MLB, NFL, and basektball

First, an article about Nationals pitcher Luis Ayala and his return in June from Tommy John elbow ligament transplant surgery. Here's a quote about his being able to return to pitching again:

Now, every day that I step out on the field is a day I feel blessed. I'm confident in saying that I feel 100 percent physically now.

Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070911&content_id=2201432&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.

Here's an article about Marlins 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera and his recent visit to a children's hospital in Miami. He came to brighten up the kids spirits, but his spirits were brightened too. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070911&content_id=2201722&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Next, an article about Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, a Christian, and his being ready to pitch on short rest when needed during the regular season and/or post-season. The last two years he had been injured and couldn't do that. Here's the article with a video: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070912&content_id=2203745&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.

Here's an article about Broncos punt returner Domenik Hixon, the guy who Bills tight end Kevin Everett was tackling when Everett suffered a life-threatening spinal cord injury during the Broncos/Bills game on September 9th. Hixon felt guilty about the injury, although he had nothing to do with it. Everett was injured because of the way that he hit Hixon. After doctors initially thought that Everett would never walk again, he has been slowly improving and his outlook looks good. Here's what Hixon had to say about hearing the first good news of Everett's improvement:

"It was a big relief," Hixon said. "That just brought a smile to my face. Prayers were answered. The power of prayers, man. Hopefully, he makes a full recovery." ...

"My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family," Hixon said.

Here's the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-broncos-everett&prov=ap&type=lgns. Here's the latest on Everett's recovery: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_bills_everett_hurt.

Also, an article about some of the Colts players spending part of their off day last Tuesday with kids in Indianapolis schools reading, coloring, and speaking to them. The players involved included tight end Gijon Robinson, wide receiver Trent Shelton, defensiveback Brannon Condren, offensive lineman Travis Leitko, tight end Bryan Fletcher, and wide receiver Aaron Moorehead. Here's the article with pictures: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=970d1eab-73ef-4b1b-8924-f55a6ae5d2f0.

Here's a good blog post from the Saved in Sports blog about Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo, a Christian, and his humanitarian work in Africa, including his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recently he was part of the group of current and former NBA players and coaches that worked in South Africa with NBA's Basketball Without Borders. Here's the post: http://savedinsports.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/dikembe-mutombo-of-the-houston-rockets/. Here's one of the articles from the blog post with the players and coaches talking about their trip to South Africa: http://www.nba.com/global/bwb_africa_fran1_070912.html. Here's a link to the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation's website: http://www.dmf.org/. Also, here's another article that I found about Mutombo and the Basketball Without Borders trip: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5130828.html (originally found at: http://www.nba.com/news/462298.html?rss=true).

Another note about Mutombo: he's going to play this coming season with the Rockets and then retire. Here's a quote from him about the Rockets:

"It's a great organization," Mutombo said, according to KRIV. "I have a great relationship with the owner. I have a great relationship with the mayor and I love the city. I have been blessed."

Here's the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3021060.

Next, an article about Patriots lineman Joe Andruzzi was diagnosed in May with with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's an aggressive but treatable form of cancer, and he's doing well with his treatments. Here's a quote from his former teammate, Patriots runningback Kevin Faulk:

Running back Kevin Faulk gets updates through his wife, who is in e-mail contact with Jennifer Andruzzi (Andruzzi's wife).

"You pray and you believe that he will (beat the cancer)," Faulk said. "You never know what can happen, but in the long run that's what you want to happen, that he beats the thing. He's a strong guy."

Here's the article: http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10349880/2.

Here's an article about Colts defensive lineman Gary Brackett, a Christian, and his important role as the defensive captain, a job that he takes very seriously: http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=43ab772b-7f59-405c-b075-1eb06f4ba647.

Also, an article about Gonzaga basketball head coach Mark Few and his wife Marcy hosting the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Classic and BasketBALL Gala in August that raised $750,000 for cancer: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/091307aap.html.

Lastly, an article by Reds catcher David Ross, talking about his teammate, outfielder Josh Hamilton, a Christian. Ross talks about his admiration of Hamilton for being able to come back from drug abuse and for the kind of person that Hamilton is. Here's the article: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070913&content_id=2206118&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp.