MINNEAPOLIS -- Diagnosed with cancer in his neck, Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan has taken leave from his job for treatment and recovery. The timetable for his return is unclear, but the prognosis is optimistic. Though sobered by and concerned about the news, the Twins expressed confidence in the ability of their front offices long-time leader to beat the disease and get back to running the team. "I dont doubt hell get this knocked out," assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "Hes a tough bird, as he would say." The Twins released a statement on Monday from Ryan, who thanked his doctors, friends and colleagues for their work and support. "Its my intention to see you back at the ballpark as soon as possible," Ryan said. During his recent annual physical exam, the 60-year-old Ryan asked team physician Dr. Vijay Eyunni to examine a hard lump on his neck about an inch in diameter that had appeared a few weeks earlier. Further tests revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The squamous cells are in several parts of the body, but Eyunni said the source and cause of the cancer was undetermined. All that was known, he said, was that it was in his lymph node but had not spread to anywhere else. "The good news is we caught it early," Eyuinni said, adding: "As you know, both mentally and physically, hes very strong. So with treatment and radiation, its going to help him a lot. Hell recover better than someone who is not healthy." Ryan was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and expected to have surgery on Tuesday. Radiation treatment will likely follow. But once removed, Eyunni said, this type of cancer does not come back. "It should be completely done. It does not regenerate anymore," Eyunni said. Despite the positive outlook for a full recovery, this close-knit organization felt a collective anxiety and letdown upon learning of Ryans condition. "My family is praying for Terry Ryan and his family. Cancer is a terrible thing and we are hoping for a fast recovery," reliever Brian Duensing said on Twitter. "Cancer news hit close to home today. Sickened to hear about one of the men I respect most. My prayers are with you Terry," closer Glen Perkins tweeted. Manager Ron Gardenhire, in an email, said hes had a "rough few days" in regard to Ryans cancer. "You wont find a better boss or a better friend," Gardenhire said. Ryans primary concern, his colleagues said, was with his wife and adult children and how they would take the news. "But beyond that, he took it really well," Eyunni said. "He says, Doc, lets move on. I want to get this done." Ryan initially became general manager in 1994, stepping down 13 years later, citing burnout. After serving as a special assistant to general manager Bill Smith for four seasons, Smith was reassigned, and Ryan reassumed the job in 2011. In his statement, Ryan expressed confidence in Gardenhire, Antony and the rest of the baseball operations department to keep the Twins on the right track. "I met with Terry last week when he told all of us what was going on, and I started asking him questions about how he wanted me to handle this and that, and he just looked at me and basically said, Youve been around here long enough. Youve been in all these meetings. You know what goes on in spring training. Just go down and do your thing," Antony said. "He said, You know what youre doing. So that felt good." In addition to vice-president of player personnel Mike Radcliff, a member of the organization since 1987, special assistants Smith and Wayne Krivsky and have each previously been major league general managers, Krivsky with Cincinnati. For now, theres no plan on when or how much to consult with Ryan regarding general operations and key decisions. Antony told Ryan to call him when he feels good enough to participate. The Twins start spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., next week. "All I want to hear is the call that he says he had his checkup and the thing is completely gone and now he can start getting back to a normal routine and life, and whether that comes in March or April or whatever, it doesnt matter," Antony said. "Its the end result more than anything." He added: "There comes a time you need to put your family and your personal health and everything in front of your job and the game, and hes a smart enough guy to know that this is the time to do that right now." Ray Nitschke Jersey . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Randy Wright Jersey . The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. http://www.custompackersjersey.com/custo...large-792r.html. Yoenis Cespedes proved he can play through a hurting right heel, giving Scott Kazmir and the As a spark with a pair of RBIs that helped spoil the Minnesota Twins home opener with an 8-3 victory on Monday. Elgton Jenkins Jersey .J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants. Lynn Dickey Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick.At the age of 46, Dominik Hasek was still playing hockey. He put on his goalie pads for the final time Feb. 27, 2011 in the KHL. At the age of 49, "the Dominator" is expected to be part of the class of 2014 at the Hockey Hall of Fame, which will be announced this afternoon on TSN2 at 3pm et/Noon pt. Though nothing is guaranteed, the six-time Vezina Trophy-winner should be a lock. "For me its a no-brainer," former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said earlier this year. Hasek won one Stanley Cup as a starter with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, then split time with Chris Osgood and became the backup in the playoffs for the 2008 title. He came close to the Cup in 1999 with Buffalo, only to be beaten by the Dallas Stars on Brett Hulls foot-in-the-crease overtime goal. Haseks best years came with the Sabres, when he had seven straight seasons with a save percentage of .930 or higher. He finished with 234 career regular-season victories in Buffalo and 389 over his 16-year NHL career. Veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun "knew all along" Hasek would be great from watching him play in their native Czech Republic. "It took him a little bit just because of his style and all that to convince people here," Vokoun said in a phone interview. "I definitely consider him, if hes not the best, one of the top three to ever play. ... He definitely deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer." Swedish centre Peter Forsberg is also expected to get the call to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. American-born centre Mike Modano leads the other new candidates and is the most likely to be inducted, ahead of three-time Cup-winner and first-ballot dark horse Mark Recchi. Forsberg, who began his career with the Quebec Nordiques following the blockbuster Eric Lindros trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, went on to win two Cups with the Colorado Avalanche.dddddddddddd He finished with 885 points in 708 regular-season games as his career was cut short by foot injuries. With 1,374 points over 21 seasons, Modano became the most prolific American-born scorer in NHL history. Late coach Pat Burns remains a candidate in the "builder" category, a year after Fred Shero was posthumously elected 38 years after leading the Flyers to back-to-back Cups. Burns, a three-time Jack Adams Award winner as coach of the year, died in November 2010 at the age of 58. This is the first year John Davidson is serving as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee, replacing Jim Gregory. Bobby Clarke, David Poile and Luc Robitaille were appointed to the committee for the first time. Clarkes addition raised the question of whether Lindros would stand a better chance of being elected. Despite a contentious relationship with the Lindros family, the longtime Flyers general manager is considered a proponent of his Hall of Fame case. Lindros has similar numbers to Forsberg — 865 points in 760 games over 13 seasons — and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1994-95. The three-time Canadian Olympian and world junior standouts resume isnt as Hall of Fame-worthy as Haseks. The goaltender is all but certain to be inducted Nov. 10. "I appreciate it, its very nice to be among all these big players," Hasek said recently when asked about impeding election to the Hall of Fame. "I appreciate to be one day, maybe, in the Hockey Hall of Fame, however ... it was never my goal when I was playing hockey." ' ' '