NEW YORK, N.
Tim Thomas Team USA Hockey Jersey .Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours
passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks
left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked
as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first
openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally
came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where
Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in
the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said
teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner.
"From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC
Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of
directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know
what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he
said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That
was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel
like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now."
Sam came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches
knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the
best year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs
best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds
of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam.
Then the fifth and sixth, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of
picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to
the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the
Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of
the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions
the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select
... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and
"Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home
of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had
cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with
his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the
phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he
cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake — and another kiss. "Thank
you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once
of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after
he was picked, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo
shirt. The six-foot-two, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick,
far from a sure thing to be drafted. He played defensive end in college, but hes
short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the
position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with
the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and Canadas McGill
University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round,
200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of Sam. "In the world of
diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff
Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The NFL had no comment on Sam being
drafted. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when
gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a
huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro
sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance.
"Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking
punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of
his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins
has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins
said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the
draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his
family and for the NFL," Collins said. Publicly, most people in and related to
the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam
would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few
wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media
attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL — coming off a season in
which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the
biggest stories in sports — was looking at a possible public relations hit if
Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given
a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if
he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity
for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it
might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. But
all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety
Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It
was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was
disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive
director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to
do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a
vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy."
David Backes
Team USA Hockey Jersey .Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New
York Islanders.
Cory
Schneider Team USA Hockey Jersey . He insists hes not counting. "If youre
thinking hits, youre not paying attention to wins," Altuve said Sunday after
leading the Houston Astros past the Texas Rangers 3-2.
http://www.hockeyauthenticusaonline.us/Derek-Stepan-Jersey/ . The rest of the team was already on the field stretching before batting
practice while Puig was getting dressed in the clubhouse. He had been slated to
start in right field for the afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants,
who beat the Dodgers 8-4.ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The time for talking is over.
Its put up or shut up time. A pivotal season, the Blue Jays 38th in Major League
Baseball, gets underway at Tropicana Field on Monday afternoon. Last springs
eternal optimism has been replaced by this springs eternal doubt. Jobs are on
the line if 2014 takes on a pattern similar to 2013. That certainly goes for
manager John Gibbons. The heat already is being turned up on general manager
Alex Anthopoulos. The players know it, including the ace knuckleballer for whom
much was traded away over a year ago. "Guys really know that this is a big year
for us collectively," said R.A. Dickey, who will make his second consecutive
opening day start for the Blue Jays. "Were kind of getting a mulligan this year.
Last year a lot of things went wrong. This year were pretty much all healthy,
were here, weve been here all spring, weve been able to do relationships with
one another and now were in a much different place than we were last year and
its a much more comfortable place." While its nice that a full season has bred
greater familiarity, the degree to which teammates are comfortable around one
another will only take them so far. The Blue Jays go into the season with a
starting rotation full of question marks on the heels of last year, when the
club finished 29th out of 30 teams in starting staff ERA (4.81). "Thats the key
to our success this year, thats the key to anyones success is how well you pitch
as far as giving you a chance," said manager John Gibbons. "Were ready to go.
Weve had a good spring all year." All things being equal, namely health, you
know what youll get from Dickey and Mark Buehrle. The knuckleballer will be
among the American League leaders in innings pitched, he was second last year
with 224 2/3 innings despite pitching most of the first half with a strained
muscle in his neck, and if Dickeys spring is any indication he could improve
upon last years numbers (14 wins, 4.21 ERA). "I feel prepared. I feel confident,
which is great," Dickey said after his final Grapefruit League start on March
26. "Last year I didnt feel very confident simply because I didnt feel as
prepared. Im really looking forward to getting started and being able to adjust
my schedule this year in a way that really maximizes my preparedness has been
great." Buehrle, whose 12 wins and 203 2/3 innings in 2013 marked the 13th
consecutive season hes achieved double-digit victories and more than 200 innings
pitched, said of his changeup after an early March outing that it hadnt been
that good in three years. Typically a slow starter, Buehrles 4.32 career ERA in
the month of April is his worst for any month of the season. The joke has been
how good he feels. "Its a joke but not a joke," explained Buehrle. "At times you
go through your little stretches where you almost say, man, I wish I was giving
up some hits and home runs to kind of get them out of the way for the season.
But I feel good. I mean, obviously the results in spring training dont mean
stuff but you still want to get people out no matter whether its spring training
or the regular season. I feel good and I think thats the biggest thing Im taking
out of this camp is I feel healthy, Im ready to go and hopefully the results are
there." Thrrow Drew Hutchison and Brandon Morrow in the questionable category.
Jamie
Langenbrunner Team USA Hockey Jersey. Hutchison is there because hes 23
years old and likely to experience the normal ups and downs of any young
pitcher, not to mention he has limited minor league innings under his belt
following last summers return from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement
surgery. Still, Hutchison was the Jays best pitcher this spring. He earned a
starting job on merit and appears poised to resume a career halted by injury in
June, 2012. Morrow, entering the final guaranteed year of his contract (the Blue
Jays hold a $10 million option for 2015), must prove he can not only remain
healthy but that he can pitch effectively, consistently. The Jays need Morrow to
be his 2012 version (10-7, 2.96, 1.115 WHIP) save for the two and a half months
lost to an oblique strain. Dont think the 29-year-old doesnt feel he has a point
to prove. "You definitely dont want to be labeled as somebody injury prone,"
said Morrow. "My goal is to go out there and make every start this year. I had a
positive spring so Im feeling good about it." Its a wait-and-see,
hold-your-breath approach with Dustin McGowan, wholl be closely monitored not
only during his outings but in between starts. The 32-year-old is returning to
the starting rotation on a full-time basis for the first time since 2008.
Multiple shoulder surgeries and various other injuries later, McGowans story is
testament to his resolve but also a reflection of the Blue Jays lack, at the
moment, of quality starting pitching depth. Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman and
Sean Nolin are on the way but arent ready yet. Todd Redmond or J.A. Happ, once
the issues with his wonky back get worked out, are the immediate fallback plans
should McGowan falter. Anything the Jays get from McGowan has to be considered
gravy given what hes been through. CASEY JANSSEN TO DISABLED LIST The Blue Jays
have placed closer Casey Janssen on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to
March 29, with what the club is calling a left abdominal/back strain. Janssen,
32, made only three spring appearances, all in the last week, after dealing with
pain and stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder for most of camp.
Reached for comment, Janssen told TSN.ca he isnt worried about the state of his
shoulder, which was surgically repaired more than a year ago. "Shoulder is
feeling good," said Janssen. "Maybe compensated for it but, no, shoulder is good
to pitch." Sergio Santos will replace Janssen as the clubs closer for the time
being. Catcher Erik Kratz, who lost out to Josh Thole for the back-up job to
Dioner Navarro, has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. McGOWAN THROWS
SIMULATED GAME Dustin McGowan threw a 77-pitch simulated game at Florida Auto
Exchange Stadium on Sunday. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, speaking on a
Sunday afternoon conference call, said that as of this moment McGowan is on
track to start the home opener on Friday against the Yankees. McGowan describes
himself as a "second day pain guy," meaning his shoulder is most uncomfortable
following his second sleep after a start. Regardless, at the moment the
32-year-old appears to have cleared all hurdles in his attempt to return to the
starting rotation.
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