COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Winning makes everything easier, particularly selling tickets. After playing the best hockey in franchise history down the stretch, the Columbus Blue Jackets have enjoyed an upsurge at the box office in recent weeks. The team says it has seen a 13-per cent improvement in season-ticket renewals from one year ago, when the Blue Jackets were coming off perhaps their worst season in the NHL and sold around 7,000 season tickets. The team has sold almost 1,000 new season-ticket plans including fans who upgraded to larger packages. Its a major difference from when the club was a doormat -- especially for those charged with talking to the fan base and selling them tickets. "Theres no question a lot of the conversations are more pleasant than they were perhaps last year," Blue Jackets senior vice-president and chief marketing officer John Browne said with a laugh. "People are very emotional about it, very passionate about it. They want their opinion to be heard. Theres no question over the last few months as the team continued to play really well, those less-than-friendly conversations are far fewer than they were." Its been a remarkable turnaround. Those visiting the teams website at www.bluejackets.com are now greeted by a picture of fans smiling while a scrum of players celebrate a goal. Emblazoned over the scene are the words, "The Best Is Yet To Come." After having far and away the worst record in the league during the 2011-12 season, the Blue Jackets came out of the owners lockout and were dead last in the league (5-12-2) again in late February. But then, spurred on by new acquisitions, wily veterans and up-and-coming players, they went on a 19-5-5 tear that tied them with Minnesota for eighth place in the Western Conference. They missed out on the playoffs in a tiebreaker. They drew a capacity crowd of 19,002 to their season finale at Nationwide Arena, welcomed more than 17,000 in each of the two home games before that, and finished the year averaging 14,562 in attendance. "The crowd was electric," centre Brandon Dubinsky said after the final game, a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Nashville. Dubinsky previously played for the New York Rangers and came over in the ballyhooed deal that shipped Rick Nash -- Columbus captain and the franchise record holder in almost every offensive category -- to the Big Apple last summer. The fans were caught up in the sudden reversal of fortune by the team. "They really appreciated the hard work that was put in and us proving everyone wrong. All the so-called experts picked us to finish dead last," defenceman Jack Johnson said after the season. "Its kind of the old, when someone says you cant do it youre determined to prove them wrong. Everyone around the city really appreciated it." Now the teams website also carries the prompt, "Next season starts today. Get the best seats now." Most of the team is expected back next season, including old hands R.J. Umberger and Fedor Tyutin, rising young stars Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert and relatively recent acquisitions Marian Gaborik and Nick Foligno. The club also has three first-round picks in the June 30 amateur draft. Adding to the excitement is that the Blue Jackets (along with longtime nemesis Detroit) move to the Eastern Conference next season. That means less travel, easier access to broadcast road games for fans who have to work the next day and renewed interest in potential rivals. "We know from research that the NHL has done, in addition to Columbus Blue Jackets fans, eight of the top 10 teams that they identify with as other teams they follow are Eastern Conference teams," Browne said. So the first step was earning some respect by winning games. Now general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and director of hockey operations John Davidson must keep the fans engaged with a team that continues to be competitive. "I havent heard the building that loud," said forward Jared Boll, the Blue Jackets longest-tenured player, the next day after the season ended. "It just shows you these fans are really here to stay and they want a winning team." Nike Air Max 1 Offerta . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Air Max 1 Scontate Online . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. http://www.airmax1scontate.it/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. 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AUBURN, Ala. -- Clemsons Dabo Swinney kept his kicker on the sideline and put the game in star quarterback Deshaun Watsons hands.The decision worked in the second-ranked Tigers 19-13 win over Auburn on Saturday night, but not without a few more anxious moments in an opener filled with them.Swinney opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the 17 instead of kicking a field goal, and Wayne Gallman was stopped short by Tray Matthews -- a failed call that could have backfired.We just didnt want to take a shot at the field goal right there, he said. We felt like as good as we had played defensively, with them having no timeouts, it was going to be very difficult for them to go score.Greg Huegels extra-point attempt earlier in the quarter had hit the upright. Gallman had been knocked out of bounds on the previous play, stopping the clock to help leave Auburn more time.Unbelievable, Swinney said. And now were fighting for our life there at the end.Watson passed for 248 yards, including 174 to Mike Williams in his return from a neck injury in last seasons opener. Gallman carried 30 times for 123 yards.Clemson dominated the stat sheet in the first half -- with a 233-38 advantage in total yards -- but led only 10-3 and both scores came after defensive penalties on third-down plays.That is one of the best teams in college football, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. Holding those guys to 19 points was really unbelievable as far as the effort.Clemson struggled to put the opener away even though Auburn produced little offense for much of the game while swapping three quarterbacks in and out. Finally, Watson hit former walk-on receiver Hunter Renfrow in the back of the end zone on third and goal from the 16 with 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.That was a lifetime in this game.Ben Boulwares subsequent goaal line interception only provided a temporary reprieve for a team that made the national championship game last season and is among the favorites to win it this time.dddddddddddd. Auburn finally got a touchdown with 3:22 left on a 9-yard direct snap run by Kerryon Johnson, and Clemsons failed fourth-down try deep in Auburn territory set up another shot with 40 seconds and 85 yards to go.Sean White drove the offense to the Clemson 40, but two desperation heaves into the end zone fell incomplete, with the second getting batted around.THE TAKEAWAYCLEMSON: If Watson didnt exactly pick right up from his 478-yard bonanza in the national championship game against Alabama, he was still good enough. And Williams provides Clemsons offense with yet another threat.AUBURN: Auburns offensive problems continued from last season, with three quarterbacks attempting passes on the first six plays. The defense made some big stops and held Clemson to 6 of 17 on third downs. Daniel Carlsons 53-yard field goal was the Auburn-record sixth of 50-plus yards.POLL IMPLICATIONSBarring a dominant win by No. 4 Florida State over No. 11 Mississippi on Monday night, Clemson seems likely to stay put right behind Alabama. No. 3 Oklahoma was upset by 15th-ranked Houston earlier in the day. The close score does make it a question mark, though.QUOTABLEWatson: We knew they were going to be good. We knew we werent going to come in here and blow these guys out.UP NEXTAuburn: hosts Arkansas State, where Malzahn was head coach in 2012, on Saturday.Clemson: like Auburn, hosts a Sun Belt Conference team on Saturday when Troy visits.---Online: AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '