BOSTON - Annually sprinkled among the myriad storylines which crop up at this very important time of the Major League Baseball season is that of the veteran player, he who has long performed at a high level and has long been good for the game, seeking an elusive World Series ring. Wouldnt you know it, with the American League Championship Series set to begin on Saturday night at Fenway Park, the host Red Sox and the visiting Tigers each have one of those guys. Canadian Ryan Dempster fits the bill. At 36 years old and in his first season in Boston, the native of Gibsons, British Columbia has made his money (more than $89 million over a 16-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) has pitched at a high level (eight seasons with at least 10 wins - the fact he was a closer for four seasons makes the accomplishment more impressive;) and is regarded by both teammates and media as one of the more likable players in the sport. Anyone who was paying attention during Dempsters days with the Cubs remembers him out-Farrelling Will Farrells Harry Caray impression. He was also the closer on the 2007 Chicago team that was swept by Arizona in a Division Series. In 2008, by then more than four years removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, he reprised his role as a starter. He even got the ball in the first game of that seasons Division Series against the Dodgers. The Cubs, oh the lovable Cubs, were swept yet again. These days, Dempster has accepted a diminished role in the post-season. Hes pitching out of the bullpen for the first time since 2007, a move made in mid-September in anticipation of the playoffs. "It was funny, I remember getting called into the office right before we were playing the Blue Jays, that last series of the season with them and John (Farrell) and Ben (Cherington) pulled me in and we were talking about the possibility of me going to the bullpen for the playoffs and maybe getting me a few outings out of the pen just to get used to it again," Dempster told TSN.ca. "I dont know if they expected me to have a different response but I greeted it with open arms and looked at it like, hey man, at the time we had six starters throwing the ball really well and the realization was with my experience in the bullpen I was totally comfortable going down there." With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz returning to pre-2012 form, with John Lackey back from Tommy John elbow surgery and throwing like the ace he was in Anaheim and with the mid-summer acquisition of Jake Peavy bringing his bulldog-like mound presence and nasty sinker ball, it was clear Dempster (8-9, 4.64, 1.453 WHIP in his first year in the American League East) wouldnt be getting starts come October. Thats okay, because its whats best for the team and in 2013, whats best for the team prevails in Boston. "From a pitching standpoint, weve got some tremendous starting pitchers," said Dempster. "Weve got a really strong bullpen and then we try to focus as hard on those things as we do the little things. The defence, the moving runners over, taking advantage on the basepaths. If you can do those little things, those are things that kind of help you set yourself apart from the other teams that youre playing." Torii Hunter is over there, in the other dugout, and he knows all about what Dempster has gone through (multiple playoff appearances, no titles) and what Dempsters anticipating now. Hes been to the playoffs nine times (five with the Twins, thrice with the Angels and currently with the Tigers,) and hasnt had a World Series appearance, let alone a championship, to show for it. This is his third ALCS appearance, the last of which came with the 2009 Angels. "To be back in the post-season and to get the chance to win a World Series ring, thats big for me," said Hunter, before joking, "Thats key for me because Im only 28 years old but its getting late." Typical Hunter. Big smile, cracking a joke, keeping those around him at ease. You stand there and believe he could actually be deriving enjoyment from this player availability session. Like Dempster, Hunter has made his money (almost $147 million over a 17-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) hes played at a high level (.279/.335/.476 for his career;) and hes regarded as a good teammate and community guy, involved in numerous charitable endeavours. Last season Hunter, knowing with the emergence of Mike Trout and his own impending free agency that his days with the Angels were numbered, began keeping a mental notebook of teams around the league. He was trying to figure out where he would best fit and which team would best fit him. The Yankees were a legitimate option. Funny enough, so were the Red Sox. Both received strong consideration before Hunter inked a two-year, $26-million deal with the Tigers through 2014. "Do these guys need a right fielder?" said Hunter of one of his scouting criteria. "Do they need a two-hole guy or fifth-hole guy? I looked at the pitching staffs. If I didnt like facing those guys and I went 0-14, thats the team I wanted to play for and I did that a lot with the Tigers last year. I had a chance to look at all that and look at Scherzer and Verlander, Anibal coming back so I definitely took my chances with those guys." With strong starting pitching and potent offensive lineups, its difficult to predict with certainty which team will emerge victorious. One thing is clear, however: Only one of Dempster and Hunter will get a shot at that ring. Gr... Lloyd Steelers Jersey . 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. L... Jones Womens Jersey . Its been a wild ride that has found me on the other end of the microphone and writing. Im now more of a media based personality that trains specialized clients, rather than a strength coach that does media from time to time. L... Jones Youth Jersey . How much of a concern is Gays shot selection early in the year? Why isnt Jonas Valanciunas playing down the stretch and how can the team better utilize their young centre? With the two-time defending champion Heat on deck, how will the Raps do facing their first real test of the young season? All that and more. Bu... Dupree Steelers Jersey . Instead, coming off their worst outing of the season, the Leafs will have to rise as a collective unit to withstand this latest bout of adversity.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas sophomore Perry Ellis is a man of very few words. Chances are the roughly 16,000 fans chanting his name Saturday could help him out. Ellis scored a career-high 32 points to lead the seventh-ranked Jayhawks to a 95-65 victory over TCU, and then answered every question posed to him in his typically understated fashion. Did you feel in a rhythm? "Definitely felt in a rhythm," he replied. What did you think of the chants? "It felt good, just great fan support," he said. Leave it to his teammates to describe the best game of his career. "He takes good shots in a rhythm, and he always looks for his teammates," said Andrew Wiggins of Vaughan, Ont., who added 17 points. "He was aggressive all game, attacking the hoop, making 3s. He did everything." Ellis also had eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 13 of 15 from the field. "Fantastic game," said Wayne Selden Jr., who scored 15 for the Jayhawks. Playing without injured centre Joel Embiid and suspended forward Brannen Greene, Kansas (19-6, 10-2 Big 12) got off to a slow start but still managed to take a 47-40 lead into the break. The Jayhawks then used a 13-1 charge out of the locker room to put away the Horned Frogs. TCU (9-15, 0-12) still has not won since knocking off Texas Southern on Dec. 29. Kyan Anderson did all he could, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half. Amric Fields added 12 points, but otherwise a team thats been depleted by injuries much of the season wasnt able to hang with the impressive depth of the Jayhawks. "You know what? I thought we competed as well as we have for a while," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "Kyan did a really, really good job of keeping us in the game in the first half, but theyre really good. Theyre really good." Embiid, who has emerged as one of the nations top NBA prospects, has been dealing with ankle and back injuries that have limited his floor time the last several weeks. He didnt practice in the run-up to TCU and wound up watching from the bench, though he routinely leaped out of his seat to celebrate the myyriad of alley-oop dunks that highlighted the Jayhawks second half.dddddddddddd. Self said he should be available Tuesday at Texas Tech. Greene, a freshman swingman, also is expected back after sitting out for what Self called "a slippage from a responsibility standpoint." Reserve forward Jamari Traylor got back on the court for Kansas and finished with a career-high 10 points and eight rebounds. The sophomore was held out of Monday nights overtime loss to Kansas State for what Self also had described as irresponsible behaviour. The two of them spoke Thursday and Self decided to let Traylor play. Self turned to Traylor when Tarik Black, who started in Embiids place, picked up two fouls in the opening 2 minutes. It was part of a miserable early stretch for Kansas that included a 1-for-7 performance from the foul line and very little defence. Of course, the Horned Frogs had a hand in that performance. Anderson was 7 of 8 from the field and 5 for 5 from the foul line in the first half, and TCU -- which came in shooting a Big 12-worst 40.9 per cent -- was hitting at a 56.5-per cent clip. "Its all rhythm," Anderson said. "We put pretty good pressure on them in the first half." Then the second half started, and the Jayhawks began playing above the rim. Black, Wiggins and Selden each were on the finishing end of alley-oop passes during what turned into a 23-5 run, giving Kansas a 70-45 lead midway through the second half. Johnson burned through a series of timeouts, but none seemed to quiet a star-studded crowd that included several NBA stars and Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie" fame. The Jayhawks started to empty the bench with about five minutes left, shortly after Ellis knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner and the crowd started chanting his name. "He was great," Self said. "He made shots, stretched it, then made mid-range shots, took the ball strong to the hole. I think one of his two misses he got back. He was without question our best player today. Other guys played well offensively, but certainly nobody played like Perry." Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Cheap MLS Soccer Jerseys ' ' '

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