7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak

NEW YORK -- Jason Collins has been warmly received in his historic return to the NBA. Now its time for his own fans to welcome him back. More than a week after becoming the leagues first openly gay player, Collins will finally get to play a home game Monday night when the Brooklyn Nets host the Chicago Bulls. "It will be a lot of fun," Collins said. "I have some family and friends coming to the game. Im looking forward to seeing them and obviously the first home game." He has played hundreds in a Nets uniform, though it was a white, red and blue one, and the home games were in New Jersey. Plenty of fans and employees of the organization remain from when Collins played there from 2001-08, so he will likely be greeted by a loud ovation if he gets into the game. "Ive always said Im not worried about the reaction," said Nets coach Jason Kidd, who played with Collins when the franchise reached consecutive NBA Finals in 2003-03. "I think they will always support a Net. Hes been a Net before. I think theyll be excited to have him, but the big thing is him being able to help us defensively." Collins and the Nets have kept the focus as much on basketball as possible. They all view him as a big man who will willingly defend and foul -- he has racked up 10 of them already in four games -- who can help pass along 12 years of NBA experience to younger teammates such as Mason Plumlee and Andray Blatche. The fact that hes gay makes him much more than that outside the Nets locker room, but he thinks that story line will die down soon enough. "Theres only so many ways you can write the story, or tell the story, and then it will just be about basketball," he said during the middle of last week. Collins thought it had already reached that point, mistakenly believing that Saturdays victory in Milwaukee would be the first time reporters didnt want to talk to him after the game. Not quite yet. Collins may just be a 14th man on the roster to the Nets, but hes still far more than that to the fans he inspired from the moment he decided to come out in a Sports Illustrated article last April. "I think it is a big deal. Hes showing a lot of courage. Youre talking to a guy who was around when Jackie Robinson came in. Whats the difference? Its just as groundbreaking. I just hope hes judged as a basketball player," said Butch Pye, 69, of Castle Rock, Colo., who attended the Nets victory in Denver on Thursday. Collins debut is currently his only guaranteed home game. Hes nearing the end of the 10-day contract he signed on Feb. 23 before facing the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA rules allow teams to sign players to two 10-day deals, then have to sign them for the rest of the year if they want to keep them. There are plenty of reasons to retain Collins. He has brought plenty of positive attention and is making an impact in the gay and lesbian community, with the NBA pledging to donate at least $100,000 from sales of his No. 98 jersey to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. But those having nothing to do with basketball, and the Nets stressed in the press release announcing Collins signing that the move was a basketball decision. He can still do enough to make it a wise one, even with just one basket so far. With Brook Lopez lost for the season and Kevin Garnetts minutes being monitored, Kidd needs a big man he trusts to fill in for a few minutes. And a guy like Collins can help even when hes not in the game. He has defended Shaquille ONeal and Tim Duncan in the NBA Finals, so knows what it takes to guard even the biggest stars, even if hes rarely the one doing it. "When I was a younger guy, I learned from Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning. Its a cycle," Collins said. "Now that Im that old man at the end of the bench, that veteran, even though I may not be playing minutes, there definitely are ways I can help the team win." Ryan Jensen Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Alex Cappa Buccaneers Jersey . The Giants chances of winning the division were dealt a serious blow by the three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Padres. The Giants open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. San Francisco is still in good shape to clinch a wild-card berth, although it dropped into a tie with Pittsburgh in the race for the top spot. http://www.shopbuccaneersauthentic.com/Y...o-Elite-Jersey/. Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak. Ronald Jones II Buccaneers Jersey .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. Vita Vea Jersey . Terry came from Boston along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce but has appeared in just 35 games after a knee injury, averaging 4.5 points on 36 per cent shooting. Evans was a favourite of fans but not coach Jason Kidd, who used him in just 30 of their 51 games.MINNEAPOLIS -- The New York Yankees reunion with Alfonso Soriano is likely over after the team designated the struggling outfielder for assignment on Sunday. Soriano returned to New York midway through last season and sparked the offence with 17 home runs in 58 games. But Soriano hit just .221 this season with six homers and 23 RBIs in 67 games. The Yankees announced the move shortly after acquiring Arizona right-handed starter Brandon McCarthy for lefty Vidal Nuno. "We designated Soriano, which is extremely difficult because hes been a great Yankee and a great player," New York manager Joe Girardi said before Sundays game at Minnesota. Sorianos playing time decreased considerably this year after New York signed Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran in the off-season. He recently has been splitting time in right field with Ichiro Suzuki since Beltran was injured and is now limited to designated hitter. But the slugger who started his major league career with the Yankees in 1999 and has 412 career homers has not connected since May 17 and has struck out 71 times in 226 at-bats. The 38-year-old Soriano is in the final year of an eight-year, $136 million deal he signed with the Chicago Cubs, who are paying $13 million of his $18 million salary thiis year.dddddddddddd The Yankees have 10 days to trade or place Soriano on unconditional waivers. If he clears waivers, New York can release him. "For Soriano, its a guy that came in and did a tremendous job for us last year, has had his struggles this year and hes a guy thats used to playing every day," Girardi said. "Wasnt every day for him, maybe it was harder for him to get going, not sure. Im sure hes extremely disappointed. Soriano always takes things with class." The Yankees recalled pitcher Bruce Billings from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Billings pitched in one game for New York this season, allowing four runs in four innings on April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels. Girardi has an open spot in the starting rotation after Nuno was traded to the Diamondbacks. Nuno was slated to start on Monday and McCarthy pitched on Thursday. New York wont force McCarthy into Nunos spot on short rest. Billings -- who has started 11 games in Triple-A -- wont be a candidate to start on Monday, Girardi said. An announcement will be made later. "The taxing of our bullpen kind of forced us to make this move, in a sense," Girardi said. "Im not saying it wouldnt have happened, but we decided we had to make it today because we need to." 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