th goal of the season and fifth in the last three games. The Hurricanes tied the game just over six minutes into the opening frame on a power-play goal. Ruutu was able to tip a Skinner shot on net and then get his own rebound after Edmonton defender Nick�Schultz failed to clear the puck in front and put it past Oilers starter Devan�Dubnyk. Edmonton vaulted back in front with nine minutes remmaining in the first period as Yakupov took a pass from Hall and sent a blast from the slot that went through the legs of both defenceman Ron�Hainsey and Ward. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey. It was just the fourth goal of the season for the 2012 first-overall draft pick. Yakupov was looking for another with three minutes left with another bullet from in tight, but the puck went off the post. Edmonton kept coming and made it 3-1 with 1:46 remaining in the first period as Nugent-Hopkins was able to beat Ward with a shot up high while sliding in towards the net on his knees. Edmonton out-shot the Hurricanes 14-6 in the opening 20 minutes. The Oilers added to their lead less than two minutes into the second period as Mark�Arcobello worked hard to get a backhand away off his knees from behind the net to set up Joensuu for a quick shot on the doorstep and a 4-1 Edmonton advantage. Carolina started to push its way back into the game and was finally rewarded for it midway through the second. After sustained pressure in the Edmonton zone, a puck came loose to Jordan�Staal in front of the net and he buried his seventh of the season through Dubnyks legs. The Hurricanes made it a 4-3 game eight minutes into the third period, as Eric�Staal was able to pick off a poor Eberle pass and streak down the ice on a short-handed breakaway. Staal faked a slapshot and got Dubnyk to commit and go down before calmly putting the puck into the empty net behind him. Shortly after, Carolinas Riley�Nash was tossed from the game and given a major penalty for a hit from behind on Edmontons Corey�Potter. But it was a wasted opportunity for the Oilers, who barely registered a shot. "We definitely lost some momentum there and they gained some," Nugent-Hopkins said. "We cant let that happen. When you get a five-minute power play, you have to get at least one goal. That wasnt our best job. But it is a big win for us and we have to build off this now." The lack of offence proved costly as the Hurricanes tied the game with just over five minutes remaining in the third after Edmonton failed to clear the zone in a sloppy sequence. Skinner was able to take a no-look turnaround shot from the point that somehow got past Dubnyk for his 10th goal of the year to make it 4-4 and eventually send the game to extra time. Both teams return to the ice on Thursday as the Hurricanes play the third game of a four-game trip in Calgary against the Flames, while the Oilers wrap up a five-game homestand against the Boston Bruins. Notes: It was the first of two meetings this season between the Oilers and Hurricanes, who havent played a game against each other since December, 2011. It was only the 19th regular season meeting ever between the two teams, who met in the 2006 Stanley Cup final. Their next game will be on March 16 in Carolina. ... The game featured the NHLs top two stars from the past week. Skinner was the leagues first star after scoring five goals and adding an assist. Hall was the second star with four goals and two assists. ' ' '

ST. Authentic Ben Jones Jersey . LOUIS -- Former World Series MVP David�Freese was traded by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Angels in a four-player deal Friday that reunites Albert�Pujols with a pair of ex-teammates. In a conference call with media, Freese said he got a welcoming text from Pujols and responded with a reference to the 2011 World Series: "Remember what we did the last time we played together? Lets go try to do that again." Freese didnt think his drop-off in production last season had anything to do with the pressure of being the "hometown kid." "Obviously, Im a little sad closing this chapter, but Im extremely pumped about joining the Angels," Freese said. "If it was going to go down, I wanted it to happen on a team like the Angels." St. Louis obtained a new starting centre fielder in Peter�Bourjos, plus outfield prospect Randal�Grichuk. The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando�Salas to the Angels. "Overall, we just felt this was a very compelling deal to make," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. Freeses departure did not come as a surprise. "I definitely would look myself in the mirror and say, Where am I going to be in March?" Freese said. "I was ready to go anywhere. Im excited to get this going." The 30-year-old was the MVP of the 2011 NL championship series and the World Series, setting a major league record with 21 post-season RBIs and hitting a game-ending, 11th-inning home run in Game 6. Freese injured his back chasing a foul ball into the stands during spring training this year and never hit stride. He hit only .179 in this years post-season, going 3-for-19 (.158) with no RBIs in the six-game loss to Boston in the World Series. "David, growing up in St. Louis, this could not have been the easiest place to play," Mozeliak said. "I do think he may be looking forward to a fresh start. This was not an easy year for him." Freese batted .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, a letdown from career bests of 20 homers, 79 RBIs and a .293 average the previous year. Freese made $3.15 million and is eligible for salary arbitration. "He knows how to drive in the important runs," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Thats something that really fits in our lineup." The Angels were a match because they need a third baseman and Freese didnt figure as the long-term solution at third for St. Louis. The Cardinals will move second baseman Matt�Carpenter to third, opening a position for former top draft pick Kolten�Wong. Wong batted just .153 in 32 games last fall and was picked off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox. Mozeliak said that was just a "snapshot" of Wong, who batted .303 with 20 steals in 21 chances at Triple-A Memphis. "It gives Wong a clear shot," Mozeliak said. "I think hes going to hit." Pujols also played on the 2011 title team before signing a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Angels. Bourjos said Pujols called him just before the start of a teleconference with St. Louis media and Bourjos planned to call back later, adding, "Im going to pick his brain a little bit more, but I cant wait." The trade adds about $4 million to the payroll of the Angels, who have yet to add starting pitching. Jason�Vargas left this week for a $32 million, four-year contract with Kansas City. The Angels havent had an accomplished third baseman since Chone�Figgins left after the 2009 -- their last post-season appearance. Their outfield next season is likely to be Josh Hamiliton in left, Trout in centre and Kole�Calhoun in right. Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals have shed more than $45 million in payroll with Chris�Carpenter, Carlos�Beltran, Jake�Westbrook, Rafael�Furcal and Edward�Mujica also off the books. The 28-year-old Salas had 24 saves in 2011, but did not have a major role in the bullpen the last two years and spent part of 2013 in the minors. He was 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games last year. The 26-year-old Bourjos, who bumps Jon�Jay to the bench, was supposed to be the Angels everyday centre fielder last year after Los Angeles allowed Torii�Hunter to leave and traded Kendrys�Morales. Trout was moved to left to accommodate Bourjos, who is a better fielder. "We did juggle some things around to make sure he got an opportunity, and it didnt play out the way we hoped or the way he hoped," Dipoto said. Bourjos missed May with a hamstring strain, then broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Houston on June 29. He played just 55 games, said he was "getting real close" to full strength. A career .251 hitter with speed, Bourjos stole 41 bases in 54 attempts and was among AL leaders with 11 triples, 17 bunt hits and 38 infield hits in 2011. Allen�Craig will move to right field next year, making room for slugger Matt�Adams at first base, with Matt�Holliday in left field. Top prospect Oscar�Taveras is expected to make the team but without the pressure of starting in centre field. The 22-year-old Grichuk was the 24th overall selection in the 2009 amateur draft, one ahead of Mike�Trout, and starred at Double-A Arkansas last season. Dipoto said Grichuk likely would have begun next season at the Triple-A level. "Theres still some growing he needs to do at the plate, but Randal has the upside to play at the major league level," Dipoto said. "I hope he ends up a major league player." Grichuk had 57 extra-base hits, including a team-leading 22 homers that ranked sixth in the Texas League. He batted leadoff the majority of the time and made two errors in the outfield, playing centre and right field. Grichuk has a .284 average with 61 homers and 259 RBIs in 433 minor league games. Garrett Graham Jersey . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of waving his hand at an official after being called for a foul - Lowry pulled the Raptors sophomore aside, corralling him by his jersey and patting him on the back.Keshawn Martin Houston Texans . The Dutch were knocked from top spot despite winning two European Championship qualifiers, including an 11-0 victory over San Marino. Germany stays third and Uruguay rises to a best-ever fourth.CLEVELAND - As the old saying goes, if you play with fire, youre going to get burned. Dwane Casey, who has used the phrase as a cautionary tale after lethargic starts of the recent past, came just short of saying I told you so Tuesday evening. His team had been getting away with it, far more often than any team should. Yes, theyre a resilient bunch and that was the case again in Cleveland as they clawed back from a 21-point deficit - even taking a brief fourth-quarter lead - but its been masking the underlying issue. Theyre an open-faced sandwich, missing the top bun. "You cant play in this league that way and expect to come back each and every night," Casey said after Torontos 102-100 loss to the Cavaliers. "Its bit us more than weve won, it feels like." "Until we fix that, among us, among ourselves, then its going to be an uphill battle every night." For the second time in three days, the Raptors trailed by nine after the first quarter, allowing another team with a losing record, also missing their best player, to shoot above 52 per cent to open the game. The start was eerily similar to Sundays, at home to Atlanta, lacking effort, focus and purpose on both ends of the floor. Even without injured point guard Kyrie�Irving, Cleveland killed the visiting Raptors with speed and precision, exposing a reoccurring hole in their interior defence by darting into the paint at will. The comeback was inevitable. Its what they do. Down by 21 early in the third, Toronto staged a 21-9 run to close out the quarter. Kyle�Lowry - running back and forth from the locker room all night, battling an upset stomach - scored half of his team-high 22 points in the frame. Greivis�Vasquez would give the Raptors their first lead since the opening minutes, draining a three-pointer midway through the fourth before reality set in. "I think everybodys energy was low from having to come back," Lowry said. From that moment on they hit just one of their final 10 shots and on the last possession, down only two, they failed to even get one off. It was a play they had just run with success. Amir�Johnson was looking for Lowry to turn the corner, but he was cut off. Instead, Vasquez took the handoff and, trying to spin right, towards the bucket, he lost his footing. "It was me going to my weak hand and I lost my balance, stepped kind of weird," said Vasquez, who scored 16 points of Torontos bench. "I turned the ball over. Ill take responsibility. Im not going to run away. Im a man." A noble gesture but, as Casey pointed out, its not the reason for the loss. "Thats not the game-decider," the Raptors coach said. "The game was decided the way we approached the first quarter." "Its easy to get up for OKC, its easy to get up for Miami, its easy to get up for Indiana but the teams that are not in the playoff picture, they are playing for something, too," he continued. Authentic J.J. Watt Jersey. "Theyre playing for pride, which is probably a little bit more dangerous than guys trying to save minutes and save themselves for the playoffs." Theres a lesson to be learned from this loss and it shouldnt take long to figure out whether or not its been absorbed. The Raptors - now the Easts fourth seed, leapfrogged by the Bulls with Tuesdays defeat - will travel to Boston in the second night of a back-to-back and first game of a home-and-home set with the Celtics, another scrappy team looking to play spoiler. "Weve got to get the mindset of being the hunter instead of the hunted because," Casey added. "Thats how we got where we are, being a desperate team, a hungry team and not believing the press clippings or where we are in the standings." Birthday blues Although Lowry would have preferred to celebrate his 28th birthday with a win, the Raptors point guard recorded his 18th double-double with 10 assists to go along with his 22 points. Lowry extended his career-high streak of 19 or more points to 10 games and also became the first Raptor to score 20-plus in eight straight since Chris�Bosh did so in 2010. Amir passes VC on blocks list With his third-quarter swat on Spencer�Hawes, Johnson recorded his 416th block as a member of the Raptors, passing Vince�Carter for second on the teams all-time block shots list. Johnson, who had 12 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday, still has a ways to go to catch Bosh, topping the franchise list with 600 blocks. Patterson nearing a return Patrick�Patterson, who has missed 10 straight games with an ulnar collateral sprain in his right elbow, was reassessed on Monday and is headlong well, the team revealed before Tuesdays game in Cleveland. Although hes been cleared for contact, theres still no timetable for his return to game action. "Its a lot up to the medical staff and when they feel he can go," Casey said. "Its one of those things where if he gets hit in the wrong way it could be trouble for a lot longer so thats why they want to make sure its well enough." The stat The Raptors fell just short of matching their largest comeback of the season. They last overcame a 21-point deficit in their home win over Dallas on Jan. 22. Toronto hasnt had multiple wins in which theyve trailed by 20 or more points in the same season since 2004-05. The quote "Weve just got to understand what were playing for," Vasquez said. "Weve got a big one tomorrow [in Boston]. Its a must-win because were actually playing for something. If you dont get up for that youve got to get your gas up. Weve just got to be motivated, man. This is crunch time. This is important for us. Tomorrows a must-win, no matter what. No excuses." ' ' '

ST. Authentic Ben Jones Jersey . LOUIS -- Former World Series MVP David�Freese was traded by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Angels in a four-player deal Friday that reunites Albert�Pujols with a pair of ex-teammates. In a conference call with media, Freese said he got a welcoming text from Pujols and responded with a reference to the 2011 World Series: "Remember what we did the last time we played together? Lets go try to do that again." Freese didnt think his drop-off in production last season had anything to do with the pressure of being the "hometown kid." "Obviously, Im a little sad closing this chapter, but Im extremely pumped about joining the Angels," Freese said. "If it was going to go down, I wanted it to happen on a team like the Angels." St. Louis obtained a new starting centre fielder in Peter�Bourjos, plus outfield prospect Randal�Grichuk. The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando�Salas to the Angels. "Overall, we just felt this was a very compelling deal to make," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. Freeses departure did not come as a surprise. "I definitely would look myself in the mirror and say, Where am I going to be in March?" Freese said. "I was ready to go anywhere. Im excited to get this going." The 30-year-old was the MVP of the 2011 NL championship series and the World Series, setting a major league record with 21 post-season RBIs and hitting a game-ending, 11th-inning home run in Game 6. Freese injured his back chasing a foul ball into the stands during spring training this year and never hit stride. He hit only .179 in this years post-season, going 3-for-19 (.158) with no RBIs in the six-game loss to Boston in the World Series. "David, growing up in St. Louis, this could not have been the easiest place to play," Mozeliak said. "I do think he may be looking forward to a fresh start. This was not an easy year for him." Freese batted .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, a letdown from career bests of 20 homers, 79 RBIs and a .293 average the previous year. Freese made $3.15 million and is eligible for salary arbitration. "He knows how to drive in the important runs," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Thats something that really fits in our lineup." The Angels were a match because they need a third baseman and Freese didnt figure as the long-term solution at third for St. Louis. The Cardinals will move second baseman Matt�Carpenter to third, opening a position for former top draft pick Kolten�Wong. Wong batted just .153 in 32 games last fall and was picked off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox. Mozeliak said that was just a "snapshot" of Wong, who batted .303 with 20 steals in 21 chances at Triple-A Memphis. "It gives Wong a clear shot," Mozeliak said. "I think hes going to hit." Pujols also played on the 2011 title team before signing a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Angels. Bourjos said Pujols called him just before the start of a teleconference with St. Louis media and Bourjos planned to call back later, adding, "Im going to pick his brain a little bit more, but I cant wait." The trade adds about $4 million to the payroll of the Angels, who have yet to add starting pitching. Jason�Vargas left this week for a $32 million, four-year contract with Kansas City. The Angels havent had an accomplished third baseman since Chone�Figgins left after the 2009 -- their last post-season appearance. Their outfield next season is likely to be Josh Hamiliton in left, Trout in centre and Kole�Calhoun in right. Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals have shed more than $45 million in payroll with Chris�Carpenter, Carlos�Beltran, Jake�Westbrook, Rafael�Furcal and Edward�Mujica also off the books. The 28-year-old Salas had 24 saves in 2011, but did not have a major role in the bullpen the last two years and spent part of 2013 in the minors. He was 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games last year. The 26-year-old Bourjos, who bumps Jon�Jay to the bench, was supposed to be the Angels everyday centre fielder last year after Los Angeles allowed Torii�Hunter to leave and traded Kendrys�Morales. Trout was moved to left to accommodate Bourjos, who is a better fielder. "We did juggle some things around to make sure he got an opportunity, and it didnt play out the way we hoped or the way he hoped," Dipoto said. Bourjos missed May with a hamstring strain, then broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Houston on June 29. He played just 55 games, said he was "getting real close" to full strength. A career .251 hitter with speed, Bourjos stole 41 bases in 54 attempts and was among AL leaders with 11 triples, 17 bunt hits and 38 infield hits in 2011. Allen�Craig will move to right field next year, making room for slugger Matt�Adams at first base, with Matt�Holliday in left field. Top prospect Oscar�Taveras is expected to make the team but without the pressure of starting in centre field. The 22-year-old Grichuk was the 24th overall selection in the 2009 amateur draft, one ahead of Mike�Trout, and starred at Double-A Arkansas last season. Dipoto said Grichuk likely would have begun next season at the Triple-A level. "Theres still some growing he needs to do at the plate, but Randal has the upside to play at the major league level," Dipoto said. "I hope he ends up a major league player." Grichuk had 57 extra-base hits, including a team-leading 22 homers that ranked sixth in the Texas League. He batted leadoff the majority of the time and made two errors in the outfield, playing centre and right field. Grichuk has a .284 average with 61 homers and 259 RBIs in 433 minor league games. Garrett Graham Jersey . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of waving his hand at an official after being called for a foul - Lowry pulled the Raptors sophomore aside, corralling him by his jersey and patting him on the back.Keshawn Martin Houston Texans . The Dutch were knocked from top spot despite winning two European Championship qualifiers, including an 11-0 victory over San Marino. Germany stays third and Uruguay rises to a best-ever fourth.CLEVELAND - As the old saying goes, if you play with fire, youre going to get burned. Dwane Casey, who has used the phrase as a cautionary tale after lethargic starts of the recent past, came just short of saying I told you so Tuesday evening. His team had been getting away with it, far more often than any team should. Yes, theyre a resilient bunch and that was the case again in Cleveland as they clawed back from a 21-point deficit - even taking a brief fourth-quarter lead - but its been masking the underlying issue. Theyre an open-faced sandwich, missing the top bun. "You cant play in this league that way and expect to come back each and every night," Casey said after Torontos 102-100 loss to the Cavaliers. "Its bit us more than weve won, it feels like." "Until we fix that, among us, among ourselves, then its going to be an uphill battle every night." For the second time in three days, the Raptors trailed by nine after the first quarter, allowing another team with a losing record, also missing their best player, to shoot above 52 per cent to open the game. The start was eerily similar to Sundays, at home to Atlanta, lacking effort, focus and purpose on both ends of the floor. Even without injured point guard Kyrie�Irving, Cleveland killed the visiting Raptors with speed and precision, exposing a reoccurring hole in their interior defence by darting into the paint at will. The comeback was inevitable. Its what they do. Down by 21 early in the third, Toronto staged a 21-9 run to close out the quarter. Kyle�Lowry - running back and forth from the locker room all night, battling an upset stomach - scored half of his team-high 22 points in the frame. Greivis�Vasquez would give the Raptors their first lead since the opening minutes, draining a three-pointer midway through the fourth before reality set in. "I think everybodys energy was low from having to come back," Lowry said. From that moment on they hit just one of their final 10 shots and on the last possession, down only two, they failed to even get one off. It was a play they had just run with success. Amir�Johnson was looking for Lowry to turn the corner, but he was cut off. Instead, Vasquez took the handoff and, trying to spin right, towards the bucket, he lost his footing. "It was me going to my weak hand and I lost my balance, stepped kind of weird," said Vasquez, who scored 16 points of Torontos bench. "I turned the ball over. Ill take responsibility. Im not going to run away. Im a man." A noble gesture but, as Casey pointed out, its not the reason for the loss. "Thats not the game-decider," the Raptors coach said. "The game was decided the way we approached the first quarter." "Its easy to get up for OKC, its easy to get up for Miami, its easy to get up for Indiana but the teams that are not in the playoff picture, they are playing for something, too," he continued. Authentic J.J. Watt Jersey. "Theyre playing for pride, which is probably a little bit more dangerous than guys trying to save minutes and save themselves for the playoffs." Theres a lesson to be learned from this loss and it shouldnt take long to figure out whether or not its been absorbed. The Raptors - now the Easts fourth seed, leapfrogged by the Bulls with Tuesdays defeat - will travel to Boston in the second night of a back-to-back and first game of a home-and-home set with the Celtics, another scrappy team looking to play spoiler. "Weve got to get the mindset of being the hunter instead of the hunted because," Casey added. "Thats how we got where we are, being a desperate team, a hungry team and not believing the press clippings or where we are in the standings." Birthday blues Although Lowry would have preferred to celebrate his 28th birthday with a win, the Raptors point guard recorded his 18th double-double with 10 assists to go along with his 22 points. Lowry extended his career-high streak of 19 or more points to 10 games and also became the first Raptor to score 20-plus in eight straight since Chris�Bosh did so in 2010. Amir passes VC on blocks list With his third-quarter swat on Spencer�Hawes, Johnson recorded his 416th block as a member of the Raptors, passing Vince�Carter for second on the teams all-time block shots list. Johnson, who had 12 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday, still has a ways to go to catch Bosh, topping the franchise list with 600 blocks. Patterson nearing a return Patrick�Patterson, who has missed 10 straight games with an ulnar collateral sprain in his right elbow, was reassessed on Monday and is headlong well, the team revealed before Tuesdays game in Cleveland. Although hes been cleared for contact, theres still no timetable for his return to game action. "Its a lot up to the medical staff and when they feel he can go," Casey said. "Its one of those things where if he gets hit in the wrong way it could be trouble for a lot longer so thats why they want to make sure its well enough." The stat The Raptors fell just short of matching their largest comeback of the season. They last overcame a 21-point deficit in their home win over Dallas on Jan. 22. Toronto hasnt had multiple wins in which theyve trailed by 20 or more points in the same season since 2004-05. The quote "Weve just got to understand what were playing for," Vasquez said. "Weve got a big one tomorrow [in Boston]. Its a must-win because were actually playing for something. If you dont get up for that youve got to get your gas up. Weve just got to be motivated, man. This is crunch time. This is important for us. Tomorrows a must-win, no matter what. No excuses." ' ' '

MADRID, Spain -- A doctor treating Diego Costa for a hamstring injury says the striker has a muscle tear that needs to be reassessed in 15 days, raising doubts about his chances of making Spains World Cup squad. LaMarcus Aldridge Jersey . Pedro Guillen of the Cemtro clinic said in an interview with the Cadena Cope radio station that the 25-year-old Brazil-born player had a "grade one tear to the femoral biceps of his right leg," and would need 15 days convalescence before his injury could be re-evaluated. Spains opener in Brazil is June 13 against the Netherlands. Coach Vicente del Bosque said Sunday the players in his 23-man squad would need to be fit by June 2 -- the FIFA deadline for squad lists. Damian Lillard Jersey . #SportingKC pic.twitter. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . Later, his catcher delivered the deciding stroke. Price struck out 10 in his Detroit debut and was long gone when Alex�Avila homered in the 12th inning to lift the Tigers over the New York Yankees 4-3 Tuesday night.LONDON -- Tiger�Woods is out of the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time in nearly 15 years. Woods, who hasnt won in nearly two years, was assured of dropping from the top 50 when Louis�Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship. That endds a streak of 778 consecutive weeks inside the top 50, dating to when Woods was No.Blazers Jersey. 61 on Oct. 13, 1996. Woods, who has not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, returns to competition this week at the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in northern California. ' ' '

PHILADELPHIA -- Rajon�Rondo is starting to feel like his old self -- and the Boston Celtics are starting to win again. Tim Jamison Jersey . Rondo had eight points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in his eighth game back from a serious knee injury, and Jeff�Green scored 17 of his 36 points in the third quarter in the Celtics 114-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. "Its only a matter of time before we got on the same page," Green said about Rondo. "He puts me in my spots, gets it to me in the open floor. He sees the floor very well. Hes helping me get into a good rhythm. I have to continue to make sure I get open for him." Jared�Sullinger had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. The Celtics improved to 17-33, winning their second straight game after losing 19 of 22. Rondo had 19 points and 10 assists in Bostons win over Orlando on Sunday. "Im getting back to my old self," Rondo said. "Im not there yet but Ill take the progress." Brandon�Bass had 18 points for the Celtics, 2-6 since Rondos return. Thaddeus�Young had 20 points, and Tony�Wroten added 18 for Philadelphia. The 76ers (15-35) have lost four straight and 14 of their last 17 games. They also have lost six in a row at home for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Spencer�Hawes added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Philadelphia and Lavoy�Allen had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sixers coach Brett Brown noticed the difference in the Celtics with an effective Rondo. "Hes their compass," Brown said. "Hes a great point guard and a leader." Green scored 13 straight points during a 2-minute stretch in the third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics their biggest lead to that point, 83-71 with 3:44 left. Boston coach Brad Stevens credited Rondo for helping Green succeed. "He made a lot of shots and Rondo found him a couple of times early," Stevens said. "His job is simplified with