e lead over Washington in the NL East, has lost three straight and 11 of 16. New York has won two in a row after losing | Forum

NEW YORK - In the summer of 2006 John Salmons nixed a sign-and-trade deal that would have made him a Raptor heading into the prime of his career. Will Redmond 49ers Jersey . He was 26 years old at the time and coming off his best season in Philadelphia. But his faith had led him in a different direction, it led him to Sacramento. Over seven years later, his career has come around full circle. He starred for playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee, ended up back with the Kings and now, fate - in the form of a seven-player swap - has finally steered him to Toronto. The 34-year-old swingman was supposed to be a spare part in the salary dump of Rudy Gay, a contract that could be bought out at an affordable price in the offseason or moved at the deadline. He still may end up being those things but two weeks into his ironic tenure in Toronto, he has brought something no one expected him to, something the Raptors have been without for years. As head coach Dwane Casey has put it, Salmons brings "old-school toughness." "He has a settling effect when hes in the game and it helps us," Casey said of Salmons, who is averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, playing just under 26 minutes per game in six contests with the Raptors. "He doesnt get rattled." A versatile defender, Salmons has been used to frustrate the opponents best wing player, most notably Monta Ellis and Kevin Durant in a pair of surprising road victories last week. Hes been one of the first players off Caseys bench, a facilitator in the offence down the stretch but most importantly, hes been a calming presence in the face of adversity and thats rubbing off on his new teammates. After engineering a 19-point comeback in Dallas and withstanding a run from the leagues best team in Oklahoma City, the team pointed to Salmons and his understated brand of leadership. "Im not a rah-rah guy at all," the even-keeled Salmons admitted after Sundays win over the Thunder. "But Ive been around for a long time, Ive experienced a lot so I just try to give my advice when I can." "Being in the league as long as Ive been Ive seen a lot of things and I just try to show poise on the court and lead like that." If you didnt know any better you could easily mistake Salmons unflappable persona for indifference but that, as his new coach has learned, is not the case. "Hes very quiet, [a] quiet leader," Casey said. "He does more [with] his actions than his words but hes a solid man. You engage him in conversation and he has a lot to say. People take that quietness for, whatever but he has a lot to say once you sit down and talk with him. "I like his demeanour. I like his approach. Hes an old-school pro." Its been some time since the Raptors have rostered a vet able and willing to make that type of impact on the teams younger players. You may have to go all the way back to the days of Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis, Doug Christie and the veteran-laden teams that helped turn Vince Carter into an overnight superstar. "I remember walking in [on] day two," Carter reminisced before facing the Raptors in Dallas last week. "And Oak grabbed me by the shoulder and said, hey, Im going to take care of you and show you how to be a professional and be a pro in this league. "And I think of those days and I think of coming to practice when they used to kick the ball in the stands and what do you say? Nothing, youve just got to go get it. You learn a lot from that." Salmons is not Oakley - few are - but his experience and know-how could go a long way in the continued development of sophomores Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas. Then theres DeMar DeRozan, another willing student who, in his fifth NBA season has been forced to learn on the fly without the benefit of a mentor. Veteran players have come and gone - DeRozan credited Reggie Evans and Jarrett Jack - but the roster has mostly been in flux since the 24-year-old was drafted. No one has been around long enough to truly take DeRozan under their wing. Salmons may not be a long-term fixture either, but for now DeRozan is taking in what he can. "Hes played in the playoffs, hes been a leader a long time, played with a lot of great guys," DeRozan said of his new teammates. "He knows how to play the game. "Were definitely paying attention to it, Im even paying more attention to it. I always look at it like, I could always learn more and thats what were doing." Salmons is due to make $7 million next season but the Raptors will only owe him $1 million should they waive him prior to June 30. For that reason, he could become a valuable trade chip and thanks to Masai Ujiris timely acquisition of the four Kings players, he can be repackaged before the February deadline. His time in Toronto may end up being short-lived but even as a temporary player, he could have a long-lasting impact on the future of the Raptors franchise. Kenneth Acker 49ers Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Ahmad Brooks 49ers Jersey . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. http:///...bethea-49ers-jersey/ . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph.ATLANTA -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez and Mets manager Terry Collins see signs that their teams are both emerging from an offensive slump. Despite having rain postpone Saturdays game, Gonzalez and Collins were pleased that their clubs looked better the night before as the Mets rallied for a 7-5 victory in 10 innings. Atlanta and New York have suffered from inconsistency at the plate beyond a few players off to good starts. The Braves have been led by Justin Upton, the NL player of the month for April, NL rookie of the month Evan Gattis and Chris Johnson, who began Friday as the NL batting leader. But B.J. Upton, Dan Uggla and injured right fielder Jason Heyward are all hitting .179 or worse. The good news for Atlanta, which has scored at least six runs only three times in the past 15 games, is six-time All-Star catcher Brian McCann should be back from the disabled list soon. McCann, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum last October, could be activated on Monday at Cincinnati. Heyward will likely need another couple of weeks to recover from an appendectomy. When he returns, the Braves hope he flashes the talent that resulted in 27 homers, 82 RBIs and 21 stolen bases last year. The Mets had gone 4-8 over their previous 12 games and were hitting .202 with runners in scoring position over that span, but John Buck, the NL RBI leader, had not disappointed, and the same was true of David Wright and Lucas Duda. But Collins gave struggling first baseman Ike Davis the night off, and centre fielder Collin Cowgill was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas before the game after hitting .155 with one homer and five RBIs in his previous 46 at-bats. The Mets rediscovered their power stroke on Friday. Buck kept up his torrid pace with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Lucas Duda followed with a solo shot in the second before Mike Minor settled down and retired the next 18 batters he faced. In the eighth, NNew York became one of the few teams this year to solve a Braves bullpen that led the majors with a 1. Carlos Hyde Jersey. 94 ERA and was tied for the best opponents batting average at .208. "Usually when you give our guys a lead, theyre going to shut it down," Gonzalez said. "But they ended up getting four runs against our bullpen from the eighth inning on. That doesnt usually happen against our guys." Marlon Byrd homered off setup man Eric OFlaherty to force a 4-all tie in the eighth. Wright homered off Atlanta Craig Kimbrel, one of the majors most dominant closers over the last three years, to make it 5-5 in the ninth. After scoring two runs in the 10th off Jordan Walden, the Mets had their first victory since Sept. 18, 1993 when trailing in the ninth at Atlanta. Collins called it the most important victory of the year. "I think it is, coming in here facing these guys who are leading the league," Collins said. "Its pretty special." Sundays game was expected to go on as scheduled even with heavy rain forecast in metro Atlanta until 9 a.m. Both teams pushed their Saturday starters back one day with New Yorks Jonathon Niese (2-2) to face Julio Teheran (1-0). On Tuesday at home against the Chicago White Sox, the Mets hope to get another boost from rookie starter Matt Harvey, the NL pitcher of the month who went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and a .156 opponents batting average in six April starts. Tim Hudson, coming off his 200th career win, will pitch for Atlanta on Monday against the Reds. The Braves announced that a makeup date for Saturday has yet to be determined. Tickets already purchased can be exchanged for the makeup game or for another game this season subject to availability. Atlanta, which began the day with a 2 1/2-game lead over Washington in the NL East, has lost three straight and 11 of 16. New York has won two in a row after losing six straight. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '