ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals gave manager Mike Matheny a three-year contract extension through 2017 on Wednesday, rewarding him for deep post-season runs in his first two seasons in the job. The team also said that 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter is retiring after missing this season with a recurring nerve issue in his shoulder. Matheny led the Cardinals to the World Series this year, losing in six games to Boston. In 2012, his first season managing at any level, St. Louis fell one game shy of reaching the Fall Classic. The 43-year-old Matheny was a four-time Gold Glove catcher with St. Louis and had one year left on his deal. "We didnt want any distractions, we knew we wanted Mike to be a part of this organization for a long time," general manager John Mozeliak said Wednesday. "So we might as well deal with it and get it behind us. "Obviously, with the success hes had he deserves this contract," Mozeliak added. Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. characterized Mathenys first two seasons as "pretty historic." Matheny called it an "amazing ride." Mathenys managed 30 post-season games the last two seasons and is among eight managers in major league history to lead a team to the post-season his first two full seasons. The Cardinals picked up Mathenys option for 2014 in February. "You look at how everythings kind of unfolded and you just never know," the manager added. "Opportunities come up and fortunately Ive been surrounded by some very, very good people." Mozeliak said the team hoped to "identify a future role" in the organization for the 38-year-old Carpenter. "When you think back to everything this organization has been through in regard to his ups and downs, he will still go down as one of the greatest weve ever had," Mozeliak said. Carpenter went 95-44 with a 3.07 ERA in nine seasons in St. Louis despite making only seven starts combined between 2007-08 and 2012. His began his career in 1997 with Toronto, signing with the Cardinals after the 2002 season. He missed all of 2003 with an injury and was 144-94 overall. "We think back to his career and what an amazing one it was," Mozeliak said. "He was part of so many highlights and I think he really created a culture of higher expectations." Carpenter won 21 games in 2005 and led the league in ERA in 2009, the same year he was named the NL comeback player of the year -- after having Tommy John surgery. Hes the franchise career leader with 10 postseason victories, the most memorable is his 1-0 win over the Phillies and Roy Halladay in Game 5 of the NL division series in 2011. "Chris will always be remembered as the leader of the pitching staff during one of the great eras of Cardinals baseball," DeWitt said. The Cardinals also purchased the contract of outfielders Oscar Taveras and Mike ONeill, and infielder Greg Garcia. St. Louis has 36 players on the 40-man roster. Taveras is the franchises top prospect and is coming off right ankle surgery after batting .306 in just 46 games at Triple-A Memphis. ONeill hit .320 in 98 games at Double-A Springfield and finished the year at Memphis where he batted .295, and the versatile Garcia batted .271 at Memphis and played second base, third base and shortstop. The Cardinals took left-hander John Gast, outfielder Jermaine Curtis and shortstop Ryan Jackson off the 40-man roster. Gast and Curtis were outrighted to Memphis and Jackson was claimed by the Houston Astros. Mozeliak called it a roster "clean up" prior to the winter Rule 5 draft. The team is seeking a replacement for Bengie Molina, an assistant hitting coach this year who last week was hired as the Texas Rangers first base coach and catching instructor. . PAUL, Minn. [url=http://www.shopmavericksonline.com/womens-chandler-parsons-basketball-jerse... Parsons Mavericks Jersey . 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The Maple Leafs have built an impressive 5-1-0 record through six games and have won two straight contests heading into Tuesday. Torontos most recent victory was a wild one, as the Leafs downed the visiting Edmonton Oilers, 6-5, in overtime on Saturday. The Leafs and Oilers were tied 2-2 after one period and the score was 3-3 after 40 minutes. Edmonton then held a pair of one-goal leads in the third period, but was unable to hold either of them. Toronto tied the game at 5-5 on Joffrey Lupuls tally with 31 seconds remaining in regulation and Dave Bolland netted the game-winning goal at 2:09 of overtime. On the winning play, Toronto came up with a loose puck after Cody Franson stole it from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and broke down the ice on a 3-on-1 advantage. Franson and Mason Raymond slid the puck back and forth before the former unleashed a wrister, which caromed to a streaking Bolland, who slapped it home for the game-winner. Lupul and James van Riemsdyk each scored a pair of goals for the Leafs, while Nazem Kadri recorded a goal and an assist. Franson, Raymond and Dion Phaneuf all had two assists in the triumph and Jonathan Bernier stopped 26 shots to earn the victory. "It was a crazy game," said Bernier. "As a goalie youre pretty happy when guys are battling hard. The main thing is we got two points." Bernier has been a big factor in Torontos quick start to the campaign. He came to the Leafs in an offseason trade and has grabbed a hold of the clubs No. 1 goalttender spot from James Reimer, who helped lead the club its first postseason trip since 2004.dddddddddddd In his first five outings with Toronto, Bernier is 4-1-0 with a 1.74 goals against average and .946 save percentage. Bernier has made the past three starts for the Leafs, while Reimer hasnt played since getting pulled in the second period of a win against Ottawa on Oct. 5. Toronto is playing the middle test of a three-game homestand on Tuesday and is 2-1-0 at ACC this season. The Maple Leafs have fared well in their history against the Wild, claiming seven of the 10 all-time meetings between the two clubs. Minnesota has lost five of its six games in Toronto. Minnesota enters Tuesdays tilt riding a three-game winning streak and the Wild kept the Buffalo Sabres winless on the season with a 2-1 win at First Niagara Center on Monday. Jason Pominville scored in his return to Buffalo as the Wild posted a 2-1 regulation win over the struggling Sabres. Back on the familiar ice at First Niagara Center, the former Sabres captain broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal late in the second period. Pominville played parts of nine seasons with Buffalo to begin his career before being traded to the Wild last April. "Ive had so many good memories in this building and in this city," Pominville said. "It was nice to get (a goal) and win on top of it." Kyle Brodziak supplied the other Minnesota goal, and Josh Harding stopped 22- of-23 shots in the Wilds third consecutive win following an 0-1-2 start to the season. With regular No. 1 goaltender Niklas Backstrom battling a strained knee, Harding has started the last three games for Minnesota. If Backstrom is unable to man the crease on Tuesday, it may be Darcy Kuempers turn to start and give Harding a rest. The Wild are 1-1-0 on the road so far and they began a four-game swing Monday in Buffalo. Minnesota will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers before returning home to St. Paul. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysauthentic.us.com/]cheap nfl jerseys authentic jerseys nfl wholesale wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '