PYONGYANG, North Korea -- Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments he made in North Korea about a detained American missionary, saying he had been drinking and was under pressure as he organized a game with former NBA players. Cowboys Jerseys Hoodies . The former basketball star issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press, a day after he sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of the friendly game. Rodman has been slammed for not using his influence with Kim to help free Kenneth Bae, the missionary in poor health who is being confined in North Korea for "anti-state" crimes. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault. "I want to apologize," Rodman said Thursday. "I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. Its not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. Its not an excuse, its just the truth." Rodman said he wanted to apologize first to Baes family. "Im very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. Im truly sorry." In the interview, Rodman was asked whether he would raise the issue of Bae during his visit. "Kenneth Bae did one thing," Rodman replied. "If you understand what Kenneth Bae did -- do you understand what he did in this country?" Asked to explain, Rodman declined to respond. Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary and tour operator based in China, has been detained for more than a year. North Korea sees missionary work as a threat to its authoritarian government. Baes sister, Terri Chung, welcomed Rodmans apology. "I think its good to see him recognize the gravity and the urgency of Kens plight," she said from her home in Edmonds, Washington. "Its nothing he can make light of or play games with." "I just want to make sure that everyone -- not just Dennis Rodman -- everyone knows about Kenneth Baes plight and how precarious it is," she said. The U.S. State Department distanced itself from Rodman and said it did not want to "dignify" his activities or comments in Pyongyang by commenting on them. But spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the department was open to speaking with Rodman on his return. "We have not reached out to him. Weve said before, if he wants to reach out to us, were happy to hear from him and what he has to say," she told reporters. Rodman dedicated the game to his "best friend" Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song and then bowed deeply to Kim, seated above him in the stands. Rodman said he was honoured to be able to play the game in the North Korean capital and called the event "historic." Some members of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups, however, say he has become a public relations tool for North Koreas government. The governments poor human rights record and its threats to use nuclear weapons against rival South Korea and the United States have kept it a pariah state. Kim shocked the world in December by having his uncle, once considered his mentor, executed after being accused of a litany of crimes including corruption, womanizing, drug abuse and attempting to seize power. Rodman has refused to address those concerns while continuing to forge a relationship with Kim. Rodman is the highest-profile American to meet Kim, who inherited power after the death of his father in late 2011. Rodman has said he is not a statesman and instead is seeking only to build cultural connections with the North through basketball that may help improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Along with Rodman, the former NBA players included ex-All Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker. Also on the roster were Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Charles D. Smith and four streetballers. Dalton Schultz Jersey . With just under five seconds remaining - the Raptors having clawed back from a 19-point deficit and pulled within one - DeRozan took the handoff from Chuck Hayes. Mike White Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. http://www.cheapdallascowboysjerseys.com/cedrick-wilson-jr-jersey/ . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.John Tortorella will try to lead the struggling Vancouver Canucks to a win as the fiery head coach returns to the bench for Mondays road test against the Detroit Red Wings. Tortorella has completed a 15-day suspension for his antics during a 3-2 shootout win against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18 and returns to a club that has lost 12 times in its last 16 trips to the ice. The Canucks also tweeted that Henrik Sedin, who has missed the past six games with bruised ribs, will also return to the lineup. Angered by Calgary head coach Bob Hartleys decision to start that game with his fourth line, a move that helped instigate a game-opening line brawl, Tortorella tried to get at Hartley in the Calgary locker room between the first and second periods but he was restrained from doing so by Flames players and members of the Vancouver staff. While Tortorella wasnt allowed to have any contact with his team during the 15-day ban, Hartley was fined $25,000 for his role in the brawl. The Canucks, who are 4-9-3 over their last 16 games, went 2-4-0 while Tortorella was serving his suspension and the club has lost its last three tilts in regulation. Assistant coach Mike Sullivan handled the bench duties during Tortorellas absence and he relinquishes the reins with Vancouver still hanging onto the eighth and final playoff seed in the West. The Canucks are just one point ahead of Phoenix for that distinction. Like Tortorella, Canucks captain Henrik Sedin has missed the last six games, although his layoff has been due to a rib injury and not a suspension. Sedin, who had played in 679 straight games before bruised ribs led to the end of the iron man streak, participated in a full practice on Sunday but he expects to sit out another tilt today. Meanwhile, Daniel Sedin, Henriks twin brother and linemate, has gone 15 straight games without a goal. The winger has five assists during the goal- scoring drought. The Canucks were handed a 4-3 loss Friday in Winnipeg, as Devin Setoguchi scored the game-winner for the Jets with 2:56 to play in the third period. Ryan Kesler had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, while Eddie Lack allowed all four goals on 34 shots. "Well, it was frustrating because we fought our way back into the game," said Sullivan. "I give our guys credit for fighting back, but weve got to find a way to win that game.&quuot; Vancouver ended January with a 4-9-2 record and the club lost six of seven on the road during the month. Cowboys Jerseys Shop. The Canucks, who will make the second stop on five- game swing tonight, are 13-11-4 as the road team this season. The Red Wings have lost three of their last four games (1-1-2) and recently split a home-and-home series with Washington. Detroit won the home portion of the two-game series Friday night at Joe Louis Arena, claiming a 4-3 shootout victory, but the Wings fell 6-5 in overtime in Sundays wild battle at Verizon Center. Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal 2:37 into overtime to lift the Capitals to Sundays win. Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith was called for tripping at the 1:26 mark of the extra session. The Capitals moved the puck around and John Carlson fed Ovechkin for a one-timer from the left circle. Detroits Gustav Nyquist posted his first career hat trick and picked up an assist on Justin Abdelkaders goal that tied the game at 5-5 with 13:35 remaining in the third period. Henrik Zetterberg recorded three assists for the Red Wings, while Jimmy Howard surrendered all six goals on 28 shots in the loss. "Offensively we played really well," Zetterberg said. "Some mistakes cost us a few goals, and obviously theyre good when they get the power play." The Red Wings had been shut out in their previous three road games, so Sundays scoring outburst was a welcome sight. However, the club is tied with Philadelphia for the eighth and final playoff seed in the East and wouldve liked to have earned the extra point. The Red Wings and Flyers, who visit San Jose tonight, are only a point ahead of Carolina and Washington and two points in front of Ottawa and New Jersey. "We showed some good resilience tonight," Howard said. "We found a way to come back, scraping and clawing and getting a point. At the same time, we couldve easily been walking out of here with two points. Ive got to find a way to come up with a couple more saves for the guys." The Red Wings have won three of their last four on home ice but they are still only 10-11-8 at the Joe this season. Detroit recorded a 2-1 regulation win in Vancouver on Oct. 30 and it has won three of the past four meetings in this series. The Red Wings also have claimed two of the last three encounters in Motown. Cheap Hawks Jerseys Cheap Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cheap Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Pistons Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Pacers Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys ' ' '