chenmo31

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns are cleaning house. Joe Johnson Jersey . On Wednesday, the team terminated the contracts of some big-name players, including their biggest player -- enormous nose tackle Shaun Rogers. In addition, the Browns, who are rebuilding once again under new coach Pat Shurmur, also released veteran linebackers Eric Barton and David Bowens, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, tight end Robert Royal and right offensive tackle John St. Clair. All six of the players are over age 30, and the moves will save the Browns nearly US$19 million in base salaries. The 350-pound-plus Rogers, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was slowed by injuries and played sparingly last season. He was due to make $5.5 million in 2011 with a $500,000 roster bonus. The Browns announced the cuts in a one-paragraph statement, and moments later Barton expressed his disappointment at being let go on his Twitter account. "No longer a Cleveland brown," Barton wrote. "Im gonna miss the great friends I met there." Rogers was on his own practice schedule last season, resting a leg injury so he could play on Sundays. He lost favour with former coach Eric Mangini, who used to go out of his way to praise defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin. A Pro Bowler in 2008, Rogers played in 15 games, but only made one start and finished with just 17 tackles. Barton and Bowens were signed as free agents in Cleveland by Mangini, who was fired in January following his second straight 5-11 season. Coleman, who started 14 games at left end last season, also played for Mangini with the New York Jets before he was brought to Cleveland in a trade. St. Clair made 10 starts last season, but missed five games with an ankle injury. The Browns are expected to switch from a 3-4 defensive scheme to a 4-3 under new co-ordinator Dick Jauron, who coached Rogers in Detroit. Bowens, who was close to being cut before the season, played well despite a knee injury and provided valuable leadership. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the Browns upset of New Orleans on Oct. 24. Ryan Callahan Premier Jersey . Verlander (8-3) picked up his eighth win in nine decisions, outdueling Yovani Gallardo by allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks. The right- hander also fanned eight in 7 2/3 innings to remain unbeaten at Comerica Park in six starts this season. Authentic Tim Duncan Jersey . Macha was announced as the new skipper this past Thursday, and will have Dale Sveum as his hitting coach. Sveum, returning for his fourth season with the Brewers, served as interim manager for Milwaukees final 12 games of the 2008 regular season after Ned Yost was fired. Authentic Derrick Williams Jersey . For months every Lakers fan has been insisting that had Bynum been healthy enough to suit up for the team last spring they would have taken home the Championship. Heat Jersey . Sweden scored four unanswered goals in the third period to rally past the Canadians 4-2 in the final game of the preliminary round. Amare Stoudemire Jerseys . Brignac also hit a solo homer as the Rays took all three from the Angels in their first sweep at Angel Stadium and second all-time in The Golden State. Juan Cruz (3-0) hurled a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the win. Bobby Abreu hit a three-run double in the eighth to help the Angels get to extra innings and nearly homered in the 10th, but the club nevertheless dropped their season-high fifth straight game. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - There was no comeback for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals against the Tampa Bay Lightning - only more postseason disappointment. Falling short of expectations yet again, the top-seeded Capitals were swept from the NHL playoffs on Wednesday night, falling 5-3 to the fifth-seeded Lightning in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. It was a tough year - we went through peaks and valleys - but I just thought if we persevered that something good was going to happen, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. I thought as late as when they made it 5-2, this is going to be tough. But even before that I thought, OK, were going to find a way. The guys want it too much, and theyve come back all year in dire straits. I still thought we were going to tie it up and win it in overtime. With chants of sweep, sweep, sweep reverberating through the building, the Lightning had other thoughts and kept pushing until Washington had no more hope. Sean Bergenheim scored two goals and Dwayne Roloson stopped 33 shots for Tampa Bay, which extended its winning streak to seven games and advanced to the conference finals for the first time since its 2004 Stanley Cup championship season. Were definitely happy, but were not popping champagne or anything, Lightning forward Ryan Malone said. We know what our goal is and we have to keep going and stay even keel. We havent done anything yet. Rookie Michal Neuvirth stopped 32 shots for Washington, but Bergenheim scored twice in eight minutes during the second period to build a 3-1 lead that sent the sellout crowd of 20,835 into celebratory mode long before it was over. Theres not very much you can say. Theyre down in the dumps. Im down in the dumps, Boudreau said. I just told them I was proud of them for the way they worked all year, and that they never quit right to the end. Thats all a coach could ask is if you dont quit and you just keep plugging through. I thought we had a good chance to win, and we just didnt get it done. The Lightnings big three of Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos have elevated their games in the playoffs, but so has Bergenheim, who has a team-leading seven goals through two rounds. St. Louis sixth goal of the playoffs, with 3:08 remaining, finished Tampa Bays scoring. Malone and Marc-Andre Bergeron added goals for the Lightning, who have not lost since dropping into a 3-1 hole against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. Bergenheim was eighhth on the Lightning with 14 regular-season goals, however hes been much more of an offensive force in ousting the Penguins and Capitals. Andrei Kirilenko Swingman Jersey. Its something coach Guy Boucher, who has Tampa Bay in the conference finals in his first season as an NHL coach, has come to expect of the forward. Every top game, every important game, every game that there is some pressure, he was in it. He was one of our better players, Boucher said. Some people freeze under pressure, some people fly away, and some people fight. He fights. Marco Sturm, John Erskine and John Carlson scored for the Capitals. Ovechkin had an assist on Sturms goal, but couldnt find the net with any of five shots at the 41-year-old Roloson, a midseason acquisition who is one of the biggest reasons Tampa Bay not only is in the playoffs for the first time since 2007 but thriving. When they got Dwayne Roloson, they became a completely different team, Boudreau said. The Lightning won the first two games of the series in Washington, then pushed the Capitals to the brink of elimination by winning Game 3 in Tampa on Tuesday night. They were expecting the toughest game of the series Wednesday, calling the Capitals a proud team that would not be taken lightly. Washington felt the first three games could have gone either way, with Ovechkin insisting after Game 3 that the series was far from over and that he expected his team to come back and win. We were hungry and we wanted to win, Ovechkin said. We wanted to win. They wanted to win. Somebody had to lose. I dont know what to say right now. The Capitals went 1 for 3 on the power play in Game 4, finishing 2 of 19 for the series. Tampa Bay had two power-play goals Wednesday night alone. When they had a chance to score, they scored. We didnt, Ovechkin said. Its very frustrating. I dont think any of us saw this coming down, happening like it did. Probably the last thing that was in our mind, but you have to give them credit, Capitals forward Mike Knuble said. They played well, and they held their own when they had to. And really, when they got their chances they capitalized. It was pretty amazing how well they could do it. NOTES: St. Louis, Lecavalier and Kubina are the only players remaining on the Lightning roster from the Stanley Cup championship team. ... The Lightning have won eight consecutive postseason games against the Capitals, dating to the first round in 2003. ... Ovechkin finished with five goals and five assists for 10 points in nine playoff games.Wholesale Jerseys. The leagues board of governors approved a bylaw revision Tuesday for use when teams are tied in the standings at the end of the season. ' ' '