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ST. LOUIS -- If Matt Hollidays return on Friday night was his final appearance with the St. Louis Cardinals, he made it one to remember.Holliday connected for his first career pinch-hit homer after he was activated from the disabled list before the series opener against Pittsburgh, giving the veteran outfielder an opportunity to get back on the field with his future in St. Louis in doubt.Holliday, who broke his left thumb when he was hit by a pitch Aug. 11, asked the club to activate him Friday to make what could be his farewell appearance in a Cardinals uniform. The Cardinals are not planning to pick up their $17 million option on his contract for 2017.Matt had reached out to me earlier in the week to have an understanding of what were going to do with his option. I told him the probability of us picking it up is low, general manager John Mozeliak said.Its been seven and a half great seasons, Matt has been an amazing teammate and weve had a lot of success. He is grateful for being a part of the Cardinals the past 7 1/2 years and he wants to express his thank you to the fans.Holliday appeared to wipe away tears when he received a standing ovation before stepping into the batters box in the seventh inning of St. Louis 7-0 victory. After he drove an 0-2 fastball into the right-field bullpen, the crowd at Busch Stadium gave him another standing ovation that brought Holliday to the top of the dugout steps for a curtain call.Holliday signed a $120 million, seven-year contract after the 2010 season that remains the largest in Cardinals history. If the team declines to exercise his option, he would receive a $1 million buyout.While Im disappointed this could be it here in St. Louis, I understand that it might be time to move on, Holliday said in a statement. It has been an honor to play in front of such great fans and for such a historic organization. I can honestly say it has been a dream come true.Holliday helped St. Louis win the 2011 World Series, the 2013 National League pennant and reach the playoffs the past five seasons.He was hitting .242 with 19 home runs this season before he got hurt. Mozeliak did not rule out the possibility of negotiating a new deal with Holliday after the season.Saying there is no chance that hes coming back, Im not prepared to do that, Mozeliak said. We havent had our offseason meetings. We have an understanding of what we want to see happen but those kinds of conversations are done at seasons end.The Cardinals entered Fridays game against Pittsburgh trailing the San Francisco Giants by one game for the National Leagues second wild card.Matheny also said right-hander Michael Wacha would start Saturday against Pittsburgh. Kurt Warner White Jersey . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Arizona Cardinals Gear Cheap . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. http://www.arizonacardinalsshoponline.com/chandler-jones-cardinals-jersey.html . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jordan Hicks Jersey Cardinals . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Budda Baker Jersey Cardinals . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. MANCHESTER, England -- With his headteacher aura and astute offseason recruitment, Ronald Koeman is making an immediate impact at Everton and getting the best out of the clubs strongest squad in a generation.It might be time for the blue half of Merseyside to start dreaming again, three decades after its trophy-laden heyday.Koeman, a highly respected ex-Netherlands and Barcelona defender, was lured from Southampton in June and has guided Everton to its best five-game start to a league campaign in 38 years. With a draw and four consecutive wins, Everton is in second place, behind Manchester City, in the English Premier League standings going into a game at 17th-place Bournemouth on Saturday.English football is already looking for the next team to do a Leicester and rise from nowhere to win the Premier League. Maybe its Evertons turn, although Koeman has warned against any comparisons with the current champions.Normally, we cant win the title. I think what Leicester did last season was an exception, Koeman said. I am realistic. If I tell you we will fight for the title, I think most people will say, `That man is crazy.That winning the title is even in the conversation around Goodison Park is testament to work being done by Koeman, who appears to be at a club going places after its disappointing 11th-place finish last season.Ambition has soared at Everton since Iranian-British businessman Farhad Moshiri became its majority shareholder in February. With greater financial power under Moshiri, Everton spent around $50 million on explosive winger Yannick Bolasie and Wales captain Ashley Williams in August, and almost broke its club record to sign Moussa Sissoko on deadline day before the France midfielder had a late change of heart and joined Tottenham.To top it all off, Koeman looks to be the real deal after replacing Roberto Martinez, fired in May after running out of ideas and patience among fans after three years in charge.Standards have suddenly risen at Everton. While the relaxed Martinez used overstatements and cringeworthy hyperbole to laud underperforming players, Koeman has no issue in calling out players whose level drops. Rising star Ross Barkley was substituted at halftime in one match this season, for example.Yes, there is a fear, definitely, Everton captain Phil Jagielka said. It is like being back at school with a new headteacher who is trying to be a little bit stricter.Gareth Barry, Evertons 35-year-old midfielder, has oopened up about the difference between the Martinez and Koeman regimes.ddddddddddddThe standards of the players were, for me, slightly slipping last season, on and off the pitch, Barry said. It was things like time-keeping, dress codes, training, everything really.The confidence and everything had gone.Now its back.Everton has beaten West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Sunderland and Middlesbrough after opening with a draw against Tottenham, and the team looks stronger in every department. A leaky defense seems tighter with the presence of Williams at center back and energetic midfielder Idrissa Gueye -- another summer signing -- just in front, while Romelu Lukaku has returned to form with four goals in his last two games and, when at his best, is among the Premier Leagues most dangerous and prolific strikers.The heavyweight teams lie in wait for Koemans side -- first-place Manchester City hosts Everton on Oct. 15, the first weekend after the upcoming break for internationals -- but suddenly theres a buzz around one of Englands most established top-flight clubs.Before Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in 1986, Everton had been English champions more often than Manchester United, winning eight titles to Uniteds seven, and was the countrys major power alongside Merseyside rival Liverpool.Theres been no silverware since the fifth of Evertons FA Cup titles in 1995, but that may be about to change under Koeman.Here are some other things to look out for this weekend:---PERFECT CITYSwansea is getting a second opportunity to end Manchester Citys perfect start to the season.City made it nine wins from nine matches in all competitions by beating Swansea 2-1 in the English League Cup on Wednesday, and the teams meet again in Wales on Saturday, this time in the league.It will only get harder for the Swans: Sergio Aguero is available again after a three-game domestic suspension.---JANSSENS CHANCEIts time for Vincent Janssen to prove theres life after Harry Kane at Tottenham.With Kane potentially out for two months with an ankle injury, Janssen should get an extended run with the team for the first time since his offseason move from AZ Alkmaar.The Netherlands international scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 5-0 win over Gillingham in the League Cup on Wednesday and will lead the line at Middlesbrough on Saturday. 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