"Everybody's talking about us not having a big squad, but we've got players who are prepared to go through these hard times, " Petrov noted.

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While the public at large may not know it, the members of the public employee unions have been suffering through these hard times right along with workers in the private sector.

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Earlier this week, after breaking through a political logjam that some of you probably saw if you were watching TV, Congress passed and I signed into law a bill that extends unemployment insurance to help people who've been laid off get through these hard times.

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"These gentlemen are going to go through some hard times, whether it's in life or in the Army, " said Sottolano, who had to worry about Sunday's doubleheader against archrival Navy.

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