ST. LOUIS -- In what was billed as a largely ceremonial pinch-hitting appearance, Matt Holliday hit a home run Friday night.The St. Louis Cardinals activated the outfielder before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates so that fans at Busch Stadium could bid the seven-time All-Star goodbye in one of the final three regular-season games.Holliday was greeted with a loud standing ovation from an announced crowd of 43,070, but that was nothing compared to the greeting after he hit reliever?Zach Phillips third pitch to him over the right-field wall. It was the first pinch-hit home run of Hollidays 13-year major league career.Cardinals players also greeted Holliday with a standing ovation, and he was mobbed in the dugout before coming out for a curtain call.The Cardinals went on to win 7-0.I still have chills, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. To watch how the fans responded, we had a great crowd tonight, and every one of them made that extremely special for him. And how he responded, thats, yeah, amazing. Very special night.General manager John Mozeliak said before the game that he spoke with Holliday earlier this week and informed him the odds of the team picking up his $17 million option for 2017 were low.Most people who have options and they ask me in season, I simply tell them, Look, well deal with that when the time comes. In his case, I feel hes earned the type of respect and had the type of career here that he had that right, Mozeliak said.The Cardinals said Holliday was too emotional to meet with reporters before the game, but he released a statement through the team that read, in part: It has been an honor to play in front of such great fans and for such a historic organization. I can honestly say it has been a dream come true. While Im disappointed this could be it here in St. Louis, I understand that it might be time to move on.Holliday, 36, expressed his love and admiration for Matheny, former manager Tony La Russa and the coaches with whom he worked.The most emotional part of this is my teammates and the relationships Ive built with some of these guys over the years, particularly,?Adam [Wainwright] and Yadi [Molina], to be considered part of the core with two of the finest human beings Ive ever known, Holliday said.Holliday had faced live pitching just once since he was hit by a pitch in July, which required surgery on his thumb.Its been tough for him because he wants to be back, Wainwright said. Each time he went out and hit batting practice, his thumb would swell up, and nobody wants to have surgery and then have it swell up. I think he just wanted to get out there and play, help the team win. Hes a great hitter, one of the best hitters of this generation. Hes been a great Cardinal, but I know he did not want to sit on the bench and not get another at-bat here.Matheny said he thinks Holliday wants to continue playing beyond this season. Holliday entered Friday batting .247, the lowest average of his career, but the home run Friday gave him 20 for the sixth time in his past seven seasons.I dont think theres a question about that, at least in conversations weve had, Matheny said.The Cardinals acquired Holliday from the Oakland Athletics in 2009, then signed him to a seven-year, $120 million extension the following offseason. Over nearly 1,000 games with the Cardinals entering Friday, Holliday had collected a .292/.379/.493 line.Once the Cardinals decline his option in November, he will get a $1 million buyout.Hollidays extension is viewed as one of the few multiyear free-agent deals in which the player lived up to it throughout its length.Very rare, especially a deal of that length. I feel grateful, Mozeliak said. As I mentioned, Ive always admired him as a player, even before we traded for him, thought he was one of those gritty, hard-working individuals. But getting to know him, getting to see how he is as a person, Ive gained tremendous respect for him.Air Max 90 Clearance Sale . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Nike Air Max 90 New Zealand . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. http://www.wholesaleairmax90nz.com/ . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Air Max 90 Mens NZ . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Cheap Air Max 90 NZ . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.CHICAGO -- For all the jokes about loading up for a run at the 2011 championship, give the Chicago Bulls this: Next season wont be a dull one.They got a whole lot more interesting by adding Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade this week.We didnt want to go into an absolute rebuild, but we did want to get younger and we did want to get more athletic, general manager Gar Forman said. And at the same time, we want to be able to compete and put as good a team as we can out there on the floor.Wade is finally coming to Chicago after turning them down six years ago to stay in Miami and form a Big Three with LeBron James and Chris Bosh.As good as Wade is, he is also 34 years old. At 30, Rondo is not exactly young by NBA standards, either. So for Formans talk about a youth movement, the additions raised a few eyebrows and led to some quips about building a contender for 2010-11 season.Rondos deal became official on Thursday. While the Bulls did not announce the terms, a person with knowledge of the negotiations previously told The Associated Press that the four-time All-Star agreed to a $30 million, two-year deal.Wade is coming home to Chicago after 13 seasons, 12 All-Star selections and three championships with Miami. He agreed to a two-year contract worth about $47 million -- $7 million more than the Heat offered -- on Wednesday night. While Forman would not discuss Wade because the deal had not been announced, he did talk about the direction of a transitioning franchise that missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.Former MVP Derrick Rose was traded to the Knicks before the draft and he will be joined by Joakim Noah. Pau Gasol is headed to San Antonio. Coach Fred Hoibergs freewheeling offense will now get Wade and Rondo, who is three years older than Rose.We didnt want to rebuild where we become possibly a lower lottery team long term, Forman said. Weve studied the NBA, weve studied the history of the NBA, and when you make a move to go that direction, it sometimes can take six, seven years to get out. That wasnt our goal.Rondo is known as an intelligent player who also has a history of clashing with coaches, most notably Rick Carlisle in Dallas.I think a lot of it is perception, Rondo said.dddddddddddd Not to knock anything -- you make the bed, youve got to lay in it.The question is: Just what are the Bulls getting into? After all, Hoiberg got called out last year in his first season by All-Star Jimmy Butler, and the Bulls just added a player with a checkered history when it comes to getting along with coaches.Is Rondo different now?I think Im the same player, he said. Youd probably consider me stubborn. But I think Im really intelligent. I put a lot of work into this game. I dont B.S. around about my craft; I put a lot of work in. I watch a lot of film. I study. People may look at it as a knock, but I really look at it as what makes me great.He said he doesnt lose sleep over his reputation. But the Bulls at least had some questions about it before they decided to sign him.We were very honest and transparent, as was he, in our conversations, as far as how he would fit with this team and how he would fit within the culture that weve created here, Forman said. We thought the dialogue was really, really positive.Rondo had a sort of resurgence this past season with Sacramento, averaging 11.9 points and an NBA-best 11.7 assists. It was the fourth season in which he averaged a double-double and the first since 2012-13, when he made his fourth All-Star team with the Celtics. Wade averaged 19 points.But some of the biggest issues that brought down the Bulls last season remain. One is that they still dont have a guard who consistently hits from long range.That was a problem when Rose and Butler were on the court together. Both also wanted the ball in their hands.Then again, Rondo won a championship with Boston in 2008. Wade, the Chicago-area native, is bringing three rings home from Miami.The Bulls also figure to have the cap space to sign a star next summer in what could be a loaded class with stars such as Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin.We think weve got a lot of positives to sell, but obviously the more good players we attract, its going to help attract players down the road, Forman said. ' ' '