NEW YORK -- Michael Sam was picked by the St. Discount Pistons Jerseys . Louis Rams in the seventh round of the NFL draft Saturday, becoming the first openly gay player drafted by a pro football team. Sam played at Missouri, and came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best season of his career: He was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, including a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day came and went, no Sam. Then the second, and the third, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake -- and another kiss. Sam will start his professional career not far from the place where he played his college ball, with three former Missouri teammates. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted. He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and McGill University in Canada were selected before Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL -- coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports -- was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. Authentic Pistons Jerseys . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger that the team is quietly gauging interest on the Senators captain, though Spezza has a limited no-trade clause and carries a large contract. Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey .com) - Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with just 12. http://www.cheappistonsjerseyschina.com/ . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.SEATTLE -- If they are healthy, the Seattle Mariners believe they may have lured Corey Hart at a bargain rate and given up little to get Logan Morrison. Health will be the biggest question for both. On Friday, after the Mariners finalized their one-year deal with Hart and the trade with Miami to acquire Morrison, they both said they were ready for a full season after knee troubles in the past. Seattle capped a hectic two days of activity after both players passed physicals on Friday. Morrison was acquired for right-handed reliever Carter Capps from the Marlins, while Hart signed an incentive-laden $6 million, one-year deal that could be worth up to $10.65 million if hes healthy and has 650 plate appearances. The moves came a day after Seattles big splash when it completed the $240 million, 10-year deal with free agent second baseman Robinson Cano. "You look at the ball clubs and you want to go to a place thats kind of headed in the right direction and with them signing (Cano) I saw the organization is definitely moving forward," Hart said. Harts decision to come to Seattle was partly due to a longstanding relationship with Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, who was part of the Milwaukee front office that draft Hart. That familiarity helped seal Harts decision, as did little factors like spring training in Arizona and the opportunity to give his body a rest but stay in the lineup being used as a designated hitter. The ability to get a break occasionally and still DH was important for both players. "It does give you some versatility. For both players now being in the American League where we have the DH is going to help both guys," Zduriencik said. "Between right field, first base, designated hitter and a chance to get them off the field a little bit and get a break is going to help both guys. If Hart can stay healthy, getting the two-time All-Star for one season on a relatively inexpensive deal could be a significant coup for the Mariners, who have made adding offence a top priority this off-season. It started with Canos deal continued by adding a neeeded right-handed bat in Hart that can provide protection in the lineup. Cheap Pistons Jerseys. Hart did not play in 2013 because of a right knee surgery in January 2013 after a meniscus tear and joint damage was discovered. It was his second knee surgery in a year after having his right knee operated on before the start of the 2012 season to repair damaged cartilage. His last season in 2012 was one of the best in his career. Hart hit .270 with 30 homers and 83 RBIs with Milwaukee. Hart also had 35 doubles in 2012 and posted an on-base plus slugging percentage of above .800 from 2010 through 2012. Hart was cleared for full activity about two weeks ago, he said, but had been working out at nearly full capacity for about six weeks. Hes lost weight and feels he could play in the outfield about five days a week without issue. Seattle sent scouts to watch Harts workouts in Arizona before making the offer. Morrison also fits Seattles need of having the versatility to play a few different positions and be an option at first base. He has not been able to match the power he showed during the 2011 season when he slugged 23 homers and had 72 RBIs for the Marlins, slowed by injuries. He had right knee surgery in September 2012 and missed the first two months of the 2013 season. He played 85 games last season for Miami and nearly all of them at first base in the field. "We really havent seen a productive LoMo since the 2011 season. Theres still a ton of potential there with LoMo," Marlins president of baseball operations Mike Hill said. Morrison said its been two seasons since he had a full spring training and expects thats where the position decisions will be figured out. He also showed off a bit of his personality that has drawn him more than 100,000 Twitter followers, joking about being willing to play centre field if needed and having to do workouts rehabbing that were more for older people than a 26-year-old baseball player. "Im so excited to be here now and getting a fresh lease on my baseball life, its a pretty cool feeling," Morrison said. "I wish the season started now." Cheap Cowboys Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Cheap Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Cheap Vikings Jerseys ' ' '