MOSCOW -- A depleted Russian team departed for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, missing dozens of athletes who were excluded amid the countrys doping scandal.Team members left on a charter flight from Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport to Brazil, a day after an emotional farewell ceremony with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.More than 100 athletes from what was originally a 387-member team have been barred from competing in Rio by international sports federations under sanctions that most Russian athletes consider unfair.Were after medals. Thats it, handball player Anna Sen said. We need to fight for those athletes who were disqualified.Volleyball player Sergei Tetyukhin, a four-time Olympic medalist, will be Russias flagbearer for the opening ceremony in Rio, according to an Instagram post by pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.Isinbayeva has become a de facto spokeswoman for Russian athletes excluded from the Olympics and gave a tearful address to the team in the Kremlin on Wednesday.Today, as never before, we need to stay united and become a family, the 40-year-old Tetyukhin said, ignoring what he called provocations addressed at our team and our mighty country.No track and field athletes were among the contingent heading for Rio, since the entire track team is banned from competing, except for a single U.S.-based long jumper, following revelations of widespread doping.The track team did, however, attend the ceremonial farewell with Putin on Wednesday, when the Russian president branded restrictions his country as pure discrimination.Hours after the plane carrying the Russian team took off, the track and field team gathered across town in a small stadium for what was billed as an Olympic consolation event.World champions competed against regional-level athletes in front of around 150 spectators in an event hastily organized after the track teams ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.Isinbayeva watched from the sidelines, vowing defiance and legal action.You cant break Russians, she said. People have tried to break us down, but its never worked. ... What doesnt kill us makes us stronger.She added that she plans to file another appeal to CAS and the European Court of Human Rights.My conscience is clean, said long jumper Vasily Kopeikin, another athlete barred from Rio. Time will show those people who suspended us.Kopeikin added that he would not watch any Olympic events in which Russia was not taking part.While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the Games at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee board Sunday, the IOC imposed new restrictions on Russia. International sports federations must remove any athlete previously banned for doping or who was implicated in last weeks McLaren report alleging a mass cover-up of failed drug tests.Some federations have taken a tough line, with exclusions of much of Russias team from events such as rowing, canoeing and swimming. Other sports, such as judo and tennis, have allowed the entire Russian team to compete in their sport. These rulings must still be ratified by the CAS.Russias weightlifting team has been dogged by doping cases and faced further embarrassment Wednesday when retests of samples from the 2012 Olympics saw four Russians, including three medalists, test positive. The entire lifting team risks being banned from the Rio Games because of the large number of failures in retests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.Putin last week called for the creation of a new state-backed anti-doping commission to draw up future strategy. In a clear sign of coordination, it was set up within hours under Vitaly Smirnov, a former Soviet sports minister and IOC member.Smirnov told local media Thursday that the new commission would be independent of the government, despite containing several senior figures with links to the Kremlin. Smirnov also insisted the government was not involved in doping, despite allegations in World Anti-Doping Agency reports that Sports Ministry officials oversaw a mass doping program and a cover-up.We will welcome the arrival of WADA, and we rule out any attempts at interference by the state or other structures, he said in comments reported by the Tass news agency. In Russia there is not and never has been any state support for doping. Walter Payton Youth Jersey . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Gale Sayers Womens Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. http://www.chicagobearfootballauthentic.com/customized/ .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. 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New Orleans, which has won six of its last eight games after an 0-8 start, blasted Minnesota 117-96 Wednesday night behind 45 points from Anthony Davis.The Trail Blazers (8-9) lost four of five games on their recent road trip, falling below .500 for the first time this season.The return of point guard Jrue Holiday -- who missed the first eight games while helping care for wife Lauren, who has a brain tumor -- has helped the Pelicans. But the biggest factor has been a team-first attitude. They averaged 28.5 assists during the four-game skein, second in the NBA over that period.Thats how we win games, Davis, who scored 26 of his points in the first half against the Timberwolves, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. We just move the ball and share the basketball no matter who scores. There are times we have a good shot and we pass it to someone for a great shot.Thats been our M.O. the past couple of games. Pass up a good shot for a great shot and that has helped guys build confidence in their games. Were playing a good brand of basketball right now.Starting point guard Tim Frazier -- who spent parts of two seasons with Portland -- said the Pelicans cannot get complacent.Four in a row is nice, but we still have a long season to go, Frazier said. We have tto come out and play the same way weve been playing.dddddddddddd Be hungry.The Blazers are no longer the NBAs worst rebounding club -- the addition of power forward Ed Davis to the starting lineup four games ago has helped that. But they are the leagues worst-rated defensive team, and that is not getting better. On the recent trip, the Blazers were lit up by Houstons James Harden (26 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists), Davis (38 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals) and New Yorks Kristaps Porzingis (31 points, nine rebounds).Then there was the 137-125 pasting at Cleveland Wednesday night, the most points a Portland team yielded in a regulation game since 1989. LeBron James recorded a triple-double and Kevin Love scored 34 of his 40 points in the first quarter -- the most an NBA player scored in a first period.I dont think its that we dont have the personnel (to play defense), point guard Damian Lillard, who had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against the Cavaliers, told Comcast Sports Northwest. Its that we have to lock in on certain areas and understand thats what allows you to be a good defender. Like having an idea what is coming.It starts in your mind. You have to believe you can turn it around and that you want to. But we also have to demand more of each other. As a group, thats what should be on our mind -- thinking how we can improve and bring more to the team and get us going in the right direction. Thats part of holding us accountable. ' ' '