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NEW YORK -- To Derek Jeter, it was just another day to get ready for spring training. On a minor league field at the New York Yankees complex in Florida, he took batting practice, fielded grounders and chatted with teammates. And then he drove away in his Mercedes, offering no hint that the countdown to his retirement had already begun. Hours later, Jeter alerted the sports world: This will be his final season. "I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball," Jeter posted Wednesday in a long letter on his Facebook page. "I have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and I have absolutely no regrets," the shortstop wrote. While it was no secret the team captain was getting close to the end of his brilliant career as he neared 40 -- especially after injuries wrecked him last season -- Jeters announcement caught many by surprise. In fact, some people wondered whether his account had been hacked. But it was quickly confirmed that one of the greatest players in the history of baseballs most storied franchise was serious. A 13-time All-Star shortstop who led the Yankees to five World Series championships, Jeter was the last link to the powerful Yankees teams that won three straight crowns from 1998-2000. Longtime teammates Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte retired after last year. "Derek Jeter is Mr. Yankee of his era," Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press. "He was the face of one of the greatest teams ever." Jeter was limited to 17 games last season while trying to recover from a broken left ankle sustained during the 2012 playoffs. He hit only .190 with one homer and seven RBIs. "Last year was a tough one for me. As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always came easily to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle," Jeter wrote. "The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward." "So really it was months ago when I realized that this season would likely be my last. As I came to this conclusion and shared it with my friends and family, they all told me to hold off saying anything until I was absolutely 100 per cent sure," he wrote. "And the thing is, I could not be more sure," he wrote. His agent, Casey Close, said Jeter wanted to declare his intentions before the Yankees start spring training later this week so that his future status wouldnt be a distraction. The Yankees open camp for pitchers and catchers on Friday. Jeter has said hes healthy and ready to go -- at 39, his next birthday is in June. "Derek called me this morning to tell me that he planned to retire following the season," Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said. Said Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, a former Jeter teammate: "Im excited for him. Its kind of nice to see him go out on his own terms." Jeter is the Yankees career hits leader with 3,316. Hes ninth on the all-time list; a 200-hit season would put him in fifth place. Jeter is a lifetime .312 hitter in 19 seasons, with 256 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. He has scored 1,876 runs, stolen 348 bases and is a five-time Gold Glove winner. Added up, his numbers put him among the greats in Yankees history, with fans often invoking the names of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle when mentioning Jeters legacy. But No. 2 is defined by so much more than his numbers. His backhanded flip in the playoffs, his diving catch into the stands, his speech to close old Yankee Stadium and his home run for career hit No. 3,000. An October presence for so many years -- Jeter is a career .321 hitter in seven World Series -- he also became Mr. November in 2001. His winning, 10th-inning homer came shortly after midnight in a Game 4 that began on Halloween. Jeter was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1996, the season the Yankees won their first World Series since 1978 and re-established themselves as a major force. He was the MVP of the 2000 World Series. Commissioner Bud Selig said during his tenure, "Major League Baseball has had no finer ambassador than Derek Jeter." A staple for so long in the Yankees lineup, Jeter missed the first 91 games last year. He felt pain in his right quadriceps when he returned July 11 and again went on the disabled list. Jeter came back for three games but strained his right calf. In early September, he was done for the year. The Yankees will open the 2014 regular season on April 1 in Houston. Their final game is scheduled to be at Fenway Park, against the longtime rival Boston Red Sox. Rivera announced a year in advance that he would retire, and was saluted everywhere he played last season. Jeter is sure to get a similar farewell tour. "I wish everybody does it like that," Rivera told ESPN radio. "I think that would be the right thing for him to do." Jeter wrote that he wants to pursue business and other interests "in addition to focusing more on my personal life and starting a family of my own." "And I want the ability to move at my own pace, see the world and finally have a summer vacation," he said. "But before that, I want to soak in every moment of every day this year, so I can remember it for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I want to help the Yankees reach our goal of winning another championship," he said. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Santiago-Arias-Jersey/ . On the day after Billy Horschel posted his 12th straight round in the 60s, won his second straight tournament against a world-class field and picked up an additional $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion, Watson was kicking back in his seat at a Kansas City Royals game. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Nikola-Kalinic-Jersey/ .