Friday, Attleboro District Court clerk magistrate Mark E.

ST. LOUIS -- Dexter Fowler?got a taste of what its like to play baseball in St. Louis during his 36 games as an opposing player at Busch Stadium.?Then in November, he got an unexpected sign of St. Louis fans dedication during the Chicago Cubs World Series parade, when he says he noticed a surprising amount of Cardinals red on the streets of the Windy City.And on Thursday, as he flew from his home in Las Vegas to St. Louis to have a physical -- the final hurdle before signing a?five-year, $82.5 million contract?with the Cardinals, which he completed on Friday -- he got another reminder of how engaged the teams supporters are.A flight attendant and a fan on the flight, after taking advantage of in-flight Wi-Fi, approached Fowler to find out whether the rumors were true. Fowler responded by trying to go back to sleep, but the next day he expounded on what, other than the finances, made playing in St. Louis so appealing.You get a taste of winning a World Series and you want to do that again, Fowler said at his introductory news conference. Youre excited and you want to get back and win the World Series. With the Cardinals, theyre always in the hunt. That was a big part of my decision.Fowler said Cubs president Theo Epstein called him shortly before Chicago acquired Jon Jay to inform Fowler the team would not be making him an offer to return.The Cardinals had to extend beyond their comfort zone to sign Fowler, offering him a blanket no-trade clause, according to a source, to go with a contract that some in the industry view as market-altering. The deal will pay Fowler $16.5 million per season through 2021.The reason the Cardinals felt compelled to go that high was their need for speed and defensive competence. They were a below-average fielding team and one of the worst baserunning groups in the majors last season. General manager John Mozeliak said Fowler was the teams No. 1 target all offseason.It was an honor just to be considered to be in the Cardinals organization, said Fowler, who will wear No. 25 in honor of his mentor, Barry Bonds. Fowlers?usual 24 is retired by the Cardinals; it was worn by former manager Whitey Herzog.Now, with the 30-year-old Fowler in center field alongside young outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty, the Cardinals feel they have one of the better defensive outfields in the league.One of things we wanted to address was athleticism, someone who could hit at the top of the order, if possible, to allow us to have flexibility with [Matt] Carpenter, and we were looking to find someone who is extremely competent on the basepaths, Mozeliak said.I think we were able to accomplish that, but Mr. Fowler is more than that. Theres always the baseball element, but one of the things about Dexter that excited us is hes a student of the game.The Cardinals had discussions with the Chicago White Sox about Adam Eaton before he was shipped to the Washington Nationals for a trio of highly regarded pitching prospects. They also engaged other teams in trade discussions.The Cardinals are aware they lost a lot of power when Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss became free agents, but Mozeliak indicated the team isnt necessarily intent on signing one of the sluggers still available on the free-agent market and any further moves would likely be complementary acquisitions.It came as no surprise that Fowler turned down his mutual option with Chicago. He made $13 million in 2016, returning to the Cubs for one year only after exploring the free-agent market last winter and finding it unsatisfactory.Fowler was due a big payday after having a career-high .393 on-base percentage and hitting 13 home runs for the Cubs last season, including a blast in Game 7 of the World Series.He also was credited with playing better defense in 2016, after he and the team agreed he should play deeper. The result was a plus-1 in defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. In 2015, Fowler was minus-12.Fowlers biggest contributions came at the top of the order, where Cubs manager Joe Maddon used to say to him, You go, we go. Fowlers first-inning on-base percentage in 2016 was .479. He was the ignition to the Cubs offense throughout his two years with the team.The move comes after the Cubs signed Jason Heyward and John Lackey away from the Cardinals last offseason.Fowler is the first free agent to sign with the Cardinals after ending the previous season with the Cubs since Mark Grudzielanek did it in the 2004-05 offseason. The Cardinals and Cubs open the 2017 season on April 2 in St. Louis (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Mike Bibby Hawks Jersey . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Ray Spalding Hawks Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Spud-Webb-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Trae Young Hawks Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Cam Reddish Hawks Jersey . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season.NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- State police officers and dogs searched the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez again Saturday as they continue to investigate the killing of a semi-pro football player whose body was found about a mile away. The search of Hernandezs sprawling home and vehicle in North Attleboro began in the afternoon and lasted for more than three hours. Locksmiths and several officers were involved, including one with a crowbar. Detectives and uniformed officers who searched the home, its backyard and playhouse did not comment to reporters on what they were looking for or what caused them to return to the house located not far from where the Patriots practice and about a mile from where a jogger found the body of Odin Lloyd on Monday. Lloyd family members said Friday that he had been dating the sister of Hernandezs fiancee for about two years. They said the two men were friends who were together the night Lloyd died. Authorities have ruled Lloyds death a homicide. A spokeswoman for the Bristol District Attorneys office declined to comment on the investigation Saturday. A state police spokesman referred questions to the district attorneys office. An attorney for Hernandez has said he would not comment on the searches. Three search warrrants were issued in the investigation earlier last week but have not been returned, meaning theyre not public.ddddddddddddNo arrest warrants were filed in state courts by the time court closed Friday, Attleboro District Court clerk magistrate Mark E. Sturdy said. Courts were closed Saturday. Police previously searched in and around the home as they try to figure out who killed Lloyd. Police in nearby Providence, R.I., said they had assisted Massachusetts state police and North Attleborough police with activity related to the Hernandez investigation at a strip club named Club Desire. It was unclear if they believed Lloyd and Hernandez might have been at the club in the days before Lloyd died. Patriots spokesman Stacey James has said the team does not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was waiting for the legal process to take its course. The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million. ' ' '