st his wife. On this day, however, he gave a lot of credit to his other partner, caddie Julien Trudeau whose pre-tournament reconnaissance he relied on several times throughout the day. "I feel like Julien did a really

CHICAGO -- Dennis Rodman is preparing to thrill North Korean fans during an exhibition basketball tour there late next month. John Kelly Rams Jersey . Though he ducked questions in an interview with The Associated Press about whether his Christmas-time visit would be used for propaganda purposes by Kim Jong Un, the 29-year-old leader of one of the worlds most repressive regimes, Rodman said hell be accompanied on the trip by a dozen or so former NBA players. But he refused to name names. "I have seven people right now," Rodman said. "I talked to a couple of guys last week. Lot of guys are saying, OK, great. Ill go. Well go. But Im not saying this to get people to go over there to prove a point -- OK, great, lets go over there and make a difference. "No-o-o-o-o-o," he continued. "Lets go over there because this is a great opportunity for everyone to see a different culture. ... This country is so bad. This city is so bad. OK, great, come see it and tell the world when you come back, Hey, its not as bad as you think. And thats why Im taking NBA players over there, to show them, so they can come back and talk about it." Back in the news as a self-appointed ambassador and friend of Kim, Rodman returned Thursday to where he won the last three of his five NBA championships playing alongside Michael Jordan. On a promotional tour to pitch a vodka brand, Rodman, 52, held court downtown amid camera flashes. Rodman said he wouldnt talk about his relationship with Kim or North Korean politics, including its widely condemned human-rights record and secretive nuclear weapons program. Though he eventually touched on those subjects, Rodman glossed over several related questions and largely ignored a challenge to his answer about whether North Korea was holding U.S. citizens as hostages, including 85-year-old Korean War veteran Merrill Newman. The Swedish Embassy is negotiating on behalf of Newman because the U.S. has no diplomatic ties to North Korea. Rodmans friendship with Kim has afforded him the kind of access denied statesmen from the West and even U.S. President Barack Obama. Rodman came under criticism for being "naive" during a previous visit to North Korea, where he was photographed often with Kim, and some members of the diplomatic community fear his antics could further aggravate already-sensitive negotiations. Rodman said his reasons for returning were much more personal and beyond that, Kims motives were not his concern. "Like I told you, this is not all about trying to create this major buzz," Rodman said. "Because I dont want my friend to sit there and say I been doing this all along to slip in some information on him. I dont want that. Thats why Im not doing that. Were friends and thats it. "This aint about me trying to be a politician and try to get some scoop on him and stuff like that. ... Hes my friend first. Other than that, I dont give a damn what ... he does." Rodman began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons in 1986. It ended in 2000, after failed attempts to catch on with both the Lakers and Mavericks. Whether or not he misses the game, its clear he enjoys being back in the limelight, detractors and all. "People say, what do you do for a living? I dont know. I just float around the world. Basically, I dont do anything. I do a lot of major things around the world. I do things that is very significant right now, and people are actually paying attention to Dennis Rodman now. "Back when I was doing my finagling in sports, they thought I was a joke. They thought I was a cartoon character or something like that. All of a sudden now, people are taking me seriously. You know, an ambassador all around the world," he added. "Its like ... I think things have come full circle." Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . The 49ers announced the deal Thursday. San Francisco selected Kilgore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of Appalachian State. He has played in 33 regular-season games, plus all six playoff games the last two seasons. Marcus Peters Jersey . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb. 7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns, and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Ndamukong-Suh-Jersey/ . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship.If there was a clear sign that Graham DeLaet was over the flu that kept him bed-ridden for most of the week, it came in the form of a Wednesday night Tweet: "After 4 days of being sick, doing some BBQing and drinking a cold beer. The kid is back!" The second sign was evident at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday where DeLaet fashioned a solid round of two-under 69. Despite seeing the 18 holes just once before the tournament started, he played like a member. "I felt pretty good this morning for the first time," said DeLaet. "I woke up and felt pretty normal and went through my regular routine. I didnt really know exactly what to expect out there because my preparation wasnt there but I played well." DeLaet started well with a birdie on his first hole but his unfamiliarity with the course bit him on the second. He played what he thought was a perfect tee shot but the line was off and his ball ran through the dogleg into the rough, leading a bogey. He rolled in a 25-footer on the sixth hole for another birdie and added two more on 10 and 11. Two bogeys on 14 and 17, along with a birdie on the 16th rounded out his day. In addition to his health, the competitiveness was also back in DeLaet. That was clear on the final hole when he was expecting better results from his second shot which landed hard and bounced over the green. When he arrived at his ball, he slapped his glove on his thigh, obviously upset that his shot wasnt perfect. "I was a little disappointed to finish like that," he admitted. "I hit two great shots on 118 and had to chip out of a tricky lie but I played really well and Im happy with that. Ramik Wilson Jersey. It was a good start." Thats the DeLaet that has been so successful on the course, the DeLaet who equalled the course record at Royal Montreal two weeks ago and the DeLaet who was hot after missing the cut at the British Open. Hes feisty, determined. This is guy who says he likes to win at everything, even when hes playing cards against his wife. On this day, however, he gave a lot of credit to his other partner, caddie Julien Trudeau whose pre-tournament reconnaissance he relied on several times throughout the day. "I feel like Julien did a really good job," he said. "He was kind of guiding me around on a couple of holes I didnt know the exact line but it was a good day." Overall, DeLaet was on form missing just three fairways and hitting 13 greens on the day. Thats a good sign that his game that was heating up before he fell ill, has remained now that hes better. "It was bad timing," he said of the bug. "I was really starting to find my form the last couple of months. Theres usually two or three times a year when you feel youre playing really well and this was one of them, so bad timing. But it feels like I can kind of pick up where I left off. This is DeLaets sixth major and after making the cut in the British a year ago, hes missed in the next four including all three this year. Hes on a good path towards ending that streak here. A good round on Friday will most certainly make him feel a whole lot better. 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