HOUSTON -- Six-time All-Star Lance Berkman is retiring after 15 seasons in the major leagues. Berkman almost left the game last off-season before signing with the Texas Rangers. He then had another injury-plagued season and was limited to 73 games. The 37-year-old Berkman was Houstons first-round draft pick in 1997 out of Rice, and played 12 seasons for the Astros. He played 1,879 career games, all but 287 for Houston, finishing a .293 career hitter with 366 home runs and 1,234 RBIs. "Lance was one of the greatest players in Astros history," his original team said in a release Wednesday night. The Astros said they hope to honour Berkman during the upcoming season and "give the fans the chance to recognize his outstanding career." He finished the 2010 season with the New York Yankees before two years in St. Louis, where he was part of the 2011 World Series champions. "Just physically Ive gotten to the point where I dont feel like I can compete at a level that Im used to competing at," Berkman told KRIV-TV of Houston. "I could probably still drag my carcass out there, but Im not interested in doing that. ... I dont want to hang on just to hang on." Berkman said he was excited about retiring. The Rangers declined their $12 million contract option for 2014 last October, which got Berkman a $1 million buyout. He hit .242 with six homers and 34 RBIs for the Rangers. He went on the disabled list July 7 with a left inflammation and a sore right knee, and played only five games after coming back the final month of the season. The six-time All-Star played only 32 games for St. Louis in 2012, when he dealt with a strained left calf and had two operations on his right knee. He hit .301 in 2011 for the Cardinals, who won the World Series that season over Texas. Berkman had said last winter that he had gone into that off-season feeling like he was going to retire then. But he responded to the Rangers, and made $10 million last season. Lucas Torreira Arsenal Jersey . The Argentine midfielder made the announcement himself on Twitter on Tuesday and posted a picture of his swollen left foot. His message said he would be out "at least three weeks. Hector Bellerin Jersey . Beanballs were the theme Friday night as the Red Sox and Rays had another AL East rumble, with Boston earning a 3-2 victory on A. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Auth...Arsenal-Jersey/. The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. Laurent Koscielny Arsenal Jersey . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Petr Cech Arsenal Jersey . Martin Reway and David Griger both recorded four points with a goal and three assists each. Mario Lunter, Daniel Gachulinec and Stanislav Horansky also scored for Slovakia (1-0). Dominik Kahun had both goals for Germany (0-2), who lost its opening match to Canada 7-2 on Thursday.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats begin a brief two-game homestand on Thursday, as they welcome the Colorado Buffaloes to the McKale Center for a Pac-12 matchup. Sean Millers Wildcats opened the season with 12 straight wins, but have since split their last four games. The team closed out non-conference play with a loss to UNLV (71-67), but then began Pac-12 play with back-to-back wins over Arizona State (73-49) and Oregon (80-62), before faltering last weekend at Oregon State (58-56). Tad Boyles Buffaloes are three games over .500 on the season at 9-6 and are also sporting a 2-1 mark in conference play. Colorado will be playing against its second straight Top-25 foe after getting routed by Utah last week on the road, 74-49. This marks the 23rd all-time meeting between these two teams, with the series all knotted up at 11-11. However, Arizona has won four straight matchups with Colorado, including a three-game sweep a year ago. It wasnt a very encouraging outing against Utah last time out for Colorado, as the Buffaloes shot just .395 from the floor in the game and turned the ball over a whopping 18 times, resulting in 28 points for the Utes. Askia Booker and Jaron Hopkins led the way offensively for the Buffaloes in defeat, posting 12 points apiece. The Buffaloes dont usually put up gaudy offensive numbers, but they have been much more efficient this season overall, coming into this bout shooting a solid .451 from the floor. CU does hold a +4.7 rebounding margin, but has struggled with taking care of the basketball, aaveraging 13.dddddddddddd.3 turnovers per game a sporting a -2.0 turnover margin as a result. Offensively, the Buffs employ a three-pronged attack, starting with Bookers 15.5 ppg. Josh Scott is the top playmaker in the frontcourt for Colorado, as the 6-10 junior is shooting .539 from the floor, while averaging 13.8 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game. Xavier Johnson rounds out the potent trio with his 12.8 ppg. The Wildcats enter this game off one of their worst performances in recent memory, as the team simply couldnt find its rhythm at either end of the floor against the Beavers. Arizona shot a dismal .378 from the field overall and allowed OSU to shoot a scorching .513 from the floor in the two-point loss in Corvallis. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the team in defeat with 14 points. T.J. McConnell added 13 points and dished out six assists, but there was very little help elsewhere on the roster. The Oregon State game may just be an anomaly for Arizona, which has prided itself on strong team play at both ends of the court this season. The Wildcats are shooting a hefty .493 from the floor on the year and putting up 75.1 ppg, while limiting foes to just 59.6 ppg on .393 shooting. Freshman Stanley Johnson, who netted just seven points last time out, is still tops on the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg. Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley arent far behind in the scoring column at 11.6 and 11.3 ppg, respectively. Other key contributors include Gabe York (9.2 ppg) and McConnell (8.8 ppg), who ranks 10th nationally in assists (5.9 apg). ' ' '