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its rare to keep scoring 30 goals per season
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NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte had no interest in a farewell tour or some big pronouncement regarding his (second) retirement. Nacho Monreal Spain Jersey . Anything more than a conference call the day after the season would only feel embarrassing. "Because Ive done this before," said a sheepish Pettitte, who briefly stepped away from baseball two years ago. "I feel awkward doing this right now, to tell you the truth." Still, the New York Yankees pitcher was having a hard time telling people he wasnt sure if he would be back next season when he already knew this was it. And he wanted to thank fans for all their support, something he wished he had a chance to do the first time. So after discussing it with several close friends -- including Mariano Rivera over lunch in Toronto -- Pettitte chose to formally announce his decision at a Yankee Stadium news conference Friday. "Im ready to be home again," Pettitte said. "But the biggest thing is, Im just done." In a statement released Friday afternoon, hours before the Yankees began their final homestand, the 41-year-old Pettitte said he has reached the point where he knows he has left everything he has on the field. The left-hander initially retired after the 2010 season, but sat out only one year before returning to the Yankees. This time, he means it. "The time is right. Ive exhausted myself, mentally and physically, and thats exactly how I want to leave this game," he said. In a nice bit of symmetry, Pettitte is scheduled to make two more starts this season -- one at Yankee Stadium and the other in his hometown of Houston. "That is crazy. It really is. Its cool that its going to work out that way," he said. Pettitte is set to pitch against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, when the Yankees will honour Rivera in a pregame ceremony. Baseballs career saves leader also is retiring. Pettitte said one of the things he struggled with in making an announcement was "doing anything to take away from Marianos day" because of how much Rivera has meant to him and his career. Rivera, however, encouraged Pettitte to say goodbye at Yankee Stadium. "He thinks its going to make the day even better," Pettitte said. "I feel like were connected." Rivera has saved 72 of Pettittes 255 career wins, the most for any tandem in major league history. "Its like brothers. We came up in this organization at the same time. Weve been through good times and bad times," Rivera said. "Now we go out together, too." Asked if he had any regrets, Pettitte mentioned human growth hormone. He has admitted using the banned substance years ago, saying he did it in an effort to recover faster from an injury. He said he would never want kids to think he tried to cheat. "I know my heart. Ive never tried to cheat this game. Never tried to cheat anything in my life," Pettitte said. "Thats the truth." Pettitte holds MLB records for post-season wins (19) and starts (44), but it would take quite a surge by the Yankees for him to get an opportunity to add to those marks. They began the day 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay and Texas for the second AL wild card, with three other teams in between. A three-time All-Star, Pettitte has helped New York to seven AL pennants and five World Series championships during 15 seasons in pinstripes. He was the MVP of the 2001 AL championship series and is the franchise leader in career strikeouts with 2,009. He joined longtime buddies Rivera, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada to make up the "Core Four" that has led the Yankees to more than a decade and a half of sustained success. "Weve had a great run here," Pettitte said. "I just feel like my time here is done." Jeter, limited by injuries to just 17 games this season, will be the only one left next year. "Ive known about this for a while, but I just havent thought about it," he said. "Youre not going to see that again, I dont think." Pettitte said he probably wouldnt have made a comeback last year if general manager Brian Cashman hadnt called to gauge his interest. The original plan was to return for one season, but a broken ankle that sidelined Pettitte for almost three months changed his mind. He knew coming into 2013 that this would be it, and nothing thats happened since has made him vacillate -- including a back injury that wasnt easy to shake. Pettitte is 10-10 with a 3.93 ERA in 28 starts. After a rough patch, he has pitched particularly well down the stretch with New York desperately chasing a playoff berth. "Vintage Andy Pettitte. Crunch time, hes always there," manager Joe Girardi said. "Its just who Andy Pettitte is. When the stakes get higher, he gets better." Asked for his greatest moment, Pettitte mentioned the first championship he won with the Yankees in 1996 -- which ended an 18-year drought for the franchise. His final start is scheduled for next weekend against Houston, the only team for which he has played besides the Yankees. Pettitte spent 2004-06 with the Astros, teaming with Roger Clemens to help the club make its only World Series appearance in 2005. In retirement, Pettitte said he will spend time with his wife and four children, travel and get very involved at church again. "Its been a long, hard year," he said. "Ive been retired and I know what its going to be like. Its awesome." Diego Costa Jersey .B. -- Canadian pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford went from elated to frustrated in the span of a few minutes. Saul Niguez Jersey .2 million deal for the upcoming season with right-hander Garrett Richards.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the announcement hadnt been made.The Colorado Avalanche may have lost one of the premier free agents, centre Paul Stastny, but recovered somewhat by bringing in the top free agent goal-scorer. Numbers Game looks into the deal for Jarome Iginla The Avalanche Get: RW Jarome Iginla. Iginla, 37, scored 30 goals last season, just like he has in every full season since 2000-2001, while playing for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins ran into cap issues that squeezed Iginla out of their plans and opened the door for the Avalanche to improve their forward ranks. Sure, at his age, Iginla has probably lost a step (his 2.68 shots on goal per game last season was his lowest since 1998-1999), but over the past six seasons, he ranks seventh in goals, with 186. He can pull the trigger and thats largely what the Avalanche will need from him. Colorado has lots of young talent up front, guys that the can skate the puck into the offensive zone and it would easy enough to fit Iginla on a line with rising star Nathan MacKinnon and veteran Alex Tanguay, with whom Iginla shared some productive years in Calgary. The issue for the Avalanche is how rapid Iginlas descent might be. Hes been unbelievably durable throughout his career, missing eight games in the past two seasons following five straight seasons without missing a game. But, once more than 1300 NHL games are on the odometer, its difficult to maintain production and its already begun with Iginla, who has averaged under 0.80 points per game in each of the past two years for the first time since 1998-1999. Its evident howw this career arc is playing out. David Silva Spain Jersey. With 560 career goals, Iginla ranks second among active skaters, behind only Jaromir Jagr now that Teemu Selanne has retired. But, for all the great goal-scorers that have played at age 37 and beyond, its rare to keep scoring 30 goals per season. Since 2000, there have been five forwards, aged 37 or older, to score 30 goals in a season. Theyre Hall of Fame calibre players, like Iginla, so maybe he can get there at least once during the life of this contract, but the odds are that Iginla is going to start falling between 20 and 30 goals because as players get older, even for the great ones, its not as easy to get to the net. Without much room to maneuver under the salary cap, the Bruins may have to look internally to fill the void created by Iginlas departure. Loui Eriksson could move up to join David Krejci and Milan Lucic on the top line and prospects Ryan Spooner and Alexander Khokhlachev are likely to have opportunities to make the team next year. As long as he doesnt drop too precipitously, Iginla can still provide value on the three-year, $16-million contract he received from Colorado, but its likely to be in more of a supporting role because while every career isnt the same, all athletes eventually diminish with age and the Avalanche are looking at those years with Iginla. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Throwback Wholesale NFL Hoodies Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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