The Original Game » gious tournaments when the plane went down

CHAPECO, Brazil -- This Brazilian hometown of the soccer team whose dream season ended in tragedy this week prepared Friday for the sad return of so many whose lives were cut short on an Andes mountainside, hanging origami figures of peace in the teams green and white colors from the fence of the local soccer stadium. Bob Cousy Jersey .As the bodies of the victims killed in the plane crash began the journey home Friday, gravediggers finished preparing the ground at cemeteries in the small city of Chapeco.A memorial service was planned for Saturday in the southern Brazilian city that was home to the Chapecoense soccer club, which was on its way to the finals of one of South Americas most prestigious tournaments when the plane went down in Colombia on Monday, killing all but six of the 77 people on board.Three flights carrying the bodies of 50 players, coaches, officials and journalists covering the team were to depart from Colombia late Friday. Another plane carrying other Brazilian victims is headed to Sao Paulo. Brazilian President Michel Temer is scheduled to greet the arriving cargo planes at the airport in Chapeco on Saturday, but is not expected at the memorial.In preparation for the service, residents hung more than 3,000 green and white origami pieces fashioned into the figure of a crane -- birds that are considered a symbol of peace -- onto the metal fence at the teams Arena Conda stadium.Gravediggers were preparing the ground at two cemeteries, where 13 people associated with the club were to be buried Saturday. The rest of the victims, including 19 players, will be transported to other cities around Brazil.The loss has been felt acutely in Chapeco, which was captivated by the meteoric rise and improbable success of their hometown team in soccer-crazed Brazil. Some 100,000 people were expected at the stadium on Saturday -- about half of the citys population.The staff at the Jardim do Eden cemetery, where some of the bodies were to be buried, said they were used to the business of death, but this time it felt different.We bury two people every day. Ive done this job for a long time, but this is different, said Dirceu Correa, caretaker of the cemetery. It is a tragedy for the families, for the club, and also for us because we are a part of the city.In an emotional news conference Friday, the mother of one of the victims paused in between answering questions from reporters to ask one herself.How are you in the press doing after losing so many colleagues? asked Ilaides Padilha, mother of the goalkeeper Danilo, referring to the 20 journalists who were killed in the crash.The stunned reporter, Guido Nunes of Sportv, started crying, and Padilha hugged him. Were all in this together, she said.Marissol Dias, who volunteers for the charity that organized the placing of the origami crane figures at the stadium, said she was overwhelmed by the communitys response.This comes from a Japanese legend that says if you make 1,000 of these, a wish will be granted, she said. Our community did much more than we asked.The teams small stadium can hold only about 20,000 people, so the rest of the 100,000 visitors expected Saturday will be able to watch the ceremony on screens set up outside.Amanda Machado, the fiancee of the defender known simply as Dener, visited the stadium on Friday, which was supposed to be their wedding day.I chose to be here at the stadium because at least I feel closer to him, she said.----Associated Press producer Renata Brito contributed to this report from Chapeco, Brazil. Robert Parish Celtics Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Shaquille ONeal Celtics Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-walter-brown-celtics-jersey/ . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago.NEW YORK -- Protective no more, baseball players are downright disgusted these days with doping. Now they are demanding even stiffer suspensions for those caught cheating. "Its a new generation of athletes that are standing up," Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said Tuesday. "The cultures been flipped on its head." When Ryan Braun accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension Monday rather than fight Major League Baseball over evidence he used performance-enhancing drugs, fellow players appeared tired of those who cast shadows on the sport. "Theyre lying to the fans," Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson said. "Theyre lying to their teammates. Theyre lying to their GMs, their owners, and theyre going to get caught." Skip Schumaker of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Braun, the 2011 NL MVP for the Milwaukee Brewers, let him down. "Watching him talk right now makes me sick," Schumaker said. "I have an autographed Braun jersey in my baseball room that Ill be taking down. I dont want my son identifying what Ive worked so hard to get to and work so hard to have -- I dont want him comparing Braun to me." Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished second to Braun in the 2011 MVP vote, said the Milwaukee slugger should be stripped of the honour. "We had conversations, and I considered him a friend," Kemp said. "I dont think anybody likes to be lied to, and I feel like a lot of people have felt betrayed." Braun tested positive for elevated testosterone in October 2011 but successfully overturned a 50-game penalty when an arbitrator ruled the outfielders urine sample was handled improperly. Braun loudly proclaimed his innocence then. "I thought this whole thing has been despicable on his part," Detroit pitcher Max Scherzer said. "When he did get caught, he never came clean. He tried to question the ability of the collector when he was caught red-handed. So thats why the whole Braun situation, there is so much player outrage toward him." Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler remembered back to the 2011 NL division series, when the Brewers beat the Diamondbacks 3-2 in a best-of-five playoff as Braun went 9 for 18 with a home run and four RBIs. "Obviously it affected the series, because thats right when the positive test occurred. Thats when it was highest in his system, and he torched us that series," Ziegler said. "We cant put it all on that. Looking back on it, we walked away from that series knowing we should have won it before we heard he tested positive. At least he didnt get away with it now." New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Braun was guilty. "You dont accept a deal unless youre guilty," he said. "Its another black eye for our game. I know this game is very resilient, and theres been a lot of scandals over the years, but you get tired of it," Girardi added. He may soon face his own problemm with a star slugger. Larry Bird Celtics Jersey. More than a dozen players have been targeted by MLB in its probe of the closed anti-aging clinic Biogenesis of America, including three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees. The next step will be for MLB to inform the union of additional players it intends to penalize, which could happen as early as a meeting on Thursday, a person familiar with the investigation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized. New York expects A-Rod could face a much harsher penalty than the one Braun agreed to, a second person familiar with the case said, also speaking on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized. The Yankees anticipate Rodriguez could be accused of using PEDs over multiple seasons, of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, of attempting to obstruct MLBs investigation, and of not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a U.S. federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs from Canada into the United States. Players have the right to have an arbitrator decide whether discipline meets the "just cause" standard in baseballs drug agreement. Brauns decision not to fight led others to conclude a grievance would have been futile. "Obviously the evidence was overwhelming, and it must have been a mountain of it," Tygart said. "I think it speaks volumes for the generation of athletes today who dont want to be forced to make the same mistakes of the past generation who felt compelled in order to compete to use these dangerous drugs," he said. "I think absolutely thats a huge sign that the culture has turned in a huge direction from where it was in the late 90s and early 2000s." In the wake of Brauns suspension, a chain of 300 convenience stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa cut ties with him. Gary Gonczy, director of marketing and advertising for Kwik Trip, Inc., said in an email Tuesday that the company will no longer use Braun as a spokesman. Despite Brauns ban, Kemp has no shot at claiming the MVP trophy. The Baseball Writers Association of America has said repeatedly that it will not revisit any of its award votes. "The decision was already made. He won it," said Jack OConnell, the BBWAAs secretary-treasurer. Commissioner Bud Selig said in March he wants even stiffer drug penalties, and union head Michael Weiner said players will consider toughened rules for 2014. While Brauns 65-game penalty is 15 games longer than the current standard for a first offence, Scherzer thinks its insufficient. "The Brewers are unlikely to make the playoffs. He misses 2013, and they are set for 2014," he said. "For someone that cheated the game as badly as he did, it just doesnt seem right." ------ AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago and AP freelance writers Jonathan Dalton in Phoenix and Ian Harrison in Toronto contributed to this report. ' ' '