up their level of play, and we just kind of started to play into their hands. We didnt elevate our game.Columbus is trying t

DETROIT -- The Detroit Pistons are ready to move downtown -- into what is already being billed as one of the most unique sports neighborhoods in the nation.The Pistons formally announced plans Tuesday to move into Little Caesars Arena next season and share that new venue with the Detroit Red Wings, a relocation that would put all four of the citys major sports teams within a few blocks of each other. The arena is being built in the same part of downtown where the Tigers and Lions host their games at Comerica Park and Ford Field, respectively.Tuesdays news conference was held in a room at Cass Tech High School that had a view of all three of those nearby sports venues.This is the only city now with all four teams in the downtown area, Mayor Mike Duggan said. You can walk within 10 minutes to all of them. You can go around the country, and there are cities where all four teams are somewhere in the border of their city. In Denver, theyve got basketball and hockey and baseball downtown, and the Broncos play a mile outside.Duggan said after moving downtown next season, the Pistons will have their headquarters and a practice facility in the city by 2018.Duggan called the agreement for the Pistons to move preliminary and said final agreements would likely be approved early next year by Detroits Downtown Development Authority, the Michigan Strategic Fund and the Detroit City Council. The agreement calls for a contribution of $34.5 million from the DDA to cover modifications to the new arena to accommodate an NBA team.Duggan said by law, those funds can only be used for infrastructure and economic development downtown.These funds have to be spent on economic development purposes in this region, and we couldnt think of anything more important than bringing the Pistons back home, he said.Michael LaFaive of the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy was critical of the plan, saying taxpayers shouldnt be put in a position to back business ventures of private entrepreneurs.Let entrepreneurs risk their own resources and flourish or flounder on their own accord, he said in an email.Duggan and Pistons owner Tom Gores were at the news conference, along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Ilitch Holdings President and CEO Christopher Ilitch. The Red Wings are owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch, and Gores said the opportunity to partner with them played a big role in the decision to move.I thought this would be a great partnership, and I would tell you, if I didnt feel it, then we have a home, and we wouldve stayed there, Gores said. But theres a bigger picture here.The Red Wings are in their final season at Joe Louis Arena before the NHL team moves to Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons have played at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1988 and were at the Pontiac Silverdome for a decade before that.The Pistons were downtown when they called Cobo Arena home from 1961-78 before heading to Pontiac and then Auburn Hills. The Palace is about 30 miles from downtown Detroit.Watching our city decline over the years has been difficult, but emotionally, the most painful experiences were when our sports franchises either left town or tried to leave town, Duggan said.The Lions also played at the Silverdome before moving to Ford Field in 2002. Now, the Pistons are eager to make the same move to downtown Detroit.Weve seen these trends of our teams moving really from suburban areas outside of urban areas, back into downtown areas, Silver said. Little Caesars Arena is just another fantastic example of that trend.The Pistons move is subject to NBA approval and is expected to be presented to the board of governors sometime after Jan. 1.The Palace was built with private funds by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons before his death in 2009. The team has won three championships in Auburn Hills, although the atmosphere slipped in recent years as the Pistons went through a rough stretch.Detroit returned to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009.Gores bought the Pistons from Karen Davidson in 2011, and by that point, the team had become a suburban outlier, with the Lions having moved downtown to play alongside the Ilitch-owned Tigers and Red Wings.Now, Gores is joining forces with the Ilitches and moving his team into that same area.This community is getting the world-class sports and entertainment district it deserves, Christopher Ilitch said. A perfect addition to a city in the midst of an incredible and historic transformation.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtristerAir Force 1 Basse Homme . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Air Force 1 Low Utility Pas Cher . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http://www.siteairforce1pascher.fr/air-force-1-just-do-it-soldes/blanche.html . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Nike Air Force 1 low France . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Air Force 1 Soldes . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark".COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Brad Marchand made sure the loss of star center Patrice Bergeron to an injury this week wasnt as painful as it could have been for the Boston Bruins.Brad Marchand had two goals and three assists to match his career high with five points and the Bruins overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.David Pastrnak had two goals and two assists, David Backes also scored twice and had an assist, and Tuukka Rask made 28 saves.I think the big thing about tonight we have to take away is the character we showed, Marchand said. Its a lot of fun when you come back from 2-0 deficit and win.Backes, shifting to the first-line center position to cover for Bergeron, scored both of his goals in a 3:36 span of in the second period to tie it at 3.Bergeron is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He didnt make the trip to Columbus.Backes steal in the third period led to a breakaway and Marchands put-back goal , and Marchands shot by goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made it 5-3 with 4:20 left. Pastrnak tapped in an empty-net goal in the last minute to complete the scoring.I felt our team played well even in the first period, and it was just a matter of getting ourselves back in the game and cleaning up some of those little issues that we had, and we did that, Boston coach Claude Julien said. I think we showed some resiliency, I think we showed some character and it was nice to see some guys step up here and find a way to win a hockey game.Rask didnt allow another puck past him after Seth Jones goal from the slot 6:44 into the second period.ddddddddddddAlexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson also scored for Columbus.The Jackets scored with their first shot on goal 2:58 into the game by Wennberg . Atkinson made it 2-0 with a power-play goal with 2:52 left in the first period.We had a great start, and I think we just got uncomfortable, Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. They picked up their level of play, and we just kind of started to play into their hands. We didnt elevate our game.Columbus is trying to avoid last seasons disastrous start in which it lost the first eight games. Coach Todd Richards lost his job after the first seven games, and John Tortorella was brought in but couldnt right the ship. After the first period Thursday, it looked as if last years Blue Jackets were back.Tentative, sloppy, you can use a lot of different words, Tortorella said. I dont have an answer for you. Obviously we have to find it.Game notesTwelve players of the 23 on the Blue Jackets roster are age 23 or younger. Rookie defenseman Zach Werenski is just 19. Hes playing on the No. 1 line with the 22-year-old Jones.UP NEXT:Bruins: Travel to Toronto to play the Maples Leafs Saturday night.Blue Jackets: Stay home for a Saturday night game against San Jose.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '