Blue Jackets. He has scored 18 goals with 52 assists and a +7

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina will undergo surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and could miss the rest of the season. The team estimated Molina could be sidelined eight to 12 weeks. Hes hoping to make it back in seven or eight weeks. "I almost cried," Molina said before Thursday nights game against the Pirates. "Mentally, its so frustrating. You play hard for something to happen like that, its bad." Molina got the news Thursday morning, three days from his 32nd birthday. The Cardinals left Busch Stadium Wednesday night prepared for the worst news and minor league call-up Audry Perez was already on the way. General manager John Mozeliak said hed be on the lookout for a "stopgap" solution. For now, backup Tony Cruz is the starter for the defending National League champions whove had a rash of serious injuries recently. Lefty Jaime Garcia also will undergo season-ending thoracic outlet surgery Friday to relieve nerve pain and numbness and right-hander Michael Wacha is on the 15-day disabled list indefinitely with a stress fracture in his pitching shoulder. Manager Mike Matheny said its important for the players to just keep going. The first step, he said, would be to consider the series finale against the Pirates as a day off for Molina. "Im going to continue to scream at the top of my lungs that this is an opportunity for us to step up, all of us," Matheny said. "The great players, the great teams, take this stuff and figure out a way to get it done." Molina was injured Wednesday when he planted his hand for balance after sliding feet-first into third base in the second inning. He caught another half-inning before Cruz hit for him in the third. The slide was the same as its always been, except for one critical difference. "This time," he said, "my thumb got stuck in the dirt." Molina said it would take five weeks for the thumb to heal after surgery and then hed begin a rehab program. Matheny said the team had to formulate a rehab plan. Perez was recalled from Triple-A Memphis and will be the backup behind Cruz, who totalled 51 at-bats the first 92 games with a .255 average and eight RBIs and also is a strong defender. "Ive got 100 per cent confidence, I have no doubt he can do it," Molina said. "Tonys smart, hes a good player, a good hitter, a good catcher." Molina was voted to his sixth straight NL All-Star team Sunday and is a starter for the fourth time. He was hitting .287 with seven homers and 30 RBIs and led the major leagues by throwing out 47 per cent of attempted base stealers along with three pickoffs. He has been extremely durable, averaging 135 games the past six seasons. He missed two weeks with a sprained knee last season. Now, hell be an adviser and unofficial cheerleader for the defending National League champions. "I will be in the dugout, Ill be with the team," Molina said. "Im part of the team." The 27-year-old Cruz has been a backup the past four years with 12 starts this season. He had 28 starts both in 2013 and 2012. The 25-year-old Perez was batting .288 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 44 games at Memphis and threw out 29 per cent of base stealers. He played in two major league games last season with one at-bat. Rene Robert Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. Gabriel Landeskog Jersey .com) - The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated balls during Sundays AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis. http://www.authenticavalanchepro.com/Lanny-mcdonald-avalanche-jersey/ . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. Joe Sakic Jersey . -- Having already fallen behind because of the NFL lockout, Blaine Gabbert couldnt afford a lengthy holdout. Tyson Barrie Jersey . With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Brandon Dubinsky, the player seen as the face of the rising Columbus Blue Jackets, signed a six-year contract extension worth $35.1 million that will keep him with the club through the 2020-21 season. Dubinsky was entering the last year of a contract with a $4.2-million cap hit. The new deal pays him $5.85 million per season. He said it was a meeting of minds and not just on the contract terms. "Its the commitment to winning," the 28-year-old centre said at a news conference on Friday after the deal was announced. "(Management) has said they want to win here. I want to win. Our interests were aligned." Dubinsky was acquired two years ago in the blockbuster deal with the New York Rangers for Rick Nash that also brought centre Artem Anisimov, defenceman Tim Erixon and a first-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets. He has scored 18 goals with 52 assists and a +7 plus/minus rating in 105 games the past two seasons, including 16 goals and a career-high 34 assists a year ago while leading the franchise into the post-season for only the second time. He was at his best in last seasons six-game playoff series with division rival Pittsburgh, scoring a goal with five assists while frequently matched up against Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, who didnt score a goal in the series. Dubinsky chalked up perhaps the biggest goal in franchise history in Game 4, scoring the tying goal with 22.5 seconds left in regulation when goalie Marc Andre-Fleury mishandled a puck behind the net. The Blue Jackets won in overtime -- their first playoff victory ever at home -- on Nicck Folignos goal.dddddddddddd "This is a well-earned contract for a player who is a leader on our team and plays at his best when it counts the most," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Hes a Blue Jacket. He plays like we want every Blue Jacket to play." Dubinsky was tied for 10th in the NHL in short-handed points with two goals and two assists last season and ranked 13th in the league in hits with 234. On a team that did not select a captain but rotated alternate captains, he was frequently the player most vocal after a lethargic loss and quickest to deflect the praise after a win. Most observers believe if the Blue Jackets finally do name a captain, it will be the fiery Dubinsky. "Its going to be obvious who it is," Kekalainen said of the potential candidates. Dubinsky, who said he relishes the simplicity of life in Columbus after his years in New York, said no one on the team is concerned about who has the C on his sweater. "Everyones always anxious to have a captain, but theres a lot of guys on this team who lead," he said. Columbus has also discussed a contract extension with franchise goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner as the top netminder in the NHL. He can become a restricted free agent after next season. Kekalainen is still negotiating with prized top-line centre Ryan Johansen, a 21-year-old restricted free agent who is due a huge pay increase after a 63-point season (33 goals, 30 assists). If any team offers him a contract, the Blue Jackets would have to match it to retain him beyond next season. 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