ny more games youre going to play?At age 35, Daniel Sedin scored 28 goals last season, a total that was his highest since 2012. Henrik Sedin average

ST. LOUIS -- Two days after losing his childhood friend, Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, in a boating accident, Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz hit the first grand slam of his career Tuesday in his teams crucial 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.Its amazing, you know, Diaz said. To come back and hit that grand slam, I cant explain that. Im very grateful.After getting the ritual splash of water to the face from Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, Diaz emerged to acknowledge a curtain call from the relatively small crowd -- announced as 34,286 -- at Busch Stadium that nonetheless was roaring its approval. Diaz doffed his batting helmet, then jabbed it at the sky and looked up at the stars.Every time I put on a uniform, I want to think of him and the way he played baseball. He gave everything every day, Diaz said. I think thats his legacy for every MLB player, especially for the Cuban players. He was living the American dream. He made it, so every time I come here to this clubhouse and put on the uniform, I want to think of him.The Cardinals trail the New York Mets by 1? games for the first wild card and the Giants by one game for the second.?Diaz, 25, grew up just a few houses down from Fernandez in Santa Clara, Cuba. Fernandez defected to the United States when he was 15, eight years before Diaz left the island in 2014.Diaz spent Monday back in Florida with his family and Fernandezs mother and grandmother. Fernandez told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2015 that Diazs father, Rigoberto, was the reason he became a baseball player.The Cardinals were hesitant to use Diaz in the preceding games, in part due to his grief. He was due to pinch hit in Sunday nights game in Chicago but never got the chance because Aroldis Chapman struck out Jose Martinez?and stranded?Diaz in the on-deck circle as the game ended.Tuesdays blast off Reds right-hander Robert Stephenson came in Diazs second at-bat since Fernandezs death. Diaz said he feels he can best honor Fernandez by playing the game with passion and joy and competing as fiercely as Fernandez did.Even now, I cant believe it, Diaz said.Stephenson was aware of Diazs relationship with Fernandez.I thought that was real unfortunate timing for me, Stephenson said. But really, a special moment for him.Watching him cross the plate and watching his reaction as he [shook hands] with the guys, [it] really hit me on how much that meant to him, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. You can never understand what each persons going through when they suffer a loss like that. The show goes on, and so does life. But its a tough thing for anyone to go through.Diaz and Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena, a fellow Cuban, taped a No. 16 Fernandez jersey to the Cardinals dugout wall before the game. Pena predicted Diaz would hit a home run in Tuesdays game. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright compared it to Mondays home run by Marlins leadoff batter Dee Gordon, who cried after going deep against Bartolo Colon in the teams first game since Fernandezs death.I felt some serious goose bumps when he hit that, you know, Wainwright said. I almost got choked up. I know he was and we were all excited for him, and he wanted to make some good swings for Jose, Im sure. I dont know if theres a spot all year we needed that more than we did tonight.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cheap Shoes NZ . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Shoes NZ Sale . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Wholesale Shoes NZ . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Shoes NZ Nike . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Loui Eriksson didnt try to gloss over how much the?Vancouver Canucks, the team he chose by his own free will to join, have struggled over the past couple of seasons.I think theyve been through a tough stretch, Eriksson said. Last year, they had some injuries. It was tough to get something going.And yet, he still signed in Vancouver. Of course, a six-year, $36 million deal helped the cause -- but the appeal of playing with with the Sedins during the final stages of their outstanding NHL career was a factor too.He spoke with Daniel Sedin before signing and left those conversations with a good feeling about the Canucks and Vancouver itself.Its a great city to play, he said. It was an easy decision to come to.The Canucks are in a slow transition. They never quite gutted the teams that vied for Stanley Cups, so they never bottomed out. That decision cost them a crack at some of the premium talent their Pacific Division rivals grabbed at the top of the draft.Vancouver does have nice, young players like Jake Virtanen, Bo Horvat and Thatcher Demko, but not enough that you feel confident about the pending transfer of the baton from Daniel and his brother?Henrik Sedin?to the next generation.Vancouver, for now, seems like a team stuck in transition.Best new facesThe Canucks may not have been in the position to dive aggressively into free agency, but Loui Eriksson is a wonderful fit with the Sedins, as he showed in the World Championships and the World Cup.One Swedish teammate called him a third Sedin brother at one point. If Eriksson ends up playing with the Sedins, that will be one of the best lines in hockey.All three like to play the game the same way and while speed is the hot trend in hockey, this trio will effectively slow the game down so they can play it at their own pace.All three can make effective short passes in tight spaces and Eriksson is so good without the puck that it will make life even easier on the Sedins.Its the rest of the lineup that is a concern, but the addition of Eriksson makes for a natural fitt.ddddddddddddWe play the game the same way, Eriksson said.Biggest unknownsIf were confident that the fit with Eriksson and the Sedins is a good one, the biggest unknown becomes the rest of the lineup. Virtanen had 13 points in 55 games during his rookie season as a 19-year-old. The Canucks are going to need him to be a successful part of a second line if they want to make progress this season.Looking at the rest of the forwards, its hard to figure out where the additional scoring is going to come from. Last season, the Canucks averaged 2.27 goals per game -- a total that was better only than the New Jersey Devils. The lowest Western Conference playoff team last season, the?Minnesota Wild,?averaged 2.60 goals per game, which barely got them into?the playoffs.If the Canucks need to get to that point, where is the improvement going to come from?Sure thingsThe Sedins. If the Canucks arent going to be particularly good the next couple years, its a shame that this is how they will be exiting the NHL. They deserve better.You realize that when you get older, youre down to your last few years, said Daniel Sedin. Who knows how many more games youre going to play?At age 35, Daniel Sedin scored 28 goals last season, a total that was his highest since 2012. Henrik Sedin averaged 0.74 points per game, a number that should rise following the Eriksson addition. The numbers may be declining as the Sedins start to age, but its a sure thing that there will be many nights when they are the best players on the ice.Its just too bad that its going to happen on a team that likely isnt headed anywhere of note.PredictionThe Canucks were lumped in with the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers last season and all three of those teams improved while Vancouver is treading water. If the Oilers make the strides that everyone expects, it will be Vancouver that replaces Edmonton in the Pacific cellar. ' ' '