l he had played for the first 14 holes and brushing off suggestions a poor finish would affect him in the second round.ddddddddd

PHILADELPHIA -- Theres a reason why Ryan Howard was limping around the field. The Philadelphia Phillies slugger needs surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and will miss at least six to eight weeks. An MRI on Monday confirmed the tear in his knee. A date for surgery hasnt been set. "It could have been much more significant damage," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "We dont want any of our players on the DL. But we know what it is and its treatable. Hopefully we can get him back in time to play this year." Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, went on the disabled list Saturday. The three-time All-Star was hitting .266 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs. He was noticeably hobbling during games before he was shut down. He said he continued to play through the pain because he thought he could perform. "We have to take care of it," Amaro said. Howard played his first game last season on July 6 after tearing his left Achilles tendon making the final out in the 2011 NL division series. The 33-year-old first baseman has been on a steady decline since signing a $125 million, five-year contract extension on April 26, 2010. Howard averaged 50 homers and 143 RBIs between 2006-09. He hasnt hit more than 33 or driven in more than 116 runs since then. Darin Ruf, who hit 38 homers at Double-A Reading last year, replaces Howard. Ruf had been playing left field in Triple-A. Howard is the latest star player to land on Philadelphias disabled list. Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz missed significant time and Roy Halladay remains out after having shoulder surgery. Backup catcher Erik Kratz had surgery for a torn meniscus on June 12 and already has started a rehab assignment, so hes ahead of schedule. "Hopefully we will have the same sort of time frame, but everyones knee is different," Amaro said, comparing Howard to Kratz. "We can only speculate the length of how long it will take to get him to rehab. Well shoot for the conservative one and hope he comes back faster." Cheap Custom Jerseys Free Shipping . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Cheap Custom College Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.collegejerseyscustom.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Discount Custom Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Custom College Jerseys Online . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.Jason Day insists he is not worried despite dropping five shots in the last four holes of his first round at Augusta. The world No 1 headed into the par five 15th just a shot behind first round leader Jordan Spieth but a run of bogey, double bogey, bogey saw him slip back to even par for the round.Indeed, having reached the turn at five under, Day admitted that his thoughts were on going past Spieth.I was thinking at least seven or eight [under par], especially in those conditions today, he told Sky Sports. If I couldve got past him then that wouldve been great.I was just out of position on 15, 16 and 17 - even 18 I was out of position. Its difficult but it is what it is, it happens. You cant do anything about, youve just got to refocus and get into tomorrows round. Jason Day dropped five shots in his last four holes Despite the late slide, Day remained upbeat, choosing to focus on how well he had played for the first 14 holes and brushing off suggestions a poor finish would affect him in the second round.ddddddddddddTo be honest, Im not even worried about it, Ive got to deal with it now, get over it and push forward, he added.I cant dwell on it or think about it. I feel good about my game and I played great golf up until that point. Get a Sky Sports Week Pass Dont miss the Masters. Watch live on NOW TV from ￡6.99. No contract. Also See: Spieth: One of my best Day one leaderboard Rose: Toughest Augusta conditions WATCH: Els nightmare 10 ' ' '