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METAIRIE, La. -- As long as Jrue Holiday is on the court in the critical final minutes, hes not terribly concerned with whether he starts, or how much playing time he gets, in his first games back with the New Orleans Pelicans.I dont think our record shows how good we are, said Holiday, who was back at practice Thursday with a team that has started 2-10 without him. Obviously, there are some games where we were there at the end of the game and we had it won, but (there are) some things that we have to clean up at the end of the game to seal the deal.Down the stretch, I do think I could help with some directing and just tightening it up, Holiday added.The guard has spent the past three months on leave because his wife, retired international soccer star Lauren Holiday, needed brain surgery to remove a benign tumor last month, just weeks after giving birth to their first child, a daughter.Holiday, who is slated to make his season debut against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, said he came back now because my wife said I could.Lauren Holiday is doing well enough now to take care of herself and my daughter, Jrue Holiday said. She can take care of me, too. Obviously thats big, especially from somebody whos a mother now and somebody that went through what she went through.Jrue Holiday said learning that his wife had a brain tumor when she was about five months pregnant with their first child was nerve-wracking, and affected his perspective on life considerably, making him grateful for each day.He said he also feels blessed for how his family has come through it, and for how much support both he and his wife received from basketball and soccer fans worldwide.Every day people are always saying theyre praying for her, Holiday said. So many people since Ive been back, they dont even ask how Im doing; they ask how my wifes doing. And to me, thats awesome. That just shows how great people are around us.Now, he can get back to the thrill of playing basketball, at a time when the Pelicans could really use some help.Obviously he was an integral part of what we try to do offensively and defensively, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. For him, its just really good to be back. This is one of those times where it wasnt a physical injury, so hes been dying to get out there to play. Its going to be fine. Obviously its going to take a little while for him to get his timing back from a basketball standpoint. I think hes in really good shape conditioning-wise.A former Eastern Conference All-Star with Philadelphia, Holiday was traded to New Orleans in 2013, but missed most of his first two seasons because of a lower leg injury. Holiday began last season on minute restrictions, got progressively healthier, and wound up playing in 65 games with 23 starts before missing the last nine games because of a broken eye wall from an inadvertent elbow to the head.Holiday averaged 16.8 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.2 minutes per game last season, scoring 20 or more points 25 times.Tim Frazier has started New Orleans first 12 games this season at point guard, averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 assists. Gentry said he can envision Holiday and Frazier playing together in stints.Jrue can play off the ball or on the ball, Gentry said. Thats what makes him so good. I think hes a versatile player. We need his shooting also.Pelicans forward Anthony Davis said that while he didnt get to work with Holiday much at Thursdays practice, he assumed the teams top guard will be effective right away.When youre that good, it kind of stays with you, Davis said.Game notes Davis, who sat out Wednesday nights loss at Orlando with a bruised right quadriceps, practiced on a limited basis Thursday and sounded optimistic about playing Friday. It felt better, so hopefully it stays this way, Davis said. James White Jersey . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Antonio Garcia Jersey . 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CHICAGO -- Before the Chicago Cubs completed a trade for Aroldis Chapman, owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein decided they had to hear from the closer himself about a domestic violence allegation in the offseason.So Ricketts and Epstein asked Major League Baseball for a window to speak with the left-hander, and they got him on the phone Monday. When the conversation was over, the blockbuster deal was on.Chasing their first World Series title since 1908, the Cubs addressed one of their few weaknesses by sending a pricey package of four players to the New York Yankees for Chapman, one of the most dominant relievers in the game, but one who also comes with some risk for a franchise riding a positive wave.This is a game-changer. Aroldis Chapman is a game-changing-type pitcher in the postseason, Epstein said. As you sit around and game plan how youre going to win a big game or how youre going to win a postseason game, it makes it look a lot easier when you see him there on your lineup card.Chapman is expected to join the Cubs for Tuesday nights game at the crosstown White Sox.For the Yankees, it was a rare July trade that saw the best player in the deal leaving New York. But Chapman is eligible for free agency after this season, New York also has All-Stars Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances in the bullpen, and its haul included top shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, versatile pitcher Adam Warren and minor league outfielders Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford.This was an easy call, and this was the right call, general manager Brian Cashman said. Easy because we traded from an area of strength and we are excited about the players that weve received for someone that obviously was only under control for two more months.The Yankees (51-48) are three games over .500 for the first time this season, but they still face long odds of getting to the playoffs. They made the decision to trade Chapman after his agents said he would not agree to a new contract that would start in 2017, a person familiar with the talks said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no public statement on those talks was authorized.If New York slips back any further, it could engage in a rare sell-off for the franchise. Miller, signed through 2018, also could be traded. All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, first baseman Mark Teixeira and pitcher Ivan Nova are eligible for free agency after the season and could be sought by contenders.I think that when the right buy-or-sell circumstance presents itself, then this department will be making recommendations to ownership and then they will direct me on what they want, Cashman said.The 28-year-old Chapman went 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 20 saves in 31 games for New York. He threw a 105.1 mph fastball to Baltimores J.J. Hardy last week, matching the fastest since Major League Baseball began tracking speeds in 2008.With lefty-batting sluggers Bryce Harper of Washington and Brandon Belt of San Francisco possibly looming in the playoffs, the addition of Chapman gives Cubs manager Joe Maddon one of the majors top assets when in need of a late strikeout.ddddddddddddThe Cubs have been playing really good baseball, Chapman said through a translator before he left Houston to travel to Chicago. I think theyre probably one of the better teams in both leagues right now. They have a good rhythm right now. Theyre fighting to get that ring, so it might be a good experience for me to be there.Chapman, who threw the 62 fastest pitches in the majors last season, was traded from Cincinnati to New York last December after a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers fell through when it was learned Florida police investigated an accusation of domestic violence involving the Cuban pitcher.Prosecutors declined to file charges, citing conflicting accounts, and Chapman was suspended for the first 29 games of the season, losing $1,856,557 of his $11,325,000 salary. He was the first player penalized a finite number of games under Major League Baseballs domestic violence policy.I regret that I did not exercise better judgment and for that I am truly sorry, Chapman said Monday in a statement released by the NL Central-leading Cubs. Looking back, I feel I have learned from this matter and have grown as a person. My girlfriend and I have worked hard to strengthen our relationship, to raise our daughter together, and would appreciate the opportunity to move forward without revisiting an event we consider part of our past.Epstein said the club thoroughly investigated the situation. But it wasnt until they spoke with Chapman on Monday that they were ready to complete the deal.There was genuine sorrow, regret, Epstein said before Monday nights 5-4 loss to the White Sox. Hes open about the fact that hes learned from the incident and that he feels hes grown as a person and will continue to grow as a person and that was important to us.Asked if the Cubs spoke with Chapmans girlfriend or someone close to her, Epstein said they took efforts to make sure they looked at the issue from every possible side.Warren was drafted by New York and made his major league debut with the Yankees in 2012. He was traded to Chicago in the December deal that moved infielder Starlin Castro from the Cubs to the Yankees.But the centerpiece of the Yankees package is the 19-year-old Torres, one of the top infield prospects in baseball.Were disappointed we swung and missed in our efforts to sign him as an international free agent back in the 2013 class, but certainly you keep your eyes on players youve liked in the past and he was definitely a target for us, Cashman said.---AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York and AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '