Growing up, I heard and saw plenty that made

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ST. Carlos Rodon White Sox Jersey . PAUL, Minn. - When the Minnesota Wild hired Mike Yeo as a first-time NHL head coach, he fit their criteria for a bench boss who could develop several top, young players. Yeo has undergone his own growth in that time, too, and the Wild were satisfied enough with the results on both fronts to make another commitment to him. After his three-year contract extension was finalized last weekend, Yeo appeared with general manager Chuck Fletcher at a news conference Friday to discuss the deal and the teams future. The Wild advanced to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, and Fletcher praised Yeos ability to help keep the players on an even keel during some challenging stretches as injuries piled up. "He improved by leaps and bounds, and its not just understanding that you have to make those adjustments. Its the confidence to make them, and the confidence to sell them to your team," Fletcher said, recalling their conversation from last summer about areas where both the Wild and Yeo could improve. In the final year of his contract, Yeo was in a precarious place after a six-game losing streak to finish 2013. But despite notable absences by Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and the top two goalies, Yeo and his staff not only held together the group but guided a resurgence that transcended the regular season. "Id be hard-pressed to sit here and name one player that wasnt better now than what he was at the beginning of the year," Fletcher said, adding: "The funny thing: At the exact point in the year when you thought wed fall apart, we actually became a team. And theres a lot of work that went into that, and again Mike and his staff deserve a lot of that." Yeo, who will turn 41 next month, has a career record of 104-82-26, plus 7-11 in the playoffs. Though Fletcher waited until June to address his status, Yeo said there was never a point at which he became nervous. Thats a hallmark of his, actually, as evidenced by his demeanour through and triumph over the losing streaks and fluke injuries of the 2013-14 season. Yeo gave four different goalies 10 or more starts each, and the carousel didnt stop spinning once the playoffs came. Darcy Kuemper and Ilya Bryzgalov both took turns, due to injury and performance, but the Wild beat Colorado 4-3 in a first-round thriller and gave Chicago fits until falling 4-2. "The team took on Mikes demeanour, and I think that helped us get through," Fletcher said. "Hey, were down 2-0. No big deal. They come back late and score? No big deal. We just kept finding a way to hang around and hang around until we could put the last shot in the net." Yeo showed a knack as a tactician during those series, too, making plenty of adjustments to his front lines that paid off against a pair of opponents in the Avalanche and Blackhawks that boast a lot of fast, skilled forwards. "The line switches, thats something I tried to make a conscious effort of at the start of the year, not only for me to grow as a coach but also for our team to get more used to it," Yeo said, adding: "But its always the players that make you look smart." Yeo said he didnt feel any more pressure to win this season than in his first one. He also pondered a question about when he felt the Wild truly clicked in the last few months before punting on the answer. "It never really gets to that point," he said, laughing. "I wish it did." Jake Arrieta Cubs Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Carl Yastrzemski Red Sox Jersey . Heavily-criticized after allowing a dozen goals on 58 shots in two games in Boston, Luongo continued his dominance at home. Hes now allowed two goals in three home games in this series. http://www.wholesalejerseysgroup.us/cubs-1-kosuke-fukudome-white-blue-strip-flexbase-authentic-collection-stitched-mlb-jersey-343.html . Villar connected off Joe Saunders (11-14), sending a drive well over the left-field fence for his first career homer. The Astros scored six times in the first three innings to chase Saunders.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Los Angeles Galaxy soccer star Robbie Rogers wants some company, now that hes the last man standing as an openly gay athlete in a U.S. professional league.Jason Collins recently retired from the NBA, and Michael Sam is without an NFL team. That leaves Rogers, the first openly gay player in Major League Soccer, hoping for a bigger fraternity.To be honest, I thought when I came out and Jason and Michael, I thought thered be a chain reaction, Rogers said in a recent phone interview with The Associated Press. Its been a lot slower. I guess that just reminds me how big a problem it is in sports culture with homophobia. They dont feel comfortable.Rogers chronicles his struggles with soccer, faith and family acceptance in the memoir Coming Out To Play, released Tuesday by Penguin Books. Its a collaborative effort with Eric Marcus, who co-wrote Greg Louganis book, and recollections from his mother and oldest sister. Rogers discusses growing up in Southern California, playing soccer in U.S. and European leagues and dealing with his sexuality.On Sunday, he helped the Galaxy defeat Seattle 1-0 in the opener of the Western Conference finals. Hes been a key defender this season after briefly retiring from the sport last year at age 25.Rogers recently signed a contract extension, and the Galaxy players have embraced him. But locker rooms notoriously werent a safe environment to talk about sexuality, except for teammates bragging about their heterosexual conquests.Like every locker room Id been in for years now, fag and gay were tossed around like an all-purpose putdown, he wrote. It cut deeper into an already raw wound.So Rogers stifled his feelings, occasionally dating women to please his questioning teammates and family. After playing five seasons for the Columbus Crew in MLS, with stints in the Netherlands and England, he realized his happiness required living an authentic life. So he simultaneously came out and retired in a blog post in February 2013, thinking he couldnt be an openly gay man and a pro soccer player.But an outpouring of support, conversations with Los Angeles star Landon Donovan and an invitation from Galaxy coach Bruce Arena to train with the team caused a change of heart.Now the Galaxy are vyying for a spot in the MLS final, Rogers is in a steady relationship and hoping more pro sports leagues provide education about diversity. Bobby Jenks White Sox Jersey. That way, a teammate might think twice before throwing around gay slurs in the locker room.COMFORT ZONE: There are still no openly gay players in the NFL, NHL or Major League Baseball.There are a number of gay men playing professional sports, just not out, Rogers told the AP. In the end, its really about guys coming out and changing the atmosphere by being in it. You definitely need to create the environment first where guys feel comfortable.Baseball hired Billy Bean, who came out after his MLB career, to talk to all 30 teams about inclusion. Rogers says teams need to educate players on racism, sexism and homophobia. The leagues should have a person there guys can go talk to, honestly. Talk about mental health or depression or guys wanting to come out.EARLY YEARS: Rogers was a prodigy growing up, playing organized soccer at 4. As a teenager, he competed on the Orange County Blue Star team. Jurgen Klinsmann, now the coach of the U.S. national team, would occasionally stop by. His favourite players were European stars Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. After helping Maryland win the 2005 NCAA title as a freshman, Rogers turned pro and went to the Netherlands. Playing for Leeds United in 2012, he sustained a concussion 12 minutes into his debut, colliding with an opponent while going for a header. An ankle injury intensified his depression and isolation, and he eventually returned to the U.S.FAMILY/FAITH: Rogers heard negative comments about gay people at home, at church, in school and in the locker room. He considers his family socially and politically conservative and very Catholic. Rogers describes his family as loving and close, yet there were harsh comments from his father about not being a fairy and negative comments from his mother about gay celebrities and gay marriage.Growing up, I heard and saw plenty that made me think that being gay was bad, defective and sinful, Rogers wrote.He came out to his family, despite the fear of rejection, before posting his blog. Now he says his parents, three sisters and younger brother are his biggest supporters. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '