ERST LESEN! » gth or on the power play, the las

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb favours pitchers having the option of wearing protective headgear on the mound. Cobb returned to Tropicana Field on Monday, nine days after being struck in the right ear by a ball hit by Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer and nearly seven weeks after Torontos J.A. Happ also was hit in the head by a batted ball while pitching there. Sitting on a platform in the auxiliary clubhouse in which Happ also answered questions about the scary incident that knocked him out of a game in early May, Cobb -- who is making progress in his recovery, spoke to the media for the first time since being carted off the field and taken to a hospital on June 15. Cobb, like Happ, was released from Bayfront Medical Center less than 24 hours later. "I remember deciding what pitch to throw. ... I remember seeing the ball come back," said Cobb, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. "Might have caught a glance of the ball and subconsciously turned my head, thankfully." The injury renewed debate about what can be done to protect pitchers from batted balls. "Even after J.A. Happ went through this, we were asked pretty heavily about this topic. I came right out and thought there should be something for us to have the option to do," Cobb said. "I dont want it to turn into something where every pitcher on the mound has to wear something. Thats everybodys personal choice," Cobb added. "Its one where you want to have a little say-so that if this incident happened again you were able to do everything you could to protect yourself, your future, your family." Cobb, who remained conscious the whole time, said he has experienced nausea, severe headaches that have begun to subside, as well as symptoms of vertigo. Still, he is beginning to feel better each day. "Im having my days," the 25-year-old Cobb said. "Today has been the best day by far." Cobb said he visited the doctor Monday and was told he is healing quicker than expected. There is still no timetable for him to return to the mound. "Thats something you just have to let play out," Rays manager Joe Maddon said before Tampa Bay opened a three-game series against the Blue Jays, who are still without Happ. "I dont like to apply finish lines to items that I really have no clue (about). I dont think anybody does," Maddon said. "Even if you talk to doctors, Im sure theyre not sure how long its going to take. ... So just let it play out. "Hell let us know when hes ready for that next moment, and well take it from there." After initially being reluctant to watch a replay of the line drive, Cobb said he watched it later that night or the following morning. He said he initially thought the injury wasnt that serious, and wanted to get up and walk off the field. It wasnt until after the ambulance ride to the hospital, where he later overheard a nurse talking about, "how she couldnt believe this is happening again within a month" that he began to think about Happ. "When it happened I didnt think it was too big of a deal. ... It didnt sink in for a while," Cobb said. "Once I got the CATSCAN going and they told me there was no bleeding inside the brain, from there I was kind of at ease with the whole situation." There has been speculation that Cobb, who is 6-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts this year, might not pitch again this season. He said that isnt true. "Ill be ready to go as soon as my body tells me Im 100 per cent," he said. "But mentally, theres no doubt in my mind Ill be fine. Its just another challenge." He conceded, though, that it is difficult to imagine what it will be like when he does finally get back on a mound and faces hitters. "I dont think thats something you can say until you actually go through it," Cobb said. "Id love to sit up here and tell you no, that once I get out there Ill have the mindset that it happened once, its probably a pretty good chance its not going to happen to me again. "But Im not going to lie. Ive had some nightmares about how bad it could have been. Its obviously in the back of my mind, but Id like to think I could pitch through it."Rodolfo Pizarro Jersey . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Paul Aguilar Jersey . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.mexiconationalshop.us/Andres-Guardado-Mexico-Jersey-Soccer/ . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Orbelin Pineda Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Mexico Soccer Jerseys . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. CHICAGO -- When it comes to power plays in the Stanley Cup finals, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins might just prefer to keep going with everyone on the ice. The last two teams in the NHL playoffs have been lousy with the man advantage and terrific at killing penalties during the post-season. When the Blackhawks are forced to play a man down, Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger are so persistent it almost resembles an even-strength situation. And the Bruins have hulking defenceman Zdeno Chara and goalie Tuukka Rask, who is swallowing everything at the net these days. Heading into Game 1 on Wednesday night, goals on special teams have been so scarce for these teams that a couple for either side could tip the series in one direction. "The special teams are kind of key, if you want to (have) success," Frolik said after Chicago held an optional practice on Monday. "We try to talk about it all the time about that and make sure were on the same page. Its especially going to be key right now. Weve got to make we are ready for the challenge." So far, so good on that front for the Bruins and Blackhawks. With Frolik and Kruger tying up the action on top of the zone, Chicago has allowed just three goals in 58 power-play opportunities for an astounding 94.8 per cent kill rate. Los Angeles got two of them in the Western Conference finals, but one was a meaningless goal by Tyler Toffoli at the very end of the Blackhawks 4-2 victory in Game 2. The 92.5 per cent finish for the 2000 New Jersey Devils is the best playoff rate for a Stanley Cup champion in the last 25 years, according to STATS. "I think they do a good job of fronting shots," Boston coach Claude Julien said of Chicagos penalty killers. "You really have to work hard to get the shots through. Thats what they are, theyre very patient; theyre very aggressive when you do lose, I guess, control of the puck and if they feel they can get on you, theyll get on you quick. Theyve done a good job that way." Pittsburgh had converted an NHL-best 28.3 per cent of its power-play chances heading into the Eastern Conference finaals against Boston, but the high-powered Penguins went 0 for 15 with the man advantage during the Bruins impressive four-game sweep.dddddddddddd One of the lasting images from Bostons post-season run came with Pittsburgh on the power play in the second period of Game 3. Bruins forward Gregory Campbell broke his right leg when he dove to block Evgeni Malkins hard shot, then limped around for more than 30 seconds until Boston cleared the zone and he was able to get off the ice. Campbells gutsy display served as inspiration for the Bruins, and they went on to finish off the Penguins with a 1-0 victory on Friday. But Campbell will miss the remainder of the playoffs, presenting a challenge for the series against Chicago. "It just means some other guys have to step in and do the job," Julien said. "(Campbell) is an elite penalty killer for us. Like anything else, when you lose a player like that it certainly hurts your team. But at the same time, theres also guys that come up and step up and do a great job just like our young Ds did when our three Ds were hurt." When it comes to scoring on Boston, whether its even strength or on the power play, the last line of defence may be the most difficult one to solve. Rask has been terrific throughout the playoffs, making an NHL-best 497 saves. Led by the 26-year-old Finn, Boston has yielded seven goals in 52 power-play opportunities for an 86.5 per cent kill rate in the post-season. "Were facing a goalie that in the last round was as good as any of the goalies weve seen over a segment of two years in the playoffs," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. While the penalty killing has been great for both sides, the power play for the Blackhawks and Bruins has been, well, powerless. Each team has seven goals with the man advantage in the playoffs. Boston had an NHL-worst 18 power-play goals during the regular season, compared to 25 for Chicago. Quenneville and Julien have faced a running stream of questions about the lack of production, and thats likely to continue in this series -- especially with the PK units on each side. ' ' '