I would have probably spent the whole year away and who knows what I would have been doing.I might have rebelled a little bit and been pretty bitter abou

Melbourne midfielder Jake Melksham says the birth of his daughter Frankie helped get him through the Essendon supplements saga.Melksham and best mate Michael Hibberd will line up for the Demons for the first time next year after being among 34 past and present Bombers players banned this season.Frankies January birth came just days before the worst fears of the Essendon 34 were realised with 12-month bans handed down, throwing the Bombers and other AFL clubs into turmoil.Several players have described the mental toll the ban took on them but it proved to be perfectly timed for Melksham.Having a baby this year has actually been really good for me, he said on Friday.Ive got to spend every day with her. I havent missed a thing. Now shes probably sitting at home and wondering where I am.I can honestly say if I didnt have her, I would have probably spent the whole year away and who knows what I would have been doing.I might have rebelled a little bit and been pretty bitter about things but that just kept me in a good positive frame of mind.Melksham spent time travelling and worked as a labourer, a task which reinforced his desire to sustain his football career.The 114-game midfielder, who was traded to Melbourne at the end of 2015, is confident hell be able to fight his way into Melbournes side despite their wealth of young talent.Former teammate Hibberd says he struggled at times during his 12 months off but is eager for a fresh start with Melbourne after joining them during this years trade period.The 26-year-old is keen to reunite with new Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, who previously served as an assistant at Essendon, and to play as part of a youthful Demons group.Just being here the first two weeks and seeing how upbeat the young guys are, theyre just an exciting group and theyre only going to get better, he said.With the year off, Ive really learned to love footy a lot more. I realised that I missed it a lot. This is really what I want to do. Cheap Under Armour Shoes Australia . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Under Armour Sale Australia . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. http://www.cheapunderarmouraustralia.com/ . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Under Armour Shoes Clearance . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Under Armour Shoes Australia . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies got the veteran hitter they wanted.Howie Kendrick was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday for first baseman Darin Ruf and utilityman Darnell Sweeney.Howie Kendrick brings a proven, veteran presence to our young lineup, general manager Matt Klentak said. He is a hard worker, a great teammate and a true professional hitter. In addition, Howies defensive versatility provides significant flexibility to our roster, which should prove to be valuable to our club in 2017.A 2011 AL All-Star, Kendrick hit .255 with 26 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBI, a team-leading 10 stolen bases and a .326 on-base percentage for the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 33-year-old Kendrick made 123 starts -- 79 in left field, 23 at second base, 14 at third base and seven at first base -- and made only five errors.Kendrick is a career .289 hitter with 95 homers, 595 RBI, 111 stolen bbases and a .dddddddddddd32 on-base percentage. He is signed to a deal that pays him $10 million next year in the final season of his contract.Kendrick will likely begin the season as the starting left fielder.Ruf hit .205 with three home runs and nine RBI last season. The 30-year-old has a .240 batting average with 35 homers in his career. Ruf never played to his potential after hitting 38 homers at Double-A Reading in 2012 and three more for the Phillies in a brief September call-up that season.Sweeney spent the entire season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He hit .233 with six homers, 35 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Sweeney played second base, third base, shortstop and center field for the Iron Pigs.The Phillies got Sweeney from the Dodgers in a trade for Chase Utley in August 2015. ' ' '