ST. NHL Jerseys China . PETERSBURG – Minutes after his Blue Jays toughed out an 8-5 victory over the division rival Rays, general manager Alex Anthopoulos stood with assembled media in the bowels of Tropicana Field, incredulous over the degree to which Adam Linds fractured right foot had become a topic of conversation. "I just think there isnt a whole lot going on in the city right now and on an off day it was a story," said Anthopoulos. Perhaps Anthopoulos has a point. Then again, it was Lind who volunteered that he underwent an MRI on Tuesday in Anaheim at the behest of his mother, who was among those concerned about her sons foot, which took the brunt of a foul ball on June 14 in Baltimore. It was Lind whod suggested he would miss the next six to eight weeks, leaving observers to ponder how the club would hold up without a middle-of-the-order, left-handed bat that has spent the season destroying right-handed pitching. Anthopoulos moved to clarify the timeframe. He said Lind had begun to feel improvement in his foot in late June but that while running on an extra-base hit in the July 2 win over Milwaukee, the pain worsened. Linds level of discomfort increased during the series in Oakland – he played the first two games at first base and was forced to chase down a number of pop ups in O.co Coliseums vast foul territory – and it was during the Jays stay in Northern California that the club began considering sending Lind for an MRI. "We knew that if it ever plateaued or if it went backwards that we would get an MRI but you dont do that unless it gets to that point," said Anthopoulos. "You dont MRI everybody all the time when there are plenty of guys who have issues." The imaging took place on Tuesday in Anaheim. Thats when the fracture of the metatarsal was discovered. It was confirmed by Dr. Robert Anderson, a Charlotte, North Carolina foot specialist, who also verified Linds late July or early August return to action. Lind will spend the next week, approximately, in a walking boot. The club decided not to make Lind available for comment on Friday night, as was the original plan. Hed rejoined the team on the Gulf Coast and maintains a residence in the area. While it didnt seem like one at the time, not to mention its strangely uncommon for an athlete to mention his mother in the context Lind did on Wednesday, Anthopoulos wrote of Linds comment as a joke. "You guys know Adam," said Anthopoulos. "Nice, easy going guy, funny in his own way. I dont think he thought anything of anything. It just, he even says today, I cant believe we have to talk about this. I kind of feel the same way. I understand if you guys feel its a story than it is a story." Addressing Linds six-to-eight week self diagnosis, Anthopoulos said the club, not a player, releases injury information to avoid such confusion. He speculated Lind lost something in translation. "Whether the doctor didnt specify from the time of the injury, whether Adam just heard six-to-eight weeks, I dont know," said Anthopoulos. "Again, all I would say is, you guys have been covering the team for a long time, Id say almost every single time injury news comes from the team. If we know were getting an opinion and were not commenting until we get all the information (because) theres just no point." Anthopoulos assured Lind isnt in trouble. "No ones upset at him, no ones mad," said Anthopoulos. "Someone was telling me about having apologies or things like that. I mean, this took on a life of its own thats not even, I just think its a non-story." It will be a non-story soon. Time goes by; these things tend to die down. What cant be denied: Linds bat will be badly missed until the Blue Jays get it back. NHL Jerseys Outlet . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. NHL Jerseys Sale . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief.Its a big week for NCAA college players. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that a group of Northwestern college football players, led by quarterback Kain Colter, are employees and have the right to form a union and bargain collectively. The NLRB is a U.S. government agency that deals with labor law. This matters because as a bargaining unit, players as a group can now start to ask for more - a lot more. Think about how baseball was changed when the players unionized and fought for their rights. So this decision will potentially have a major impact on college sports and force the NCAA to change how it does business. For decades, the NCAA has offered scholarships in exchange for athletic services. However, the NLRB says that falls short, and with this ruling, threatens to tear down the very foundation of the NCAA and its billion dollar business model. Control Control Control In concluding that players were entitled to employee status, NLRB director Peter Ohr focused on the level of control that Northwestern exercised over its student athletes. That level of control, he said, moved players from being primarily students to being athletes that have earned the right to unionize. If they were primarily students, they couldnt unionize. In ruling that Northwestern players were athletes first (and students second), he relied on a bunch of factors to demonstrate control over the players that no longer made them primarily students (like others on campus) and effectively turned them into employees. Here are a few of these factors: (a) The NCAA limits athletic activities to 20 hours per week during the season and 8 hours during the offseason. Despite that, Northwestern players dedicated 50 to 60 hours a week on football during training camp, and another 40 to 50 hours a week during the football season. While the workouts that would take players beyond the 20 hour cap were deemed "voluntary", players knew if they didnt show up there would be serious consequences. Some days players had to engage in football related activities from 5:45am to 10:30pm. Devoting so many hours a week to football was a massive consideration for the NLRB. The players basically had a second job: football. (b) Players allege they were steered away from certain courses because they conflicted with football. Colter wanted to go to medical school but was discouraged from taking a pre-med course because it conflicted with his football schedule. He ultimately ended up transferring to psychology. (c) Players have to abide by restrictive social media policies, and cant refuse a friend request on Facebook from a coach. They have to let the coach know the type of car they drive. As well, players are subject to alcohol and drug policies, as well as anti-gambling and anti-hazing policies. A violation of these policies can result in serious sanctions, including suspensions and revocation of scholarships. (d) If a player wants to get a job off campus, he needs permmission. Wholesale NHL Jerseys. Hes required to live on campus while a freshman and sophomore. He also cant do interviews without the coachs approval. (e) The player cant profit off his own likeness and image; thats reserved for the university and the NCAA. (f) A player is prohibited from swearing in public, and if a player "embarrasses" the team, he can be suspended for one game. A second offense can result in a 1 year suspension. Players who transfer to another school to play football must sit out a year before they can compete for the new school. (g) During the regular season, the players must wear a suit to home games. (h) Players are required to remain within a six-hour radius of campus prior to football games. These are just some of the factors that Ohr relied on when he concluded that the university was exercising a level of control that converted the students into employees. Also important was that Northwestern was providing compensation in the form of scholarships in return for services that had nothing to do with academics. All The Benchmarks of an Employment Relationship So when it all shakes out, Ohr believed that this case had all the standard benchmarks of an employer/employee relationship, including controlling the employees schedule, the discretion to hire, fire or suspend the employee and evidence of compensation. What Do the Players Want They want to negotiate limits on practice time and medical benefits. Thats their starting point. They will probably also ask for a stipend to reflect cost of attendance. Remember that scholarships cover a lot – living expenses, tuition, room and board and book fees – but not everything. At some point, players may ask to be paid. The NCAA is big business. The media deal for NCAA football is a $7.3 billion/10 year deal, while the March Madness deal is valued at $10.8 billion over 14 years. Northwestern generated $235 million in revenue between 2003 and 2012 off things like ticket sales, television contracts, merchandise sales and licensing agreements. In 2012-2013 alone, the program generated $30.1 million in revenue, while spending about $5 million on scholarships. The university also says that its expenses add up to about $22 million all in for the football program. In theory, the players as employees could also be entitled to disability insurance, workers compensation and maybe even a pension. They could also be taxed on non-scholarship income they receive. Next Steps: Appeal Central As for next steps, the players will hold a vote to form a union, while Northwestern appeals the decision to the next level at the NLRB. If Northwestern is unsuccessful on appeal, they will probably refuse to bargain with the students and take the matter to federal court. So we could still be years away from a final decision. That being said, this was a potentially historic win for the players and a step closer toward sharing in the billion dollar pie that is the NCAA. ' ' '