PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns and point guard Eric Bledsoe have reached agreement on a five-year, $70 million contract, capping a long, sometimes-tense negotiation to keep him in the desert. The deal Wednesday is considerably more than the four-year, $48 million the Suns initially offered but well below the five-year, $80 million-plus maximum contract Bledsoes agent, Rich Paul, sought for the restricted free agent. The sides didnt budge in the negotiations until talks finally progressed in the last few days. "All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches," Bledsoe said in a statement released by the team. "I am very happy it was able to work out this way." Bledsoe faced an Oct. 1 deadline to sign a $3.7 million qualifying offer to play for the Suns this season, then become an unrestricted free agent. "I learned long ago that it doesnt matter how stormy the sea is as long as the ship comes in, and today we are thrilled that the ship has come in and Eric will remain a Sun for a long time," Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby said in a statement. "He will be an integral part not only of our basketball team, but our Phoenix community." The Suns see Bledsoe as a critical part of their double point-guard system. He missed much of last season after undergoing his second surgery to repair a meniscus in his right knee. When Bledsoe teamed with fellow point guard Goran Dragic last year, the Suns won two-thirds of their games. But injuries kept the duo apart, most significantly the knee surgery. While the Suns coveted Bledsoes skills -- particularly his drives to the basket and defence -- as well as his obvious upside, they balked at giving the 24-year-old guard a max contract but felt highly enough of him to give a rich deal. "We are thrilled Eric Bledsoe will be in a Phoenix Suns uniform for years to come," general manager Ryan McDonough said. "Eric is one the most exciting and dynamic two-way players in the league. He played very well for us on both ends of the floor last season and we feel he is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the elite players in the NBA." Despite Bledsoes knee injury, the Suns won a surprising 48 games and just missed the playoffs. Bledsoe was the backup to Chris Paul with the Los Angeles Clippers before the Suns acquired him and Caron Butler in a three-team trade that sent journeyman forward Jared Dudley to the Clippers and a second-round draft pick to Milwaukee. Bledsoe had knee surgery in October of 2011, then again last January. Injuries limited him to 43 games last season, 40 as a starter. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.5 assists. "Lon, Ryan and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship," Bledsoe said. "Its why I came back to Phoenix. Dragic, carrying a bigger load when Bledsoe was out, had a breakout season, averaging 20.3 points and 5.9 assists, shooting 50.5 per cent from the field, 41 per cent from 3-point range. The Suns added a third point guard to the mix in the off-season, signing high-scoring free-agent Isaiah Thomas. Manny Pina Brewers Jersey . Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. Hank Aaron Brewers Jersey . And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1739y-jordan-lyles-jersey-brewers.html . 98 jersey in a game yet, and already its a big seller. Hernan Perez Jersey .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 20th consecutive win across all competitions by cruising to a 4-1 victory at Almeria on Friday. Ryan Braun Brewers Jersey . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer.LAS VEGAS -- A sleek B.J. Penn, in his first fight at featherweight, weighed in on the button at 145 pounds Saturday in advance of his third meeting with Frankie (The Answer) Edgar. The 35-year-old Penn, who has always been a fan favourite, was warmly welcomed as he walked onto the stage at the UFCs Fan Expo. Edgar (15-4-1) weighed in at 145.5 pounds. The two former champions face off Sunday in the main event of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 19 finale televised card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Penn, a former lightweight and welterweight (170-pound) champion, came out of retirement to face Edgar a third time after the two served as rival coaches on the reality TV show. "Frankie asked to fight me the last couple of times," said Penn. "This is the one I wanted and Im here to give it my best shot." The 32-year-old Edgar, a former lightweight title-holder, won the two previous meetings between the two at lightweight (155 pounds). Edgar took the championship belt away from Penn at UFC 112 in April 2010 and then beat him again four months later at UFC 118. Both were five-round decisions. "He keeps calling my name," said Edgar. "He probably wants to get revenge but Im not going to let it happen." Penn (16-9-2) loooked ripped as he weighed in, with plenty of belt loops seemingly available as he pulled on his jeans and buckled them up.dddddddddddd Penn has been working with diet guru Mike Dolce. Canadian lightweight Jesse (The Body Snatcher) Ronson weighed in at 155 pounds for his lightweight bout with Kevin (The Motown Phenom) Lee, who was 156 pounds. Fellow Canadian Sarah (Cheesecake) Moras weighed in at 139 pounds. The 26-year-old bantamweight from Kelowna, B.C., will fight Alexis (Sneaky Zebra) Dufresne at a catchweight of 143 pounds. Moras (3-1) tweeted that she had already made weight at 135 pounds, before learning Dufresne (5-0) was eight pounds over. The two then agreed on the catchweight. "Cant wait to fight, hard part over!" tweeted Moras. Saturdays weigh-in got a lot more colourful when Mexican lightweight Juan Manuel Puig arrived on stage with a sombrero and Mexican flag. Chinese bantamweight Jumabieke Tuerxun added some class by donning a robe, complete with fur collar and UFC embroidered on the back. Dan Spohn of Team Penn takes on former Ohio State wrestler Pat Walsh of Team Edgar in the final of the TUF 19 light-heavyweight competition. Dhiego Lima takes on Eddie Gordon in an all-Team Edgar matchup to decide the 185-pound winner. ' ' '