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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. 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. Cheap NFL Jerseys 2020 . Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television. Cheap Jerseys 2020 . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. https://www.wholesalejerseysreview.com/ .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday. Cheap Authentic Jerseys 2020 .com) - Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points with eight rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. China Jerseys 2020 . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St.After the Penguins defeat in Game 6, it was reported that the teams principle owner and former captain, Mario Lemieux, came down to the locker room to calm the 26-year-old captain down. During their talk, Lemieux was reported to have discussed with Crosby how a captains erratic behaviour can negatively impact the team.Lemieuex told Crosby... "You cant behave the way you did at the end of the game, it gives off a bad vibe to your teammates, it gives off a vibe that might be portraying you in a negative light, especially when youre struggling."Lemieux followed that up with a statement that Crosby has most likely understood since the first time he stepped foot onto an NHL rink. "..star players just have to fight through things like this"Super Mario has been Sidney Crosbys mentor ever since the Penguins selected him first overall in 2005, and he certainly can empathize with the Penguins current captain on what it feels like when emotions get the best of a player during a heated contest.Theres no better example of Lemieux letting his emotions get the better of him than during this bout between him and then referee, Kerry Fraser. The incident started when Lemieux received a high-sticking penalty, and while he sat in the box Fraser skated over and shared a few words that sent the Penguins captain into an uncontrollable rage. Lemieux shot outt of the penalty box towards Fraser before being restrained by teammates and promptly sent to the dressing rooms with a game-misconduct penalty.ddddddddddddThe 1993-94 season was a trying one for Lemieux, just one year removed from announcing he had been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma while also coming off of an off-season surgery to fix a herniated muscle in his back. The injury to his back caused Lemieux to miss fifty-eight games that season and his mounting frustration with his injuries began to show, especially in his incident with Fraser. There was another occurrence earlier in Lemieuxs career where he let his frustration boil over, one that would serve Crosby as a sobering reminder of what can happen when a star player picks a fight with the wrong guy. During a regular season game between the Capitals and Penguins, an irritated Lemieux engaged in a shoving match with Bob Gould that turned into a fist fight. The end result? A broken Jaw for Lemieux and a night spent at George Washington University Hospital.Crosby definitely already knows what it feels like to have a broken jaw, and were sure it wasnt too enjoyable. The last thing the Penguins need in Game 7 is their captain engaging in unnecessary fights. So, to Sid the Kid, it may be best to take Lemieuxs advice, as he certainly knows what happens when keeping it real goes wrong. ' ' '