Clean 1.1 » Ward outdueled Reimer for the puck and his ba

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments he made in North Korea about a detained American missionary, saying he had been drinking and was under pressure as he organized a game with former NBA players. The former basketball star issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press, a day after he sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of the friendly game. Rodman has been slammed for not using his influence with Kim to help free Kenneth Bae, the missionary in poor health who is being confined in North Korea for "anti-state" crimes. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault. "I want to apologize," Rodman said Thursday. "I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. Its not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. Its not an excuse, its just the truth." Rodman said he wanted to apologize first to Baes family. "Im very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. Im truly sorry." In the interview, Rodman was asked whether he would raise the issue of Bae during his visit. "Kenneth Bae did one thing," Rodman replied. "If you understand what Kenneth Bae did -- do you understand what he did in this country?" Asked to explain, Rodman declined to respond. Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary and tour operator based in China, has been detained for more than a year. North Korea sees missionary work as a threat to its authoritarian government. Baes sister, Terri Chung, welcomed Rodmans apology. "I think its good to see him recognize the gravity and the urgency of Kens plight," she said from her home in Edmonds, Washington. "Its nothing he can make light of or play games with." "I just want to make sure that everyone -- not just Dennis Rodman -- everyone knows about Kenneth Baes plight and how precarious it is," she said. The U.S. State Department distanced itself from Rodman and said it did not want to "dignify" his activities or comments in Pyongyang by commenting on them. But spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the department was open to speaking with Rodman on his return. "We have not reached out to him. Weve said before, if he wants to reach out to us, were happy to hear from him and what he has to say," she told reporters. Rodman dedicated the game to his "best friend" Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song and then bowed deeply to Kim, seated above him in the stands. Rodman said he was honoured to be able to play the game in the North Korean capital and called the event "historic." Some members of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups, however, say he has become a public relations tool for North Koreas government. The governments poor human rights record and its threats to use nuclear weapons against rival South Korea and the United States have kept it a pariah state. Kim shocked the world in December by having his uncle, once considered his mentor, executed after being accused of a litany of crimes including corruption, womanizing, drug abuse and attempting to seize power. Rodman has refused to address those concerns while continuing to forge a relationship with Kim. Rodman is the highest-profile American to meet Kim, who inherited power after the death of his father in late 2011. Rodman has said he is not a statesman and instead is seeking only to build cultural connections with the North through basketball that may help improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Along with Rodman, the former NBA players included ex-All Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker. Also on the roster were Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Charles D. Smith and four streetballers. Air Max 95 Cheap Sale .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale . A judge had summoned Clemens and Brian McNamee to federal court in Brooklyn for settlement talks aimed at heading off a trial in the defamation case. McNamees lawyer emerged saying an agreement wasnt likely. "I think this is a case where the lines are deeply drawn in the sand," said attorney Richard Emery. http://www.airmax95outlet.com/ . -- A year ago, Flavia Pennetta was close to retiring from tennis. Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic .C. -- Unable to get much lift off his sore right ankle, Bobcats centre Al Jefferson figured it was time to make an adjustment. Air Max 95 Cheap Free Shipping .The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. WASHINGTON -- Washington linemates Joel Ward and Jason Chimera often play in the shadow of their higher-profile teammates. On Sunday afternoon, they sparked the Capitals to a much-needed victory. On a day when Alex Ovechkin was held to one shot on goal, the Capitals third line scored twice in a three-goal first period and the Capitals held on for 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ward had a goal and an assist and Chimera also tallied for Washington, which scored on three of its first five shots for a 3-0 lead "Ive counted on Wardo and Chimmer all year long," Capitals coach Adam Oates said. "They play together -- penalty kill, power play. Big bodies that we count on for a lot of minutes. "Its good to see them get rewarded because you dont get a lot of accolades based on that. You know, doing grunt work." Ward, in his seventh season, reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time and added his 20th assist, while Chimera scored his 13th goal and has points in seven of his past nine games. "A lot of the time (Ward) and Chimmer and (centre Eric Fehr) get overshadowed because of the names we have on this team," Troy Brouwer said. "Night in night out, I think they are our most consistent line." Brouwer scored the other first-period goal for Washington and added an empty-netter with four seconds left to seal the win after Toronto had pulled within 3-2 in the second period. The Capitals begin a three-game swing Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. "Youve just got to win them all," Oates said of upcoming games at Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. "I know theyre better than us in the standings, but youve got to have the attitude youre going to beat them." Recently acquired goalie Jaroslav Halak, making his fifth straight start, had 27 saves in the win. Karl Alzner assisted on two Washington goals. Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist for Toronto and Troy Bodie also scored. The Maple Leafs are 2-2 on their five-game road trip. "Obviously we were pretty flat the first period," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. "It looked like we were still in our afternoon nap. Playing an afternoon game just took us a good part of the game to get warmed up and get awake.dddddddddddd" James Reimer, starting in place of regular goalie Jonathan Bernier, who suffered a lower body injury in Thursdays win at Los Angeles, finished with 29 saves. Washingtons power play was 2 for 4. Toronto was 0 for 3. The Capitals have 12 power-play goals in their past 10 games. "They got a good power play," Bodie said. "We know that. They kind of picked us apart." Phaneuf pulled Toronto within 3-2 at 8:05 of the second period when he floated a shot from the point through a screen and past Halak for his eighth goal. Toronto then came up empty on three consecutive power-play chances over a seven-minute stretch. Two of Washingtons first-period goals were the result of crisp passing sequences. With Toronto a man down, Marcus Johansson took a pass behind the goal line from Nicklas Backstrom and fed Brouwer in the slot. Brouwer one-timed low shot past Reimer for his 19th goal just 3:34 into the first period. Wards effort in front made it 2-0 minutes later. Alzners shot was stopped in front, but Ward outdueled Reimer for the puck and his backhand deflected off Chimera, who was credited with the goal. "We werent good enough in the first 10 minutes," Reimer said. "You cant spot a team three goals. We just werent sharp, you know? Myself included. And it cost us." The Capitals soon got another power play, and this time it was Evgeny Kuznetsov who made nice pass in front, to Dustin Penner. Penner, stationed to the left of Reimer, shovelled a backhand pass across to Ward, who buried it in the open net. "Chimmer is one of the fastest guys in the league. I just try to give him the puck," Ward said. "Theres no secret. I just try to hide in the weeds and try to look for some loose pucks." Toronto didnt get its second shot on goal until the 17:15 mark of the first period, but it went in as Bodie beat Halak over his right shoulder. NOTES: The Capitals are 20-0-3 this season when leading after the second period. ... Capitals C Brooks Laich (lower body injury) was a scratch and has missed two of the past three games. Oates said hell visit a doctor in St. Louis this week. ... Toronto concludes its road trip Tuesday in Detroit. ' ' '