Rajon out there. He pushed the tempo better than Ive seen him in the first eight games. He got us a lot of good looks. His greatest strength is he makes everyone else better and thats really shown true the last two games." Said Rondo: "Everybody needs easy buckets, especially a guy (Green) whos that talented and athletic. All he needs to do is see it go through a couple of times, get to the free-throw line. He gets hot quick." Wroten made a 58-footer at the buzzer to cut it to 88-82 entering the fourth. Philadelphia got as close as three points in the final quarter on Wrotens two free throws with 8:35 left but never got closer. The Sixers had a chance to get it to two points, but Evan�Turner missed a baseline jumper with 1:13 left, and Sullinger converted a three-point play on the ensuing possession off an assist from Rondo with 59.4 seconds left to give Boston a 112-105 advantage. "He made a ton of good decisions and some huge plays late," Stevens said about Rondo. The Boston point guard, who is still getting into game shape, also got some help from his teammates. After going down at one point, Bass resuscitated a winded Rondo. "Nothing was wrong," Rondo said. "I was winded. He brought me back to life a little bit. Those guys pick me up. Whoever hits the floor helps each other up. Were a team and thats what they did on that particular play." The Sixers havent won since last Wednesdays buzzer-beating 95-94 win at Boston. Notes: Philadelphia guard Michael�Carter-Williams was selected the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January. It was the second honour for Carter-Williams, who also was recognized in November to join Allen�Iverson as the only Sixers to earn the award multiple times. Carter-Williams averaged 16.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists last month. ... Sixers guard James�Anderson (back contusion) left in the first half but returned after halftime. Louis Nix Jersey . -- Michael Phelps has competed in the second event of his comeback and failed to advance to the 50-meter freestyle final. Dennis Johnson Texans Jersey . LOUIS -- Walking Billy�Hamilton to start the ninth inning was a bad sign for Trevor�Rosenthal.On Tuesday, the Ottawa Redblacks introduced Henry Burris as their newest quarterback, joining Thomas DeMarco and Kevin Glenn, who were picked up in the expansion draft. Last week, the Blue Bombers made a substantial multi-year offer to Burris to take over the starters role. In a telling move, the veteran pivot turned down the offer, choosing instead to join the expansion Redblacks, assuming he thinks they offer a better chance at immediate success. Do you agree? Are the Redblacks a better option than the Blue Bombers right now? Last season, the Blue Bombers struggled to a 3-15 season and replaced head coach Tim Burke with Mike OShea, the likeable special teams coordinator from the Toronto Argonauts. Marcel Bellefeuille is back as the offensive coordinator, a position he took over last August. Changes are happening in the Manitoba capital in hopes of turning things around in short order. And in a league the size of the CFL, teams have gone from worst to competitive on many occasions so the Blue Bombers could very well make the playoffs as early as next season. Expansion teams rarely compete for a playoff spot In Ottawa, winning is not expected to come quickly. With a roster made up of players who were left exposed by existing teams in the expansion draft, itt will take some time to build a successful organization. DeAndre Hopkins Texans Jersey. Thats what makes this move surprising. At 38 years of age, Burris window to win is small and yet, he decided the Redblacks offered a better opportunity than the Blue Bombers. Secondly, by making the offer to Burris after his release from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue Bombers made it clear who their starting quarterback would be in Week 1. There would be competition in training camp but the job would be his to lose. The situation is not so clear cut in the nations capital. Burris will have fellow veteran Glenn, who likely thought he had the inside track on the starters role before Tuesdays move, and De Marco, likely the quarterback of the future, to contend with. While the early nod may go to Burris, the other two candidates bring their own talents to the table and will be gunning for that top job. Many factors go into making the kind of decision Burris made on Tuesday and winning is usually at or near the top of the list for professional athletes. Taking everything into consideration, Burris decided Ottawa was a better fit than Winnipeg. Do you agree? Which team do you think offers the best opportunity to win now: Redblacks or Blue Bombers? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '

BOISBRIAND, Que. Shiloh Keo Jersey . -- Vladimir Tkachev scored his second goal of the game 16:58 into overtime as the Moncton Wildcats took Game 2 against the host Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-5 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Ivan Barbashev had a goal and three assists for the Wildcats (1-1), who evened their Round 1 matchup at a game apiece, Christopher Caissy scored once and set up two more and Conor Garland and Christophe Lalonde each had a goal and an assist. Nikita Jevpalovs had a hat trick for the Armada (1-1) while Ryan Tesink and Marcus Hinds each scored once. Monctons Alex Dubeau made 41 saves for the win as Blainville-Boisbriands Etienne Marcoux gave up six goals on 26 shots in defeat. --- MOOSEHEADS 6 ISLANDERS 3 HALIFAX -- Danny Moynihan scored twice and Jonathan Drouin and Luca Ciampini each added a goal and two assists as the Mooseheads doubled up Charlottetown for a 1-0 first-round series lead. Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Schewfelt had a goal and an assist apiece for Halifax. Anthony Cortese, Alexandre Goulet and Daniel Sprong each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (0-1). Zachary Fucale made 15 saves for the Mooseheads while Charlottetowns Mason McDonald stopped 45-of-51 shots in defeat. --- HUSKIES 5 REMPARTS 4 (OT) QUEBEC CITY -- Ryan Penny scored 4:11 into overtime and Jeremy Lauzon scored twice in regulation as Rouyn-Noranda slipped past the Remparts to take Game 1 of its Round 1 matchup. Mathieu Lemay had a goal and an assist for the Huskies (1-0) and Jason Fuchs scored the other. Adam Chapman had a pair of goals for Quebec (0-1), Cody Donaghey and Nick Sorensen each scored once and Olivier Archambault tacked on three assists. Rouyn-Norandas Alexandre Belanger made 29 saves for the win as Francois Brassard stopped 30-of-35 shots for the Remparts. --- DRAKKAR 5 CATARACTES 1 BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- Philippe Cadorette made 27 saves and Robbie Graham scored twice as the Drakkar toppled Shawingan in Game 1 of their first-round tilt. Jeremy Gregoire, Denis Gorbunov and Charles Hudon also scored for Baie-Comeau (1-0) while Valentin Zykov and Alec Jon Banville each chipped in with two assists. Shawinigans Alexis DAoust snapped Cadorettes shutout bid with less than five minutes to play in the third period. Marvin Cupper turned away 33-of-38 shots for the Cataractes (0-1). --- FOREURS 4 TITAN 1 VAL-DOR, Que. -- Anthony Richard scored late in the first period and then again in the third as the Foreurs took Game 1 in their Round 1 clash against Acadie-Bathurst. Guillaume Gelinas had a goal and assist for Val-dOr (1-0) and Samuel Henley added the other. Aaron Kerr scored the lone goal for the Titan (0-1). Antoine Bibeau made 15 saves for the Foreurs. Acadie-Bathursts Jacon Brennan stopped 38-of-42 shots in