I have to admit I thought Melky Cabrera was just a relatively expensive mistake by the Blue Jays. The organization gambled that Cabrera could bounce back from last years PED suspension and be a credible bat, and left fielder hitting near the top of the order. When he struggled, we looked at each other knowingly saying this was simply a guy, who couldnt do it anymore without the "Juice". Cabrera looked achingly slow in the outfield, unable to cut off balls hit into the gap, and get to them quickly when they were driven into the corner. He had a litany of knee, leg muscle and ankle problems and finally shut it down on August 1st. You had to wonder, if the Jays were going to waive him in the off-season and effectively eat the final year of his contract or if Cabrera might even retire. Either way, it looked as though he was done as a member of the Blue Jays. Then the real story, the more concerning story came out over the weekend. Melky had been playing for months with back pain, and hadnt told anyone, trying to play through the agony. Finally on a visit, to his own personal doctor, it was discovered Melky had a benign tumour on his spine. It was pressing on the nerves and was causing general leg weakness. Melky underwent successful surgery and should be ready for spring training. While, this might not explain every aspect of why Cabreras game faltered this season, it certainly qualifies him for another chance. This story reminds me very much of one of the most dominating right handers of his generation. James Rodney Richard, or J.R. as we knew him, was a giant of a man at 68 and 222 pounds. He was the number two overall pick of the Houston Astros in 1969. He was a slow, but steady developer, going 23-16 over his first five seasons, before it all clicked for the intimidating power pitcher. Over a four year span between 1976 and 1979, he went 74-48 winning 20 games once and 18 games three times. In 1979, he set an Astros club record with 313 strikeouts that still stands. Over 221 career starts Richard had 76 complete games and 19 shutouts. However, that would-be Hall of Fame career came to a crashing halt in 1980. J.R. got off to an incredible start that season, winning five straight and striking out 48 over that span. At one point he pitched three straight shutouts. As the season wore on though, it was clear something was wrong as Richard complained of various arm and back troubles. No-one was buying, some members of the media thought the pressure of playing for an Astros team with high expectations was too much for Richard to handle. Others felt he was jealous of a big contract given to his new free-agent teammate Nolan Ryan. In any event, he kept going. In a game on July 14th against Atlanta, his condition worsened. He had trouble seeing the signs flashed by his catcher Alan Ashby and his right arm just wasnt functioning properly. Richard left that game in the 4th inning, saying his arm was dead, and he couldnt even manipulate his fingers to grasp a ball. It proved to be his final Major League game. He was placed on the 21-day disabled list and nine days later checked in to Methodist Hospital in Houston for a full battery of tests. Doctors found two sets of arteries in his arm were obstructed. But later tests found no problems with the arteries in his neck. On July 30, Richard went to a Chiropractor, who rotated his neck, to improve blood flow in his upper body. Later that day, while playing catch in the Astros pre-game warm-up, Richard suffered a full blown stroke. He had to undergo emergency surgery later that night to clear a blockage in an artery in his neck. Doctors discovered he had actually suffered three separate strokes. J.R Richard tried to mount a comeback the following season, but it never worked out. He didnt have the same strength or body control. Richards life spiraled out of control for a few years after that. Bad investments and two broken marriages left him destitute and at one point living penniless under a bridge. J.R Richard found salvation through the church and ultimately became a minister and motivational speaker who specialized in helping underprivileged youth. I guess the morale of this story if there is one, is try to make sure you know all the facts before you judge a players performance. Claudio Marchisio Maglia . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Neto Juventus Maglia . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. http://www.juventusshop.it/custo... . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. [url=http://www.juventusshop.it/juan-cuadrado-maglia.html]Juan Cuadrado Maglia . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Martin Caceres Maglia .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court.SAN ANTONIO -- This was no ordinary victory for Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. "It means a lot," George said. "We havent won here since 2002. So it definitely means that were onto something. Something great is going on in here, if we just continue to keep on this path, we have a positive future." David West had 20 points and Lance Stephenson scored 15 for the Pacers, who enjoyed a 41-34 rebounding edge. Roy Hibbert and Luis Scola each had 12 points and 10 boards. "I couldnt be happier with how they played, particularly in the second and third quarter," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Second quarter, getting back in the game, but in the third quarter, really busting it open. Tough to pick a star in the game with as many contributions as we got. Just great balance and a great team win." Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for San Antonio, which has dropped three of five. Manu Ginobili added 16 points, Tony Parker had 13 and Tim Duncan finished with 10. Indiana had lost 12 straight in San Antonio and appeared headed for a bakers dozen early on. Ginobilis 3-pointer with 9:46 remaining in the first half gave the Spurs a 35-22 lead. It was their largest lead, but also the start of the teams fall as the Pacers starting five overwhelmed their counterparts. "We give a lot of credit to Indiana," Parker said. "They just played better than us." Indiana closed the first half on a 30-18 run and opened the second half with a 12-2 spree. "We had a good first quarter," Duncan said. "Second quarter they started making some shots and we werent able to keep up. We went cold, they heatted up and got a little lead there.ddddddddddddWe just couldnt recover." Georges 3 gave the Pacers an 85-62 lead with 46.3 seconds left in the third. He was 4 for 4 from long range and also had six assists. George had nine points in the third quarter, and the teams starters had all but two of Indianas points in a 35-17 period. "We knew it was a long game," George said. "This is one team that never thinks were out of a game, no matter what the circumstances are. But we knew that we had to get stops and we had to match their energy." San Antonio held a 23-8 edge in second-chance points and a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint, but Indiana attempted 22 more free throws. The Pacers went 26 for 28 at the line, compared to 5 for 6 for the Spurs. "If you lose, you were less aggressive, and you didnt have the effort; thats all baloney," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Thats psycho-babble. You dont think Patty Mills and those guys played hard? You dont think Timmy tried to play hard? Thats silly. They played better than we did. Its got nothing to do with effort." NOTES: The Pacers last victory against the Spurs was 100-99 on April 1, 2007, in Indianapolis. Their last victory in San Antonio was 92-82 on Jan. 4, 2002. ... Spurs C Tiago Splitter in the first half with tightness in his left calf. Splitter was questionable to play due to the calf injury, but got the start anyway. He finished with two points and two rebounds in eight minutes. ... San Antonio had not played since a 102-100 victory over Atlanta. Wednesdays game against Minnesota in Mexico City was postponed due to an electrical fire. ... Before a free throw late in the game, a fan yelled to referee Bill Kennedy, "Did they run out of medium and large shirts?" The muscular Kennedy turned to the crowd with a bemused look and smiled. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '