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By virtue of signing a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, restricted free agent Shea Weber has made it clear he wants out of Nashville. Ryan Mathews Jersey . The Predators have until next Wednesday to match the monstrous deal or accept four first-round draft picks and begin trying to fill the cavernous holes left by the departure of its top-two star defencemen. General manager David Poile and the Predators were given a heads up that Weber would be signing an offer sheet and were given the chance to make a trade before the process was completed. Several other NHL teams made a pitch for the First Team All-Star, but the stakes proved too high. The Flyers upped the ante on the offer sheet when it became clear that young stars Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn had to be included in a trade being discussed with the Predators. At that point, the game changed and the Flyers launched their attack in the form of a 14-year mega-deal that will pay Weber $68 million in bonus money in the first six years of the contract. Now the Predators are faced with a huge financial gamble. With the threat of a work stoppage looming, Weber will collect a minimum of $26 million in the next 11 months. Thats a staggering amount of money for any team to absorb with so much uncertainty. But for the Predators – largely a budget-tight team – that hit them both in the short-term and long-term. That said, this deal might not make sense. But as difficult as it might be for Nashvilles ownership to match, the Predators franchise value will take another hit if its captain leaves. Its not a stretch to suggest this predicament and pending decision may heavily impact both David Poiles future with the Predators, as well as his teams ability to lure players to the Music City in the future. Antonio Gates Womens Jersey . Derrick Washington gained 139 yards and two TDs on 14 carries and added another touchdown via the air for Missouri (5-0, 1-0 Big 12), which won in Lincoln for the first time since 1978. Jeremy Maclin caught five passes for 89 yards and scored once. Antonio Gates Jersey . U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued her order from St. Paul, Minn. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, a former Minnesota Vikings star, was the lead plaintiff in the complaint that argued current players and their attorneys had no right to bargain with NFL owners about retiree benefits because they werent legally a union last summer. http://www.chargersteamstore.com/philip-rivers-jerseys . “Every time he pitches, we expect that from him,” Prado said. “He was so fired up, it was sort of contagious.” Hudson gave up only four hits and no earned runs in 7 1-3 innings to remain unbeaten in his career against Houston, and the Braves stayed hot with a 4-1 win Friday night that left the Astros with their worst 32-game stretch in franchise history. Eric Weddle Jersey . The win moved the defending champions ahead of Canada atop Group H in round-robin play. Finland, which plays Canada on Friday, joined Sweden and Russia as the only teams undefeated in regulation at the tournament. Philip Rivers Jersey . —Andrew Luck smiled, joked with teammates and looked more comfortable than anybody on a jam-packed Stanford practice field for the schools pro day.(Sports Network) – The scene shifts to Southern California on Saturday when the Memphis Grizzlies square off with the Los Angeles Clippers in the pivotal Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinals set. The Clippers, who were a solid 24-9 as the host at Staples Center during the regular season, will be playing their first postseason game in LA since 2006 with a chance to take a 2-1 series lead. A historic comeback in Game 1 of the set by the Clippers was tempered a bit on Wednesday when Rudy Gay led six players in double figures with 21 points and Memphis kept LA at arms length down the stretch, claiming a 105-98 Game 2 victory to even the best-of-seven series. O.J. Mayo scored 20 points off the bench, Mike Conley posted 19 points and six assists and Zach Randolph added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies. Tony Allen chipped in with 10 points, Marreese Speights donated 11 points and five boards and Marc Gasol scored eight points with seven rebounds in the Game 2 win. The Grizz, who entered the playoffs with an 11-game home winning streak and finished 26-7 in Memphis during the regular season, appeared on their way to a Game 1 rout before a stunning collapse that gave the visitors the improbable comeback from a 27-point deficit. There was no such theater on Wednesday, as Memphis answered every call, holding a lead no smaller than four in the final quarter. Chris Pauls four- point play brought the Clippers within 83-79, but Memphis answered with six straight to create some breathing room. “We got punched in the mouth in the first gaame and we came back tonight and we withstood took some blows. Malcom Floyd Jersey. ..Fortunately we were able to get a win,” Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins said. Paul and Blake Griffin accounted for a large chunk of the Clippers offense in Game 2, scoring 29 and 22 points respectively. Paul also dished out six assists and picked up five steals, while Griffin grabbed nine rebounds in the loss. Mo Williams and Nick Young each scored 11 points in the loss. “We need some more consistent scoring from more guys besides our two guys (Paul and Griffin),” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. On the injury front for LA, forward Caron Butler, who broke his left hand in Game 1, was able to practice Friday on a limited basis while wearing a brace. Del Negro indicated that the team received a positive report from a hand specialist and wouldnt rule Butler out of Game 3. “Caron is a tough guy, hes a battler, he wants to be out there,” Del Negro said. “But we also want to be smart about it.” The Grizzlies, on the other hand, are relatively healthy and focusing on the change of venue. “There is definitely no difference in preparation,” Hollins said of going on the road. “I just think those guys are at home and were in a hotel. Their routines are normal and ours are a little bit different because we are in a hotel.” Memphis lost two of three meetings against the Clippers in the regular season. These two teams have never met in the postseason before. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is set for Monday in LA. ’ ’ ’
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