NEWS » am. There is no animosity or anything. It is justt

CLEVELAND -- While his dad sat on a bucket in their backyard catching, little Josh Tomlin pretended he was pitching in the World Series.Hes about to do it for real.And his dad, Jerry, recently paralyzed from the chest down following a medical scare that threatened his life, will be there in Chicago watching.It will mean everything, said Tomlin, who will start Game 3 at Wrigley Field. Weve talked about this, shoot, since I was 3 or 4 years old. I can remember having conversations with him -- `Bases loaded, full count, bottom of the ninth, so and so is up to bat. What are you going to throw him?Lets go fastball, Tomlin said, and Id throw a fastball and on strike three wed jump up and throw our gloves and stuff like that. It was cool to be able to look back and think, man, I was doing that when I was 4 years old and now Im actually going to live it and hes actually going to get to see it.Thats pretty special to me and something Ill never forget for the rest of my life.Jerry Tomlin is Texas tough, the kind of rugged guy who never missed a day of work and lives life head on -- sometimes going too hard.He played football in high school and he always told me he was the guy on the kickoff who would go down there and break up the wedge. He was just crazy, said Tomlin, who helped rescue Clevelands bandaged rotation with strong performances in the AL Division Series against Boston and AL Championship Series versus Toronto. Hes been working since he was probably 12 or 13 years old until this incident happened.In August, Jerry was working at a power plant in Whitehouse, Texas, when he fell ill, his stomach tied in knots. With the pain worsening, he was taken to a hospital where doctors initially thought the problem was being caused by his gall bladder.Thats when things took a critical turn as Tomlins body went numb. He underwent an MRI and numerous tests, and the 57-year-old was rushed into surgery after he was diagnosed with arteriovenous malfunction, a condition that affects blood circulation near the spine.Josh Tomlin, already in the midst of one of the worst months of his career, rushed home after the Indians arranged a private jet so he could get there quickly to see his dad and be there for his mom, Elana. The pitcher made the trip fearing his dad might not survive.The procedure saved Jerrys life, but it has left him in a wheelchair with a long, difficult road to recovery ahead. Its not known if hell walk again.After spending nearly two months in a rehab facility in Dallas, he was released last week -- on Joshs 32nd birthday. Jerry watched from his living room as the Indians clinched their first AL pennant since 2007.The Tomlins are incredibly close, their bond strengthened by their love of baseball.I talk to him every single day, him and my mom both, Tomlin said. Ive got a great relationship with them. Theyve been a huge part of my life and a huge part of my success in the big leagues.Jerry and Elena will be accompanied to Chicago by Tomlins aunt and uncle, and theyll stay at the team hotel. Josh intends to spend time with his dad on Thursday night before he faces the Cubs.While his dad was sick, Tomlin was pitching himself out of the Indians rotation. He went 0-5 in August with an 11.48 ERA, and while he never used his fathers situation as an excuse, it clearly affected his performance.The ballpark was a sanctuary, giving Tomlin a place to clear his mind and where he felt a connection -- with his dad.I think he actually thought that being here and with his teammates was helping him, Indians manager Terry Francona said. I told him many times, the minute you feel like you want to be home, even if its for your mom, well handle this. But he had a lot going on. That was tough.So is Tomlin, who stepped up after the Indians lost starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco to injuries in September. His team needed him and Tomlin came through, delivering the way his dad taught him.Hes always coached me, Tomlin said. Ive heard that from a lot of my friends that played for him -- hes one of the better motivators. Hes very intense. He would yell at you and try to get the most out of you, but he treated you like a man. He expected a lot out of you, but it wasnt like he was mad if you made a mistake.If you did things the right way and always gave 100 percent, he was in your corner.Jerry Tomlin will be there again when his son pitches on baseballs biggest stage, the one they played on before.Im just looking forward to seeing him, Tomlin said. Cheap Jordan 5 NZ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Cheap Air Jordan 5 For Sale . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. http://www.cheapairjordan5nz.com/ . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Air Jordan 5 Wholesale NZ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Air Jordan 5 Online NZ . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Christian Horner has backed Daniel Ricciardo to respond positively to Max Verstappens recent form and believes the two men are getting the best from each other.Verstappen ended Ricciardos inter-team domination of qualifying at the British Grand Prix before a strong drive to second position, which included a thrilling battle with championship leader Nico Rosberg. It gave Verstappen his third Driver of the Day accolade since his switch to Red Bull -- a period of time which has seen Ricciardo struggle by comparison, though he lost wins in Spain and Monaco through strategy and a botched pit stop.During the Silverstone weekend Ricciardo admitted the atmosphere at the team has changed since Verstappen replaced Daniil Kvyat and said it is bringing out the best in both of us. Horner agrees with that opinion and thinks Ricciardo is going to come back strongly.I think Daniel is a class driver and he has demonstrated already this year that he is at the top of his game, Horner said. No teammate likes being the second of the cars to finish and I am sure he will respond positively. But it is a positive thing in the team. There is no animosity or anything. It is justt two guys going for it and going flat-out.ddddddddddddIt is very healthy for us.When asked if the dynamic at the team had shifted since Verstappens arrival, Horner said: Well, not really. Obviously we have got two very strong drivers in the cars and they are pushing each other hard, which is great to see and there is a confidence in the team that you can see is growing.Horner has praised Ricciardos reaction to Verstappens arrival and points out he has had the lions share of bad luck in recent races.I think Daniel is dealing with it very well. He got a little bit unlucky with the VSC period [at Silverstone]. That cost him probably about 10 seconds and allowed Perez to effectively get a free stop ahead of him. But that is just the run of the green. You cant anticipate when there is going to be a VSC.He then cleared Perez and was slowly catching on that group, but the damage was done to his race. He is going to have a couple of Sundays come up where I am sure everything will fall his way and it will be swings and roundabouts. ' ' '