BOSTON -- The way?David Ortiz?sees it, his right shin is only battered and bruised, not broken.With the Boston Red Sox?in a three-way fight for the division title, Ortiz texted manager John Farrell on Thursday and said he was ready to play.Right now, youve got to bring to the table everything youve got, Ortiz said before Boston fell 4-2 in the finale of a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. I know Im a big person in the lineup, and you guys know me: If I can go, I go.Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a double and run scored Thursday, a day after he had to be helped from the field in the ninth inning, when he fouled a 99 mph fastball from Yankees?closer Dellin Betances off his right shin.Ortiz, who intends to retire after this season, said he lost feeling in his leg -- Everything was tingly, he said -- and didnt regain sensation until he was undergoing an x-ray, which came back negative for a fracture.Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Ortiz was walking regularly again before leaving Fenway Park. And by the time he awoke Thursday morning, Ortiz estimated the swelling had diminished by about 30 percent.I called John and I told him, Dont take me out of the lineup, Ortiz said. Weve got 50 games [left]. Weve got to grind out there. Weve got to keep on fighting.Ortiz, 40, has been dealing with soreness in his feet and heels throughout his farewell season. After playing first base for six innings last Saturday in an interleague game in Los Angeles, the first time all season he has played a defensive position, Ortiz had to leave the game.I feel like s---. I just keep on going, Ortiz said. I mean, the more games you play, the more your body wears out. But that aint in my mind right now. My mind is just all about keep on rolling.While Ortiz returned to the lineup, the Red Sox were without All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts, who left Wednesday nights game in the eighth inning with tightness in his right calf.The Sox havent ordered an MRI exam, but Farrell said Betts was still sore and needed at least a full day of treatment. Betts?wasnt available to come off the bench Thursday night. Cheap Custom Cardinals Jersey . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Custom Cardinals Jersey China . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/ . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Custom Cardinals Jerseys . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Custom Ozzie Smith Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days.LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant isnt sure hell be ready to play when the Los Angeles Lakers open the season on Oct. 29, although he remains ahead of schedule in rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. Bryant turns 35 next week and he vowed that his 17-year career is "definitely not over." "I just want that jewelry," he said, referring to the possibility of claiming his sixth NBA championship. "People just dont understand how obsessed I am with winning." Bryant made his comments to late night host Jimmy Kimmel during "Kobe Up Close," a one-on-one conversation with the NBA superstar on Thursday night at Nokia Theatre across from Staples Center. He had a one-word answer when Kimmel asked whether he would finish his career with the only team hes ever played for: "Yeah," Bryant replied. The 7,100-seat venue was full of Bryants fans that cheered, jeered and interrupted freely during the one-hour program. Ticket proceeds benefited the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, which works to help end homelessness. In keeping with the reason for the event, Kimmel asked, "If there was only one homeless person in the world, would you be happy if it was Dwight Howard?" The audience roared, mere weeks removed from Howards decision to leave the Lakers for Houston after one season. "Dwight is a great kid," Bryant said, nearly drowned out by boos. "We have different perspectives on what it takes to win." Kimmel kept the questions light while touching on a variety of topics well known to Bryants most ardent fans. Bryant recalled that before he was drafted in 1996 by Charlotte and then traded to the Lakers, he worked out for Boston and the Clippers. "I had a really fun and good workout with the Clippers," he said. "They told me, This is the best workout weve ever seen." But he said the team told him it wouldnt be drafting him out of high school. "We want to turn things around with our organization and we felt like if we drafted a 17-year-old kid, the city of L.A. wouldnt take us seriously," Bryant said the Clippers told him. Kimmel retorted, "They always make the best decisions." Bryant said Chris Paul should have ended up with the Lakers instead of the Clippers. The NBA office, which owned New Orleans at the time, decided against a deal team officialls had agreed to with the Lakers.dddddddddddd. "Chris called me and told me it was a done deal," Bryant said. "Then he calls me back 30 minutes later and says, You wont believe it. David Stern killed the deal." Before Bryant jumped directly from high school to the pros, he said he was recruited by Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and West Point. The military academy sent him his first college letter. If he had gone to college, Bryant said he likely wouldve chosen North Carolina because Vince Carter had gone to Chapel Hill the previous year, and Bryant would have wanted to compete with him at practice every day. As a teenager with a lucrative NBA contract, Bryant said he wasnt interested in big expenditures. "The game consumed me," he said. Bryant recalled his first meeting with Shaquille ONeal over dinner at a Beverly Hills restaurant. "I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that he had a cellphone that was the biggest in the world," he said. Together, they won three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-02. But they eventually fell out and ONeal was traded after the Lakers lost in the 2004 finals. "It was a tough period. He and I just werent going to play together anymore," Bryant said. "I had to prove I could win without him." It would take a while, though. Bryant and the Lakers didnt capture another NBA title until they won two straight in 2009 and 2010. Bryant credited Michael Jordan for giving him "phenomenal advice" on how to elevate his teammates. "My demeanour and my temper probably calmed down a little bit," he said. "I go into games today looking at what are my guys going through, who is struggling, what can I do to help." Among the famous faces in the audience were Lakers owners Jeanie and Jim Buss, general manager Mitch Kupchak, Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield and former NFL receiver Terrell Owens. Jeanie Buss was visibly touched when Bryant spoke about why so many Lakers players loved her late father, Jerry. "He knew exactly what his vision was," Bryant said. "He was very patient, he was very understanding. He allowed me room to grow as a person." Bryant said his daughters, ages 10 and 7, are playing sports, although he didnt specify which ones. He described them as "insanely, insanely competitive." ' ' '