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Blank-Jersey/ . "Last year we were in a ton of situations, late-game situations we couldnt pull out. Wed kind of fold under the pressure, get frustrated or let a big shot frustrate us," guard DeMar DeRozan said. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Stefan-Savic-Jersey/ . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Jan-Oblak-Jersey/ . -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops.The Montreal Canadiens will try to get back in the Eastern Conference Final series with the New York Rangers when the two collide in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden this evening. Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 690 at 8pm et/5pm pt and watch live coverage of the post-game news conferences on TSN.ca. The Canadiens, who are without the services of No. 1 goaltender Carey Price, will have 24-year-old Dustin Tokarski between the pipes again tonight with Peter Budaj serving as the backup. Tokarski performed admirably in his postseason debut on Monday, but it wasnt enough to prevent Montreal from falling behind two games to none. Henrik Lundqvist outdueled the Canadiens netminder, making 40 saves to anchor New York to its fifth consecutive victory. Tokarski, who had played in three games earlier in the season, allowed all three goals on 30 shots in his first taste of NHL playoff action. "We looked at his record. Tokarski is a winner and we know that from his past record. I thought he played very well tonight," said Montreal head coach Michel Therrien. "I liked our team effort, which was great tonight. We were engaged. But the reason we lost tonight was Lundqvist, he stole the game tonight. We had lots of chances to score but Lundqvist made key saves." Tokarski became the first goaltender to make his playoff debut in the Conference Final or later since the NHL expanded to a four-round postseason format in 1975. Price is out for the remainder of the Conference Final due to a lower-body injury suffered in Game 1. Forward Thomas Vanek, who has no points, one shot and a minus-3 rating, took turns skating on the fourth line during practice Wednesday. Therrien told reporters not to read into it, as it all could change again ahead of Game 3. Max Pacioretty scored for Montreal at 6:14 of the first period, but McDonagh answered with his tally just 17 seconds later. The Canadiens put a ton of pressure on New York in the opening 20 minutes, but Lundqvist stopped 13-of-14 shots in the period and Nash would score late in the stanza to give the Rangers the lead for good. "Hes the only reason we were still in the game because they had tremendous push," said New York head coach Alain Vigneault about Lundqvist. Montreal was 0-for-4 on the man advantage and has failed to score over seven chances in the first two games. The Rangers went 1-for-3 on the power play and are 4-for-10 in the series. "We had a number of opportunities to put ourselves in a good position, but they were optimistic and capitalized on their opportunities," said Habs defenseman P.K. Subban. "The difference is, we didnt. Were getting pucks to the net, but not getting the bounces right now. We have to stick with it, because sooner or later the pucks will ggo in for us.dddddddddddd" New York played without forward Derick Brassard, who suffered an injury early in Game 1 and was replaced in the lineup by Daniel Carcillo on Monday. He skated Wednesday and Vigneault said hes is day-to-day. "It was good to get back out there with my teammates," Brassard said Wednesday. "I havent talked to the medical staff, well see whats going to happen." Vigneault also said winger Benoit Pouliot "is good" for tonight after taking a maintenance day on Wednesday. New York is 10-2 all-time when winning the first two games of a seven-game playoff series, including a 4-1 mark when claiming the first two tests on the road. New York is 5-0 since falling behind 3-1 in its semifinal set against Pittsburgh. Mondays win improved the Rangers to 6-3 on the road in these playoffs, marking the first time the Blueshirts have won six away games in one postseason since they last won the Stanley Cup in 1994. The Rangers, however, are just 4-3 on home ice in the playoffs. The Habs are 4-2 as the guest. Tonights tilt is the first of two straight at the Garden, as the clubs are set to meet Sunday in Manhattan for Game 4. Ryan McDonagh posted a goal and an assist in Mondays win, while Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers. Derek Stepan added two assists in the victory. McDonagh has six points (2G, 4A) in the first two games of this series. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, McDonagh is the first Rangers defenseman to record six points in a two-game span in the postseason since Brian Leetch in 1995. Leetch registered three points in consecutive games in New Yorks opening round series against the Quebec Nordiques in 1995. "Not everyone plays consistently at the level you want, and I can say the same thing about me," said McDonagh. "But other guys stepped up and its a good thing to win both games here. You focus on one game at a time, but weve really been ready to push ourselves to consistently to put us in this manner and give ourselves a chance in every game." This is the first postseason encounter between these Original Six rivals since the opening round of the 1996 playoffs when New York won in six games. The clubs have split 14 previous playoff series, but the Rangers have now won six straight postseason games against Montreal, becoming just the fourth team in NHL history to take six playoff tilts in a row versus the storied Canadiens franchise. Both teams are attempting to get back to the Cup Final for the first time since the 1990s. Montreal was the last team based in Canada to win it all in 1993, but has yet to return to the Cup Final, and the Rangers are aiming to get back to the final stage for the first time since 1994. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '