complete the improbable comeback. This doesnt mean it w

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves did everything they could over the last year to find a team willing to trade for struggling second baseman Dan Uggla. There were no takers. Ugglas frustrating, four-year tenure with the Braves ended Friday when the team requested unconditional release waivers on a former starter still guaranteed over $18 million for the remainder of this year and next. "Weve been very active making calls for the last month," general manager Frank Wren said. "We got to a point where we realized that this was probably our only avenue." Uggla received the news during an early afternoon meeting at Turner Field with Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He was professional, just like he always has been and always will be," Gonzalez said. "Now he goes out and he can explore other opportunities. Somebody will give him a chance, and we wish him the best of luck." In his fourth season with the Braves, the 34-year-old Uggla was batting .162 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 48 games and 130 at-bats. He had a 33-game hitting streak in 2011, the franchises second-longest, but also struck out 495 times in 451 games over the last three years. Uggla was benched permanently on May 28 when the Braves purchased the contract of second baseman Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Gwinnett. The teams patience with Uggla appeared to wear thin last Sunday when he was suspended one game for reporting just 30 minutes before the start of a game at the Chicago Cubs. Uggla, a three-time NL All-Star, hit .179 with 22 homers and 55 RBIs last year and underwent corrective eye surgery last summer. He struggled so much that he was left off the post-season roster after losing his job to Elliot Johnson, a journeyman claimed off waivers in late August. The Braves reinserted Uggla as the starter at the beginning of spring training this year, but he hit .212 in April and .080 in 25 at-bats during May. "It wasnt because he didnt prepare or didnt work hard," Wren said. "He did all those things, so I cant answer what happened from a performance standpoint." The Braves recalled utility man Tyler Pastornicky from Gwinnett to take Ugglas spot on the 25-man roster before Fridays game against Philadelphia. Atlanta acquired Uggla on Nov. 16, 2010, when Wren traded infielder Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn to the Marlins. Wren soon signed Uggla to a five-year contract worth approximately $62 million. "When we made the deal, right-handed power was of the most difficult things to acquire," Wren said. "It was the perfect fit at that time. Even the first year, Dan hit 36 home runs, and we felt like this was the perfect match. It didnt continue to fit as well." After meeting with Wren and Gonzalez, Uggla spoke with several teammates before leaving the clubhouse seemingly for the last time. "Its obviously a tough day for me," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "He was beloved by everybody in this clubhouse. He came in here every day and worked hard. He already told us he wants us to go on. Its definitely going to take a while for me (to get over)." Added right fielder Jason Heyward: "He always hustled, did not complain one time, wanted to be in the lineup. Theres not enough good things we can say about him." With 67 games remaining, the Braves are tied for first place in the NL East with Washington. Wren likes the makeup of his roster now, but will continue to consider ways to improve before the trade deadline later this month. "We have some really good pieces and we have some good, young players (in the minors) that we think can help us in the second half," Wren said. "Well look for ways to improve our club internally, maybe externally, but we do think that the foundation of a real good ballclub is here." Cheap Titans Jerseys . The 6-foot-10 centre who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday, adding that honour to becoming a board member at his alma mater. Cheap Titans Jerseys Authentic . Milan was held to 1-1 at home by Torino. Cagliari scored six minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla blasted home from the penalty spot after Facundo Roncaglia tripped Marco Sau. The home side could have doubled its tally in stoppage time as first Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic almost scored an own goal then Albin Ekdals shot clipped the top of the upright. http://www.cheaptitansjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-jeffery-simmons-jersey . Some teams got significantly better, some teams divested themselves of talent and some teams had quiet afternoons, keeping the status quo. Cheap Tennessee Titans Jerseys . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. Nate Davis Jersey . -- Max Gilbert captured his first pro victory at the Tour Championship of Canada.Three Game Sevens provide thrilling moments and three heartbroken teams. Notes on Carcillo, Mason, Heatley, Niederreiter, Kopitar, Thornton and more. RANGERS GET PAST FLYERS One night after getting soundly beaten by the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers bounced back with a 2-1 win in Game Seven, giving the Blueshirts the victory in the first-round series. With the series on the line, it wasnt the big names getting the job done. The Rangers first goal came from Daniel Carcillo, back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for a couple games. Carcillo, who had four goals and an assist in 57 regular season games, picked up two goals in three games for the series. The Blueshirts other goal in Game Seven was provided by Benoit Pouliot, who contributed two goals and four points in the series. New Yorks third defence pairing -- John Moore and Kevin Klein -- were on for more than 70% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts in Game Six and Seven. They were getting chewed up early in the series, but were much more effetive later in the series. Philadelphias only goal of the deciding game came from rookie RW Jason Akeson, his second of the series. G Steve Mason was terrific for the Flyers, stopping 31 of 33 shots in Game Seven, giving him a .939 save percentage for the series. Tough to end up on the losing side with those numbers, but Mason didnt appear until Game Three because he was recovering from a concussion suffered late in the season. For all the trials he has endured throughout his career, this has been the best year of Masons career and if the 25-year-old has found a new level of play, then thats a win for the franchise going forward. Of course, well only have some idea if this improvement is legit when we see how Mason plays next season. In the end, the Rangers held the puck possession edge and, even though he didnt score a goal in the series, Rick Nash was at the forefront of driving play. The Rangers deserved their win, though the strong goaltending performance by Mason made it a close series. The Rangers move on and ought to have a fair chance against a Pittsburgh team that tends to rely on their high-end talent to carry the day. WILD FINISH Despite losing their starting goaltender, Darcy Kuemper, to what looked like a knee (and possibly head) injury and facing a deficit four different times in Game Seven, the Minnesota Wild ultimately prevailed with a 5-4 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps the most remarkable story for the Wild in Game Seven -- well, aside from G Ilya Bryzgalov getting credit for the win after stopping one shot -- is that Minnesotas offence was driven by the supporting cast. Kyle Brodziak, Dany Heatley and Nino Niederreiter each had three points, with Niederreiters second goal of the game counting as the game-winner in overtime. Heatley, whose career has been on a steep decline in Minnesota and was scratched early in the series, finished the series with five points for the Wild, while Brodziak, also a healthy scratch, finished with five points in the series. Those are valuable contributions from players that might not be expeccted to do all that much. The tying goal, which forced overtime, was buried by D Jared Spurgeon, from Niederreiter and Brodziak, with just 2:27 remaining in the third period. Colorado didnt get that same contribution from the supporting cast. Paul Sttastny, who scored in Game Seven, finished with 10 points, tied with rookie Nathan MacKinnon and Wild LW Zach Parise for the playoff scoring lead.dddddddddddd Avalanche veteran winger Maxime Talbot had a rough go in the possession game. With Talbot on the ice at 5-on-5, the Avs had 49 shot attempts for and 113 against with Talbot on the ice (30.8%). Without Talbot on the ice, the Avalanche had 45.3% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts -- not great, but clearly better. This series had the most lopsided possession stats of any first-round series, with the Wild getting 61.3% of unblocked shot attempts when the score was close (within a goal in first two periods, tied in the third). The Avalanche, as they had all season, relied too much on G Semyon Varlamov, who had an ordinary game at the worst possible time. Now the Wild get to increase their level of difficulty in Round Two, facing the defending-champion Chicago Blackhawks. ROYAL RALLY Facing a three-games-to-none deficit, the Los Angeles Kings chipped away at the San Jose Sharks lead and, by the time Game Seven arrived Wednesday night, there was little doubt that the Kings could complete the improbable comeback. This doesnt mean it was a sure thing -- the Sharks scored first in Game Seven -- but the Kings were poised to make this rare comeback. Then D Drew Doughty tied the game, and C Anze Kopitar gave the Kings the lead, then it was Tyler Toffoli and the outcome was become evident. With a pair of points, Kopitar moved into a tie for the playoff scoring lead, with 10 points. Toffoli (57.4 Corsi%) and Doughty (54.8 Corsi%) had the best possession stats on the Kings. Another Kings rookie, in addition to Toffoli, LW Tanner Pearson, picked up a goal and an assist in the clinching game. Blowing a 3-0 series lead will hit the Sharks hard. They were, undeniably, a Stanley Cup contender stuck with a very difficult first-round opponent. The main criticism will fall on C Joe Thornton and LW Patrick Marleau because it always does, but also because theyve been around a while, through all the previous disappointments. Shut out in the deciding game, Thornton finished the series with three points in seven games, while Marleau led the Sharks with seven points. On the other hand, the Sharks fourth line ran into trouble. There were times when their physical play seemed to be helpful but, in the bigger picture, they werent effective. LW Raffi Torres, for example, was one for 41 shot attempts for and 69 against (37.3%). With Torres off the ice, the Sharks got 50.7% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. On the Kings fourth line, by comparison, they frequently had C Mike Richards running with the fourth line and Richards had eight shots on goal in Game Seven. The difference in the series, between two dominant possession teams, was expected to be in goal and thats how it turned out. Jonathan Quick got lit up early, but he stopped 130 of 135 shots (.963 SV%) in the final four games to lead the Kings comeback. While the Sharks ponder this crushing defeat, the Kings move on to take on Anaheim, a good rivalry series, though one in which the Kings, a superior possesion team with a more experienced goaltender, should be favoured. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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