NEW YORK -- Mariano Rivera hobbled up to the podium on a pair of crutches hes quickly grown tired of, ready to reveal more news about his health. This time, it was something more serious than a torn knee ligament. Rivera has a blood clot in his right calf, the latest medical problem for the longtime New York Yankees closer who injured his knee last week while shagging fly balls during batting practice. Rivera is on blood-thinning medication intended to dissolve the clot and said Wednesday he is OK, though he was scared when he received the diagnosis. He needs to spend at least a week or two strengthening his right knee before he has surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament -- but he said that would have been the case regardless of the blood clot. Strengthening the knee now will help when he begins his rehabilitation program after the operation. He must stop taking the blood thinners 24 hours before surgery, he said. The 42-year-old Rivera, baseballs career saves leader with 608, said he can guarantee he will work hard and do "whatever it takes" to return next season. But if his leg doesnt come back strong enough, then he will take it as a sign that its time to retire. "If its my call, I dont want to leave the game the way it happened. ... My will and my desire is to stay," Rivera said, adding that he was leaning toward pitching in 2013 even before the injury. "The travelling, I hate it. And the game, I love it." Rivera was injured last Thursday in Kansas City, tearing his ACL and damaging the meniscus in his right knee, when he stumbled and fell while chasing a fly ball during batting practice, a regular part of his pregame routine. He is expected to miss the rest of the season. The following day he announced he was determined to get back on the mound next season and he was examined Monday by three doctors at two New York hospitals as he prepared to decide where to have knee surgery. While he was being examined, Rivera mentioned to the doctor that his right calf was "sore and painful." He was diagnosed with a blood clot and spent Monday night in the hospital, beginning treatment right away. That was the complication Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Riveras agent, Fernando Cuza, referred to this week when discussing Riveras schedule and prognosis. Cashman would not elaborate Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. "I was more concerned with the blood clot than the knee. For a minute I was like, what else is going to happen?" Rivera said. "I was scared because I never hear good things about blood clots. ... I take it like, OK, what do we have to do?" In the worst cases, blood clots can be life-threatening if they travel to the lungs. Rivera said hes not sure what caused the clot, and he didnt even ask. "I know that Ive got to deal with it," he said. "They dont know if it happened before or after the trauma of the injury." Rivera planned to speak to his doctor later Wednesday and he will soon go back for a check-up. He hasnt decided on a doctor to perform the knee surgery yet, but he said the clot will not affect the date of the operation. "I really believe if Mo wants to continue to play, hell play," manager Joe Girardi said. "I mean, obviously hes got to go through a process of rehab here, but I dont see any reason why thats not going to happen and hes not going to get through that, so I look forward to seeing him back in a Yankee uniform." Rivera appeared in good spirits at a 25-minute news conference before the Yankees played the Tampa Bay Rays. Wearing a long-sleeve shirt and jeans, he sat down carefully at a table with a microphone and managed a familiar smile as he faced a room full of reporters. "I just feel old. Walking with these crutches is not fun at all," he said. Later, he joked that would begin running again in 5 or 10 minutes. "I didnt even have chance enough to taste the season," Rivera said. "It will be hard to just put it down and walk away." Rivera said hell be at the ballpark as much as possible to help his teammates however he can this season, but for the first time in his life he thinks he needs to be a bit "selfish" and focus on his rehab. He said he watched nervously from his couch at home as fill-in closer David Robertson loaded the bases Tuesday night before saving New Yorks 5-3 victory over the Rays. "Its still tough, though, mentally. These games dont help me. He did a good job," Rivera said. "I was sweating and screaming. It was difficult, but I was screaming at Robby on the TV." And when he returns, Rivera said hell resume shagging flies during batting practice. "Oh, no doubt about it," he said. "I dont know what the Yankees will do. They might need to tie me up." wholesale jerseys . Pekovic scored a career-high 31 points, Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Timberwolves won their third straight game, 113-102 over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night. "Its just a good night. cheap jerseys from china . The 6-foot-7 Korver averaged 8.1 points for the Bulls in 65 games last season, including seven starts. He ranked 10th in the NBA by making 43.5 per cent of his 3-point attempts. http://www.comcheapjerseys.com/ . Oates, a former Capital who was also chosen for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday, was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils two years ago and helped guide the team to a Stanley Cup Final berth earlier this month. cheapjerseys.com . -- After six seasons as the worldwide face of Major League Soccer, David Beckham believes nobody should doubt its a major league. wholesale jerseys from china . - The Green Bay Packers sure look ready for the playoffs.(Sports Network) - After missing out on Anibal Sanchez, the Chicago Cubs have added an arm to their rotation. According to FOX Sports, the Cubs have reached an agreement with free-agent right-hander Edwin Jackson on a four-year, $52 million contract. The deal is pending a physical. The 29-year-old Jackson made 31 starts last season with the Washington Nationals, his seventh club since debuting in the majors in 2003. He went 10-11 withh a 4.dddddddddddd03 earned run average for the Nationals. Jackson has also played for, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Arizona, the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis. He has pitched in two World Series, winning a title with the 2011 Cardinals. For his career, Jackson is 70-71 with a 4.40 ERA. The Cubs lost a bidding war last week with the Tigers for Sanchez, who re- signed for reportedly five years at $80 million. ' ' '