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NEW YORK -- Australian star Penny Taylor is calling it a career.The 35-year-old told The Associated Press that she would retire from playing basketball at the end of the WNBA season. She helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to three WNBA titles and guided Australia to a world championship in 2006.My focus is on the Olympics, but definitely its my last year, Taylor said. Worked really hard to get back and still be good. I want to go out on a good note. My health is something I really had to work hard at, and to be fit and stay out on the floor, Ive done that really well. For me, its the right time.Taylor was able to avoid injuries early in a playing career that started when she was 15. Lately, her body has been breaking down a bit, starting with a torn ACL that forced her to miss the 2012 Olympics and 15 months of playing time. This season shes been dealing with hip issues that caused her to miss the final few games of the WNBA season before the Olympic break.There is a time when you have to retire. I want to retire when Im still good, she said Friday night. I nearly had it all taken away from me. I want to make that decision and still want to be wanted. I still feel like Im still contributing out there.The one thing missing from Taylors impressive basketball resume is an Olympic gold medal. She was the MVP of the 2006 world championship in Brazil.When you talk about the Mount Rushmore of basketball, if you had one for the world, shed probably be the first person on there, Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi said. Shes just done so much for Australian basketball, leading them to a world championship, putting them in a position every year to win a medal. She holds that close to her heart.Taurasi also was quick to point out that Taylor was a trailblazer for other Australians to be able to play in Europe and make a living. Taylor played in Turkey and Russia.She opened so many doors for everyone in that country to go to Europe, Taurasi said. She made it OK to leave Australia when no one left to play overseas. What she did in the WNBA, if theres a five you pick to go win a game, theres no one I pick over Penny.Taylor was selected 11th in the 2001 WNBA draft by the Cleveland Rockers. When that team folded in 2003, she was picked up by the Mercury and helped them win titles in 2007, 2009 and 2014.Were the last two from our class, said Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever, who was drafted third in 2001 and also will retire at the end of this season. Weve had some really good battles. When I think of Penny, I think of Game 5 of the 2009 WNBA championship, how clutch she was.Taylor has averaged 13.3 points in her 13-year WNBA career.Penny is one of those players that at times gets overlooked, Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm said. It might be the whole Australian playing in the WNBA at times. I dont know why she wasnt in the top 20. Look at Pennys career and I think its a no-brainer for her to be on that team. What makes her game so difficult is her ability to score and put pressure on your defense at all times.Taylor helped Australia win silver medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and would love to see that stage of her career end with a gold in Rio. She hopes to enter the coaching ranks after the WNBA season ends.Ive gotten to the point where Im seeing it more as a coach these days, Taylor said. Its the natural progression over the last few years anyway. Playing for Sandy (Brondello), I really admire her and the way she sees the game. Id like to continue learning from her.Taylor smiled when asked if she would like to be on the sideline for Australia at the 2018 world championship in Spain or the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.Who knows, thats so far away, she said. Id like to coach. I enjoy it. I love the game, love seeing it played well.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinbergBrandon Bolden Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Stitched Patriots Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. 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Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon.WASHINGTON -- Tanner Roark has rewarded Washington for returning him to the starting rotation this season and hell go for his 13th win when the Nationals and Braves close out their three-game series on Sunday.After posting a 15-10 mark as a starter in 2014, Roark was shuffled back and forth between starting and relieving a year ago. This year, hes become a vital part of the rotation.Roark (12-6, 2.88 ERA) has won his last three starts and has allowed one earned run or less in four of six. Last time out, he went seven innings in a 1-0 win over the Giants.On Sunday, hell face an Atlanta lineup thats scored 14 runs in the first two games of this series, including Saturday nights 7-6 loss, when they rallied for four runs in the ninth but fell just short.We kind of put ourselves in a hole so we had nothing to lose, Freddie Freeman said. We came out swinging and put together a rally and came up a little too short.Freeman homered for the second straight game, matching his career high of 23.Washington built a 7-1 lead behind rookie starter Reynaldo Lopez, who picked up his first win.As an offense, we grinded out some at-bats tonight, got traffic on the base paths and kept pressure on the Braves, said Daniel Murphy, who hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs.Roark is 4-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 13 games, including eight starts, against the Braves. Hes allowed one run or fewer in six of those starts.Freeman is hitting .360 against Roark in 36 at-bats. A.J. Pierzynski is 7-for-10 with two homers and five RBI, while Mattt Kemp is 3-for-6 with two homers and five RBI, and Nick Markakis is 1-for-10.dddddddddddd.Atlanta right hander Tyrell Jenkins (2-2, 3.92 ERA) looks for his third straight win when he makes his first career start against the Nationals.In his last three starts, Jenkins, 24, has given up three runs -- two earned -- on 10 hits over 18 innings. His control has been a problem as hes walked 11 and struck out nine in that span.Washington picked up 11 hits, including three triples and two homers off Atlanta pitching Saturday night.Twenty-three year-old second baseman Trea Turner finished a double short of the cycle. Along with Murphy and Ben Revere (two triples), the first three hitters in the lineup finished 6-for-12.Just put the ball in play, get on base and let the guys behind you have some success and we did that tonight, Turner said.Washington got some good news on right fielder Bryce Harper on Saturday. Though he missed his fifth straight game with a stiff neck, an MRI came up clean so he hasnt been placed on the disabled list and remains day-to-day.Atlanta, which continues to do more than just play out the string, has won five of its last eight.Thats kind of what weve been doing. Were never out of the game, Snitker said after watching his club battle back on Saturday night. It was a really good rally. A lot of really good at-bats. Guys battling to the very end as they always do. ' ' '