used to, and then the guys are more heroic against him like

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VANCOUVER - David Backes went to Sochi hoping to bring back some stories. Instead, he brought back a couple of stray puppies. The St. Louis Blues captain, who played for the U.S. in the 2014 Winter Olympics, and his wife Kelly rescued the dogs from the streets of the Russian city with members of the Canadian teams entourage. Now in quarantine in St. Louis, the dogs will eventually be given to good homes. "Were just trying to widen our scope to help animals across the (U.S.) and across the world, and doing what we can," Backes said Tuesday. Backes said he and his wife did not originally intend to bring any animals back. They were hoping to create awareness about shelters that have been set up in Sochi to help hundreds of stray dogs that have received international media coverage. "She doesnt take no very lightly," he said. "So when she saw those two pups and a few more, she said weve gotta do something to get these out of here and tell their story and broaden the awareness of some of the mistreatment of animals - and just the difference in (how) they treat their companion animals and we treat ours." The Backes, who have four rescue dogs and two rescue cats in their home set up their own foundation, Athletes for Animals, last November, received helped from Canadian winger Jeff Carters girlfriend Megan Keffer and defenceman Drew Doughtys girlfriend Nicole Arruda and others. The three-to-four-month-old pups, named Sochi Junior and Sochi Jake, were brought back to the U.S. on an Air Atlas charter to Newark and another flight to St. Louis. Anthony Davis USA Jersey . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver. Authentic Michael Jordan Bulls Jersey . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. http://www.officialnbastore.us.com/Detr ... is-Jersey/. Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. Stephon Marbury USA Jersey .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. DeAndre Jordan USA Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings (3) - Early goal against was on the power play.KAPALUA, Hawaii - Four years later, the words of Jack Nicklaus resonate even louder. "If Tiger is going to pass my record, this is a big year for him in that regard," Nicklaus said at the start of 2010. Nicklaus was referring to his record 18 majors, and the major championship venues that favoured Woods - Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, all courses where he had won before. Woods never had a serious chance on the back nine of any major that year. His tally remains at 14. And that makes 2014 even bigger. Woods is facing another favourable menu of major championship sites. He already has won majors at Augusta, Royal Liverpool (British Open) and Valhalla (PGA Championship). The U.S. Open is at Pinehurst No. 2, were Woods was third in 1999 and runner-up in 2005. "Im trending in the right way," Woods said recently. "Ive finished third, second ... you get the picture, right? OK." A new year begins Friday at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, and while Woods is among PGA Tour winners who chose to sit this one out, his performance in the majors this year figures to be a major topic of conversation over the next eight months. "I always think that the Masters signals a lot with Tiger," NBC analyst Johnny Miller said during a conference call. "If he doesnt win the Masters, I think it gives a great, big Uh-oh, because that course is so perfect for his game. Ill leave it at that. But if he wants to get off on the right foot, I think he needs to get off at the Masters." Theres a big difference with Woods the last time he faced such a tantalizing rotation of majors. Nicklaus spoke of a "big year" when Woods was more of a mystery than ever. No one had seen Woods in more than a month going into 2010 and didnt even know where he was. His personal life at home, his mystique in golf and his appeal in the corporate world were crumbling in spectacular fashion. Now, he is No. 1 in the world. He won five times last year against some of the strongest fields. He won the Vardon Trophy for the ninth time, the PGA Tour money title for the 10th time and was voted PGA Tour player of the year for the 11th time. Still, there remains an uncertainty about Woods, mainly because he hasnt won a major since 2008 and he hasnt broken 70 on the weekend of any major since the 2011 Masters. Thats a startling statistic for a guy who has built a reputation as golfs greatest closer. "Its getting much harder for Tiger because guys are not wilting on him," Miller saiid.dddddddddddd "So hes got a double whammy in that hes not able to close as well as he used to, and then the guys are more heroic against him like they never were before. ... Guys are saying, Yeah, youre Tiger Woods and youre the greatest ever, but now at your age, I can beat you. He needs to do it in the majors." Will familiar venues help? Not necessarily. Woods forever is linked with Augusta National because of his record score (270) and margin of victory (12 shots) in the 1997 Masters, his back-to-back wins (2001-02) and that magic moment with his chip on the 16th ..................... that led to his playoff win in 2005. But he has not added to his wardrobe of green jackets in eight years, his longest drought in any major. Who saw that coming? And while he is trending in the right direction at Pinehurst No. 2, the Donald Ross design has gone through a restoration project that eliminated rough and replaced it with sandy dunes, pine straw and wire grass. Woods won the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool when it was firm and fiery, a links that was more yellow than green because of a dry summer. Woods hit only one driver the entire week. It might not be the same course if England gets a .. summer — and yes, it does rain in England — and players see Hoylake green, lush and longer. Valhalla is where Woods made what he considers the biggest putt of his career, a 6-footer on the final ..................... for birdie to force a playoff that he won over Bob May in the PGA Championship. It gave Woods his third straight major in that ..... summer of 2000. If that seems like a long time ago, it was. Woods will not have seen Valhalla in 14 years when he returns this summer. The best gauge of Woods and his pursuit of Nicklaus is more about him than the course he is playing. More than St. Andrews or Pebble Beach, more than Hoylake or Valhalla, its best to consider Southern Hills. Thats the course that supposedly gave Woods fits because of its tight, bending, tree-lined fairways. Woods won the 2007 PGA Championship that year, proof that when hes on his game and in the right frame of mind, he can win any major on any course. More significant than where the majors are played in 2014 is the fact Woods turned 38 on Monday. By age alone, Woods has been ahead of Nicklaus pace in the majors since winning his seventh major in 2002 Masters at age 26. They are tied now. Nicklaus also had 14 majors when he turned 38, and then he added his 15th major that summer in the British Open. Thats what makes this a big year for Woods. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '