INDIANAPOLIS -- Danny Granger tried to brush aside any new concerns about his injured left calf Monday. Pacers fans can only hope hes right. Hours after the Pacers announced Granger would miss three weeks with a muscle strain, he walked out of practice with a smile and insisted this injury is nothing like the one that kept him out of action most of last season. "Its not terrible," he said. "I can run up and down the court but when I start jumping, it feels like a knot in my calf where I hurt it. They (the doctors) just said to sit out until I didnt feel it." Granger missed all but five games with a tendon injury in his left knee, and there were big questions about his health throughout the Pacers busy off-season. Indiana signed three free agents, hired two new assistant coaches, brought Larry Bird back to the front office and traded for Luis Scola. The Pacers are hoping the moves pay off after they pushed Miami to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals. Those within the organization have always believed the biggest addition would be the return of Granger. If healthy, the 6-foot-9 former All-Star adds depth and scoring to an already dangerously strong roster. But Mondays announcement, which came the day before Indianas season opener against Orlando, is only creating more concerns. Those outside the teams inner circle see comparisons between this announcement and what happened last season when Granger was told to rest his injured left knee. Granger didnt play until February and returned to bench after only five games. In April, he finally opted for season-ending surgery. When training camp opened last month, Granger was cleared to work though he was given extra time to rest as he finished his rehabilitation from surgery. Now, hes dealing with a strained muscle in his lower left leg that forced him to miss the final week of the preseason and could push return back into mid to late November. Granger insists theres nothing to worry about. "Theyre holding me back because they want it to heal," Granger said, referring to the doctors. "They said if I had not missed the whole year, they probably would have sat me down a week and a half." The biggest difference between the injuries, Granger noted, is that last year he was dealing with a joint injury that severely inhibited his play. This time, hes simply trying let a muscle heal, an injury hes played through in the past. So why sit him now? The Pacers say its a "precautionary measure." Hes expected to miss, at most, seven to eight games in a season Indiana hopes to play close to 100. "Its a long process for him, coming back, and we knew there would be some speed bumps along the way," Vogel said. "It delays (the rotation work) a little bit, but when he gets back to feeling healthy again, well ramp it up." With Granger out, shooting guard Lance Stephenson will retain the starting job he won last season. Indianas other four starters are all back, too. Vogel has said all along he intended to give Granger and Stephenson starters minutes and on Monday, Vogel noted Stephenson will get some time with the second unit against the Magic. All that could change when Granger returns. He led the Pacers in scoring for five straight seasons before the injury and his size and shooting prowess will create even more mismatches for a team many believe is the best positioned to dethrone the three-time defending conference champion Heat. And Granger is convinced hell be around to help. "It could be a week. I just want to give myself some time," he said. "Ive had other players tell me when you come back not only do you have to get your injury healthy but youve got to get your body adjusted, too." Bilal Powell Jets Jersey . - Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward, who led NFL rookies last season with a team-high six interceptions, may miss two weeks of training camp because of a hamstring injury. Antwan Barnes Womens Jersey . Viewers in the Habs region can watch the game on TSN Canadiens beginning at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. The game can also be heard live on TSN Radio 990 and TSN.ca/Montreal. Ironically, Ribeiro is playing his sixth season in Dallas but has not appeared in Montreal either due to scheduling or injuries. http://www.thejetsshoponline.com/Youth-Wayne-Chrebet-Jets-Jersey/ .ca. Hi Kerry, I enjoy reading your column - hope you keep it up! In the final seconds of the third period of the Winnipeg/Montreal game, Brendan Gallagher looked like he was attempting to get back on-side. LaDainian Tomlinson Jets Jersey . Vickerson was injured in the Broncos loss at New England Sunday night. Hes the second Denver defensive starter to get hurt this month, joining safety Rahim Moore (leg), who was put on recallable IR. Brian Winters Womens Jersey . -- Canadas mens soccer team can eliminate much of the guesswork at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a victory over Panama on Tuesday. LOS ANGELES -- Although Allen Craigs bouncing single didnt look like much, it was just what Lance Lynn and the St. Louis Cardinals needed to get back on track in the wild-card race. Craig drove in Shane Robinson with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and the Cardinals extended their NL wild-card lead over Los Angeles to two games with a 2-1 victory over the struggling Dodgers on Thursday night. Lynn (15-7) pitched six innings of five-hit ball to earn his first win since July 27 for the Cardinals, striking out seven in the All-Stars stellar return to the rotation after a bullpen demotion. Yet he wasnt rewarded for his effort until Craigs single eluded two Dodgers and squeaked into right field. "Its definitely a dogfight," said Craig, a Southern California native. "To be part of a close game with a lot of energy and to come out on top is great for our team. ... I thought it had a good chance to get through. I didnt know if I hit it hard enough, but I did." Skip Schumaker had an early run-scoring single as St. Louis (76-68) snapped its three-game skid and a four-game road losing streak with a nail-biting win over the Dodgers (74-70), who have lost four straight. With Lynn in charge on the mound, the defending World Series champion Cardinals eked out just enough runs to earn their fourth win in 16 games in the opener of a key four-game series. After getting banished to the bullpen last month, Lynn made the most of his chance to take the turn of injured Jake Westbrook. Lynn won his first six starts this season and was voted to the All-Star game by the players, but plummeted out of favour and made six relief appearances since his previous start Aug. 24. "Thats one of the best starts hes had this season," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It just says volumes about his makeup and his stuff. It was a tough transition to the bullpen, and some guys handle it better than others. ... He showed he learned some things and couldnt wait to go out there and still prove he was ready to start." Both teams stumbled into Dodger Stadium hardly resembling the top two contenders to face Atlanta in the NL wild card playoff game. St. Louis and Los Angeles had lost three straight and six of seven, allowing Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and even Arizona to creep into striking distance in the wild-card race. "You definitely want to get off to a great start against a team were playing for a wild-card berth," Lynn said. Adrian Gonzalez had an RBI double in the Dodgers seventh loss in eight games, putting a gloom over Dodger Stadium while the Cardinals wrapped it up.dddddddddddd Jason Motte gave up Hanley Ramirezs two-out double in the ninth, but got Shane Victorino on a soft flyball to complete his 34th save. "The pitchers are doing their job, but were not scoring runs," said Matt Kemp, who went 1 for 4. "One run is not going to win games in series like this, so weve got to find a way to get the job done. I cant really explain whats going on. You just take one good at-bat at a time and see where it takes you." Josh Beckett gave up seven hits and a run while pitching into the sixth inning of his fourth start for Los Angeles, while rookie Paco Rodriguez (0-1) and Ronald Belisario allowed the seventh-inning rally capped by Craigs RBI single. "Weve got to stop worrying about what everybody else is doing and go out and win games ourselves," Beckett said. "Thats a good ballclub over there, but weve got to figure out some way to win this series. Theyre the ones that were chasing." Beckett struck out six and had decent numbers despite labouring through long stretches of his second home start since the trade. He also didnt endear himself to Dodgers fans by putting a line drive into right field in the third inning and then getting thrown out at first by Carlos Beltran when he didnt hustle to the base. After rescuing Beckett from a sixth-inning jam, Rodriguez walked Robinson and allowed Matt Carpenters one-out single in the seventh. Belisario got Matt Holliday on a fly to centre, but Craig delivered. NOTES: Jose Canseco watched the game from a field box wearing a black T-shirt reading: "Sorry For Everything Mark," an apparent reference to Mark McGwire, his former Oakland Athletics teammate and the Cardinals hitting coach. ... Craig was born in Mission Viejo and graduated from high school in Temecula. ... Rodriguez began this year at the University of Florida, where he made the All-SEC first team. The Dodgers second-round pick was the first member of the 2012 draft class to make the majors when he debuted in San Francisco last Sunday. ... Beckett hadnt pitched against the Cardinals since 2005. ... Entering the night, Lynn led the NL with 6.60 runs of support per game. ... IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves threw out the first pitch. IndyCar finishes its season this weekend in Fontana. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '