Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day

Former St. Louis Blues captain David Backes said he got goosebumps thinking about joining a team that already includes centers like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.These guys get it, the free agent forward said Friday after signing with the Boston Bruins in the first 30 minutes of NHL free agency. They know what its going to take to win. Thats what sold me on it. ... If you have prominent players that are putting team first, the rest of the guys really have no choice.A two-time U.S. Olympian, Backes agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal with the Bruins and said he hoped to help the Original Six club return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Listing off some of the players already on the roster, Backes said it was more of a retooling than a rebuilding.Some guys would have looked at it like, `Youve already got Bergeron and Krejci, where will I play? David said, `Boy, I get to play with Bergeron and Krejci, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. These guys are going to be the leading core to get us where we want to go. The younger guys are going to have to get on board.Backes, 32, is the first major addition this offseason for a team that won the 2011 Stanley Cup and returned to the finals two years later. The team re-signed defenseman Torey Krug and bought out the contract of defenseman Dennis Seidenberg on Thursday. Free agents Loui Eriksson and Lee Stempniak agreed to deals with the Canucks and Carolina, respectively.I always thought Vancouver was a great city to play in and a great organization, Eriksson said.Also signing with Boston on the first day of free agency were defensemen Tommy Cross and John-Michael Liles, goalie Anton Khudobin, and forwards Riley Nash, Tyler Randell and Tim Schaller.Theyre trying to get pieces back that will get them over the hump, Backes said. They barely missed the playoffs last year, and if they had (made it) I dont think anyone would have wanted to play them.Backes had 21 goals and 24 assists last season for the Blues. In a 10-year NHL career -- all with St. Louis -- he has 206 goals and 254 assists in 727 regular-season games.Backes, whos from Minneapolis, said it was difficult for his family to leave St. Louis, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft.It was tough in that its all Ive known, he said in a conference call with reporters. It happens a lot in this business, it hasnt happened to us. But change is good.Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said talks with his captain broke down over the length of the deal.I had no problem bringing David Backes back, and I wish we could have, he said. I wasnt comfortable with the term. It was problematic for me, personally, to (sign) out that far with players. Theres analytical data (that) shows where players play at their peak, and we wanted to try and stay within a window. We were ready to stretch that window but only to a certain level.But Backes said hes got a lot left.Im 32, not 52, he said. I think theres plenty of legs and energy left in me. I expect to still be at the top of my game.---AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story. St.Louis Blues Pro Shop . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Stitched Blues Jerseys . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. https://www.cheapblues.com/ . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Custom St.Louis Blues Jerseys . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Blues Jerseys 2021 . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns guard Alvin Bailey could be suspended for two games by the NFL after pleading no contest to a drunk driving charge in suburban Cleveland.Court documents online stated that the finding for Bailey with the no contest plea is guilty.The NFLs policy on drunk driving calls for a two-game suspension for convictions or for admissions of violating the law.?Bailey, the teams starting left guard, entered the plea Thursday in Mayors Court in North Royalton, Ohio, after an arrest Sept. 26, according to court docuuments online.ddddddddddddBaileys drivers license was suspended for six months, though he can apply to drive to work. He will either spend three days in jail or take a three-day driver intervention course.Baileys blood-alcohol level was tested at .145, well above the legal limit of .08 in Ohio, according to court documents.Other charges related to possessions of drugs and drug paraphernalia were dropped. ' ' '