d after going 14-for-20 from the floor and adding five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. Thats why I had that type of game.Martin will be needed against Valparaiso, which beat Ball Stat

WASHINGTON -- Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez called it "a lie" right from the very start, from the moment a newspaper report linked him to a clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. A little more than six months later, Gonzalez was formally cleared by Major League Baseball. Gonzalez, a left-hander who finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting last year, said Monday he has "no lingering sense of animosity" over being connected to MLBs drug investigation. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was banned through 2014, while 12 players were suspended 50 games apiece Monday because of their relationship to Biogenesis of America. MLB also announced that its inquiry "found no violations" by two players linked to Biogenesis in media reports: Gonzalez and Danny Valencia, a Baltimore Orioles third baseman recalled from the minors on Sunday. "Ive never been really concerned about it," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said about Gonzalezs involvement. "I had a conversation with him in spring when it all came up. We had a nice talk about it. He wasnt concerned about it. I was, like anybody else, upset he was even linked to it. It is a relief that everybody knows it wasnt a problem. Its just another distraction you dont have to deal with." Gonzalez never sounded bothered by the whole thing, and he has pitched rather well this season for a Nationals club that entered Monday three games below .500 after leading the majors in wins last year. "I think it was on his mind so I think it had some effect on him," general manager Mike Rizzo said before the Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. "I think he handled it well. Its a testament to his mental makeup and the way he prepares for games. I thought hes thrown extremely well, considering." Gonzalez is 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA and a team-leading 139 strikeouts in 133 2-3 innings. In 2012, his first season with Washington, Gonzalez went 21-8. Overall, in six years in the majors with the Oakland Athletics and Nationals, the 27-year-old Gonzalez is 66-44 with a 3.64 ERA. Baseballs investigation began last year and escalated in January, when the Miami New Times published documents connecting several players to Biogenesis, whose founder, Anthony Bosch, eventually co-operated with MLB. When that newspapers report came out in January, Gonzalez posted on his Twitter feed: "Ive never used performance enhancing drugs of any kind and I never will, Ive never met or spoken with tony Bosch or used any substance provided by him. anything said to the contrary is a lie." He later said that his father, Max, was a patient of the clinic and went there to get help losing weight. In February, Gonzalez said he had taken blood and urine tests two days after the initial newspaper report and that they came back negative. "I am very pleased that Major League Baseball has cleared my name. With this process now complete, I have no lingering sense of animosity, as I quickly realized that the objective of this investigation was to clean up our game," Gonzalez said in a statement issued Monday by the Nationals. "This is an ideal that I share with both Major League Baseball and the (players union). I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering support of my teammates, the Lerner Family (that owns the Nationals), Mike Rizzo, Davey Johnson, our coaching staff and Nationals fans everywhere." The Orioles did not have a game Monday. A day before, the 28-year-old Valencia homered for Baltimore after rejoining the club from Triple-A Norfolk. He has spent time in the majors with the Minnesota Twins (2010-12), Boston Red Sox (2012) and Orioles (2013), compiling a .254 batting average with 30 homers and 143 RBIs. At spring training, Valencia told reporters he didnt have any connection to Biogenesis or its founder, Bosch. "Ive never had any contact with those people," Valencia said at the time. "Ive never met Tony Bosch -- never seen him, never been to that clinic, never heard of that clinic until the New Times story first broke. That being said, Ive never ever taken a PED in my life, never failed a drug test in my life and I never will." Stitched Sabres Jerseys .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Sabres Jerseys 2020 . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Cheap Sabres Jerseys . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. No. 23 Rhode Island extended its strong start Saturday night -- and didnt even do it on the basketball court.Dan Hurleys players, who won their only game last week -- over Belmont -- and should remain ranked when the new poll comes out Monday, served dinner and prepared beds at the Providence Rescue Mission, according to a post on the teams Twitter account.It was another quality effort by a team off to a 5-1 start, the only loss to then-No. 1 Duke.Now, its back to work -- and this will be a test for the Rams.Rhode Island visits Valparaiso (6-1) on Tuesday and then has its always tough local rivalry game against Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center -- the Friars home floor -- Saturday.Hassan Martin scored 34 points and Jarvis Garrett, over his neck injury suffered against Cincinnati in the semifinal of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, added 23 in the win over Belmont, the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference.Once I got myself going I just didnt stop, Martin said after going 14-for-20 from the floor and adding five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. Thats why I had that type of game.Martin will be needed against Valparaiso, which beat Ball State 79-73 at home Sunday and now hosts a ranked team for the first time in six years.The Crusaders came off the road and ran up 17 steals while forcing 23 turnovers andd overcoming a slow start to win against Ball State.ddddddddddddWe talked about a nine-day road trip and the challenges that presents, Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich said after Sundays game. Fatigue, just the normal human tendency maybe after a couple big wins to maybe let up a little bit. I thought our energy lacked a little bit (in the first half), but we were playing hard.Alec Peters scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to key Sundays win and continue his torrid start. Through seven games, he is averaging 25.1 points and 9.1 rebounds while Shane Hammink is at 16.1 and 5.6 per game.The Rams have four starters scoring in double figures, led by Martin at 16.5 points per game and E.C. Matthews at 15.5. Jared Terrell is averaging 14.3 points and Kuran Iverson 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. Martin leads with 7.0 rebounds while Garrett has a team-high 27 assists and 12 turnovers.Rhode Island ended a stretch of five games in 10 days with the loss to Duke, which followed a win over then-No. 24 Cincinnati the previous night.The win over Belmont, which was missing its best player, Evan Bradds, featured the Rams with a 30- and 20-point scorer in the same game for the first time in almost two years. ' ' '