CLEVELAND - Michael Bourn hopes his time out of the lineup is a short one.
[b]Blues Jerseys China[/b] . Bourn, the Indians centre fielder and leadoff hitter, is sidelined again by a hamstring injury that has lingered for several months. He had to leave Saturdays game against the Chicago White Sox when the hamstring tightened up while he was running to first on a bunt hit in the fourth inning. Bourn had surgery on his hamstring in October. He re-injured it in spring training, forcing him to begin the season on the disabled list before being activated on April 15. Nyjer Morgan, who began the season as Bourns replacement, was recalled from Triple-A Columbus, and is playing centre and batting leadoff Sunday. Bourn, who missed the seasons first 15 games, said he hopes to play again in a few days. Hes optimistic he wont need a return trip to the DL. "I dont think it is, but I cant tell you for sure," he said. Indians manager Terry Francona said the teams training staff told him theres a chance Bourn will be able to play Monday. "That might be a little ambitious, but if theyre saying that, its a very good sign," Francona said. Francona understands the concern that Bourns hamstring issue wont go away. "Hes actually been running pretty well," Francona said. "I dont see him favouring it. I see him in the outfield going all out and not holding back, but he did feel it (Saturday). Im glad he was smart enough to say something. I dont know. Hopefully this is something he works through." Bourn is batting .266 with six runs, two stolen bases and four RBIs in 15 games. Morgan batted .348 with three steals, four runs and four RBIs in nine games. He was sent down when Bourn came off the DL. Designated hitter Jason Giambi also left Saturdays game with a cramp in his right calf and wasnt in Sundays lineup. Clevelands injury list gets longer by the day. The Indians placed All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique Friday. Hes expected to miss three to five weeks. The Indians optioned left-hander Nick Hagadone to Columbus to make room for Morgan. Another roster move must be made by Tuesday when right-hander Josh Tomlin is called up to start against Minnesota.
[b]Custom St.Louis Blues Jerseys[/b] . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday.
[b]St.Louis Blues Pro Shop[/b] .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday.NEW YORK -- Frank Cashen, the general manager who wore a signature bow tie and fashioned a New York Mets team that rollicked its way to the 1986 World Series championship, died Monday. The team said he was 88. He died at Memorial Hospital in Easton, Maryland, after a short illness, the Mets said. Cashen was a longtime sports writer in his Baltimore hometown and went to law school before joining the Orioles and eventually becoming their GM. The Orioles won two titles while Cashen worked for them, but it was in New York where he put his stamp on a franchise with the likes of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. Hired in 1980, Cashen transformed a last-place team into an outfit that became the most dominant force in baseball. Those Mets were brash and full of swagger, not at all like the personality of the man who built the club. Cashen made the trades that brought star first baseman Keith Hernandez and future Hall of Famer Gary Carter to the Mets, and oversaw the draft picks of Gooden and Strawberry. "Frank was our leader," Strawberry said in a statement. "I always admired the way he put together our team. He mixed young guys, like me and Doc, with guys like Carter and Hernandez. He was able to find the perfect blend to build a championship." Cashen also hired his former second baseman in Baltimore, Davey Johnson, to be the Mets manager. By the 1986, the Mets were ready to take over. They powered their way to 108 victories, won a tough playoff series with Houston and then rallied past Boston to win the World Series in seven games. "Frank was willing to take a chance and jump me from A-ball to the majors. That always meant a lot to me," Gooden said in a statement. "Also, he helped get me my No. 16. Lee Mazzilli had it before and Frank went to bat for me and said, If thats the number Doc wants, let him have it." Hernandez is now a broadcaster for the Mets. He was already a star first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals when Cashen acquired him in June 1983 in a one-sided deal, getting him for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. Before the Mets played at Atlanta on Monday night, Hernandez fondly remembered Cashen. "He was a man of integrity and honestly, and that was most important.
[b]Blues Jerseys 2020[/b]. . He told you the truth," Hernandez said. "It was a day when the general managers didnt pal around with the players. We hardly ever saw him, but there was a relationship there. He was just a wonderful man." After winning the championship, however, the Mets werent able to sustain that peak performance. In the following years and Cashen traded away Lenny Dykstra, Ron Darling, Roger McDowell and other popular players. Cashen left the Mets after a fifth-place finish in 1991. He remained close to the team and was briefly the interim GM several years later. "Frank Cashen revitalized our franchise when he took over," Mets chairman Fred Wilpon said in a statement. "I dealt with Frank on a daily basis and he was a man of integrity and great passion." "No one had a more diverse career than Frank. He was also a lawyer, sports writer and marketing executive. His accomplishments will always be an integral part of our team history," he said. Cashen, who also worked as an executive in Major League Baseball, was inducted into the team Hall of Fame for both the Orioles and Mets. "Frank Cashen was one of the greatest executives in our game," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "A true gentleman who had many interests, Frank had a multifaceted career in baseball and beyond. He helped construct some of the best clubs that two of our franchises - his hometown Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets - have ever had." The Orioles said Cashen served the team during its "most successful on-field era." "It was during his tenure that the Orioles acquired Frank Robinson and named Earl Weaver manager, two of the most significant moments in club history," the club said. In recent years, Cashen spent his time in Easton and in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where the Mets hold spring training. He was in camp with the Mets this year. "One of the great baseball people," Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday. Cashen is survived by wife Jean, seven children and nine grandchildren. ------ AP freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report. ' ' '
