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MIAMI -- Dee Gordon walked into the Miami Marlins clubhouse four hours before game time and was greeted at his locker by a three-foot-high stack of boxes -- bats, gloves, shoes and more, all new.Three months of stuff, he said.Thats how long he had been gone. Gordon returned Thursday from an 80-game suspension for a positive drug test and went 0 for 4 batting leadoff as the Marlins lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.In conjunction with his reinstatement, Gordon issued an apology on social media addressed primarily to his young fans.I know I let you down, and Im sorry, the Marlins second baseman said in a video. Complacency led me to this, and Im hurt. I urge you guys to be more responsible than I am about what goes into your body. I wouldnt wish this on anyone.Gordon, who won the NL batting and stolen base titles last year, was suspended in late April after testing positive for two performance-enhancing drugs.At the time, Marlins president David Samson said Gordon had betrayed the team and fans. Now, Samson and the Marlins say theyre glad to have Gordon back.Were a pretty forgiving society, Samson said. Its important Dee ask for that forgiveness, and he has, and hell receive that. Hes got to continue to work to get himself back in with his teammates and the fans, and my son.Teammates -- even Derek Dietrich, who filled in capably at second base -- have said theyre glad to have Gordon return. Manager Don Mattingly said Gordon has the backing of the clubhouse and organization.Obviously there was disappointment early on, and then you really want to support him from that point forward, Mattingly said. He has been remorseful. He has paid his price.Gordons father, former major league pitcher Tom Gordon, attended Thursdays game. The elder Gordon said he both scolded and embraced his son when the suspension occurred.He has learned a lot, Tom Gordon said. He will bounce back and be an even better person.In his video, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Gordon said he learned from his mistake.I thought being the smallest guy, I would never fail a drug test, he said. I didnt pay attention at all and I didnt meet the standards. Thats my fault and no one elses. But dont give up on me.When Gordon was suspended, he said he unknowingly took the banned substances. Speaking to a cluster of media in the dugout before batting practice Thursday, he declined to elaborate.What lesson did he learn?Dont be complacent just because youre small, he said. I got complacent and made a mistake.Gordons hitless effort Thursday dropped his season average to .255.I thought he seemed a little quiet and probably a little nervous, Mattingly said. As the game went on he seemed more like himself.To make room on the roster for Gordon, the Marlins designated for assignment infielder Don Kelly, who had two triples in Wednesdays victory over the Phillies.Even without Gordon, the Marlins have remained in contention for their first playoff berth since 2003.I kept in touch with my teammates pretty much on a daily basis, Gordon said. I told them thank you for keeping their end of the bargain. I asked them to keep it close until I got back, and thats exactly what they did. Now Ive got to keep my end of the bargain. Ive got to help us get to the playoffs.As part of his punishment, Gordon will be ineligible for the postseason.Last year he led the majors with 205 hits and 58 stolen bases, batted .333, became an All-Star for the second time and won a Gold Glove.The breakout season earned him a $50 million, five-year contract in January. Is he optimistic hell play the way he did last year?I know I can, he said. Wait and watch. Venta Zapatillas Puma Baratas . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Zapatillas Puma Baratas Online . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. http://www.pumabaratas.es/ . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Zapatillas Puma Baratas . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Zapatillas Puma Baratas España . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Whether Dale Steyn sees the Australian team as a snake or a ship, his intention is to stop them simply by stopping Steven Smith.If you can cut off the head of the snake, the rest of the body tends to fall, Steyn said at the series launch in Perth. Weve done that in the past. Weve tried to attack the captain because he is the leader and if we can cause a bit of chaos there, sometimes it does affect the rest of the guys.Targeting the opposition captain has long been an Australian trick. Mitchell Johnson did it to Graeme Smith. Shane Warne did it to Hansie Cronje and Shaun Pollock. But Steyn has already begun to turn the tables. The batsman he has dismissed the most in world cricket is Michael Clarke - nine times in 14 matches although not all of them when Clarke was captain - and now he has Smith in the firing line as South Africa seek a third successive series win down under.Aussie captains lead the attack. From history, you look at guys that are great players like Steve Waugh, he stands out. I dont think many people can name a team underneath him but you remember Steve Waugh, Steyn said, forgetting Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath and Warne.You can remember Ricky Ponting, and Michael Clarke and then Steven Smith falls into that bracket. The moment you can get hold of your captain, the rest of the players rely heavily on him. He leads the ship so when you pull the plug on that kind of ship, and hes holding it, you can sink it. Its not very easy but theres a way to sink it.In 2012, South Africa felled Australia by frustrating Ponting. He was limited to 32 runs in three Tests, his waning powers picked at by everyone. Ponting was dismissed twice by the short ball, twice by the swinging one and finally by Robin Peterson, whom he flattered by playing for turn that was never going to be there.Smith, who has enjoyed some of the best form in world cricket in the last two years, is unlikely to prove as soft. But there are weaknesses in his captaincy as a Test whitewash in Sri Lanka and an ODI whitewash in South Africa might suggest. South Africa are looking to exploit that.They are probably a little bit hurt after Sri Lanka and especially after coming to South Africa and losing 5-nil, Steyn said.Although he did not go as far as to say South Africa have a clear edge over Australia, Steyn was comforted by the teams record at the WACA - unbeaten after three matches - and their extensive preparation.When it comes to being on top of the Australians, you never quite feel like that. Even if youve beaten them for 365 days in a row, come the 1st of January the next year, they are up for it, he said. But the mood in the camp is really good. The guys are comfortable, weve been here for almost two weeks.That much preparation is unheard of considering how packed the cricket calendar is. Some might even think Australia have been particularly generous to theiir opposition, providing two practice matches before the start of the series on November 3.dddddddddddd. But one of them was to allow South Africa to learn about the pink ball ahead of the day-night Test in Adelaide on November 24. And the other was against an under-strength opposition with most of Australias Test specialists playing the first round of the Sheffield Shield. Nevertheless, it gave South Africa enough time to acclimatise. Batsmen Stephen Cook, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, both spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada are on their first Test tour of Australia. But Steyn thinks at least one of them is more than ready.Rabada, who debuted against Australia in a T20 series two years ago, is the man Steyn thinks could be the difference between the two sides.It doesnt feel like KG has been in this team for a long time but its actually almost three years now so hes learned a lot and hes an incredible talent, Steyn said. Hes always looking to learn and his record is pretty amazing for such a young guy, especially a bowler. You only see bowlers tend to come into their stripes at maybe 26 or 27, especially fast bowlers. I think hes got about 10 years of experience in three years which is really great. Im excited to see what he can do because in Adelaide the other night he was bowling really quick and he was landing the ball exactly where he wanted to.Rabada led South Africas attack in Steyn and Vernon Philanders absence last summer and was one of very few positives in an otherwise disappointing season. But South Africa do not see themselves as a team that has tumbled to No.1 to No.7 (and who have now crawled back up to No.5). They see themselves as a team that has had success in Australia and are using that to spur their youngsters on.The guys who have never played any cricket here in Australia, who are on their first Test tour, are coming here with a good feeling because the other guys that have been here have done well. Its not that feeling that in the past where we feel like weve been donnered (beaten up) and have our tails between our legs. We come here with some good history.Australia have better history overall though, and Smith will be well aware of that. He will know that successful Australian teams have been successful because their leader was strong and that if he can counter South Africa, his men may be able to do the same.I think they are going to come hard in terms of cricket. Their bowlers are going to be hitting hard lengths, coming past the nose, their batters are going to be in our face, they are going to be on the front foot, try and show their dominance, Steyn said. If we go fist to fist, lets just see who can fight the longest and then you will find your winner. ' ' '