OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Derrick Mason stepped into retirement Monday as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, the team that provided the sure-handed wide receiver the biggest thrills and most significant friendships over his 15-year NFL career. Mason, 38, played eight seasons with Tennessee before signing as a free agent with Baltimore in 2005. He never missed a game over six seasons with the Ravens and is the team career leader with 471 catches and 5,777 yards receiving. He also ranks second with 29 touchdown catches. After being released last year, Mason split time with the New York Jets and Houston in 2011. But his spirit remained in Baltimore. Sitting between Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh, Mason bid farewell to football at the Ravens training complex. "The decision wasnt hard to retire, and the decision where to retire was just as easy," Mason said. "My heart was here. It never left. My body left, but my heart stayed right in this room." Mason thanked many of the people that helped him get through 230 NFL games, including Newsome, Harbaugh, and Ravens defensive stars Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. He also paid homage to quarterback Steve McNair, who threw passes to Mason with Tennessee and Baltimore. "I cant leave without thanking Steve," Mason said. "Him and I, more or less, grew up together in the game of football my first eight years and one here. Because of him, my numbers are what they are. Because he looked for me, he trusted me, he counted on me. I hope I never failed him. He will always be No. 1 with me." Mason briefly retired in 2009, days after McNair was killed in a murder-suicide in Tennessee. Mason ranks 11th on the NFL career list with 943 catches. He amassed 12,061 yards receiving and scored 66 touchdowns. He is also the only player in NFL history with at least 5,000 yards in returns and 10,000 yards receiving. "My run is over. It was a good one," he said. "Im happy." Newsome has been in charge of player personnel for the Ravens since the team moved from Cleveland in 1996. Although he has signed hundreds of free agents, he cant remember anyone who made more of an impact on the organization than Mason. "I dont know if theres any one player over the span of their career that did more for this organization than Derrick Mason," Newsome said. Mason didnt possess world-class speed. He was only 5-foot-10, so he wasnt a tall target. But he was a quarterbacks best friend, mainly because of attention to detail and his ability to pull down the football in the middle of a crowd. When Baltimore drafted Joe Flacco and thrust him into the starters role, Mason quickly became the rookies favourite target. "Derrick was a guy he could count on, a guy who was going to be where he was supposed to be," Harbaugh said. "Ive never seen a better route-runner in football. A young quarterback could trust that hes going to be at the right depth, hes going to come out of his break quickly, hes going to be where you expect him to be, and hes going to catch the ball." Mason wasnt ready to quit last July after the Ravens released him in a cost-cutting move. He latched on with the Jets, was cut, then finished up with Houston in a dreary season that was significant only in that it proved to Mason that it was time to retire. "The year didnt go the way I wanted it to, but it went the way it should have went," he said. "I believe God has something else for me, and I believe there was a lesson I had to learn last year. I learned it. I was able to mentally prepare myself to retire." Asked what it meant to be the franchise leader in catches and yards receiving, in addition to owning the top three receiving seasons by a Raven, Mason replied, "It means that the people who were throwing to me had enough confidence that I would go and catch the ball, and the people calling the plays trusted that I would be where I need to me." Mason would like to be recognized not for his numbers, but for the way he played the game. "It was fun," he said. "I want to be remembered as a guy who went out there and did his job the way he knew how -- hard and fast.". Michael Jordan Youth Jersey . For the longest time, there was a sense of inevitability about Woods when he was in front going into the weekend at a major championship. Michael Jordan Womens Jersey . Were talking about Toronto where the Leafs have not won a championship in four-and-a-half decades, and yet supposedly neither fans nor ownership have the stomach for a long, slow rebuild. http://www.shopth... . LOUIS -- The St. [url=http://www.shopthechicagobulls.com/Michael-Jordan-Jersey/]Michael Jordan ThrowBack Jersey . The news comes just a week after the NHL announced the cancellation of Septembers preseason games. The rest of the exhibition schedule ran from October 1 through October 8. Michael Jordan Red Jersey .763 mph in Saturdays qualifying. Its the 11th pole of Hamlins career and his second this season. EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Rush have had their fair share of troubling scoring this season, but it was the Buffalo Bandits who couldnt find the net when it mattered most on Saturday. Zack Greer had three goals and an assist as the Rush beat the visiting Bandits 11-8 Saturday in a match between two teams trying to lock down the final playoff positions in the National Lacrosse League. Corey Small had two goals and two assists and Steve Toll, Shawn Williams, Derek Suddons, Tom Johnson, Aaron Wilson and Ryan Ward also scored for the Rush (5-8) who have won three of their last four to sit in the fourth and final playoff position in the Western Division, a full game up on idle Washington. "I thought in the second half, defensively, we were just outstanding," said Rush head coach Derek Keenan. "Thats what it takes. And we scored enough goals tonight, which has been a struggle for us." With their recent play, the Rush are in better shape in the playoff race. "Its been a tough season, but the biggest thing is were still in it," veteran Rush forward Williams said. "Buffalo is battling for their lives as well, so this game had playoffs written all over it. That was our mindset going in and you dont want to say that theyre must-wins, but were running out of games." Luke Wiles had a hat trick, John Tavares two goals and Jimmy Purves, Mark Steenhuis, and Kevin Buchanan added single markers for the Bandits (5-9), who have lost three of four to drop a game behind Rochester and into last in the East. Buffalo only scored two goals in the second half, one coming late with their goalie pulled. "We didnt play very well at all," said Buffalo head coach Darris Kilgour. "We didnt play in the second half on either offence or defence. It was very disappointing to come out and put that kind of effort forth. Playoffs are on the line and we didnt play well enough to win. Youre not going to win any games with basically just one goal in the second half." Kilgour said his teams path to the playoffs is now far from certain. "All we needed to do was win our games," he said. "Were still OK if we win our last two games, but who knows? We play Rochester next week and they are playing well and Washington... who knows what team of ours is going to show up. The team that won by 10 goals last week, or that lost by three goals tonight. It has been a very frustrating season in terms of our focus and our effort output." The Bandits oopened the scoring as Wiles got one past Rush starter Aaron Bold 1:17 into the game.dddddddddddd Edmonton responded with a short-handed goal three minutes later as Toll picked off a pass and blazed the length of the court before beating Buffalo goalie Mike Thompson for his first of the season. Buffalo restored its lead on the same power play with Wiles second of the game. The Rush came flying back to go up 3-2 on a goal from Williams and then one from Suddons on a long shot following a bad Buffalo change. Shortly afterwards Thompson was hurt in a goalmouth collision with Edmontons Johnson and was replaced by Anthony Cosmo. Purves stole a pass and scored on a breakaway to tie the game 3-3 after the first quarter. Edmonton surged ahead 5-3 early in the second on goals 25 seconds apart by Greer and Johnson. Buffalo battled back to tie the game 6-6 at the half, getting a late wraparound goal from Tavares after Bold got caught out of the net to even the match. Edmonton restored its two-goal advantage on markers by Wilson and Small to start the third. The two teams traded goals from there to make for a 9-7 Edmonton leading heading into the final quarter. The Rush started to pull away five minutes into the fourth with two more goals -- Greers hat trick marker, followed by a goal from Ward -- to lead 11-7. Edmonton clamped down on defence from there with only one Buffalo goal from there to hang on for the win, only allowing the Bandits two goals in the entire second half. The Rush play again next Friday in Colorado. Buffalos next match is at home to Rochester next Saturday. Notes: It was the third meeting all-time between the Rush and the Bandits, all three in Edmonton. The teams split the first two matches... The Bandits are fronted by NLL legend John Tavares, uncle of the New York Islanders star of the same name in the NHL. Tavares came into the game with 1,616 career points, the leagues all-time record point-getter. Tavares entered the game with a league-leading 19 power play goals... Rush defender Kyle Rubisch led the NLL with 30 forced turnovers ... Edmonton came into the game having been able to outscore the opposition 42-29 in first quarters this year, but had been out-matched 39-25 in both the second and fourth frames. The Rush had a league low 10.4 goals a game... Buffalos Travis Irving was third in the league with 53 penalty minutes, just ahead of Rush forward Scott Evans... The Bandits are now just 1-5 against West Division opponents this season. ' ' '