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/dougfeinberg Cheap Retro Jordans For Sale . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Cheap Jordans From China . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. http://www.cheapjordanfromchina.com/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Cheap Jordan China Wholesale . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. PHILADELPHIA -- Maikel Franco and his Philadelphia teammates didnt like the way the Rockies responded to his home run.Franco hit a three-run homer, then later was in the middle of a testy exchange that led to the benches clearing and a pair of ejections as the Phillies beat Colorado 6-3 Saturday night.On a hot, humid evening with a gametime temperature of 93 degrees and a heat index of 105, tempers flared in the fourth inning.Rockies starter Tyler Anderson plunked Franco on the knee with his first pitch. Franco, who homered in his previous at-bat, stayed at home plate and stared out at Anderson while players from both teams barked at each other.Anderson moved toward Franco and appeared to tell him to go to first base and that he didnt hit him on purpose.Asked if he was mad, Franco said, A little bit because I wasnt expecting the ball coming.No punches were thrown, but both Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected by plate umpire Eric Cooper. Anderson had to be restrained while walking angrily back to the dugout with shouts directed toward Cooper.Crew chief Gary Cederstrom told a pool reporter that Cooper ejected Anderson without any prior warnings because the umpire felt the pitcher intentionally threw at Franco.I dont know whether he hit him on purpose or not, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. It kind of looked like it. Im not going to argue with the umpire.Both Weiss and Anderson said the pitcher merely was trying to pitch inside.It doesnt look good, but he definitely wasnt trying to hit him, Weiss said. We dont operate that way.Said Anderson: He was just on the plate a little more than he was last time, so we wanted to go in and try to open up the outer half a little more, which is part of pitching.Philadelphia had two batters hit by pitches, the Rockies got hit once. Although Cederstrom said warnings were issued to both teams following the ejections, nothing came of the subsequent two hit batters.Was there was any correlation between the hit batsman?None whatsoever, Weiss said.Cesar Hernandez had two hits while extending his on-base streak to 20 straight games for the Phillies, who won their third straight.Daniel Descalso and Tony Wolters homered for Colorado, which has lost six of seven. Carlos Gonzalez extended his major league-leading hitting streak to 19 games.Jerad Eickhofff (8-12) won despite giving up three runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.ddddddddddddFranco hit his 21st homer, stopping an 0-for-10 rut by connecting off Anderson (4-4).Freddy Galvis singled home Franco in the fourth to make it a four-run advantage.The Rockies climbed back in the sixth when Descalsos two-run shot and Wolters solo homer pulled them within 4-3.30 FOR GOMEZJeanmar Gomez pitched a scoreless ninth, stranding two runners, for his 30th save in 33 opportunities.Its very impressive in the respect he was the last choice to be our closer, Mackanin said. We gave everybody an opportunity. He stayed with it and did a good job. He stays poised on the mound. Hes such a great guy and hes been extremely valuable for us. Its been a good year for him.NEW STREAKDavid Dahl doubled twice for the Rockies. He was hitless Friday night, stopping his major league-tying 17-game hitting streak to start a career.QUICK NIGHTAndersons outing was the shortest of the 26-year-olds career and snapped a string of eight straight starts with at least six innings.Its just frustrating because your job as a starting pitcher is to give us a chance, and I obviously didnt do that today, Anderson said. Three innings and then putting a big, heavy weight on the bullpens shoulders because of that. Its really disappointing.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: Gonzalez (left ankle sprain) made his first start since Monday.Phillies: RHP Jeremy Hellicksons start scheduled for Wednesday has been pushed back tentatively to Saturday. Hellickson left his last start Wednesday at Los Angeles with back spasms. He will be further evaluated before his next start is finalized. ... RHP Zach Eflin is likely done for the season, manager Pete Mackanin said, after an MRI revealed a stress fracture in his right foot. Eflin was placed on the DL on Monday due to patellar tendinopathy in his knees. ... Mackanin also expects INF Andres Blanco (fractured left index finger), on the DL since July 25, to return the first week of September.UP NEXTThe teams complete the three-game series Sunday when Phillies LHP Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65) faces RHP Tyler Chatwood (10-7, 3.58). Morgan is begin recalled from Triple-A to fill Eflins spot in the rotation. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '