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VAL DISERE, France -- Lindsey Vonn felt her injured right knee give way, and for a moment it looked like her chances for another Olympic gold might be in jeopardy again. Scooter Gennett Jersey . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact. "I didnt hurt myself more than Im already hurt," said Vonn, the reigning Olympic downhill champion. "It was a small compression, and it was fully loaded on the right ski and my knee just completely gave out. I tried to pressure the ski again and it gave out again. I had no chance of making that gate, unfortunately." With boyfriend Tiger Woods watching from the bottom of the slope, Vonn skied out after her left ski came up in the air, putting all her weight on the troublesome right leg. The American was clearly distressed after pulling up and looked close to tears as she clutched her knee. Vonn needed surgery in February to reconstruct two knee ligaments after a crash at the world championships, and then partially re-tore one of them in November. She said she will now give herself plenty of rest and expects to race again "probably sometime in January" as she follows a light program before the Olympics. "As much as time as I can give myself to really get as strong as I can, like I said, one maybe two races before the Olympics. Thats it," Vonn said. "Im going to play it safe and race minimal races, so I can get the confidence and the timing and the feeling of racing again. Im really going to be safe and smart as I can." Woods accompanied Vonn to a World Cup race for the first time, wearing light blue jeans, a ski coat, grey ski hat and dark glasses as he stood in the finish area and watched one racer after another go down. "Hes very supportive and its very fun to have him. This is his first World Cup and I think he enjoyed it," Vonn said. "I think he was a little bit more nervous because of my knee. Hes worried about me but hes happy to be here and Im happy to have him." Schedule permitting, shed like for Woods to come watch her in Sochi as well. "Yeah. I love having him around and the more races he can come to the better," Vonn said. "But Im not racing that much this year, unfortunately, so you probably wont see both of us around very much." With his hands stuffed in his pockets, golfs 14-time major champion waited patiently for Vonn, who was the 19th starter. Shortly after Vonn went out, Woods walked away from the finish area as camera crews scrambled to keep up with him. "Just having someone supporting you, always makes me feel better," Vonn said. "I didnt feel any pressure, I had two really good training runs and I felt really confident today and Im just disappointed that my knee didnt hold up like I thought it would." Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Switzerland won the race for her first career victory, and was also delighted to see Woods there. "Its good for our sport," she said. "Its perfect when we have a lot of prominent people in the finish area." Defending overall champion Tina Maze, who finished second, was surprised when Woods showed up at Fridays pre-race draw. "I noticed that everyone was taking pictures. Then I realized that Tiger was here," she said. "It didnt bring Lindsey much luck today. I feel sorry for her that she didnt finish but I hope she will be back soon. I managed to speak to her, a few words in the finish area. I think in the sport people really respect each other and I have respect for both of them." Vonn has five World Cup wins in Val dIsere and also won two golds at the 2009 world championships -- but those victories all came on two good knees. Earlier this month, the 29-year-old American raced for the first time in 10 months. Still, she was buoyant after finishing only 0.04 seconds behind Dominique Gisin of Switzerland in Thursdays second training run. "The thing is I have no ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). So unless I get surgery theres nothing really magical that I can do thats going to make it better," she said. "I just can get my leg stronger, my muscle stronger and try and support it a little more. But that has a small impact. My knee is loose and its not stable and thats the way its going to be from here on out. I just have to get used to it." She did not regret her decision to race at Val dIsere, one of the most technically demanding slopes on the circuit. "I think Val dIsere was a good place for me to come back to. Im skiing well, so going forward I definitely have a lot more confidence," she said. "My goal is the Olympics, so Im not winning any World Cups this year, any titles. As long as Im skiing well and have confidence, thats all I really need." Having Woods around might help, too. Chris Carter Brewers Jersey .500 ball against teams with winning records, so they needed a huge lift from somebody Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders. Chris Capuano Brewers Jersey . The Oilers have been shut out in three straight home games and are in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-14-2 record. "Things have obviously not gone as well as I would have thought probable. MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Hughes has long been on Minnesotas radar. Thanks to a rough season by the right-hander in New York, the Twins finally added him to their roster. "He probably wouldnt be sitting here if he had an average year. So maybe this is a good omen for us," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said, adding: "Weve got hopes that with a change of scenery that were going to get him going in the right direction." Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA for the Yankees last season, and the Twins finalized a $24 million, three-year contract with him after he passed his physical Thursday. This was their second significant step toward restoring a ragged rotation, after signing right-hander Ricky Nolasco Tuesday to a $49 million, four-year deal. Twins starters had the worst collective ERA in the majors last season. "I think its going to be great. Like Terry said, I struggled last year," Hughes said at an introductory news conference at Target Field. "Coming to a new team, a new place and a ballpark thats obviously a little bit more conducive to pitching is going to help a lot." Minnesota picked Trevor Plouffe at No. 20 and Glen Perkins at No. 22 in the 2004 draft, and Hughes went from Santa Ana, Calif., to the Yankees at No. 23. After breezing through their minor league system, he made his debut in 2007. When the Twins were shopping Johan Santana in trades before the 2008 season, Hughes was high on their wish list. But the Twins consummated a deal with the Mets, not the Yankees. Hughes had a stellar season as a setup man for the World Series champions in 2009, won 18 games in 2010 and 16 games in a career-high 191-plus innings in 2012. "Im a firm believer that everything happens for a reason," Hughes said. "It wasnt right in 2004 and it wasnt right in 2008, but I think its going to be right in 2014." The Twins are banking on a move out of hitter-friendly Yankee SStadium to spacious Target Field will help Hughes rediscover the success he had earlier in his career. Custom Brewers Jersey. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Hughes was an All-Star in 2010. "Hes got the velocity. Hes got a curveball. Hes got a slider. Hes got a change. Hes big. Hes strong," Ryan said, adding: "Hes only 27. Pitching in New York and in Yankee Stadium is nothing like it would be here at Target Field. ... We need pitching. Were willing to take a risk." He will make $8 million in each of the next three seasons. The contract includes $1 million in annual performance bonuses: $250,000 each for reaching 180 and 195 innings and $500,000 for reaching 210 innings. Hughes still had 121 strikeouts in 145 2-3 innings last season, despite his struggles. He couldve taken a one-year offer, got back on track and cashed in with a bigger contract next winter. But he liked the commitment showed by the Twins, who wanted some stability. Ryan said Hughes was the youngest free agent pitcher on the market this year. "I dont want to get too far ahead of myself, but obviously when you sign two guys for the dollars that we have here, you have high hopes that were improving this rotation," Ryan said. Behind Nolasco and Hughes is returning veteran Kevin Correia. The other spots are open, with Samuel Deduno, Scott Diamond, Kyle Gibson and Vance Worley among the leading candidates at this point. Ryan said the team is still considering other available free agents. To make room on the 40-man roster for Hughes, the Twins designed right-hander Liam Hendriks for assignment. Being a part of a rebuilding project was another attraction for Hughes, as was escaping the pressurized environment in New York. "That the Twins wanted me for the long term, or somewhat long term, was enticing for sure and something I felt a lot of value with, going to a team that really wants you around," Hughes said. Cheap NFL Jerseys' ' '
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