t with a leg injury suffered this summer. The Pacers have won three s

DUNEDIN, Florida - Melky Cabrera envisioned the worst-case scenario when he was diagnosed with having a benign tumour in his back. Cyber Monday Soccer Jerseys . "I thought he was going to pass away, I was going to die, I was going to leave his kids behind and his family," said Cabrera through third base coach Luis Rivera, translating Spanish to English. "I know one day hes going to die but I wasnt ready to do that yet." It was a harsh dose of reality for Cabrera not long after turning 29 last August 11. It was a strange time. Finally, Cabrera had a proper diagnosis for the knee tendinitis and quadriceps inflammation that had sent him to the disabled list earlier in the season. But to that point, Cabrera couldnt understand why hed been rendered relatively immobile on the field. The tumour, which if left untreated would have continued to grow and could have ended up wrapping itself around Cabreras spinal cord causing paralysis, even death, was about the size of a walnut at the time it was surgically removed. The scar on Cabreras back is about five inches long and runs straight down the spinal column. "I was worried because of the way I was playing and the pain I was feeling in my legs and his back," Cabrera said through Rivera. "I didnt know what was wrong with me until I they decided to check. I found out, my family and myself, it was a tumour. They didnt know if it was benign or cancer and we were real worried." Once the stiches came out ten days after the surgery, Cabrera immediately began working out. He started slowly, capped at curls with 15 and 20-pound dumbbells. By December, Cabrera had moved his offseason home to Tampa. Teammate Jose Bautista lives in the area and the two began two-a-day workouts immediately, including cardio and weight training in the mornings and baseball related activities, namely hitting, in the afternoon. Cabrera is plenty motivated to have a bounce back season. Limited to 88 games last year, he posted a .279/.322/.360 slash line. He was coming off a 50-game suspension in 2012 for performance enhancing drug use. Now in the final year of the $16 million, two-year contract, Cabrera is playing for his next deal while trying to shake a shady past. In solid physical shape and moving better than he has in more than a year, Cabrera is reunited with his hitting coach from three seasons ago in Kansas City, Kevin Seitzer. "Im real happy that hes here," said Cabrera through Rivera. "Hes a real good hitting coach. He knows what kind of swing I have and he can work with me better." NAVARRO CATCHES BUEHRLE Asked before Fridays game if he could remember catching a pitcher who works as quickly as Mark Buehrle, Dioner Navarro didnt waste any time responding. "Nobody," he said. Navarro wouldnt offer a prediction of how things would go, which necessitated a follow up when he left the game after six innings. "On the positive side I dont have to do conditioning now," joked Navarro. "It was fun. I think hes still trying to build in as spring training goes along. I dont think he was throwing as hard as he can. His mechanics looked fine. The ball was coming out fine. He likes to work fast, thats for sure." Buehrle threw two innings, allowing a run on two hits. He struck out one and walked one. "First thing I told him when we met, I said, Listen, I dont shake off, so I like the sign down and hope youve got a game plan back there, because I dont really go over one, I dont follow one, so I just kind of go off [the catchers signs]," said Buehrle. "Thats big for them to know the hitters and know what I like to throw in certain situations. So far, were just working on some stuff right now and getting his feedback on certain pitches that Im throwing, so its good." Buehrle sat in on a handful of advanced scouting meetings two years ago in Miami, at the request of then-Marlins pitching coach Randy St. Claire, but felt he wasnt benefitting from the information. Hed prefer if Navarro and pitching coach Pete Walker worked out the plan. Hell just throw the pitches, joking that if things go wrong it leaves the blame on the catcher. "We take the blame," said Navarro. "Hey, its been like that for 100 years. When somebody does good, good job. When something goes bad its the catchers fault. Ive got no shame on that. I take the blame. Its okay with me." IZTURIS ACCEPTING OF BACK UP ROLE As long as the regulars stay healthy, Maicer Izturis will find himself back in the role he had with the Angels. Hell play some second base, some shortstop and some third base and be a late-game option off the bench for manager John Gibbons. "Ive been in that situation before in Anaheim with Aybar and Howie Kendrick," said Izturis. "For me, Im coming in