New Orleans Saints quarterback and Purdue Boilermakers great Drew Brees?took advantage of a free weekend and returned to his alma mater.On Friday, the day before the Boilermakers home game against No. 7 Wisconsin, Brees gave the team a pep talk:In the passionate speech, Brees recalled his memorable wins at Purdue against high-ranked foes Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. Brees said he remembers the players he won those games with and the locker rooms after each win. Three of those guys, he said, were in the back of the room as he delivered the speech.The current Boilermakers are 3-7 and saw former head coach Darrell Hazell get fired in October. Brees, however, pointed out that his 1997 recruiting class was ranked dead last in the Big Ten. He and his teammates ended up winning a Big Ten championship and putting that Rose in their mouths.-- John Wilmhoff Cheap Nike Shoes For Sale . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Wholesale Jordans .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. http://www.wholesalenikeshoeschina.com/ . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Cheap Nike Air Max Shoes China . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Authentic Wholesale Nike Shoes . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series.TORONTO - When R.A. Dickey takes the mound on Monday in Chicago, hell be pitching to the catcher with whom he is most familiar. Dickey has formed the battery with Josh Thole 66 times in his major league career. Nobody else comes close. Joe Mauers 20 games worked with Dickey is second most since he became a knuckleballer. "Im sure itll be like riding a bike for him," said Dickey of Thole reacclimatizing to the knuckleball. "Hes really good at it." "I suppose it shouldnt be too hard," said Thole. "Maybe a bullpen under my wing and should be fine going into the game." Thole was one of the less-heralded pieces of the trade which brought Dickey to Toronto. He was promptly signed to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million but had no assurances he would make the team out of spring training. He didnt. The role of back-up catcher went to the man he now replaces, Henry Blanco, who on Friday was designated for assignment. In a business where merit is preached but less often practiced, Thole earned his call up with strong offensive numbers at Triple-A and his handling of the Bisons pitching staff. In 41 games at Buffalo, Tholes hitting .322/.383/.510 with seven home runs and 31 RBI. He attributes his success at the plate to a routine implemented in spring training with the help of hitting coach Chad Mottola and Jon Nunnally, the hitting coach at Buffalo. "Just more so staying down through the ball instead of inside-outing balls like I have done in the past," said Thole. "I think its given me the opportunity to drive the ball a little bit more and still get on base and do what I feel like my game is." "This gives us a chance to get a little more offence," said manager John Gibbons. Gibbons may be looking to spell J.P. Arencibia, who has started every game but one in which Dickey hasnt pitched. Blanco was strictly Dickeys catcher. Thole will, for the most part, play the same role but could see additional time, perhaps in a scenaario where a day game follows a night game.dddddddddddd "We dont know how much hell play but Im sure hell play more than Henry did," said Gibbons. "But I dont know how its going to shake out yet." Dickey, more than anyone else, understands the business of the sport but lamented the loss of Blanco. "Henrys a friend and has been for a while, so to lose a friend, theres a human component to this that gets overlooked sometimes," said Dickey. "Its hard to lose a friend any time. From a performance standpoint, he obviously has done admirably and its for other people to tell you why he was sent out. We would be in a much worse situation if we didnt have a guy like Josh in the holster. In another organization where we didnt have Josh down there, you dont make the move, Im sure. But having Josh come up, who has a lot of experience with me, it should be a pretty seamless transition." LaROCHE RECALLED One day after optioning OF Anthony Gose back to Triple-A Buffalo, the Blue Jays recalled infielder Andy LaRoche. LaRoche, 29, was hitting .282/.358/.463 with the Bisons. In 403 career major league games with the Dodgers, Pirates and Athletics, LaRoche is a .226/.305/.337 hitter with 22 home runs and 113 RBI. LaRoche is the younger brother of Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche. Hell provide infield depth off the bench, particularly at third base in the absence of Brett Lawrie. Lawrie, 23, is rehabbing a sprained left ankle at the Blue Jays complex in Dunedin, Florida. Hes still in a walking boot, making Lawries timeline for a return uncertain. McGOWAN RETURNS After Fridays game the Blue Jays announced oft-injured right-hander Dustin McGowan had been activated from the disabled list. Hell be available on Saturday. McGowan, 31, made eight appearances at Triple-A Buffalo. He had an ERA of 7.00 but the Blue Jays were encouraged by