SARASOTA, Fla. -- When it comes to his 50-game drug suspension, Nelson Cruz didnt have much to say during his introduction by the Baltimore Orioles. Cruz gave short answers to any Biogenesis-related questions during a news conference Tuesday, a day after the 33-year-out outfielder finalized an $8 million, one-year contract. "Whatever happened in the past, I look to move forward and have a great year with the Baltimore Orioles," Cruz said. Cruz was suspended for 50 games last August for a violation of Major League Baseballs drug agreement related to the sports investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. He was joined at the news conference by eight of his new teammates, including Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters. Markakis said last summer that MLB needed stiffer penalties for violations of the drug rules. On Saturday, Markakis said he still favoured tougher penalties but was happy to have Cruz on the Orioles. "My opinion doesnt change toward anything. Hes part of this team now and hes going to be in this clubhouse and were going to welcome him just like anybody else. Hes going to be part of this team," Markakis said. Cruz hit .266 last year with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 109 games. The suspension cost him $2,732,240 of his $10 million salary. He signed with Baltimore more than three months after he turned a down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Rangers. "It was a frustrating process, but Im happy for the decision that I made. Im really excited for the opportunity. I like challenges and I think its going to be a great challenge for me. Hopefully, I do my best and I look for the World Series," Cruz said. Cruz waited until training camps had opened. Hes part of a late spending burst that has seen the orioles commit $63,575,000. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez agreed to a $50 million, four-year contract and South Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon received a three-year deal for $5,575,000. Baltimore lost its first-round draft pick, No. 17 overall, for signing Jimenez, and its second-round selection, No. 55, for signing Cruz. Orioles executive vice-president of baseball operations Dan Duquette adopted a strategy of waiting for free agent prices to drop. "Weve been steadily putting our team together," he said. "We signed a couple of pitchers, which we said we were going to do, and we said we were looking for a bat in the middle of our lineup, and Nelson can fill that role. Were always looking, but I dont anticipate any players of this calibre soon, but were always looking around." Charles Barkley Rockets Jersey .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. Clint Capela Jersey .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. http://www.therocketsofficial.com/Authentic-Clyde-Drexler-Rockets-Jersey/ . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. Eric Gordon Rockets Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. Chris Paul Jersey . -- Ricky Romeros comeback bid hit another road bump Tuesday in an ugly 18-4 Jays loss to a Detroit Tigers split squad.BOSTON -- In the months leading up to a fatal double shooting, Aaron Hernandez had become increasingly convinced that people had been "testing, trying or otherwise disrespecting him" when he went to nightclubs, prosecutors said. When a man bumped into Hernandez while dancing, spilling his drink, that may have been the last straw. Authorities say the former New England Patriots star followed the man and his friends, then opened fire on their car, killing two men and wounding a third. "I think I got one in the head and one in the chest," Hernandez said to a friend as they raced from the intersection where the victims were shot while they sat in their car at a stop light, prosecutors said at the former tight ends arraignment. Hernandez, already charged with killing another man last year, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to seven charges -- including two counts of first-degree murder -- in the 2012 shooting that killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The night de Abreu and Furtado were killed, Suffolk County First Assistant District Attorney Patrick Haggan said Hernandez and a friend drove from Connecticut to a Boston nightclub called Cure. They were standing at the edge of the dance floor when de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez, smiled at him and did not apologize, according to prosecutors. Haggan said de Abreu and his friends did not appear to recognize Hernandez and had no idea he was upset. Hernandez became increasingly agitated and told his friend that de Abreu had deliberately bumped into him and "was trying him," Haggan said. Hernandez and his friend then went to another nightclub, where Hernandez thought he saw de Abreu and his friends come in, according to Haggan. Hernandez then told his friend he believed he was "being targeted and being disrespected," Haggan said. In fact, de Abreu and his friends had not left the other club. Haggan said Hernandez later drove around with his frieend until he saw de Abreu, Furtado and others going to their car, then followed them and pulled up alongside their car at a red light.dddddddddddd Hernandez leaned out the drivers side, said "Yo, whats up now," followed by a racial slur, then fired at least five shots into the car, killing de Abreu and Furtado, and injuring a man sitting in the back seat, Haggan said. Hernandezs attorney, Charles Rankin, objected to the description, saying the prosecutors account of the shooting was an attempt to poison the jury pool. Clerk Magistrate Gary Wilson dismissed the objection, saying it is standard procedure for prosecutors to describe evidence during arraignments in murder cases. Family members of the victims filled four rows in the courtroom. One woman sobbed loudly as Hernandez entered his not guilty pleas. De Abreu and Furtado were close friends who attended school and served in the military together in Cape Verde before coming to the United States, according to the attorney who represents their families in a $6 million civil suit against Hernandez. The two men were shot about six weeks before Hernandez signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots. He went on to catch 51 passes and score five touchdowns that season, his last in the NFL. Hernandez was released by the Patriots last summer after he was charged in the June 17 killing of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, who was dating a sister of Hernandezs fiancee. Lloyds body was found in an industrial area near Hernandezs home in North Attleborough. Hernandezs lawyers have said he is looking forward to proving his innocence. Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley would not comment when reporters asked if Lloyds killing was linked to the earlier killings of de Abreu and Furtado. He said Lloyd was not the friend who was with Hernandez the night the two men were killed. Hernandez will continue to be held without bail. He is due back in court June 24. ' ' '