12-27-2019, 12:59 AM
TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is making progress from a mild hamstring strain and could return to the lineup this weekend. Chicago Blackhawks Shirts . He missed a three-game series against New York this week after suffering the injury last Sunday while trying to leg out a base hit during a game in Cincinnati. Manager John Gibbons said the plan is for Bautista to have a "light day" Thursday before really testing out the leg Friday with the teams training staff. "Hopefully by the end of the weekend, were hoping he can get out there," Gibbons said. Anthony Gose was slotted to fill in for Bautista in right field on Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox. Bautista could be used as a pinch-hitter at some point in the four-game series but its doubtful that would occur before Saturday. Bautista is batting .305 this season with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs in 77 games. Also Thursday, Gibbons said infielder Steve Tolleson "was good to go" after seeing an eye specialist earlier in the day. Tolleson had been dealing with blurry vision over the last few days, likely due to an allergic reaction to his contact lenses. He was wearing glasses before taking batting practice at Rogers Centre. "They make him look way too smart to be out there," Gibbons joked. The Blue Jays have had a few players go down with injuries of late. Infielder Brett Lawrie was also hurt last Sunday against the Reds, breaking a finger when he was hit by a pitch. Lawrie, from Langley, B.C., will likely be out until at least the all-star break in mid-July. Left-handed reliever Brett Cecil also went on the disabled list last week due to a groin injury. The Blue Jays entered play Thursday with a 1 1/2-game lead on second-place Baltimore in the American League East division standings. Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Wholesale Blackhawks Jerseys . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. Chicago Blackhawks Gear .The ruling takes effect on Jan. 1 and stems from the debate surrounding Paralympic champion Markus Rehm, an amputee who won the national long jump title competing with a carbon-fiber prosthesis. https://www.cheapblackhawks.com/ .Balotelli uploaded on Instagram a picture of the video-game character Super Mario, with whom the Italy international shares a nickname, with text around the image including jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew.EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern Universitys football players will cast ballots Friday on whether to form the nations first union for college athletes -- a potentially landmark vote that will be kept sealed for months and possibly years. The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday it will hear an appeal by Northwestern challenging the decision from a regional NLRB director who ruled the players are university employees and thus have the right to unionize. The board said the ballots will be impounded at least until it issues its decision later this year. If the case lands in court, it could be a far longer before the results of the vote are known. The vote comes one day after leaders at the NCAA endorsed a dramatic proposal to give its biggest and most powerful member schools the autonomy to make decisions for its athletes, including more robust funding of scholarships, the ability to address health concerns and other key areas. Union supporters say they are seeking guaranteed coverage of sports-related medical expenses for current and former players. There have been no raucous rallies or demonstrations on the 19,000-student campus just north of Chicago, just official notices about the vote posted near the Wildcats locker room. But there has been plenty of lobbying in the form private meetings, calls and emails, and everyone from coach Pat Fitzgerald to NCAA President Mark Emmert has called for a "no" vote. The 76 scholarship football players eligible to cast ballots know the spotlight is on them, said Ramogi Huma, president of the College Athletes Players Association, which would represent the players at the bargaining table if the pro-union side prevails. Some of the pressure they feel stems from dire Northwestern claims about the consequences of unionization, he said. "Theyre looking at anything and everything to invoke fear in the players," said Huma, a former UCLA linebacker and longtime critic of the NCAA. "We feel like some of the tactics are scare tactics." Northwestern, which is required by law to let the vote proceed, denies applying undue pressure on players to vote "no." However, it recently sent a 21-page question-and-answer document to the players outlining the problems with forming a union. In it, Northwestern said it hoped unionization would not lead to player strikes in the event of a dispute -- but if it did, replacement players could be brought in to cross picket lines. "The tension created in such a situation would be unprecedented and not in anyones best interest," it said. The school also said divisions could emerge between scholarship players eligible for union membership and walk-ons, coaches and staff. "There is no question but that the presence of a union would add tension in terms of creating an us versus them feeling between the players it would represent and those it would not," it said. Northwestern did not release the document publicly, but The Associated Press obtained a copy and a spokesman for the universitys athletic department, Paul Kennedy, verified its authenticity. Blackhawks Jerseys 2020. Alan K. Cubbage, the schools vice-president for university relations, dismissed Humas suggestion that the school was using scare tactics "I would say strongly that Northwestern has conducted an election campaign ... according to the procedures and the rules of the NLRB," he said. When outgoing Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter announced in January that he would lead the drive to unionize, helped by CAPA and the United Steelworkers, he said nearly all of his fellow teammates were behind him. Safety Davion Fleming said his teammates slowly began to understand the issues arent clear-cut. "When the union talk initially started, it wasnt very clear what was going on," said Fleming, who cant vote because his eligibility is exhausted. "I think they didnt understand the implications." Huma said Northwestern seemed to be intentionally misconstruing the facts, and said the schools "subliminal messages" included the suggestion that a "yes" vote could throw their amateur status into question. "No one is taking about striking," he said. "They are trying to rattle players." The fight has been noticed by incoming recruits, too. "I went there for many reasons, more than just football," said Justin Jackson, a running back recruit from Carol Stream. "Theres no possible way that it would have deterred me from signing back in February." Like the players themselves, recruits and their families have a long list of potential questions should a football players union become a reality. One of the biggest issues is whether scholarships would be counted as taxable income. "I dont feel that were really in the position to get involved in anything like that with it yet," said Phil Jackson Sr., Justins father. "But it does obviously would have an impact on the students as far as the scholarship not being a grant but actually being considered income, yeah, that definitely would be a concern. "But at the same time we also understand theres some important issues that need to be hashed out and were kind of letting the process play itself out for right now." Trevor Siemian, who is expected to replace Colter as the starting quarterback, has said he will be voting against a union. "Ill say theres a significant number of guys on the team who feel the same as me," Siemian said earlier this month. Fleming also said doesnt support unionization, though he said the drive has prompted a much-needed debate about conditions for players. After weeks of both sides vying for votes, he said he detects a common sentiment among players. "They just want this to be over -- and to focus on football," he said. ' ' '