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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Todd Richards took over the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets in January after the firing of coach Scott Arniel, he was also interviewing for the job. Maurice Jones-Drew Youth Jersey . "Todd had a three-month interview," Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said. "He passed it with flying colours." The Blue Jackets announced Monday that they were removing the word "interim" from Richards job title and had offered him a two-year contract to continue what he started in an upbeat second half of the 2011-12 season. Richards led Columbus for the final 41 games after being elevated from assistant coach, going 18-21-2. He had hesitated when the interim job was first offered to him. "It did seem at that stage an overwhelming task," he said. But after the Blue Jackets turned things around a bit, he is now enthused and optimistic about the franchises future. Columbus still finished with the NHLs worst record at 29-46-7. "I dont think there was a lot of trust built up in our players from one to another," he said of the awful 11-25-5 record under Arniel. "We started to build up that trust. We started to play more as a group, started to play more as a team. Thats why Im excited. Despite losing guys to trade or injuries -- we had kind of a makeshift group -- we had some young guys and a lot of guys up from the American (Hockey) League and we were finding ways to compete and win games." Richards went 77-71-16 in two seasons in Minnesota before being fired last year. He then joined Columbus as an assistant. The Blue Jackets played their best hockey at the end of the season, going 16-14-1 in their final 31 games, with wins in seven of their last 11. The club was just 9-6-2 with a lead after two periods under Arniel but was 14-0-0 when ahead going into the third period under Richards. Howson and senior adviser of hockey operations Craig Patrick spoke directly or indirectly with about 10 people interested in the job after the season. "We looked at available head-coaching candidates and those we thought might become available, and we kept coming back to Todd as the right person to lead our team," Howson said. "He took over our team under very difficult circumstances and then we kept losing players, either through injury or by trade -- and our team kept getting better." Patrick said Richards held up under intense scrutiny. "Todd has developed into an excellent NHL coach," he said. "I watched him closely on the bench, in practice, on the ice, off the ice, on the road, in the locker room and with his staff and I was very, very impressed with the way he handled all aspects of that." Richards served as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks in 2008-09, helping the club capture the Presidents Trophy with an NHL-best 53-18-11 record. He faces a daunting task with a team that could be facing a transitional period. Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash has requested a trade and the club will try to meet that demand. Howson declined to discuss whether he was still shopping Nash. "We are going to do everything we can to improve our team. Thats our goal in the off-season," he said. "Im not going to comment on specific players or speculation but were going to move every possible stone to try to get better next year." Forward R.J. Umberger said the retention of Richards adds a significant bit of continuity to a franchise that is badly in need of it. "Its good that we are going into training camp with a sense of knowing what to expect and him knowing what to expect out of us. Its not a new coach, where wed have to start fresh," he said. "Were ahead of the game from where we would have been if a new coach came in. The only thing positive out of last season is we kind of got that out of the way last year and now were ready to roll with Todd as our building block." Blaine Gabbert Jersey . Not surprisingly, they didnt recover. RedHawks centrefielder Nic Jackson had a double, a home run and five runs batted in while third baseman Ryan Stovall had two singles, a home and three RBI, as the RedHawks pounded eight Goldeyes pitchers for 16 runs on 13 hits (along with nine walks) as the ‘Hawks won their third straight from the Fish and took the four-game series in Winnipeg, three-games-to-one. Blaine Gabbert Womens Jersey .C. -- Admirers of Sarah Burke gathered in Whistler, B. http://www.shopthejacksonvillejaguars.com/justin-blackmon-jerseys . Thomas claimed the gold medal in the womens 200-metre butterfly in two minutes 12.59 seconds, followed by Brenna MacLean of West Vancouver, B.C., at 2:13.88 and Winnipegs Breanna Siwicki at 2:15. Justin Blackmon Womens Jersey . The Frenchman rebounded from a mediocre first round to reach five-under 139, and established a one-stroke lead over four players. Simon Dyson (69), Matteo Manassero (70), Robert Rock (72) and Jorge Campillo (72) share second place at minus-four. Justin Blackmon Jersey . The union claims NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesnt have the authority to hand out discipline for player conduct that occurred before the current collective bargaining agreement was finalized last August. ATLANTA -- Ben Sheets is ready to return to the majors for the first time in two years. Capping a long comeback from elbow surgery, the former Milwaukee ace will start for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday against the New York Mets. "Everythings working," Sheets said Thursday. "Everythings feeling great. Ive been throwing the ball good. Keep making good pitches, youll get outs." Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez liked what he saw from Sheets during a bullpen session before Atlantas off-day workout at Turner Field. "I wasnt watching anything other than that he felt good and all of a sudden, Oh, my shoulders sore or my arms sore," Gonzalez said. "But he was fine and threw some pretty good curveballs." The Braves will make a roster move before Sheets first big league start since he and the Oakland Athletics lost 2-1 to Boston on July 19, 2010. After that start, Sheets landed on the disabled list for the seventh time in his career, undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and torn elbow ligament. Atlanta signed Sheets, who turns 34 next Wednesday, to a minor league contract on July 1. He made two starts for Double-A Mississippi, going 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in 10 2-3 innings. In eight seasons with Milwaukee and one with Oakland, the right-hander is 90-92 with a 3.79 ERA in 241 career starts. Gonzalez hopes Sheets can go five innings Sunday, but does not want him to surpass about 88 pitches. "Hes really, really pumped up about pitching again," Gonzalez said. "You dont always get a second chance, and I think him two years of not pitching and then getting a little taste of it, I think is going to be good."t; Sheets expects to feel some anxiety before making his Atlanta debut. Maurice Jones-Drew Jersey. "Its always nerves, man," he said. "Its always going to be nerves no matter where youre coming from or where youve been." The Braves rotation has been in flux since Brandon Beachy tore a ligament in his right elbow and underwent season-ending surgery on June 25. Jair Jurrjens is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA since returning from a demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, but Randall Delgado and Mike Minor have struggled with inconsistency. Tim Hudson, who pitches opposite Mets right-hander Chris Young on Friday night, has had two cortisone shots to relieve the pain from bone spurs in his left ankle. His second shot was July 6 after his 5-0 win at Philadelphia. "I feel really good about it," Hudson said. "It feels better than it has since this whole process started with my ankle. Its pretty close to 100 per cent. Ive just got to stay on top of it and keep it that way." Gonzalez said general manager Frank Wren continues to look for ways to improve the club, which is four games behind first-place Washington in the NL East, a half-game ahead of the Mets. Atlanta lost rookie shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a broken right little finger in Sundays 4-3 victory at Philadelphia. Gonzalez indicated that Jack Wilson will start in Simmons place on Friday, but the Braves might call up rookie Tyler Pastornicky from Triple-A Gwinnett, too. Pastornicky hit .248 with a homer and 12 RBIs in 45 games with the Braves early this season, but his seven errors convinced Atlanta to demote him and call up Simmons on June 1. ' ' '