NEW YORK, N.Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner. "From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now." Sam 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 year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam. Then the fifth and sixth, 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. "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, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The six-foot-two, 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 Canadas McGill University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round, 200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of 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 NFL had no comment on Sam being drafted. 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. "Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his family and for the NFL," Collins said. 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. But all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy." Shoes NZ Nike . Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. Cheap Shoes NZ . LOUIS - Two-thirds of the St. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/. Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September. Shoes NZ Online . After Mondays comments by Coach Claude Noel that its work first and skill second, and that more “A” games are needed, the Jets responded with a 47-shot effort. If not for terrific goaltending by Braden Holtby the Jets would have had two points in regulation. Shoes NZ From China . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. WASHINGTON -- Thanks to their pitching, the San Diego Padres have hovered around the .500 mark despite having the second-lowest batting average in the National League. On Friday night, their hurlers didnt give them a chance. Three San Diego pitchers surrendered 17 hits as the Washington Nationals clubbed the Padres 11-1. "I think tonight was a function of three (young) pitchers not commanding their fastball," manager Bud Black said. "Youve got to command your fastball in this league and if you dont, major league hitters are going to have you pay." San Diegos Robbie Erlin (1-3) was the primary victim, allowing eight runs and 13 hits over 5 1-3 innings. He struck out three and walked two. "Everything was elevated and I worked behind most of the night," Erlin said, "so put those two together, kind of put me in some holes and let runners on and they got a few big hits." Rookies Kevin Quackenbush, in his major league debut, and Donn Roach allowed three runs in 2 2-3 innings of relief. Everth Cabrera had three hits for the Padres. Bryce Harper drove in a career-high four runs before leaving the game with a jammed thumb, and Stephen Strasburg pitched seven scoreless innings for the Nationals. Harper drove in a run with an infield single in the first and had a bases-loaded triple in the third. Following his headfirst dive into third base on the triple, Harper flexed his left wrist. "I slid into the bag and I caught it a little bit," he said of his thumb. "Went into the dugout, swung a couple in the cage, felt fine. Went out to the outfield, it swelled up a little bit. So (up 6-0) I thought we were in a good spot, and (manager) Matt (Williams) did too, so I got in and got some treatment on it." He was replaced in left field by Nate McLouth to start the fifth inning. Williams said X-rays were negative and Harper would be re-evaluated Saturday. Strasburg (2-2) allowed seven hits and wallked two, but struck out 11.dddddddddddd He lowered his ERA from 5.33 to 4.24. One night after Washington went 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position in a 4-3 12-inning loss, the Nationals bounced back by going 7 for 17, including 5 for 7 over the first three innings as they built a 6-0 lead. Harper, who came in with five RBIs in his first 21 games, nearly doubled that. With runners on first and second and two outs in the first, Ian Desmond lined Erlins first pitch to right-centre for a double, scoring Anthony Rendon. Harper followed with an infield single up the middle to make it 2-0. In the third, with one out and the bases loaded, Harper drilled a 3-2 pitch off the wall in right. Three runners scored and Harper, under increased scrutiny since his benching last Saturday for not running out a grounder to the pitcher, was looking triple all the way and slid in ahead of the relay. He scored on a single by Jose Lobaton to make it 6-0. In two career starts against Washington, Erlin has allowed 17 runs in 9 1-3 innings. Pitching against his hometown team, Strasburg allowed at least one baserunner in six of his seven innings, but the Padres couldnt get a timely hit. With the bases loaded and two outs in the third, Yonder Alonso flied to left. In the fourth, the Padres had first and second with one out, but Xavier Nady struck out and, on the pitch, Lobaton caught Nick Hundley roaming too far off first. NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 57 minutes by rain. ... The Padres placed 3B Chase Headley (right calf strain) on the 15-day disabled list and optioned INF/OF Tommy Medica to Triple-A El Paso. They promoted INF Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and Quackenbush from their top minor league team. Peterson made his major league debut as well and collected his first hit, a single off Strasburg in the seventh. ... San Diegos Andrew Cashner (2-2, 2.10) opposes Tanner Roark (1-0, 3.80) on Saturday. ' ' '