The Bill Mooney Award for courage in the face of adversity will be presented by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association when the members gather during Breeders Cup week. This years honoree is Rene Douglas, the Belmont Stakes-winning jockey who was paralyzed from the waist down in an accident at Arlington Park in 2009.Last years winner was Bill Mooney.Even Mooney thought that was a little odd, receiving an award that already bore his name. The veteran journalist didnt complain, however. As he stood before his colleagues a year ago in Lexington, Ky., Mooney knew it was a longshot hed be around to find out if there would be a second Bill Mooney Award.Saturday will be the two-year anniversary of being diagnosed, Mooney said from his home in Lexington. I was given six months.In his ongoing battle with an aggressively metastasizing cancer that has hopscotched through his vital organs, Mooney most recently entered the hospital Aug. 18 with a tumor in his lower back that was pushing against his spine. While Mooney was there, it was discovered that a bacterial infection had gone to his heart. As a result, he spent two months hospitalized before returning home this week.I didnt do much but read e-mails and regular mail from friends, and that helped, Mooney said. But for the large part of the time, I was just knocked out. Your mind kind of goes dead.Mooneys illness has put the brakes on one of the most prolific turf-writing careers the game has known. He has won two Eclipse Awards, the Tony Ryan Book Award, and the Walter Haight Award for career excellence from his colleagues at the NTWBA.Mooney, 69, is from the school of writers who go to the story, bear witness, and bring back the tale. If they tell it well, their readers are transported, convinced they were right there shooting the rapids, fighting the fire, or standing at the side of the grave, as Mooney did in his 2007 Eclipse Award-winning feature.He died on a beautiful early-autumn day -- sunny, breezy, warm, Mooney wrote. The leaves on the pair of oak trees that flanked his grave site were just beginning to change their colors. Nine people were present, including Michael Blowen, the founder and president of Old Friends, and Dr. Holly S. Aldinger, a veterinarian with the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington.Mooney was one of the nine present at the death of Precisionist, the Hall of Famer and Eclipse Award champion, in September 2007. The gallant old horse was suffering horribly from the effects of inoperable malignant tumors impairing his nasal passages and soft palate. Euthanasia was the only merciful option.Within seconds, Precisionist let out a heavy gasp, slowly knelt down, and rolled over on his left side, Mooney wrote. Already, he was brain dead, although he continued to reflexively breathe, and there was also some reflex action in his legs. As Blowen cradled Precisionists head in his arms, Aldinger administered a second barbiturate-laden syringe to the horses neck. Three minutes later, all reflexive movement had ceased. Precisionist was gone.In a career spanning more than four decades, Mooney has recorded every high and low the racing game could provide. It is strange, though, when the writer becomes his own subject.If you do believe in miracles, what has happened with me is a miracle, Mooney said. Of course, its bad luck to get cancer, especially cancer of this kind. But not once have I ever said anything like, Why is this happening to me? Its a waste of time.So, forget about the award being named for me, he said. This is an award for courage, and Rene Douglas absolutely deserves it.Douglas has forged a life after his injury that includes a bloodstock business and appearances on behalf of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.I would love to be there to present him the award, Mooney said. Unfortunately, right now Im not well enough to take a bus ride to Cincinnati. But I would like to write something for him.So, he did.I think Renes situation and the one Im dealing with are somewhat analogous in this regard, Mooneys tribute began. In a brief period, our worlds got turned upside down, inside out, every direction you could imagine.People -- assuredly, well-intended people -- kept wanting to give me hope. But hope doesnt do it. You have to seize the thing and battle it with all the strength you have in you, from a physical standpoint and an emotional standpoint.Thats what Rene has done, and thats why hes such an extraordinary person. One needs to reach that turning point where you no longer focus on the affliction -- in my case, the disease, in his case, the paralysis -- but to continue on living as productive a life as you can. It took me about seven months. Some people never can reach that turning point, but Rene has.When Mooney entered the hospital in August, he thought his time had come.Im a tough old bird and obviously hard to kill, but I thought at least on two occasions I was dying, he said. And they did give me last rites of the church.Im told those are good for the next time, Mooney added. I just hope the next time doesnt come around for a while. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Marc Staal Rangers Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.rangershockeyonlineshop.com/phil-esposito-hockey-jersey/ . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Mike Gartner Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. James Patrick Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. SAN DIEGO -- Chris Sale can admit it now: He was a little too in love with the strikeout.He led the American League last year with 274. But all those long counts cost him.I wanted to pitch more innings, get deeper into the games, the Chicago White Sox ace said Monday after he was announced to open the All-Star Game for the American League.As a starting pitcher, thats really the name of the game, is getting as deep into the game while giving your team a chance to win at the same time, he said.San Franciscos Johnny Cueto will start for the National League on Tuesday as the All-Stars return to San Diego for the first time since 1992.A 27-year-old left-hander, Sale is 14-3 with a 3.38 ERA and leads the major leagues in wins. He has 123 strikeouts -- third in the AL -- and just 26 walks in 125 innings. Batters are hitting .225 against him.In the past, he was a little bit more of a power pitcher, the Chicago Cubs Ben Zobrist said. If hes hitting spots a little bit more, that might change our ability to drive the ball.Cueto, a 30-year-old right-hander who left Kansas City to sign with the Giants last offseason, tops NL pitchers in victories. He is 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA, striking out 115 in 131 1/3 innings. He has won 10 consecutive decisions since an April 21 loss to Arizona.His path to the starting nod became clearer when Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard got hurt, Stephen Strasburg pulled out of the game because of a recent disabled list stint and Madison Bumgarner was ruled out because he started Sunday.I was just happy to be participating in the game, Cueto said through a translator. But Im very happy.Cueto impressed New York Mets manager Terry Collins with a two-hitter for Kansas City in Game 2 of last years World Series, the first complete game by an AL pitcher in the Series since Jack Morris in 1991.That was the best outing Ive ever seen him have, Collins said.Jake Arrieta of the Cubs was on track to get the honor, going 11-1 with a 1.dddddddddddd4 ERA through mid-June. But he lost three of his last four starts heading into the break.The last three outings, I havent pitched very well, he said. If I had took care of business, I probably would have been the starter or considered a little more highly.AL manager Ned Yosts batting order has Houston second baseman Jose Altuve leading off, followed by Angels center fielder Mike Trout, Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado, Boston designated hitter David Ortiz, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and Boston left fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.Collins has Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist leading off, followed by Washington right fielder Bryce Harper, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, San Diegos Wil Myers at designated hitter, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Miami center fielder Marcell Ozuna, Colorado left fielder Carlos Gonzalez and Cubs shortstop Addison Russell.Ozuna and Gonzalez are replacements for the Cubs Dexter Fowler and the Mets Yoenis Cespedes, who are hurt.Yost said Corey Kluber, Cole Hamels, Aaron Sanchez and Jose Quintana will follow Sale to the mound.The AL will be the home team for the game at Petco Park because this is the second straight year of at least four in which the NL will host the All-Stars. The AL has a 10-3 advantage since the All-Star Game has determined home-field advantage in the World Series.Its vitally important, said Yost, whose Royals swept the first two games at Kauffman Stadium last year. Weve got a room full of tremendously talented players and if we win this game its going to affect somebody or somebodies in that room. ' ' '