mself more time. His next start is scheduled to be Monday afternoon, back home, against Oakland. “He was good today,” said shortstop Jose Reyes, who hit a home run on the first pitch of the ballgame. “Thats good to see JJ at least throw five shutout innings for his confidence and hopefully the next ti

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Debbie Busacco struggled with her emotions as she thought about what promises to be a difficult moment.That moment comes Saturday when the Syracuse Orange (6-3) host former Big East rival Georgetown (6-4) and her late fiance, Dwayne Pearl Washington , will be celebrated for his contributions.He would be smiling, said Busacco, who will make the trip. I guess its bittersweet. Itll be overwhelming. He would want us to be there to honor him and keep his spirit alive. He would love that.Washington, the man longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has called his most important player, died of cancer in April at age 52. He left an indelible mark on the Syracuse program and his legacy will continue.The university is establishing the Pearl Washington Endowed Fund for Continuing Education and has set a $1 million endowment goal. The fund will support student-athletes who leave the university and later return to pursue their degrees. Results of a 31-day fundraising drive will be announced at halftime Saturday during a tribute ceremony for Washington, who wore No. 31.Of course, we all wish things like this were done while someone was alive, said Elmer Anderson, a former high school teammate of Washington. Its a culmination of the wonderful things Dwayne did for the university. It was an extension of the university wherever he went.Washington left Syracuse after his junior year to play in the NBA. After a brief pro career, he returned to the university to complete his class requirements and received a bachelors degree in speech communication. He was working toward a masters degree in the school of education during the mid-1990s when he was first diagnosed with a brain tumor.Surgery was performed in August 2015 to treat the recurrence of a brain tumor and Washington had required around-the-clock care and a wheelchair when he died.There was plenty of support in his final months. (hash)PrayersforPearl became a social media gathering point last season and ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas gave the movement national exposure. In early March, Bilas wore the all-orange Pearl warmup shirt that Syracuse players had donned on the bench during games.Washingtons electrifying play was instrumental in helping create the aura of greatness the Big East Conference enjoyed during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. The opponent on Saturday, Georgetown, is fitting. Some of Washingtons most memorable moments came against the Hoyas, who havent played in the Carrier Dome since 2013, the year Syracuse bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference.For them to take time out and take so much energy in making this a special moment is certainly a blessing, Anderson said. I just want to squeeze the oranges and let the juice drip, instead of tears. Its a beautiful thing, and for it to be against Georgetown, its just great.One of Washingtons signature moments against Georgetown came in the semifinals of the 1985 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Towering Georgetown center Patrick Ewing elbowed the 6-foot-2 Washington in the ribs, Pearl retaliated with an elbow to the stomach, and Ewing came back with a punch that missed. Neither was ejected, but Washington endeared himself even more to Orange fans with his display of spunk in a league that was renowned for its physical play.The next year, Washington scored 24 points in a 1-point victory over Georgetown in February and followed with 21 points and eight assists in a 75-73 overtime win over the Hoyas in the Big East semifinals.Even though the Orange failed to win the Big East title that year -- St. Johns star Walter Berry blocked Washingtons lay-up attempt from behind at the final buzzer of the title game and the Orange lost 70-69 -- Pearl was named MVP of the tournament after posting 68 points and 29 assists in three games.Washington left an impressive trail when he left for the pros: Big East rookie of the year, first-team Big East all three years of college, and first team All-American his junior year. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds and led the Orange in assists and steals in each of his three years at the school.A dinner to celebrate Washingtons legacy was to be held Friday night at the university, and Derrick Coleman, Rafael Addison and Billy Owens were expected to be among several former Orange stars at Saturdays game.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Womens Hockey Team Canada Jerseys . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Patrice Bergeron Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.cheaphockeycanadajerseys.com/p-k-subban-jersey/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Ryan Getzlaf Jersey . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Steven Stamkos Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p.SEATTLE, Washington - Its far too early to make bold pronouncements about the return to form of Josh Johnson but, if it is to be, it had to start somewhere. Maybe, on a glorious night in the Pacific Northwest, Safeco Field was the place. “Awesome,” said Johnson, who won just his second game of the season and first since June 23, the last game of the Blue Jays seems-so-long-ago 11-game winning streak. “What me and (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) have been working on is definitely working so got to stick with it and keep it rolling.” Johnsons performance – five innings, no runs on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts and 86 pitches – was more than the Blue Jays would need on a night when a combination of timely offense and poor defense by the Mariners conspired to put Toronto comfortably ahead by the midway point of the game. The Blue Jays won 7-2. Entering the game on a personal six-game losing skid and seemingly unable to pitch out of the stretch with any success, Johnson had given up multiple runs in the inning in which hes allowed his first base runner of the game in seven straight starts, Johnson secured a crucial double play ball to end the first. The Mariners had runners at the corners and one out. “Huge, huge,” said Johnson. “I threw some good pitches to get double plays. I hadnt been doing that in a long time so it was a good feeling.” Johnson spoke to a group of reporters on Saturday in Anaheim. Hed just thrown his bullpen, which included a lengthy chat with Walker and his catcher on Tuesday night, Josh Thole. His focus in the side session was staying on top of the baseball through his delivery. If successful, hed better command his fastball and get sharper bite on his breaking pitches. Johnson felt, on Saturday, as though hed turned a corner less than 48 hours after his latest rocky start against the AAngels.dddddddddddd Only time, his next outing, would tell the tale. He passed with flying colours. Both pitcher and manager were effusive in their praise of catcher Josh Thole, who filled in for J.P. Arencibia and handled a Johnson start for the first time this season. “Just being able to get on top of the baseball for my slider, my curveball, my fastball, threw a couple of sinkers,” said Johnson. “Thole was great back there.” “I liked the way they worked back there with Thole,” said John Gibbons. “I think we saw more curveballs than sliders and he was sticking it much better. He gave up some hits and he gave a couple where he had some base runners on but he worked out of some jams where in the past, I dont know three, four or five starts, guys were getting on and theyre opening the game up. It was a big day for him.” General manager Alex Anthopoulos was in attendance, so too was assistant Tony LaCava and professional scouting director Perry Minisian. None was there specifically for Johnsons start, the group has been along for most of the road trip, but Anthopoulos had stated for the first time publicly Johnsons status was being evaluated on a start to start basis. Johnsons bought himself more time. His next start is scheduled to be Monday afternoon, back home, against Oakland. “He was good today,” said shortstop Jose Reyes, who hit a home run on the first pitch of the ballgame. “Thats good to see JJ at least throw five shutout innings for his confidence and hopefully the next time he goes a little bit farther and pitches good for us because were going to need it.” Its too late to salvage a playoff run but Johnson still has time to salvage his own season and his reputation. Its too early to know if Tuesday was a turning point. 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