Was ist Paintball? » through an interpreter.Durant, Anthony, C

NEW YORK -- Yoenis Cespedes cranky right quadriceps has flared up, prompting manager Terry Collins to hold the slugger out of the Mets lineup for Thursdays series opener against the Colorado Rockies and potentially beyond.Cespedes was used as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning on Thursday, but Collins said he knew the Rockies intended to intentionally walk Cespedes before sending him to the plate. Cespedes immediately was replaced by pinch runner Steven Matz in the Mets 2-1 loss.After delivering a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning Wednesday night in an eventual 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Cespedes complained to Collins about renewed leg soreness.Last night he came in when the game was over and said it was starting to bother him pretty bad, Collins said.Cespedes originally injured the quadriceps on July 8. He missed more than a week, including skipping the All-Star Game. As a concession to try to keep Cespedes in the lineup upon his return, the Mets abandoned using him in center field, even though that has created complications with how to fill the position.However, limiting Cespedes to left field -- which requires less running than center field -- has not sufficiently allowed the leg issue to subside.The loss of Cespedes, potentially for multiple days, removes the Mets most fearsome bat and further depletes the lineup.Third baseman Jose Reyes is likewise active but unavailable because of a strained intercostal on his left side. Reyes injured the muscle in Game 1 of Tuesdays doubleheader against the Cardinals. The Mets had hoped Reyes would be capable of returning to the lineup Friday, but Collins now portrays that target as improbable.He was pretty sore last night when he left here, Collins said Wednesday.As a result, the Mets will play with a three-man bench -- Michael Conforto, Kelly Johnson and Travis dArnaud -- on Thursday against Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson.Collins said it was unfortunate that Cespedes would have to sit against a southpaw, but the manager concluded that it was just not worth risking having Cespedes blow out the muscle.Collins opted to start Alejandro De Aza in left field over Conforto in Cespedes absence because of Confortos struggles against left-handed pitching. Conforto is hitting .091 (4-for-44) against southpaws this season.Restricting Cespedes to left field has forced the Mets against right-handed pitching to use Conforto in center field for the first time in his professional career.One of the things we talked about after Ces said he didnt think he could play was, We have got to find out if this guy is going to be able to hit left-handers, Collins said about Conforto. As we look back on his season so far, if it wasnt for his struggles against left-handers, his numbers wouldnt be as bad as they look. And so we just said, Hes got a lot on his plate. We need to try to score some runs. We need to win this game. Weve pronounced it enough that, hey, these are big games now -- every one of them -- that we thought wed put somebody in [left field] who we think is going to have a little bit better chance to get some hits.There certainly can be an argument on the other side that this guy [Conforto] is the future here. Hes the prospect. Youve got to get him in there against some left-handed pitching or else hes not going to hit left-handed pitching. I certainly understand that. But right now, as Ive said before, I think weve got to give ourselves the best opportunity to try to win this game today. And hes just struggled against lefties, so we thought wed go with the other guy.Collins noted that the Mets will have the use of a designated hitter during five straight games in American League ballparks beginning Wednesday -- at Yankee Stadium, then in Detroit. Cespedes likely will serve as the DH in the bulk, if not all of those games to keep him off his legs as much as possible.Cespedes is hitting .297 with 22 homers and 58 RBIs in 320 at-bats this season. His arrival at last years non-waiver trade deadline helped propel the Mets to become the first team in MLB history to reach the World Series after ranking last in the majors in runs scored on July 31.Hes a huge piece, Collins said. You look at what hes done, and you take those home runs and those RBIs out of the middle of our lineup, and its tough to replace it. Swell Wholesale . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Black Swell Bottle . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. http://www.ukswellbottle.com/ . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Swell Water Bottle Sale . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. Swell Bottle 17 Oz Sale . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kevin Durant looks ready to lead a new group of Americans to the gold-medal podium.Durant picked up right where he left off in the 2012 Olympics with 25 points, and the U.S. mens basketball team routed China 119-62 on Saturday night in its opening game.The new Golden State Warriors star scored 30 points four years ago in the gold-medal game, when the Americans held off Spain for the championship. Only he and Carmelo Anthony returned from that team, but the new guys were plenty ready for their Olympic moment.We just wanted to send a statement to the rest of the world, Anthony said. Come out this first game and let everybody know that were focused, were locked in and were about business on this trip.DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points and Paul George 15 for the U.S., which is a heavy favorite to win a third straight gold and wont change any opinions after this performance.LeBron James and Chris Paul passed on searching for more gold with Durant and Anthony, and plenty more top players who would have been on this roster also declined. But coach Mike Krzyzewski said this squad has already bonded as much as any of the three U.S. teams he has led in the Olympics.Just because they arent here today, weve got another batch of guys thats walking around on the streets saying they want to win a gold medal and we all have something in common, Durant said. Its cool to have a fraternity of guys who have won a gold medal. Its rare.Durant was 10 of 14 from the field and made five 3-pointers.When you get hot, you want to see your bench get excited for you, Durant said. Thats better than making the shot, to be honest with you. When I saw my teammates get excited for me, that kept me going.Tougher competition might come later, but it should be an easy start for the Americans. They play again Monday against Venezuela, another team they beat easily in exhibition play.Anthony finished withh nine points and made by history becoming the first U.ddddddddddddS. male to play basketball in four Olympics. He will become the first three-time gold medalist on the mens side if the U.S. wins.The 32-year-old veteran tied LeBron James and David Robinson by playing in his 24th game in the Olympics.The Americans beat the Chinese twice in exhibition play by scores of 106-57 and 107-57, and this one was even less competitive.Former NBA lottery pick Yi Jianlian had 25 points to open his fourth Olympics. No other players were in double figures for the Asian champions.As a matter of fact the result of this game was already kind of expected before the game even started, China coach Luming Gong said through an interpreter.Durant, Anthony, Cousins, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson started the game for the Americans, and all 12 players scored. They had 31 assists on their 38 baskets.The Chinese got on the board first with a pair of free throws, and it was tied at 4 after a basket by Yi. Then it was nine straight points for the Americans, who closed the first quarter with a 26-6 burst to lead 30-10.DeAndre Jordan shook the backboards inside Carioca Arena 1 with some of his powerful dunks, DeMar DeRozan had a couple, and in case the dunks were too easy, Irving knocked in four 3-pointers in the second half for his 12 points.There were flags waving and fans singing, the festive scene in the stands more interesting to watch than the game that wasnt competitive after the first few minutes.The U.S. was favored by about 50 points, so it wasnt supposed to be close.If the Americans keep playing like this, the Olympic competition may not, either.---AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney ' ' '