Plauderwelten » Was it a flash in the pan? I dont believe so," Send

MIAMI - Jose Fernandez walked into the Miami Marlins clubhouse four hours before game time and extended his left arm to shake hands with teammates. His right arm rested in a sling and was encased in a cast from above the elbow to his hand. "Im excited," Fernandez said with a grin. "Im throwing a bullpen tomorrow lefty." That would be the only way last seasons NL Rookie of the Year would be able to pitch anytime soon. Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow Friday, and he is expected to be out 12 to 18 months. He rejoined the Marlins on Tuesday for the start of their six-game homestand, but only as a spectator. He also spoke to reporters for the first time since the operation. Fernandez said he felt a pinch in his elbow during a start against the Dodgers on May 4, and was at less than 100 per cent in his final start May 9 at San Diego. He said he didnt tell anyone because missing a start wasnt an appealing option. "I said, I cant do this to my team. Were in first place. I cant let them down right now," Fernandez said. "Its nobodys fault. It happened. Its sad it did. I dont blame anybody, and I dont regret not saying anything. That was my call. Probably it wasnt the smartest thing, but this is my team, and I give my life for my team." An attorney for Fernandez released a statement last week saying the pitcher changed his delivery for his final start, but Fernandez said it was nothing his team or manager could detect. "I was trying not to let anybody see that I was in a little pain," he said. Fernandez said the ligament came off the bone, leaving him no choice but to undergo surgery. At the time he led the majors in strikeouts, and was 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA. "It was sad not because I got hurt, but because I felt like I let my team down," he said. "That was the tough part. I felt bad, but I can take care of this and be back and strong." Tuesday would have been Fernandezs day to pitch as the Marlins opened a series against the Phillies. "Hes going to be out a long time, but we know hes on the road to recovery," manager Mike Redmond said. "We know a lot of guys come back and either pitch the same or better. Its tough to see him in the sling, but we know hes going to be back." Fernandez underwent surgery in Los Angeles. He plans to return there next week to have his cast and stitches removed, before the long rehabilitation process begins. The Cuban defector said hes eager to get started. "To me this is just a little bump in the road," he said. "Ive been through a lot more stuff, tougher things. This is just something Ive got to learn from." At age 21, Fernandez has a 16-8 record with a 2.25 ERA in 36 career starts. Does he anticipate hell be able to pitch as well when he returns? "I hope better," he said. "Im going to be out for a year. Id better learn a lot of things and get a lot stronger. I cant wait to get back on the mound. Its going to be a special day. Its far away, but we have to take the little steps to get there." China Nike NFL Jerseys . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. Cheap NFL Jerseys . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport. http://www.jerseyscheapwholesalenfl.com/ . -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. Jerseys Wholesale . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. Cheap Authentic Nike NFL Jerseys . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith.PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. Even more surprising is how he won the Valspar Championship. Sunday at Innisbrook had all the trappings of a tournament that is survived more than it is won. Robert Garrigus, who started the final round with the lead, hit a tee shot that bounced off a lawn chair and wound up next to a tree, leading to a double bogey. Kevin Na, playing in the final group, missed a 3-foot putt and made a double bogey during a meltdown at the end of his front nine. Each mistake brought more players into the mix on the Copperhead course until at one point there were nine players separated by three shots with more than an hour to go and the treacherous "Snake Pit" stretch of three fearsome closing holes ahead. But thats where Senden seized control -- on the 16th hole, with a shot into the trees. In a three-way tie for the lead with Na and Scott Langley, Sendens tee shot was headed for a tiny forest when it smacked off a tree and left him an opening. "I got a pretty good break there with hitting the tree and dropping straight down," he said. "Then I hit a really good second shot to get in some sort of position near the green. Walking up to the shot, I just felt like, OK, I need to hit a really good shot here to get this up-and-down and try to have a chance to do something down the stretch. "I thought it came out well," he said. "It disappeared. Amazing." He chipped in from 70 feet for birdie to break the tie. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole to stretch his lead to two shots. And when he could hear Na made a birdie putt on the 17th hole behind him to cut the lead to one, the 42-year-old Australian hit one might have been his best putt of the day that didnt go in. It was a 40-foot putt that went up a ridge and moved slightly to the right, and then went down the slope and sharply to the left. Senden hit it so well that he only had a few inches left to tap in for his par and a 1-under 70. All that was left was to wait to see if Na could make birdie and force a playoff. Na caught a flier out of the first cut of rough with a pitching wedge to 40 feet, and the birdie putt didnt have a chance. He closed with a 72 to finish second, his best result on the PGA Tour since he won at Las Veegas at the end of 2011.dddddddddddd "I knew coming into today that I felt like if I shot par I had a chance to win," Na said. "If I break par, I felt like it was going to be a lock." Senden finished at 7-under 277, the third straight event on the Florida swing where the winning score was single-digit under par. He wasnt thinking about all the perks that go along with winning, though he was clear on one thing -- he wont have the week off the second week in April. Senden earned a spot in the Masters, always the biggest major for Australians, even with Adam Scott winning last year. He also locked up a berth in the PGA Championship, two World Golf Championships the rest of the year (at Firestone and Shanghai) and Kapalua to start next year. Its a good feeling for Senden, one that he had forgotten. His only other PGA Tour win was in 2006 at the John Deere Classic. Senden capped off that year by winning the Australian Open at Royal Sydney. "Its something that makes you believe more than you can get it done again, rather than just once and thinking back then in 06, Was it a flash in the pan? I dont believe so," Senden said. "But now it makes me feel (validated) from the John Deere." Scott Langley, hitting superb shots to account for the wind, didnt hit a green over the final four holes and still managed to save par on three of them. The one bogey on the 16th hole, when he went long of the green from the middle of the fairway, proved costly. Langley and David Hearn were the only players who shot par or better all four days. Langley closed with a 70 to finish alone in third. Garrigus made two double bogeys on his way to a 41 on the back nine. He also went 26 holes without a birdie dating to the third round Saturday, when he led by as many as four shots. By the time he made birdie at No. 14, it was too late. Garrigus, now 0-4 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, closed with a 75. He tied for fourth with Will MacKenzie (69) and Luke Donald (70). "I know what Im not going to be doing next year -- fishing," said Garrigus, who figures he caught three dozen large-mouth bass this week. "Im going to bring a damn chain saw out to the place and cut a few trees down. I kept hitting it behind them all day. I just didnt get any breaks." ' ' '