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Carlton will be desperate to give favourite son Andrew Walker the farewell he deserves in Sundays AFL clash at the MCG.Walker announced earlier this week he would retire after tackling St Kilda, with a debilitating knee injury having taken its toll.The 30-year-old will be best remembered by AFL fans for his spectacular mark in 2011.But at Princes Park it is his work ethic and professionalism that coaches will miss most.John Barker, an assistant coach at the Blues for much of Walkers career, says the forward routinely set the standard at pre-season training.I remember hed come back and just win time trial after time trial, after time trial, Barker said.He has a mindset where the off-season is not a time to let the hair down for two months.Its a time to let the body repair, prepare yourself for another solid pre-season .. that has an impact on young players.I know the boys will be really proud if they can get the job done for him and he deserves that sort of performance from us.Barker paid tribute to the fact Walker will finish with 202 games despite a series of setbacks.Hes had a body that has been failing in recent years, he said.But because he was so meticulous with his preparation, it allowed him to keep fighting through and keep being an effective player for us.Hes super quick but has also got a massive tank. He was a team-orientated player but had flashes of brilliance.None more brilliant than that mark, when Walker used Essendon defender Jake Carlisle as a stepladder.I remember the excitement through the box then it just went quiet, it was almost like everyone stopped coaching for about 10 seconds to watch the replay, Barker said.Even without Walkers swansong, the Blues wont be lacking in motivation according to Barker.They have made significant gains during Brendon Boltons first season in charge but must aim to make plenty more in the final four rounds.We want to learn and get better each week. We dont want to get to the end of the year and think - gee, we wasted four weeks, Barker said. Air Force 1 Clearance . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Air Force 1 Off White Cheap . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/fake-air-force-1-womens-outlet.html . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Air Force 1 Off White Wholesale . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. Air Force 1 Low Fake . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. PITTSBURGH -- A strike away from ending his teams longest losing streak in two years, Pittsburgh Pirates closer Tony Watson tried to get St. Louis pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter to chase a fastball up and away.Instead, Watsons fastball went right down the middle. Whatever chance the Pirates might have of reviving their playoff hopes may have gone along with it.Carpenter drilled a solo shot to tie the game with two outs in the ninth and Randal Grichuk and Jhonny Peralta followed with homers of their own as the Cardinals rallied for a 9-7 win.The Pirates have dropped eight straight and fell 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the race for the second wild card in the National League.To serve up four late, its hard to swallow, Watson said after blowing his third save since inheriting the closers role when Mark Melancon was sent to Washington at the trade deadline.Pittsburgh had scrambled back from an early 5-0 hole to move in front with a four-run fifth inning that included Jordy Mercers two-run double to left. The bullpen kept the Cardinals in check and Watson quickly retired the first two hitters in the ninth and had Carpenter -- who came in 2 for 17 against Watson -- down 0-2 before everything changed.Matt Carpenter is a really good hitter, faced him a number of times, Watson said. Thought I could get it. Couldnt locate the pitch ... middle up is a pretty high zone for every major league hitter.Things quickly unraveled from there. Yadier Molina doubled, Grichuk sent a long drive to the seats in left to put St. Louis in front and Peralta completed Watsons implosion by depositing a 2-0 offering into the right-field seats.Behind in the count 2-0, youre not getting ahead of hitters, Watson said. When hitters see that, balls start flying out of the park, in the gaps.Carpenters homer was the 15th by a St. Louis pinch-hitter this season, a major league record. Molina finished 4 for 5, including a first-inning grand slam. Mike Mayers (1-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for the win, and Seung-Hwan Oh worked around a solo homer to Jung Ho Kang in the ninth for his 16th save.Kang had two homers for Pittsburgh in his second game back from a stay on the disabled list but Watsons stumble extended the teams longest fuunk since a 10-game losing streak in 2011.dddddddddddd An All-Star as a setup man in 2014, Watson has given up a career-high nine homers this season. The three he surrendered in the ninth matched his season total in 2015.Its all about location, No. 1, manager Clint Hurdle said. He was much more efficient location wise last year than he is right now. Weve got some guys that are not quite having the seasons theyve had in the past. Its part of the maturation process of being in the game.St. Louis raced to a quick 5-0 lead behind Molinas first grand slam since 2012 and Matt Adams 436-foot homer in the second that reached the Allegheny River on the bounce. Pittsburgh, however, scrapped back.John Jaso atoned for an earlier defensive miscue with an RBI single in the second and Kang homered in the fourth to make it 5-2. Matt Bowman entered for rookie Luke Weaver, pulled after four innings and 83 pitches, and quickly frittered the lead away. His wild throw to second on an attempted double play gave Pittsburgh life. Gregory Polanco followed with an RBI single, Andrew McCutchen scored when Brandon Moss couldnt handle Matt Joyces line drive and Mercer doubled to the left-field corner to give the Pirates just their second lead in a week.It didnt last.TRAINING ROOMCardinals: RF Stephen Piscotty was initially held out of the lineup to give his aching left wrist a breather. Piscotty took a pitch off the wrist on Monday. Postgame X-rays were negative and Piscotty doubled as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.Pirates: Pittsburgh held C Francisco Cervelli out of the lineup a day after he experienced discomfort in his left hand trying to block a pitch.UP NEXTCardinals: Mike Leake returns to the rotation after a stay on the disabled list while battling a case of the shingles. Leake is 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in his career against Pittsburgh but is 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA this season.Pirates: Rookie Jameson Taillon will face the Cardinals for the first time in the series finale. The 24-year-old has a 2.80 ERA over his last 10 starts and pitched six innings of one-run ball last week against Milwaukee. ' ' '