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PITTSBURGH -- The chip is still there, Lance Moore insists, just as weighty and sharp as ever. Eight years in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring have done little to make the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver forget his modest roots. He can still rattle off the name of the players who beat him out for a job with the Cleveland Browns during his first training camp nearly a decade ago even though he was a long-shot undrafted free agent at the time. Most of them are long gone. Not Moore. Hes still around, still trying to prove himself, still nervous he could find himself out of a job at any minute. "I dont know if I ever really let myself get comfortable," Moore said. Even if Moore spent eight productive seasons helping Drew Brees and Sean Payton turn the New Orleans Saints into one of the NFLs most consistent winners. On a team of undersized and underappreciated talent, the 5-foot-9 Moore found a home. He caught 38 touchdown passes in 101 games with New Orleans, morphing from special teams ace to indispensable red zone target. Until, of course, the math got in the way. A hand injury limited Moore to just 37 receptions and two scores in 2013. Knowing he was owed $3.8 million in 2014, Moore wasnt surprised when the Saints cut him loose this spring. "Thats how it goes in this game," Moore said. "A lot of teams are trying to get younger and cheaper at the same time." Moore turns 31 in August. He understands hes well into the second half of an NFL journey that is already longer than he ever anticipated. Yet there is something about the opportunity with the Steelers that intrigues him. Maybe its because playing slot receiver in Pittsburgh is like discovering the NFLs fountain of youth. Hines Ward was effective well into the final days of his 14-year career before retiring in 2012. He was replaced by Jerricho Cotchery, who scored a remarkable 10 touchdowns for the Steelers in 2013 at age 31. Cotchery turned all those scores into a lucrative contract with Carolina. Enter Moore, who lacks Cotcherys size and Wards tenacious blocking skills but makes up for it with what he describes as "football savvy." "Ive been little for a long time," Moore said. "I am not getting any bigger. I am 30 years old. I am happy in this body. I feel like I have made a lot of plays and will continue to do that." Its exactly what the Steelers had in mind when they signed Moore to a two-year deal in March, an agreement that came with more than a little help from backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who spent four years rooming with Moore when the two played at Toledo. Gradkowski started calling Pittsburgh coaches about Moore the second his good friend was released by New Orleans. It didnt take long for something to get done. Moore wasnt about to sit around and wait for a more lucrative offer than the one that will pay him a total of $3 million if he makes it through the 2015 season. "You look at this franchise, what it stands for and you know theyre about winning," Moore said. "You get a chance to play with somebody like (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) and you dont turn it down." It hasnt taken long for Moore to win over Roethlisberger, who called his newest target "a pro" who hasnt needed much time to pick up the nuances of an offence that is reshaping itself, particularly at wide receiver. Pro Bowler Antonio Brown is the units unquestioned leader, but the departure of Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders a year after Mike Wallace bolted for Miami has spearheaded a youth movement. The list of players jockeying for position with Moore include second-year players Justin Brown and Markus Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant. Moore admits its a little weird being the old guy in meeting rooms. Hes nearly five years Browns senior and will be one of only three players in their 30s among Pittsburghs offensive regulars, joining Roethlisberger and tight end Heath Miller. It could be worse. Moore couldnt be here at all. If this is the beginning of the end, hell take it. Hes close to his boyhood home in Ohio on a team expecting to win after a pair of mediocre 8-8 seasons. His new team expects to play a lot like its new wide receiver: with a chip that likely wont go away anytime soon. "Youve got to keep that," Moore said. "In this league, that can make the difference." Hakeem Olajuwon Rockets Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. Clint Capela Rockets Jersey .com) - One point guard will return, while another will sit when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Tracy-Mcgrady-City-Edition-Jersey/ . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. Ryan Anderson Jersey . -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back. Ryan Anderson Rockets Jersey . -- Cordell Cato scored his first goal of the season and the San Jose Earthquakes survived a full half playing a man down to beat FC Dallas 2-1 Saturday night.OAKLAND, Calif. - After wearing down in the playoffs last season, the Golden State Warriors are starting to learn how to win without being at full strength at times this year. The hope is to be healthy enough so they dont have to worry about playing short-handed in the post-season. Stephen Curry had 23 points and five assists, Klay Thompson scored 20 points and the undermanned Warriors overwhelmed the Orlando Magic 103-89 on Tuesday night. "Very pleased, and even more pleased that we can do it while getting guys the rest and proper treatment," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Big win for us." Curry and Thompson sparked an 18-0 run early in the second half that put the Warriors ahead by 24 points. The backcourt duo became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to combine for at least 400 3-pointers in consecutive seasons. David Lee added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors offset the absences of Andre Iguodala (right knee tendinitis), Andrew Bogut (left ankle inflammation) and Jermaine ONeal (rest). "I was getting my Pop on," Jackson joked, referring to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has famously — and often successfully — rested his regulars during the NBAs marathon season. Nikola Vucevic scored 15 points and Tobias Harris added 14 points and six rebounds for the overmatched Magic, who lost their sixth straight game. The Warriors shot 10 for 27 from 3-point range, while the Magic were 4-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. "Once they start hitting 3s, its tough to guard those guys," said Magic forward Maurice Harkless, who scored 12 points. The Warriors werent taking any chances at the beginning of their five-game homestand. They opted to rest three key players — including two starters — even as they jockey for playoff position in the crowded Western Conference standings. The Warriors (43-26) remain in sixth place in the West. Theyre still 1 1/2 games behind Portland, which beat Milwaukee 120-115 in overtime Tuesday night, and improved to 1 1/2 games ahead of idle Dallas. Jackson said Bogut could return Thursday night against Milwaukee, while ONeal will likely rest again. Iguodalla will sit out against the Bucks and Saturdays game versus San Antonio.dddddddddddd While the Magic (19-49) are among the NBAs worst teams, the Warriors have struggled at times this season against lesser competition at Oracle Arena. Golden State had won five straight at home until losing to Cleveland on Friday. That loss brought back memories of a 4-6 stretch in January and February that included home losses to teams such as Denver, Minnesota, Washington and Charlotte. The game against Orlando looked like it could follow those earlier upsets at the start. The Magic led by three in the first quarter and stuck with Golden State for most of the second quarter. The Warriors, using a smaller and quicker lineup to spread the floor, ended the first half on a brief run to take a 57-47 into the break. The talent gap between the two teams, which has changed dramatically since Dwight Howard left Orlando two seasons ago, turned out to be too much for Orlando to overcome. The Warriors opened the second half on an 18-4 run, including 18 straight points after the Magics first two baskets, with the biggest highlights coming from long range. Thompson and Curry connected on two 3-pointers apiece during the spurt, the last one in the corner from Curry that stretched the Warriors lead to 75-51 with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter. "They can just shoot the basketball," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "They get in this building and start making 3s, it just makes it tough on you." Curry finished 9-of-13 shooting, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Thompson shot 7 for 14 from the floor and was 4 for 5 from beyond the arc. The Warriors led 87-66 entering the fourth. The Magic moved within 92-81 halfway through the quarter before the Warriors pulled away again. "You always teach that no-excuse, next-man-up mentality," Curry said. "Were a deep team. Big performance by everybody." ___ NOTES: The Warriors swept the season series against the Magic for the first time since 1991-92. ... Orlando plays at Phoenix on Wednesday night. ... The Warriors return to action Thursday night at home against Milwaukee. ___ Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP ' ' '