defeat. --- OCEANIC 5 SAGUENEENS 3 RIMOUSKI, Que. -- Sebastien Sylvestre scored twice and Philippe Desrosiers only had to make 13 saves as the Oceanic were victorious in Game 1 of their opening round meeting with Chicoutimi. Jimmy Oligny, Samuel Morin and William Couture also scored for Rimouski (1-0) and Alexis Loiseau chipped in with two assists. Janne Puhakka, William Gignac and Domenic Beauchemin scored for the Sagueneens (0-1) while Julio Billia kicked out 36-of-40 shots in a losing cause. Chicoutimis Simon Tremblay was ejected in the second period after receiving a major for checking from behind. --- TIGRES 4 VOLTIGEURS 3 DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. -- Francois Tremblay made 33 saves and Julien Leducs goal 27 seconds into the third period stood up as the winner as Victoriaville edged the Voltigeurs for a 1-0 series lead in Round 1 action. Jonathan Diaby and Yan Pavel Laplante each had a goal and an assist for the Tigres and Cameron Yarwood scored once. Drummondville (0-1) got goals from Matthew Boudens, William Carriere and Olivier Caouette. Louis-Philip Guindon gave up four goals on 18 shots for the Voltigeurs. --- OLYMPIQUES 7 SCREAMING EAGLES 2 GATINEAU, Que. -- Simon Tardif-Richard had three goals and two assists and Martin Reway added two goals and two assists as the Olympiques hammered Cape Breton in Game 1 of their first-round bout. Vaclav Karabacek scored once and set up two more for Gatineau (1-0), Emile Poirier had a single goal and Jean-Simon Deslauriers had three assists. Timothe Simard and Clark Bishop scored for the Screaming Eagles (0-1). Robert Steeves made 18 saves for the Olympiques. Cape Bretons Alex Bureau gave up five goals on 23 shots in 46 minutes of action before Zachary Fortin took over. Fortin stopped 4-of-6 shots in relief. Brooks Reed Jersey . Ortega played 42 games for Double-A Tulsa in the Texas League last season before sustaining a hairline fracture on his shin. Tim Jamison . Barcelona says Pique tore a muscle in his right leg. The Spain international will miss Spanish league games against Almeria and Valladolid, but should be back for the Champions league match against Manchester City on March 12.TORONTO -- Sergio�Santos certainly didnt make a favourable first impression Monday. The veteran reliever, obtained in the off-season from the Chicago White Sox to be Torontos closer, blew his second save of the season as the Boston Red Sox rallied for three ninth-inning runs to earn a 4-2 victory and spoil the Blue Jays home opener. Santos (0-1) came on to protect a 2-1 Toronto lead to start the ninth but only lasted two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, three earned runs, three walks and a wild pitch while fanning one. And to add insult to injury, the boisterous Rogers Centre sellout of 48,473 -- the Jays largest home-opening crowd since drawing 50,171 in 2008 for a 6-3 win over Boston -- roundly booed him off the field when he was replaced by Luis�Perez. "Id be booing too, it wasnt pretty," Santos said. "Its tough because you feel you let 24 other guys down that you have been working hard with for the last two months. "But I have to be ready for tomorrow. I hope its another safe situation and I can get back out there. All I can do is be prepared for the next job and hopefully get the job done. Im throwing some good pitches, unfortunately the couple of bad ones I am throwing theyre hitting. Its baseball and Im not going to pout and whine about it. It is what it is." Ryan�Sweeneys single to right field off Santos scored pinch-runner Darnell�McDonald from second to break a 2-2 tie. Santos issued consecutive two-out walks to David�Ortiz and Cody�Ross to set up Sweeneys clutch hit. Dustin�Pedroia, who homered earlier in the game, belted a leadoff double for Boston (1-3) and scored on Adrian�Gonzalezs sacrifice fly. Ross later came home on the wild pitch by Santos. There would be no comeback for Toronto (2-2) as Boston right-hander Alfredo�Aceves retired Brett�Lawrie, Eric�Thames and J.P.�Arencibia in order in the ninth for the save. Scott�Atchison (1-0), who relieved Red Sox starter Felix�Doubront after the fifth, earned the win. But despite Santos early struggles, Toronto manager John Farrell says hes not looking for a new closer. "Sergio remains our closer," Farrell said. "He got into a situation after the leadoff double I thought he started to overthrow his fastball. "He yanked a number of pitches out of the strike zone. The two walks obviously led to those three runs. Right now were not in sync all the way around. Our offence will get on track. Runs are at a little bit of a premium right now." Bostons comeback spoiled a solid outing by Toronto starter Henderson�Alvarez, who went six solid innings in a historic outing. At 21 years 355 days Alvarez became the youngest Blue Jay to start a home opener in club history. The distinction previously belonged to Jerry Garvin, who was 22 years 174 days when he started Torontos home opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 14, 1978. Alvarez allowed four hits, one run and a walk while fanning two. He had good command of hit pitches as 12 of his 18 outs came on grounders. His lone miscue came against Pedroia, who belted a solo homer. "Their starter was pretty darn good," Pedroia said of Alvarez. "Hes got great stuff, man. "His two-seam fastball is pretty darn good. Hes going to be good for a long time." Boston finally earned its first win of the season after opening the campaign by being swept in Detroit. Bobby Valentine, in his first season as the Red Sox manager, had nothing by praise for Pedroia. Shane Lechler Jersey. "I dont have enough words to talk about Pedroia," he said. "I came here at 12 oclock and figured no one would be here and he was here pacing and said weve got to get the monkey off our back and lets go. "Hes just a great player." Alvarez was pleased with his performance. "All I was doing was trying to get ahead of the hitters," the Venezuelan said through an interpreter. "I was able to throw the ball well in my first opening day here in Toronto and I was very pleased with that." Toronto dropped to 26-10 in home openers and 16-7 at Rogers Centre, having lost two of its last three there. Fans were in a boisterous mood all night, frantically waving white towels to support a solid play by the Blue Jays or to offer inspiration to Toronto batters. But fans in the upper deck watched the game with only one beer in hand after sales were restricted to the seating area. Spectators were limited to just one beer per trip Monday, half of whats allowed at regular games. Other concession stands at Rogers Centre werent affected. In the 2009 home opener against Detroit, fights broke out in the stands and the game was delayed when fans threw litter on the field. Mondays gathering was well behaved with only one fight that broke out in the lower level. Doubront allowed two earned runs and four hits over five innings. He also registered six strikeouts and three walks before giving way to right-hander Atchison to start the sixth. Toronto opened the scoring with two in the bottom of the third. Colby�Rasmus scored on Kelly�Johnsons fielders choice as Doubront handled Johnsons comebacker to the mound and threw home. But Rasmus, who made a sparkling diving catch in centre in the second before delivering a one-out triple, managed to beat Jarrod�Saltalamacchias tag. Yunel�Escobar made it 2-0, scoring from second on Edwin�Encarnacions RBI single. Boston threatened in the top of the fifth after Rosss single and Sweeneys ground-rule double put two on with one out. But Alvarez got Saltalamacchia and Mike�Aviles to both ground out and end the threat. The Red Sox got their first run of the game in the top of the sixth on Pedroias first homer of the season. Mondays contest opened an 11-day, nine-game homestand for Toronto. Following the three-game series with Boston, the Blue Jays will have a day off Thursday before opening a three-game weekend set against Baltimore. The club will have another off-day April 16 before finishing up with three games against Tampa Bay. NOTES --Toronto slugger Jose�Bautista, who led the majors last season with 43 home runs, received his Silver Slugger award prior to the game then went hitless in four at-bats . . . Toronto is scheduled to send right-hander Kyle�Drabek to the mound in the second game of the series Tuesday night against Boston, with the Red Sox to counter with right-hander Daniel�Bard. Blue Jays ace Ricky�Romero will get his second start of the season in the series finale Wednesday afternoon, facing Jon�Lester in a battle of left-handers . . . Boston was 10-8 last year against the Blue Jays and came into Mondays contest 96-79 at Rogers Centre and 140-112 all-time in Toronto. The two teams will meet 18 times this season . . . Toronto and Boston rank second and third, respectively, in homers over the last three seasons with 652 and 626, respectively. New York is tops with 667. ' ' '

MILAN, Italy -- AC Milan midfielder Kaka officially left the Serie A club on Monday to join Orlando City Soccer Club. Blazers Jersey . A statement on the Milan website said it had come to a "mutual agreement (with Kaka) to end the Brazil stars contract but there is no doubt that the mutual feeling of love and respect will always be there." Kaka flew to the United States on Monday night to sign with his new club. Upon arriving at the terminal at Orlandos airport, he was greeted by about 200 Orlando City fans who pounded drums, and mobbed him for pictures and autographs. He will be formally introduced by the team on Tuesday afternoon. The 32-year-old player is expected to return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 for its first MLS season. Kaka scored 104 goals in 307 appearances during his two spells at Milan, interrupted by a four-year stint at Real Madrid. Kaka, the World Player of the Year in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success before joining Real Madrid in 2009. He also helped Brazil win the World Cup in 2002. "I will always be a Milan fan, my heartfelt thanks to everyone," Kaka said. "I hope to send soon messages to (Milan vice-president Adriano) Galliani that I have sent in the past: we are the champions of Italy, we are the champions of Europe. "It has been a difficult year for all Milan fans, but for me to come back to Milan, to reach the total of more than 100 goals was important: it was something that I couldnt not do, to extend my history with this club." Kaka will fly to the United States from Brazil on Monday night to sign for Orlandos new Major League Soccer franchise. Kaka will return on loan to his first club, Sao Paulo, before joining Orlando City SC in January 2015 prior to its first MLS season. Kaka, who was named World Player of the Year in 2007, helped Milan to the Champions league title and Serie A success in his first six-year spell at the club before joining Real Madrid in 2009. His return to the club was less successful and was blighted by an immediate injury layoff, during which he renounced his salary. Milan finished eighth, failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in 16 years. "My choice isnt linked to the fact Milan isnt playing in the Champions League, its something else," Kaka said. "I wont anymore wear the number 22, I want to also leave this symbol to the Milan fans. I think I will wear the number eight in Brazil and the 10 in America. "I took this holiday to think about things, I always said I wanted to play in America one day and now I have reached an agreement to play there. Now I will go on loan to Sao Paolo and then I will start my adventure in America." Damian Lillard Jersey . The Formula One circus has arrived in town and on this Thursday afternoon the teams crew members are setting up their equipment in the pit lane ahead of the three day race weekend. LaMarcus Aldridge Jersey . Louis Blues return to top spot in the TSN.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies had every reason to ease up in the regular season finale after pushing hard the past three months to reach the post-season. Instead, they kept grinding and grabbed the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Mike�Conley hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Memphis Grizzlies moved up from the eighth seed by edging the Dallas Mavericks 106-105 on Wednesday night. "Weve been holding on very tight for a long time ...," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "Getting 50 wins is something you want on your resume as a player, and people remember those. Those are special seasons. Its a standard, a golden standard I think." Memphis became the seventh team in the West with 50 wins this season with the victory. The Grizzlies, who set a franchise record with a 14th straight home win in a single season, will open the post-season Saturday night at Oklahoma City. They beat the Thunder in the semifinals last year with Russell�Westbrook out. "Playing Grizzlies basketball going into the post-season was key, and we wanted to try to keep that momentum going," Grizzlies guard Tony�Allen said. Monta�Ellis missed a 17-footer before Conley drew the foul driving to the basket. Dallas had one last shot, but Ellis missed from the top of the key. "It felt good, but it didnt go down," Ellis said. "I think we did a great job. We competed. It went down to the wire, and they won." Conley was face guarding his player when he noticed Ellis got his shot off before the buzzer. "I was like, Howd he get that open?" Conley said. "When I saw it hit the rim, I was like Thank you, God. That would have been a tough one to lose." Avoiding No. 1 seed San Antonio in the first round was the only thing on the line, and Memphis has lost 14 of its last 16 against the Spurs with the Mavericks losing nine straight. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said the Mavericks will be fine with starting in San Antonio on Sunday giving Dirk�Nowitzki and Ellis time to rest. Nowitzki banged his right knee late in the first half and played the second half with a sleeve protecting hiss leg. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey. "Tonight is a good indication of the fight we have in us, and were going to take that fight to San Antonio," Carlisle said. Nowitzki called this game a tough loss, but he also is positive about facing the Spurs. "Eventually we will win one," Nowitzki said. "Why would it not be Game 1 or Game 2? We are going to go out there and let it rip in Game 1." Ellis scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime, including seven in overtime. But Conley had five in the extra period, including the clinching free throws. He was 5 of 7 at the line, though the Grizzlies were 15 of 25 for the game. Zach�Randolph led Memphis with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Marc�Gasol had 19 points, shooting 9 of 13. He also had nine rebounds and nine assists. Conley finished with 22, and Allen had 13. Courtney�Lee added 11 despite shooting 3 of 10 from the floor. Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 30 points. Devin�Harris and Brandan�Wright each had 10. Harris also had 10 assists. The Grizzlies missed their chance to put away the win in regulation. Memphis was up 93-90 and had just gotten the ball back when Conley crashed into Harris for a charge, giving the ball back to Dallas with 20.3 seconds left in regulation. Ellis then hit a 3-pointer from 26 feet out on the right wing with 13 seconds left over Lee tying it up at 93, and the Grizzlies couldnt score to avoid overtime. In overtime, the Mavericks last led 105-102 on a 3-pointer from Nowitzki with 46 seconds remaining. Dallas didnt score again. Allen had a putback with 38 seconds to go, then Conley sealed the win. The Mavericks already took the season series winning the first three games by double digits. They were the last team to beat the Grizzlies in Memphis on Feb. 5, and owner Mark Cuban was at the end of the bench cheering them on. Notes: Mike�Miller played all 82 games for the Grizzlies for only the second time in his career his rookie season with Orlando in 2000-01. He became only the 23rd player in NBA history to play a full season in his 14th season or later. ... Memphis won its fifth straight. ... Dallas snapped a six-game road winning streak. ' ' '

ST. Jerome Boateng Germany Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- Now that the Senators have played themselves back into contention, the hard work really begins. Kyle�Turris had a goal and an assist, Robin�Lehner made 27 saves for his second career shutout and Ottawa beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Tuesday night. Clarke�MacArthur and Erik�Condra also scored for the Senators, who head home after earning seven of a possible eight points on their four-game road trip. "All weve done now is set the table to keep doing it," said coach Paul MacLean, whose team has bounced back after winning only four times in its first 12 games. "Our team had been playing better and better as December rolled on, so the potential was there for us to have success on this road trip." Despite controlling play and outshooting the Wild 15-3 in the first period, Ottawa led only 1-0 on MacArthurs 16th of the season. With the Wild hanging around thanks to another strong effort from goalie Darcy�Kuemper (29 saves), Condra won a race with Marco�Scandella to a puck in front of the net and made it 2-0 at 5:55 of the third. Turris scored on the power play at 17:38 of the third to put the game away. "Tough start. Our first period wasnt good enough," Wild forward Jason�Pominville said. "We were better in the second, but unfortunately gave up the first goal. Its tough to come back when you give up the first goal." Playing recently without forwards Mikko�Koivu and Zach�Parise and top goalie Josh�Harding, the Wild had won five of their last six, scoring 21 goals during that span. But scoring opportunities were tough to come by against Ottawa, which is a much better defensive team on the road than at home. When the Wild did get scoring chances, Lehner turned them away. Making his first start since losing 5-0 to Boston on Dec. 27, Lehner notched his first shutout since Feb. 28, 2012, against Boston. "It was kind of tough in the beginning. I tried to stay focused, and didnt want to spin off in my head there," Lehner said. "It feels good to come back and get a win." Lehners play picked up right where regular goalie Craig�Anderson left off. Anderson is 6-0-2 over his last eight starts. MacArthurs goal was his fifth in six games and it came after he redirected a centring pass from Turris into the net. Wild coach Mike Yeo wanted offside called on the play, and yelled at the officials from the bench as the teams lined up for the ensuing faceoff. "The bottom line is, when youre more engaged in the game, when youre on top of your game, things like that dont beat you," Yeo said. "We werent good enough to win this hockey game tonight." Kuemper was coming off his first career shutout on Sunday and has stopped 91 of 95 shots since being recalled from Iowa of the AHL on Jan. 2. It was the second time Minnesota was shut out this season and the third time Ottawa has blanked an opponent. "We knew that we were going to have to get on a run just to get back into the (playoff) picture, so now we cant let up," Turris said. "We need to keep going. There are five or six teams trying to get into that last spot." NOTES: Harding took part in the morning skate, but theres no timetable yet for his return to game action. He missed his seventh straight game, and 11th out of 13, due to his recovery from an adjustment to his multiple sclerosis treatment. ... Parise skated on his own for the first time since before Christmas. He missed his 11th straight game because of a foot injury. "I cant predict what that means as far as when hell be in the lineup, but an important first step for sure," Yeo said. ... Colin�Greening became the 40th player in Ottawa history to skate in 200 games. ... Ottawa D Chris�Phillips left midway through the third period after getting hit in the face with a puck. Oliver Kahn Germany . The Vikings announced Saturday they downgraded Peterson from doubtful on the original injury report to out against Detroit Sunday, when the Vikings and Lions will play the last game at the Metrodome. Jerome Boateng Germany .C. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins are back atop the Western Conference thanks to a gritty come-from-behind win Saturday night.VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks 2013 first-round draft choice Hunter�Shinkaruk will undergo hip surgery in early January and is expected to miss the rest of the WHL season. "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Shinkaruks minimum recovery time gives him a chance to return in mid-May for the Memorial Cup tournament, if his Medicine Hat Tigers qualify by winning the WHL championship. But the odds of him coming back quickly appear long, given that hip problems usually rank among the most serious and require extended rehabilitation periods. Shinkaruk was chosen 24th overall in this years NHL draft and was among Vancouvers last pre-season cuts. The Medicine Hat captain was invited to Team Canadas selection camp for the world junior hockey championships, but was released for the second straight year after travelling to Sweden with the club before the tournament started. "Hes got a slightly torn labrum," said Gillis. "But it doesnt matter if its slightly or more torn. He suffered it early on in the season, tried to play through it and wanted to have an opportunity to make the world junior team. Clearly, his play droopped off fairly considerably after the injury. Matthias Ginter Germany Jersey. . "He gave it his best effort and the plan all along was that this (decision to have surgery) was going to happen regardless, so it happened a little bit earlier." Gillis said the injury contributed to Shinkaruk, a 19-year-old Calgary native, not having the best opportunity to make Team Canada. The surgery will be performed in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Phillipon, who specializes in repairing hip disorders. Shinkaruk was among two first-round choices selected by Vancouver this year. The Canucks took London Knights centre Bo�Horvat with the ninth pick, which they acquired in a draft-day trade from New Jersey for goaltender Cory�Schneider. Gillis expects Shinkaruk to be healthy in time for Vancouvers training camp in the fall. "We think hell make a fully recovery and that hell be fully cleared to try and make the hockey club in September," said Gillis. Shinkaruk has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points with the Tigers this season. His junior team is also optimistic that he will bounce back from the ordeal. "We wish Hunter all the best for a successful surgery and a full recovery," said Medicine Hat general manager and coach Shaun Clouston in a release. ' ' '