, scored only 13 runs on the 2-4 homestand it just completed. | Forum

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Whatever celebration the U. Cheap Nike Free Sale .S. Olympic Committee has planned for its return home after a wildly successful Rio de Janeiro Games on the competition front will likely be short-lived.USOC CEO Scott Blackmun promised Sunday that further action will be coming, perhaps soon, against 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte and three of his U.S. swimming teammates after the story of an armed robbery following a night of partying unraveled and led to Lochte acknowledging he embellished the tale.Blackmun stopped short of suggesting what any discipline might be, including whether Lochte should ever be allowed to swim for his country again.We all understand that they let down our athletes. They let down Americans, Blackmun said. And they really let down our hosts in Rio who did such a wonderful job, and we feel very badly about that. I think we ended up in the right place in terms of being able to shine a light on what really happened there.Blackmun said he did not think that the story involving Lochte and the three teammates -- all were gold medalists in Rio as part of U.S. swimming relay teams -- should be the lasting image of a games where Americans dominated the medal count. Add up all those golds, silvers and bronzes, and no U.S. team ever won more at a fully attended Olympics.But even USOC chairman Larry Probst said the scandal overshadowed some successes.Its really disappointing that this took place, completely inappropriate, said Probst, who also is an International Olympic Committee member. I think the four swimmers are well aware of that now. And unfortunately it has overshadowed some really amazing performances by a lot of great athletes.Lochtes impact on the Rio Games truly started long after his work in the pool was complete. He and teammates Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and James Feigen went out clubbing on the night the swimming competition ended. Police have said the swimmers vandalized a bathroom at the gas station and armed guards confronted them and asked them to pay for the damage; Lochte first offered a very different story.I over-exaggerated the story, Lochte told NBC in an interview that aired Saturday. In a separate interview with a Brazilian network, he blamed the mess on his immaturity.Whatever additional scrutiny U.S. athletes faced after the swimming episode didnt seem to hurt their performance.Hopefully the lesson learned more than anything else is youre representing your country, youre representing your sport, youre representing a movement, Blackmun said. So you need to conduct yourself in a way that makes us all proud.There were plenty of those examples.Michael Phelps won six medals in Rio, sprinting star Allyson Felix increased her Olympic gold collection to six and gymnast Simone Biles won five medals plus got the honor of being the U.S. flagbearer for Sundays closing ceremony. Phelps carried the flag into the opening of what he says will be his final games, and now the bearer role -- as well as maybe the role of being the face of the U.S. Olympic team -- belongs to Biles.Its a huge honor, said the 4-foot-8 Biles, though she noted shes a bit worried about handling the weight of the flag.Stories like hers and many others were the ones the USOC would have preferred to see dominate discussion as the Rio Games end, instead of incessant talk about a mess that could have been easily avoided.The things that you do are going to be magnified and the mistakes that you make are going to have a light shined on them in a way thats going to make it very difficult for you to overcome, Blackmun said.USA Swimming and the IOC both could sanction Lochte. IOC member Anita DeFrantz of the U.S. said its possible that Olympic officials could simply decide to let the USOC handle the matter.DeFrantz made no effort to hide her disdain for the incident.They have forever put themselves on the kind of list that you dont want to be remembered for, she told The Associated Press. I wish I could feel sorry for them. Instead I feel that they should have been honest from the beginning. What they did was wrong, but what was even more wrong, it was ridiculous that they didnt stand up and tell the truth.Who would have it hurt to tell the truth? No one. And who did it hurt not to tell the truth? It insulted a whole nation.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. Cheap Nike Free Wholesale . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Cheap Nike Free .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. http://www.cheapnikefree.net/ . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. A look at whats happening all around the majors Monday:---DIVISION DUST-UPJosh Donaldson and the first-place Blue Jays roll into a pivotal series at AL East-rival Baltimore. Donaldson had his first three-homer game Sunday in a 9-6 win that gave Toronto a sweep of Minnesota. Fans in Canada threw caps onto the field to celebrate the home run hat trick. The Blue Jays hold a slim lead in the division over the Red Sox and Orioles.MINUS ONERick Porcello (17-3, 3.23 ERA) tries to become the first 18-game winner in the majors when the Red Sox host the Rays. Boston will be without second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who left the team Sunday night following a death in the family. The Red Sox did not put him on the bereavement list, though, and hes expected to return Tuesday.TUESDAY MORNING IN JAPANRangers right-hander Yu Darvish and Mariners opponent Hisashi Iwakuma both came to the big leagues before the 2012 season. They will start against each other in the majors for the third time -- and first since April 2013 -- in the opener of a three-game series between AL West rivals. Darvish and Iwakuma split their previous two meetings in the majors, with each winning at home. They squared off six times in Japaan, with Darvish earning three wins and Iwakuma two. Nike Free Clearance Sale. ACE IS UPCubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.62 ERA), leading the NL in wins, opens a seven-game homestand against the Pirates. Last time out, Arrieta gave up two hits in eight scoreless innings to beat San Diego.TALL ORDERIn his first major league start this season, Mets right-hander Rafael Montero faces All-Star ace Jose Fernandez (13-7, 2.91 ERA) and the Marlins in the opener of an important four-game series between wild-card hopefuls at Citi Field. Set to be recalled from Double-A Binghamton, Montero was tabbed to fill in for Jacob deGrom, who is skipping a turn to regroup from two poor starts. Miami, however, scored only 13 runs on the 2-4 homestand it just completed.IMPERFECT 10The Twins have lost a season-worst 10 consecutive games heading into their series at first-place Cleveland. Left-hander Hector Santiago (10-8, 5.16 ERA), who starts the opener, has not pitched since Aug. 20 because of a sore left thumb. Minnesota has allowed eight or more runs in a franchise-high six straight games. ' ' '