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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. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 . Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night. Nike Air Max 270 Sale . -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. https://www.cheapnikeairmax270china.us/ . But luckily for the Canadian squad, one goal was all it needed. Winnipegs Sophie Schmidt scored the winner off a Diana Matheson corner kick to seal Canadas third-place spot in the Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino in Brazil on Sunday. Clearance Nike Air Max 270 . -- The Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten with a scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Nike Air Max 270 Outlet . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat.PHILADELPHIA - A division title could be clinched for either the Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears when the two teams clash Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field. You can watch the game on TSN beginning at 8:15pm et/5:15pm pt. Coverage begins with Football Night in America at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Eagles can clinch their first NFC East crown since 2010 with a win Sunday coupled by a Dallas Cowboys loss in Washington, while the Bears, who also captured their last division title in 2010, must defeat Philadelphia and have losses by Detroit and Green Bay in order to take home an NFC North title. Philadelphia will know by kickoff if it can wrap up the division versus the Bears because the Redskins host the Cowboys at 1pm et. If the Redskins post an improbable victory, the Eagles have a chance to become division winners in the first year of head coach Chip Kelly. But if Dallas wins, it will set up a huge matchup at Big D in Week 17. If that scenario occurs, Kelly said he will not rest his players versus Chicago because his team has to "get back on a winning track." The Eagles took a five-game winning streak into last Sundays showdown against the Minnesota Vikings and dropped a 48-30 decision. They trailed most of the game and allowed 455 yards of offense, including 370 through the air. Vikings rookie running back Matt Asiata, filling in for injured backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, ran for 51 yards and three scores on 30 carries. Vikings receiver Greg Jennings had 163 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches and Jarius Wright hauled in four receptions for 95 yards. The Eagles managed to sack Matt Cassel three times and pick him off once, but couldnt produce offensively to keep the winning streak alive. "I thought we had a great week of practice, but we dont make excuses," Kelly said after the game. "We didnt play well enough to win today." Philadelphias dynamic offense still managed to produce 475 total yards and wide receiver DeSean Jackson caught 10 passes for 195 yards and a score. Jackson, though, got into a heated discussion with wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell before wideouts Jeff Maehl, Riley Cooper, another assistant coach, and running back LeSean McCoy intervened. Jackson knows that winning is the most important thing right now. "Its still the NFL," Jackson said. "Regardless of what the opposing teams record is, we still have to go out there and take it seriously. It was just a game we let slip. Its a game I felt we should have won. Going into it, I felt we had a great game plan but throughout the course of the game, we werent able to get it going." Jackson needs 135 more yards in the final two weeks to break Mike Quicks team record for most yards in a year. Quick had 1,409 yards back in 1983 for the Eagles, who will try to extend their home winning streak to four games aftter a 10-game slide in south Philly.dddddddddddd Chicago looks for its third straight win and some help to capture a division championship. Head coach Marc Trestman raised a few eyebrows when he named oft-injured quarterback Jay Cutler the starter again for Sundays 38-31 win at Cleveland after Josh McCown played so well in his absence. Cutler struggled at times against the Browns, throwing a pair of interceptions, but finished 22-of-31 passing with 265 yards and three touchdowns. Cutler has full support of his teammates and Trestman. "Hes a captain of this football team and hes elected captain of this football team," Trestman said. "Im sure that he would tell you that, not just the offensive guys, but throughout our football team, they stuck together and won for each other today. I thought it was a real good win for us." Bears running back Matt Forte helped take some of the load off of Cutler by rushing for 127 yards on 24 carries, while Chicago receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery both had a receiving score. Marshall caught six passes for 95 yards and Jeffery ended with 72 on five receptions. Both Marshall and Jeffery pose as huge problems for the Eagles, who are 31st in passing yards allowed (291.6) and 30th in total yards allowed (402.4). The Eagles, though, were able to contain Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald and Detroits Calvin Johnson, who played through a blizzard and was completely taken off his game. The Eagles were scorched through the air last week in Minnesota and their secondary is banged up for Chicago. "Youve got two really, really big guys that have great range and can go get it and even when theyre covered one-on-one, it doesnt mean that theyre covered," Kelly said of Marshall and Jeffery. "Theyve got maybe the most complete back when you look at (Matt) Forte, in terms of his pass protection pickup, his ability to be a receiver out of the backfield and then his ability to run. The one thing about them that you admire is that they didnt miss a beat when they went to their backup quarterback and thats kind of a credit to the system that Marc (Trestman) is running up there." Both Marshall and Jeffery have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark this season. Eagles safety Earl Wolff may return from a knee injury and cornerback Brandon Boykin has been cleared to play after missing practice with a concussion. Another rookie safety, Keelan Johnson, was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday with safeties Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson both injured. Johnson could make his NFL debut Sunday. Chicago has won two straight and four of the last five meetings with the Eagles, and leads the all-time series by a lopsided 29-11-1 ledger. The Bears recorded a 30-24 win in the last matchup on Nov. 7, 2011 and is unbeaten in the past two trips to the City of Brotherly Love. ' ' '