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Less than 24 hours after finishing fifth in the 200-meter individual medley -- a race billed as the final head-to-head showdown between him and Michael Phelps -- 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte opened the door for future Olympic races between the two most decorated swimmers in history.He said hes going to retire after 2012, and I was the only one that said hed come back, Lochte said in a news conference Friday afternoon in Rio. And I think hes coming back again. He loves that excitement, loves that challenge on the block against seven swimmers. I think with a different purpose, hes going to come back and push his limits. Ill be back and I want him back because we push each other. USA needs this. Hes been the backbone.However, Phelps shut the door again after he won silver in the 100-meter butterfly Friday night, saying, I am not gonna be competing in four years.Phelps will be 35 in 2020, when the Tokyo Olympics will be held. Lochte will be 36. When asked if Lochte believed he would be the best in the world had Phelps been born in another era, Lochte said sometimes.But sometimes I dont. I dont want to be the Michael Phelps. I want to be the Ryan Lochte, he said. I do the hair, the grills, the shoes, thats me. Michael is an amazing ambassador of the game. Hes like a Michael Jordan. Im just being me. I dont know if Id be in this position if it wasnt for him.Before answering the inevitable questions about his dating life and the current color of his hair, Lochte also praised 19-year-old U.S. teammate Katie Ledecky, who already had won three gold medals in Rio before setting a world record in the 800-meter freestyle Friday night, calling her a phenom.She is going to beat my times on long-distance races and thats crazy, he said. Shes so young and determined and loves the sport. She is going to keep breaking records, no doubt she will. New York Mets Shirts . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Wholesale Mets Jerseys . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. New York Mets Store . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Stitched Mets Jerseys .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. NASSAU, Bahamas -- This might be one time that Tiger Woods doesnt measure success on the golf course by the score on his card.He measured it with three words Tuesday: Im playing again.There were times during his 15 months away from golf that Woods wasnt entirely sure that would be the case. He said that when he was at the Hero World Challenge last year, he needed help just to climb out of bed. At an outdoor party at Albany Golf Club, he would mingle for a few minutes and then sit on a stone bench.He spent more time looking back than looking forward, saying at one point that anything else he achieved in golf would be gravy.And now he cant wait to get started on Thursday.The 15-month break to heal following back surgeries is the longest he has been away from golf. Woods was a mixture of optimism and reality about his return. He talked about having all the shots he needs to compete against a field that includes 17 players from the top 40 and Woods, the tournament host who is at a career-low No. 898. He is playing, so he said he wants to win. The outlook is no different.He also noted that Bubba Watson won last year at 25-under par, and it probably will take something around that to win.I know thats a tall order since Ive been away from the game for so long and Ive made a lot of different changes in my game, he said. Physically and also equipment, practice schedules, training, all that has evolved. The mindset of competing hasnt. That is to go out there and try to beat these guys.He still is working with swing coach Chris Como, whom he brought on two years ago. Now that Nike is out of the equipment business, Woods is using a TaylorMade driver and fairway metals, a Bridgestone golf ball and his old Scotty Cameron putter that he used to win all but one of his 14 majors.But it starts with playing.Put it this way: Its a lot better situation this year than last, Woods said. I just couldnt get out of bed. I needed help. It was a tough, tough time. You asked me then, `Could I play? No. I cant even get out of bed. How am I supposed to swing a club at 120 miles an hour? Thats just two different worlds.The Hero World Challenge, which he started in 1999 to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation, is effectively a holiday tournament for golfs elite that has no cut and pays $1 million to the winnerr.dddddddddddd It feels so much bigger this year because of Woods.Over the last year, he played five holes to open his new golf course, Bluejack National, outside Houston. And he took three swings with a wedge on the par-3 10th hole at Congressional during a day to promote the Quicken Loans National. All three went in the water.Everyone is curious to see how he plays. That includes Woods.His biggest concern is how far his shots will go because he hasnt played with any adrenaline since the final round of the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 23, 2015. He doesnt know how his game will stack up against players he watched at Hazeltine when he was an assistant captain at the Ryder Cup.His previous long break from golf was eight months when he had reconstructive surgery on his left knee after winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the last of his 14 major titles. He won his opening match in the Match Play Championship and won two tournaments later at Bay Hill.That was a knee. This is a back.He was 33, not a month away from turning 41. And that was long before any chaos in his personal life.Asked what he would expect to feel Thursday at Albany Golf Club, Woods said, Ill let you know then, because I dont know right now.Yeah, theres nerves, of course, because I care. I care about what I do out there, he said. I want to win, and I want to place the ball in the correct spots, give myself the best angles and bury these putts. Trying to figure that out, yeah, theres nerves.Woods often talks about the process when hes changing his swing. This was a different kind of process. It starts with hitting golf balls at home, then playing a practice round at home, and then bringing that game out to a tournament, competing and eventually getting into contention.Right now, I havent even competed yet, so Im at the beginning stages of that, he said.Jack Nicklaus spoke Tuesday morning at the HSBC Business Forum in Florida and talked about how golf wasnt nearly as important to him as competing. Thats something to which Woods can relate. What he said he missed was the competition, whether on tour or at home with friends.But the bigger the stage, Woods said, the more fun for me. ' ' '