BOSTON - Annually sprinkled among the myriad storylines which crop up at this very important time of the Major League Baseball season is that of the veteran player, he who has long performed at a high level and has long been good for the game, seeking an elusive World Series ring. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Wouldnt you know it, with the American League Championship Series set to begin on Saturday night at Fenway Park, the host Red Sox and the visiting Tigers each have one of those guys. Canadian Ryan Dempster fits the bill. At 36 years old and in his first season in Boston, the native of Gibsons, British Columbia has made his money (more than $89 million over a 16-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) has pitched at a high level (eight seasons with at least 10 wins - the fact he was a closer for four seasons makes the accomplishment more impressive;) and is regarded by both teammates and media as one of the more likable players in the sport. Anyone who was paying attention during Dempsters days with the Cubs remembers him out-Farrelling Will Farrells Harry Caray impression. He was also the closer on the 2007 Chicago team that was swept by Arizona in a Division Series. In 2008, by then more than four years removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, he reprised his role as a starter. He even got the ball in the first game of that seasons Division Series against the Dodgers. The Cubs, oh the lovable Cubs, were swept yet again. These days, Dempster has accepted a diminished role in the post-season. Hes pitching out of the bullpen for the first time since 2007, a move made in mid-September in anticipation of the playoffs. "It was funny, I remember getting called into the office right before we were playing the Blue Jays, that last series of the season with them and John (Farrell) and Ben (Cherington) pulled me in and we were talking about the possibility of me going to the bullpen for the playoffs and maybe getting me a few outings out of the pen just to get used to it again," Dempster told TSN.ca. "I dont know if they expected me to have a different response but I greeted it with open arms and looked at it like, hey man, at the time we had six starters throwing the ball really well and the realization was with my experience in the bullpen I was totally comfortable going down there." With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz returning to pre-2012 form, with John Lackey back from Tommy John elbow surgery and throwing like the ace he was in Anaheim and with the mid-summer acquisition of Jake Peavy bringing his bulldog-like mound presence and nasty sinker ball, it was clear Dempster (8-9, 4.64, 1.453 WHIP in his first year in the American League East) wouldnt be getting starts come October. Thats okay, because its whats best for the team and in 2013, whats best for the team prevails in Boston. "From a pitching standpoint, weve got some tremendous starting pitchers," said Dempster. "Weve got a really strong bullpen and then we try to focus as hard on those things as we do the little things. The defence, the moving runners over, taking advantage on the basepaths. If you can do those little things, those are things that kind of help you set yourself apart from the other teams that youre playing." Torii Hunter is over there, in the other dugout, and he knows all about what Dempster has gone through (multiple playoff appearances, no titles) and what Dempsters anticipating now. Hes been to the playoffs nine times (five with the Twins, thrice with the Angels and currently with the Tigers,) and hasnt had a World Series appearance, let alone a championship, to show for it. This is his third ALCS appearance, the last of which came with the 2009 Angels. "To be back in the post-season and to get the chance to win a World Series ring, thats big for me," said Hunter, before joking, "Thats key for me because Im only 28 years old but its getting late." Typical Hunter. Big smile, cracking a joke, keeping those around him at ease. You stand there and believe he could actually be deriving enjoyment from this player availability session. Like Dempster, Hunter has made his money (almost $147 million over a 17-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) hes played at a high level (.279/.335/.476 for his career;) and hes regarded as a good teammate and community guy, involved in numerous charitable endeavours. Last season Hunter, knowing with the emergence of Mike Trout and his own impending free agency that his days with the Angels were numbered, began keeping a mental notebook of teams around the league. He was trying to figure out where he would best fit and which team would best fit him. The Yankees were a legitimate option. Funny enough, so were the Red Sox. Both received strong consideration before Hunter inked a two-year, $26-million deal with the Tigers through 2014. "Do these guys need a right fielder?" said Hunter of one of his scouting criteria. "Do they need a two-hole guy or fifth-hole guy? I looked at the pitching staffs. If I didnt like facing those guys and I went 0-14, thats the team I wanted to play for and I did that a lot with the Tigers last year. I had a chance to look at all that and look at Scherzer and Verlander, Anibal coming back so I definitely took my chances with those guys." With strong starting pitching and potent offensive lineups, its difficult to predict with certainty which team will emerge victorious. One thing is clear, however: Only one of Dempster and Hunter will get a shot at that ring. Josh Allen Bills Jerseys . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. Eddie Yarbrough Bills Jerseys .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005. http://www.officialauthenticbillsshop.com/authentic-eddie-yarbrough-jersey.html . Five straight losses (and six in the past seven) now dot the schedule – matching their longest skid of the year – after they fell again in New Jersey on Sunday night, topped 3-2 by Cory Schneider and the Devils.PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Russell Henley made good on his second chance at the 18th hole Sunday and won the Honda Classic after a wild day that began with Tiger Woods walking off the course with a back injury and ended with a four-man playoff. The closing hour at PGA National was a series of blunders by the contenders -- and even the winner. Henley was in a three-way tie for the lead, 40 yards left of the flag on the par-5 18th in regulation, when he chunked a chip so badly that it only got halfway to the hole. He had to two-putt for par, and then watched as Rory McIlroy nearly made a great escape from an otherwise bad afternoon. McIlroy, who lost a two-shot lead, hit a 5-wood from 236 yards to just inside 12 feet for an eagle and the win. It narrowly slid by on the right. In the playoff, Henley was the only player to reach the 549-yard hole in two, and he two-putted from about 40 feet for birdie. Ryan Palmer missed a 10-foot birdie putt. McIlroy went from the back bunker to the front collar and had to scramble for par, and Russell Knox laid up and missed a 20-foot birdie attempt. "This isnt going to sink in for a while," Henley said. Thousands of fans who spent hours in the warmth and wind of south Florida surely felt the same way. David Hearn (67) of Brantford, Ont., finished 6-under par to tie with American Will MacKenzie for sixth. Woods abruptly quit after 13 holes and was driven straight to his car. He later said he had lower back pain and spasms, and was unsure if he could play at Doral next week. And then came all the mistakes by four guys trying to win. Palmer missed a 5-foot par in regulation that would have won it. He closed with a 69, the only player in the last six groups to break par. Knox needed a birdie on the last hole, but he went from the fairway bunker to the rough, well over the green and then calmly made a par putt just inside 10 feet for a 71 to get in the playoff. They all finished at 8-under 272. Canadas David Hearn fired a final round 67 to finish two shots off the pace. The conditions were tough. The play was so underwhelming that McIlroy said that if he had won, "It would have felt undeserved in a way." He wont know that feeling. Instead, the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland closed with a 74. It was his second straight tournament in stroke play that he played in the final group and shot 74. He tied for ninth in the Dubai Desert Classic. His undoing came on thee 16th, when McIlroy missed on a 6-iron from the bunker and went into the water, making double bogey. Star Lotulelei Bills Jerseys. He fell out of the lead for the first time with a bogey from the bunker on the 17th. What should ease the pain was his finish -- a 5-wood he couldnt afford to miss that dropped from the sky to 12 feet left of the hole. "I was fortunate I was in the playoff," McIlroy said. "Seventy-four wasnt good enough to get the job done. To go out with a two-shot lead, you have to play well enough to win the thing. If I had won today, I would have counted myself as lucky. Ill pick myself up, get back it, try to get back at it at Doral and try to get the job done." Henley, who closed with a 72, won for the second time and qualified for the Masters. He also moves into the top 50 in the world ranking, making him eligible for the Cadillac Championship next week at Doral. It was the first playoff at PGA National since 2007, which also featured four players. McIlroy was at 13 under after a birdie on the fifth hole and appeared to be on his way, even after twice making bogey from the bunker to close out the front nine. PGA National was tougher than ever after a weekend of sunshine, and the stiff breeze in south Florida. The average score was 71.8, two shots harder than the third round. The contenders made it look like a beast. Henley tied for the lead by chipping in for birdie on the 14th, only to deposit his tee shot on the par-3 15th into the water for double bogey. Palmer missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole, which wasnt nearly as damaging as the par putts he missed from 8 feet on the 16th and 5 feet on the 18th. Knox fell out of a brief share of the lead when he tried to play from the right rough on the 14th and had his shot carom into the water for a double bogey. At least they were still around. Woods was just a guy in a red shirt at PGA National when he shook hands with Luke Guthrie, his playing partner, and told him he was done. "Too early to tell," Woods said in a statement about playing next week at Doral. "Ill get treatment every day to try to calm it down. Just dont know yet. Wait until Thursday and see how it feels." It was the second straight year that the worlds No. 1 player walked out on the Honda Classic. A year ago, McIlroy was so frustrated with his game that he quit after 26 holes. At least this time, McIlroy stayed until the wild end. It just wasnt the finish he wanted. 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 ' ' '