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ST. LOUIS - Within days of the St. Louis Cardinals missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the teams front office met and quickly zeroed in on what the club needed to get back to World Series contention. General manager John Mozeliak laid the plan out for the public at the teams annual postseason media conference.The Cardinals needed to be more athletic. They needed to catch and throw the ball more skillfully. They needed to add a dash of menace on the bases. As they discussed potential fixes, one other attribute sometimes entered their thinking. They wanted their team to better reflect the city in which it plays.The player they identified for their search was uniquely qualified to check off each of the boxes. Dexter Fowler has one of the most selective eyes in baseball, making him a perfect puzzle piece for the top of the lineup. He is an established center fielder whose defensive metrics are riding an uptick at age 30, when some players are beginning to slip. He is good for about 19 stolen bases a year, roughly three times what last years leading Cardinal base stealer, Stephen Piscotty, managed.It didnt hurt that the Cardinals were signing him away from the Chicago Cubs, the rival team he had just helped to its first World Series title since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.Nor was it lost on the Cardinals as they began contemplating a multi-year, big-money commitment that finding an African-American star could have social benefits in their community. Their background check on Fowler only reinforced their feeling that he was the perfect man for the job, prompting them to offer him a five-year, $82.5 million deal, which he agreed to last week.One of the things we think was very important about Dexter Fowler besides the baseball side of what he brought to the Cardinals was his understanding of social issues, Mozeliak said. He is very active in understanding whats happening around him. Hes a very bright and intelligent person and doesnt shy away from whats happening in communities.Fowlers signing has already helped reinforce the sometimes rickety bridge between the team and St. Louis large African-American community. It was even greeted with a statement of gratitude from the local NAACP.Me and my friends look up to him as not only an athlete, but a black athlete. Not many athletes playing baseball are of African-American descent, said Tommy Woods, a junior infielder at McCluer North High School. Him being on the Cardinals is just a real inspiration. It helps us stay on top of what we have to and helps us realize theres a chance for us, and we can always keep striving.Woods double-play partner, Dexter Swims, agreed: Dexter Fowler gives us hope that its possible for us to make it that far.Woods and Swims live in North St. Louis County, within a seven-minute drive of the St. Louis airport. Steer just a tick east, and you arrive in Ferguson, a little town that became a flash point for racial tension after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Hundreds of students at McCluer North, many of whom live in Ferguson, protested by walking out of class with their hands raised, forcing a brief closure of the school.I went down there because I wanted to see where it happened, Swims said. It was kind of touching because the whole community came together, and they were hurt. It was sad to see so many people down and losing hope.Last year, just 8 percent of players on the Opening Day rosters of MLB teams were African-American, holding steady from 2012 but still the lowest it has been since the integration era. That decline is felt acutely in St. Louis, which has a large black population and one of baseballs most adoring fan cultures. The look of the team and the fans in its stadium often hasnt reflected the faces in the streets around the ballpark.The city of St. Louis, where Busch Stadium sits in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, is nearly 50 percent black, and the entire region of roughly 2.4 million people, is roughly 18 percent black. The Cardinals havent had a black All-Star in 19 years.Swims said he frequently hears from his black friends and fellow students that baseball is a white mans game. He counters by filling them in on the history of the sport and the transcendent way his favorite player, Jackie Robinson, changed the game with his bold dashes around the base paths. Both he and Woods have had contact from Division I baseball coaches and are hoping to receive scholarship offers. In that way, they could follow Robinsons lead. He starred at UCLA before finding fame with the Dodgers.For years, Swims father, also named Dexter, had him watch tapes of baseball from the 1980s and 1990s, when black participation was higher. In 1975, MLB was 27 percent African-American, a number that steadily declined for more than 20 years. At their family gatherings, people openly wondered when the Cardinals would sign or develop another black star. Jason Heyward played in St. Louis for one season but signed with the Cubs a year ago. Fowler could be the star theyve been waiting for.Its a lot to put on one player, particularly one who grew up not in St. Louis, but in Georgia. Fowler, however, sounds up to the task of embodying something more than his ability to catch a baseball or hit one. Before he signed with the Cardinals, he had a telephone conversation with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. A day later, at the press conference announcing his signing, he said the talk helped him feel more comfortable about making St. Louis his next baseball home, maybe his last. Fowler has previously played in Colorado, Houston and Chicago. He has a blanket no-trade clause.Just hearing the joy Ozzie had for the city, it definitely helped, Fowler said. You look at Lou Brock and some of these other guys, this is a good organization.Fowler, who is married to Darya Aliya Fowler, a woman of Iranian descent, said he would embrace helping build bridges between communities in and around St. Louis.I wouldnt say its forced. Its just something God has blessed me with, to be able to walk in a room and get along with everybody. My parents are the same way, Fowler said. Youve got to look past everything and realize everybody is themselves, and youve got to be humble about it.Smith would like to see the Cardinals with three or four prominent black players instead of one, but he understands the changing demographics within the game. Last season, reserve outfielder Tommy Pham was the teams lone black player until pitcher Jerome Williams arrived late in the season. The Cardinals had an otherwise diverse roster with players of Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, Colombian and South Korean descent.Its very important to have a player like Dexter. An organization has to start looking like its community, Smith said. If it doesnt look like its community, then when you look at the ballpark you dont see the community. Its got to be more inclusive. If you want more African-Americans at the ballpark, the imperative is to get African-American players. If you get them, and they go out and do their job every day and entertain people, youre probably going to get more people out at the ballpark. This is not rocket science.The heir to a team that Branch Rickey ran before he was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke baseballs color barrier by signing Robinson, Mozeliak is aware of the Cardinals place in the community.Four of the teams 10 all-time WAR leaders are black, and three of those players -- Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith -- are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The 1964 Cardinals, in particular, helped reinforce the idea of integration when, in the World Series, they upset the New York Yankees -- still largely segregated under GM George Weiss -- with a team dominated by stellar black players such as Gibson, Brock, Bill White and Curt Flood. The Cardinals appeared in three more World Series in the 1980s, again behind largely African-American talent such as Smith, Willie McGee, Lonnie Smith, George Hendrick and Vince Coleman.Dexter Fowler has such a unique opportunity to really kind of build on that legacy, and were so proud of the Cardinals, who made not only a great decision on a player, but also in continuing to diversify and to keep inclusion at the forefront of their operation, said John Gaskin, spokesman for the St. Louis County NAACP.The Cardinals seem quietly confident they got the right man. If theyre right, his absence will hurt the rival Cubs. Hell continue to get on base at a high rate and hit the occasional home run. Hell stabilize their outfield and unclog base paths that seemed lined with molasses when the Cardinals were running.If it works out as well as they hope, hell also look around and embrace his new neighbors. Hell make Busch Stadium look more like the blocks around it, and hell make the blocks around it feel more like theyre part of whats happening at Busch Stadium. Cheap Denver Broncos Jerseys . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Cheap Broncos Jerseys Authentic . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. http://www.cheapbroncosjerseysauthentic.com/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Cheap Broncos Jerseys . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Wholesale Broncos Jerseys . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. CLEMSON, S.C. -- Dabo Swinney has been on the right side of the Clemson-South Carolina matchup enough times to know how good things are when you win.Theres no question that theres a little different smiles on peoples faces when you show up, Swinney joked.Especially, if the fourth-ranked Tigers (10-1, No. 4 CFP) can win their third straight game against the revived Gamecocks (6-5) on Saturday night. A win moves Clemson a step closer to a second consecutive berth in the College Football Playoffs. A loss most likely leaves the Tigers on the outside of the four-team tournament and pondering all that couldve been.Its a huge game for all of us, Clemson tight end Jordan Leggett said.And maybe not as easy as it looked in midseason.South Carolina has found its stride behind freshman quarterback Jake Bentley, whos play has helped the Gamecocks win four of their past five games to qualify for a bowl in coach Will Muschamps first season.A Gamecocks win, the players know too well, would rank among the most consequential victories in series history.Receiver Deebo Samuel said the second-half run this season has South Carolina fired up for success.Were going out there with a little more energy trying to ruin their season, Samuel said.Clemson has played into that narrative at home too often this season. There have been way-too-close wins over Troy and North Carolina State at Death Valley. Two weeks ago, the Tigers were stung by Pittsburgh on a last-second field goal in a 43-42 defeat, their first home loss since 2013.Swinney and the Tigers have said all the right things since then, that they paid a price for comfort and complacency. The Gamecocks hope time hasnt run out to take advantage of Clemsons mistakes.Are our guys going to be excited about playing this game? Absolutely, because of the rivalry, because its Clemson, because theyve got a good football team, Muschamp said. Thats all great, but we need to be able to walk out in between the white lines and be motivated by our preparation.---Some other things to watch when No. 4 Clemson plays South Carolina:WATSONS FAREWELL: Clemson quarterback Deshauun Watson is expected to play in final game in Death Valley, the junior considered a pro prospect that will go high in next springs NFL draft.dddddddddddd Watson, though, has not discussed his future, saying that will come at a more appropriate time. Who knows whats going to happen, he said.BENTLEY BALL: South Carolina has a freshman quarterback in Jake Bentley making a big splash, sort of like Watson did as a freshman in this rivalry two years ago. In that game, Deshaun Watson accounted for four touchdowns in a 35-17 Tigers win, playing on a torn ACL. A healthy Bentley will be seeking to snap Clemsons two game rivalry win streak. Hes thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and six TDs in his five starts.FACING THE TIGERS: Will Muschamp played for Georgia from 1991-93, a stretch that included a 27-12 upset of eventual ACC champion Clemson. It was a big upset in Athens, Muschamp said with a smile. We didnt play them again until (1994) at our place. Or their place. Georgias place. Not our place anymore.DOWDLES SUCCESS: Tailback Rico Dowdle has been a big reason why South Carolinas offense has improved the second half of the season. Dowdle has run for 100 yards or more in three of the past four games, including 226 in a win over Western Carolina last week. For the Gamecocks to succeed, Dowdle will need to make yards against Clemsons defense, which has limited opponents to 129 yards rushing a game this season.SAME AS THE IRON BOWL: Dabo Swinney, the former Alabama receiver and assistant coach, said theres little difference between the Iron Bowl and Clemsons rivalry with South Carolina, other than Alabama and Auburn sharing the same SEC division. Swinney said Clemson and South Carolina have the same fire and passion for the game as in the state of Alabama. Youve got to choose, he said of fans in the state. Who are you pulling for because I need to know because its going to determine if we talk this week or ever again.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '