him at the 3. Hes more effective offensively at center, Boe

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb favours pitchers having the option of wearing protective headgear on the mound. Cobb returned to Tropicana Field on Monday, nine days after being struck in the right ear by a ball hit by Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer and nearly seven weeks after Torontos J.A. Happ also was hit in the head by a batted ball while pitching there. Sitting on a platform in the auxiliary clubhouse in which Happ also answered questions about the scary incident that knocked him out of a game in early May, Cobb -- who is making progress in his recovery, spoke to the media for the first time since being carted off the field and taken to a hospital on June 15. Cobb, like Happ, was released from Bayfront Medical Center less than 24 hours later. "I remember deciding what pitch to throw. ... I remember seeing the ball come back," said Cobb, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. "Might have caught a glance of the ball and subconsciously turned my head, thankfully." The injury renewed debate about what can be done to protect pitchers from batted balls. "Even after J.A. Happ went through this, we were asked pretty heavily about this topic. I came right out and thought there should be something for us to have the option to do," Cobb said. "I dont want it to turn into something where every pitcher on the mound has to wear something. Thats everybodys personal choice," Cobb added. "Its one where you want to have a little say-so that if this incident happened again you were able to do everything you could to protect yourself, your future, your family." Cobb, who remained conscious the whole time, said he has experienced nausea, severe headaches that have begun to subside, as well as symptoms of vertigo. Still, he is beginning to feel better each day. "Im having my days," the 25-year-old Cobb said. "Today has been the best day by far." Cobb said he visited the doctor Monday and was told he is healing quicker than expected. There is still no timetable for him to return to the mound. "Thats something you just have to let play out," Rays manager Joe Maddon said before Tampa Bay opened a three-game series against the Blue Jays, who are still without Happ. "I dont like to apply finish lines to items that I really have no clue (about). I dont think anybody does," Maddon said. "Even if you talk to doctors, Im sure theyre not sure how long its going to take. ... So just let it play out. "Hell let us know when hes ready for that next moment, and well take it from there." After initially being reluctant to watch a replay of the line drive, Cobb said he watched it later that night or the following morning. He said he initially thought the injury wasnt that serious, and wanted to get up and walk off the field. It wasnt until after the ambulance ride to the hospital, where he later overheard a nurse talking about, "how she couldnt believe this is happening again within a month" that he began to think about Happ. "When it happened I didnt think it was too big of a deal. ... It didnt sink in for a while," Cobb said. "Once I got the CATSCAN going and they told me there was no bleeding inside the brain, from there I was kind of at ease with the whole situation." There has been speculation that Cobb, who is 6-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts this year, might not pitch again this season. He said that isnt true. "Ill be ready to go as soon as my body tells me Im 100 per cent," he said. "But mentally, theres no doubt in my mind Ill be fine. Its just another challenge." He conceded, though, that it is difficult to imagine what it will be like when he does finally get back on a mound and faces hitters. "I dont think thats something you can say until you actually go through it," Cobb said. "Id love to sit up here and tell you no, that once I get out there Ill have the mindset that it happened once, its probably a pretty good chance its not going to happen to me again. "But Im not going to lie. Ive had some nightmares about how bad it could have been. Its obviously in the back of my mind, but Id like to think I could pitch through it." Marc Staal Jersey . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Sergei Nemchinov Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. http://www.rangershockeyonlineshop.com/ron-greschner-hockey-jersey/ . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Brady Skjei Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. James Patrick Jersey . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. MADISON, Wis. -- With big men who can pass and a veteran guard who can get on a roll from 3-point territory, Wisconsin has the tools to shred a zone defense.Syracuse learned the hard way on Tuesday night.Ethan Happ had 24 points and 13 rebounds, zone-busting guard Bronson Koenig scored 20 points and the 17th-ranked Badgers defeated the 22nd-ranked Orange 77-60.Nigel Hayes added nine points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.Shared the ball extremely well, were very unselfish. Made good adjustments, coach Greg Gard said. Just a group thats getting closer and closer together, and as we get closer and closer together, the chemistry gets better.Koenig, the seasoned senior, was 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and the Badgers (6-2) shot 48 percent overall (11 of 23) from behind the arc against the Oranges 2/3 zone.Coach Jim Boeheim said his team was still learning the intricacies of the zone early in the season.Our defense was not good the whole game, and our offense slipped in the second half, he said. But we just didnt cover the shooters.Wisconsin led by as much as 17 in the second half before Syracuse (4-2) went on a 6-0 run capped by John Gillons layup with 11:25 left. Two Wisconsin turnovers in that span with Koenig on the bench gave Syracuse the opening.Gard inserted Koenig back in the game and the Badgers went on a 7-2 run to retake a 16-point lead with 9:24 left.Andrew White III led Syracuse with 14 points, but went scoreless in the second half after Gard assigned 6-foot-8 Hayes to defend the 6-7 sharpshooter. DaJuan Coleman added 12 points.With deft ball-handlers Happ and Hayes up front, Wisconsin gave Syracuses zone fits.The 6-foot-8 Hayes found open shooters working from the high post. Happ expertly maneuvered around defenders in the low post for trademark baseline layups. Koenig softened up the zone from the perimeter.BIG PICTURESyracuse: White kept his team in the game early after the Orange trailed by 14 midway through the first half. The transfer from Nebraska has fit in nicely as a go-to scorer from the perimeter, and his 6-7 frame is well-suited for Boeheims zone. White was 4 of 6 from 3--point range in the first half, and Syracuse was able to chip away with Hayes and Koenig on the bench with two fouls apiece to get within 43-39 at halftime.ddddddddddddWisconsin: Gard preaches ball movement and the importance of making the extra pass, both keys to playing the zone. A senior-laden starting lineup also has the experience of facing different looks and pressure situations.LOCKDOWNSix-3 guard Zak Showalter had the initial defensive assignment on White before the Badgers switched to Hayes after halftime.I wanted to make sure that I tried to get at least one steal where I just knocked it out of his hands, Hayes said. That way hell shield the ball when he comes off a screen. It makes it a little harder for him to catch and shoot it if hes got the ball on his back hip trying to keep it away from me.LYDON DOWNSyracuse star Tyler Lydon finished with nine points, but was just 1 of 2 for two points in the second half. The 6-9 Lydon is starting at small forward.Its a little harder for him at the 3. Hes more effective offensively at center, Boeheim said. Hes being covered by a 6-4 guy and hes not really a post-up player. That guy is taking away his 3s out there.POLL IMPLICATIONSSyracuse: The Orange lost their second straight game after falling to South Carolina in New York on Saturday. They fell to their first ranked foe, albeit in a tough road environment. It could knock Syracuse down a spot or two in the next poll next week.Wisconsin: The Badgers picked up their first win over a ranked opponent, though how they fare in the next poll will be determined by whether they can beat Oklahoma on Saturday.UP NEXTSyracuse: Returns to the Carrier Dome on Saturday to host North Florida following a two-game swing away from home.Wisconsin: A tough early-season schedule continues when the Sooners visit Madison on Saturday.---For more college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '