NEWS » ot earned a win in his past eight starts,

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- If Joel Ward needed any reminder of how close the San Jose Sharks came to winning the Stanley Cup, it was right there in front of him one night this summer in his hometown of Toronto.While Ward was out getting dinner with his girlfriend, he ran right into a Stanley Cup celebration party held by Pittsburgh defenseman Trevor Daley.I just happened to sneak a peek at a bar downtown and it was his, Ward said. I had to go chug a beer when I got home. Let it go. But understood. Hats off to them. They won.The Sharks opened training camp Friday, looking to put the disappointment of that Cup final loss to the Penguins in the past and gear up for another long season that they hope ends with a trophy celebration.Obviously with the way last season ended we should feel good about the journey and have a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth about losing in the final and come back re-energized and ready to make that journey again, coach Peter DeBoer said.The Sharks were without seven key players who are taking part in the World Cup in Toronto, including captain Joe Pavelski, alternates Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, key defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns, and forwards Joonas Donskoi and Mikkel Boedker.Pavelski and Donskoi are expected to rejoin the Sharks soon with the United States and Finland having been eliminated from the tournament, while the others may not be back until early October with the tournament possibly ending as late as Oct. 1.They were supposed to be without an eighth player but forward Tomas Hertl pulled out because he was still recovering from a knee injury suffered in Game 2 of the final against the Penguins.Hertl said it was hard to miss the tournament but his priority is being healthy for the NHL season.I think I am ready to go, he said. Nothing the past two or three weeks bothers me. I can turn, I can hit, I can do whatever. I think its ready.The Sharks dont expect those absences to play a major role because the team is in the second year of DeBoers system and is only making tweaks instead of wholesale changes like last season.Also, most of the core is back with the only significant additions being Boedker and defenseman David Schlemko.Its a lot easier when you know what to expect and the way he likes to run practices and what he expects out of you day in and day out, defenseman Paul Martin said. Im sure hell throw a couple of new things in here to keep it fresh but for the most part it makes it easier having that familiarity.After a slow start to the season that had the Sharks near the bottom of the Western Conference in early January last season, the team hit its stride after that as the players learned DeBoers system and Couture returned from an injury.San Jose was one of the top teams in the league over the final three months and made the playoffs as the third-place team in the Pacific Division after missing the postseason for the first time since 2003 the previous season.The Sharks then knocked off their nemesis, the Los Angeles Kings, in the first round and won a seven-game series in the second round against Nashville before qualifying for the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history with a Game 6 win at home in the Western Conference final against St. Louis.The run ended when San Jose met up with a faster and deeper Pittsburgh team in the Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Penguins in six games.Youre still mad that you lost in the finals, but you know you get another chance at it next year, forward Patrick Marleau said. 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PITTSBURGH -- Its one of those meaningful series in September with playoff implications that the baseball world will be watching.But when the St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game set with a Labor Day matinee against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, neither team will exactly come steaming into the game.St. Louis, at least, will be coming off a win. The Cardinals had lost three in a row but avoided a sweep at Cincinnati with a 5-2 win Sunday.Pittsburgh has lost a season-worst six games in a row and has been shut out in three of those games, including a 10-0 loss at home Sunday against Milwaukee, which swept a weekend series.The Cardinals (71-64) hold the second wild-card spot in the National League, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Pirates.Asked if his club could shake off the six losses and give the Cardinals a series, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle managed a smile.Oh, my goodness, yes, he said. This is what lifes all about. Do you just fold up your bag and go home? Thats not an option. You get to play a meaningful game in September because theyve earned it.The Pirates fell to .500, at 67-67, Sunday. They were outscored 18-4 by the Brewers in the three weekend games.It magnifies everything else when you dont score runs, Hurdle said. We got shut out two out of three games. We carved a little offense out of the in-between game.Weve got to fight to get the leadoff hitter on base. Thats No. 1. And then the at-bats, it becomes that battle in the box, getting a strike, getting that pitch you want to hit and hitting it hard somewhere. That is it. Thats all we need to focus on.The Pirates have been getting good starts lately from their pitching, even if the bullpen has been shaky at times.Rookie Chad Kuhl ((3-2, 3.70 ERA) will be maaking his 10th major league start Monday, first against St.dddddddddddd Louis. He has lost his past two decisions but has given up just 12 runs over his past six starts.At the other end of the spectrum is St. Louis scheduled starter, veteran Adam Wainwright (9-8, 4.53 ERA), who this season has been trying to prove hes still effective.He has not earned a win in his past eight starts, although Tuesday at Milwaukee, he allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks in a no-decision on his 35th birthday.Going into the game, I tried to forget about everything thats gone on this year, Wainwright told ESPN.com. I watched only 13 and 14 film of me. I wanted to remember that guy. Not this other fellow whos been pitching this year.Offensively, the Cardinals have been going heavy on the long ball. They have hit a homer in a franchise-record 23 games in a row.They are just 12-11 in those games, but manager Mike Matheny isnt looking to rein in the power.Ill take home runs, he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this weekend. Home runs are a good way to produce offense. Its been helping us all year long. And it will continue to.Its not like were sitting there striking out 20 times a game and popping up all day long. There were some good defensive plays made against us all day long.Hurdle, meanwhile, is hoping for some runs by any means from the Pirates.Were just not meeting the demands of the game, he said. The preparation is there. The focus is there. ... At the end of the day, theres no runs on the board two out of three games (over the weekend). That makes it hard. ' ' '