GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals tight end Jake Ballard announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday. In a statement on Wednesday, Ballard traced his decision to the severe knee injury he sustained playing for the New York Giants in the 2012 Super Bowl. "My body never felt the same," he said. "Having a quality of life after football is very important to me and I have witnessed it taken away from others. I will miss the game tremendously, but I am ready for this next chapter in my life." Ballard was signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Ohio State in 2010. In the Giants 2011 Super Bowl season, he started 13 regular season games, catching 38 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns. Ballard played in all four of New Yorks post-season games that season, three as a starter. He was signed by New England in 2012, but missed the entire season because of the knee injury. Ballard signed with the Cardinals in November of last year. He appeared in eight games for Arizona, three as a starter. He caught seven passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals. Ballard was in a crowded competition at tight end for Arizona. His retirement leaves the team with free agent signee John Carlson, returnee Rob Housler, rookie second-round draft pick Troy Niklas and Darren Fells, a former college basketball player who spent his rookie season a year ago on the Cardinals practice squad. John Paxson Jersey . "I was so nervous," Hadley said Sunday after winning the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory. "I did not eat well last night. Omer Asik Jersey . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. http://www.cheapbullsjerseys.com/ .com) - The 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continue a four-game homestand at Value City Arena on Wednesday night when they face off against the High Point Panthers in a non-conference matchup. Cheap Bulls Jerseys . In the second game of their day/night doubleheader at Minneapolis, three Blue Jays pitchers, Steve Delabar, Sergio Santos and J. Wendell Carter Jr. Jersey . Bradley is one of eight players selected to the team who also played in this years World Cup in Brazil. The MLS all-stars will compete against German giants Bayern Munich in Portland on Aug.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Lawrence Olum scored the games only goal and Eric Kronberg earned his league-leading seventh shutout as Sporting Kansas City beat the Portland Timbers 1-0. The win moved Sporting KC (7-5-4) into a tie for first place with DC United in the Eastern Conference. Portland (4-5-8) remained in sixth place in the Western Conference. In a scrappy match, with more flying kick attempts and fouls than quality goal-scoring chances, Sporting KC scored in the 24th minute. A long throw-in by Seth Sinovic into the Portland penalty area was knocked by Kevin Ellis into the path of Olum. The Kenyan put a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts for his first ggoal of the season.ddddddddddddThe assists were the first for both Ellis and Sinovic. Portland dominated possession for most of the game, and especially in the second half, but was unable to convert it into much of an attacking threat. Kronberg needed to make three saves to earn the shutout. It was the first league match for the teams in two weeks, thanks to a break in the MLS schedule during the group stages of the World Cup. But it was the second meeting between the teams in the last four days. In a U.S. Open Cup match in Kansas City on Wednesday, Portland won 3-1, sending the Timbers into the quarterfinals and a showdown with bitter rival Seattle. ' ' '