ready to help the team win. I just want to make the playoffs and win that thing. I think weve got everything here. We need to just compete." A 10-year veteran, Izturis also is serving as a mentor to Ryan Goins, who ended last season as the Jays second baseman and is expected to have the starting job when camp breaks. "Just be consistent, play good defense," said Izturis of his advice to Goins. "Hes got the same game that I do. Just play defense, move the runner, take some pitches, play for the team. Weve got a lot of players with power and speed. Thats what I try to tell him to help him understand his game." Izturis is fully healed following a season-ending ankle sprain late last August. He began running the bases and taking ground balls in November. LINDS BEARD GETTING ATTENTION Adam Linds goatee is being compared to the beard worn by former professional wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Shown a photo of Neidhart, Lind laughed and said, "Hes got a better tan." KRATZ DOES COMMERCIALS Check out these three commercials featuring new Blue Jays catcher Erik Kratz, done last year in Philadelphia for Godshalls Quality Meats. Some funny stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOjaXfwdfg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bltl70SVyuU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oQi1uuq2xI Stitched Soccer Jerseys .com) - Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil and New England Patriots punter Ryan Allen were selected as the AFCs top players for Week 14 of the NFL season. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Authentic . LOUIS -- Known for his game-managing and defensive skills, Yadier Molina made another statement with his bat. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . -- Antoine Bibeau bought the Val-dOr Foreurs valuable time at the Memorial Cup with his 51-save shutout Friday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The surging Los Angeles Clippers are back on the road for the next three games and will visit the Indiana Pacers Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Clippers are scheduled to visit Washington and Milwaukee on this trek and went 6-1 on a recent journey. They have won eight in a row and closed out a perfect four-game stretch at Staples Center with Mondays thrilling 121-120 overtime victory versus the Phoenix Suns. Clippers forward Blake Griffin sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime and got a friendly bounce off the iron. He scored a season-high 45 points. I stepped back thinking three, but also to get open, said Griffin, who is fifth in the NBA with 24.0 points per game. I thought it was short and then I saw it bounce and it went in. I then took off running. Griffin, whose 45 points were two shy of a career high, finished 14-of-24 shooting and Chris Paul delivered 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. The Clippers are 35-5 when Paul posts at least 20 points and 10 assists. J.J. Redick had 17 points and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 14 rebounds for Los Angeles. Jordan leads the NBA with 12.3 rebounds per game. Eric Bledsoe had a triple-double of 27 points, a career-high 16 assists and 11 rebounds for the Suns. The Clippers are 10-1 in their last 11 games overall and are first in field goal percentage at 48.4. Thhey are third in scoring (107. Custom Soccer Jerseys. 1 ppg) and 7-2 away from home this season. LA is 5-1 against the Eastern Conference (4-0 on the road) and won 11 in a row from Feb. 23 - March 16, 2014. It has won 12 straight when scoring 100 points and is 14-1 when reaching the century mark. Indiana has lost five in a row and suffered a 108-92 loss versus the Atlanta Hawks Monday night. Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles scored 15 points apiece and Luis Scola added 12 points. Roy Hibbert and David West only had eight points apiece for the Pacers, who fell to 7-14 on the season and made only 9-of-27 3-pointers. Miles sank four of his seven attempts from downtown and Indiana shot 44 percent on the night. Clearly the Hawks were a more energized team, said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. We seemed a step slow. West needs 21 points to reach 12,000 in his career. The Pacers had 17 turnovers and have been outscored by an average of 10.4 points during the five-game slide. They are 4-6 at home and have posted a winning record on their home court in each of the past 25 seasons. Indiana is 2-7 against Western Conference foes and won both meetings with the Clippers last season. The Pacers were healthy last season and had Paul George running the show, but hes been out with a leg injury suffered this summer. The Pacers have won three straight against the Clippers. ' ' '