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CLEVELAND -- On his way out to the field for pregame batting practice, Jason Kipnis hung a hard right in the Indians clubhouse to give Jason Giambi a big hug. "Great to see you," Kipnis told Clevelands respected designated hitter. "You, too, little brother," Giambi said. Big G is back with the Indians. Almost. Sidelined since spring training by a fractured rib, Giambi has been cleared to play and is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list Monday, when the Indians open a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals. The 43-year-old recently played in several games in a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Akron, a stop that helped his swing and also brought back memories of his path to the big leagues. "Sometimes you forget the grind," Giambi said. "Its been 20 years since I was a minor leaguer." While he was with the Aeros, Giambi and teammate Michael Bourn, who was with him to rehab a strained hamstring, treated the minor leaguers to several meals and found themselves serving up advice to some of the youngsters in Clevelands system. It comes naturally to Giambi, who is still playing but may one day try his hand at managing. He was a finalist for Colorados opening before signing with the Indians before last season. "Id like to, but the universe will determine that, not me," Giambi said with a laugh at his locker. "I love the nuances of the game and being a part of that. Ive played for some of the greatest managers in the game, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre and Tito (Terry Francona) and Jim Tracy." Giambi said hes ready to play, but the Indians will wait until after the weekend. Giambi took batting practice before Fridays series opener against Toronto and looked to be himself while launching several home runs into the right-field seats. The Indians have opened 7-8 without Giambi, and Francona said his presence has been missed inside the clubhouse, dugout and on the field. "Guys know hes there," Francona said. "Shoot, I know hes there. Because G is never going to back down from anybody and that doesnt mean you have to fight or anything. But its a nice teammates to have around. He can be a settling influence. He can kick somebody in the pants. Hes a great guy to have around. "Believe me, I wouldnt say all these things if they werent true. This is how I feel." Giambi injured his rib during spring training and was placed on the DL on March 30. While he batted just .183 last season, he hit nine homers and drove in 31 runs in 186 at-bats. Giambi also provided perhaps the seasons signature moment, when he belted a pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning to beat Chicago on Sept. 24. The homer helped propel the Indians to their first playoff appearance since 2007. While some fans look only at Giambis statistics and wonder why the Indians would dedicate a roster spot to an aging, situational hitter, Francona says Giambis impact goes way beyond numbers. "G can change the game in the batters box," Francona said. "Hes not here to hit .300, that would be great. But hes here to change the game with one of his swings and he has the ability to do that." Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. Authentic Ian Cole Jersey . -- C.J. Cron hit an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues, doubled his second time up and hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. http://www.cheapnhlavalanchejerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-erik-johnson-jersey . -- Manchester United thrilled a record crowd with a brilliant opening goal -- and even Cristiano Ronaldos unexpected entrance proved futile for Real Madrid. Authentic David Warsofsky Jersey .J. -- Omar Cummings helped the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals. Authentic Peter Forsberg Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open.BERLIN -- Mario Goetze inspired Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hamburger SV that left the home side relying on other results to stay in the Bundesligas relegation playoff place on Saturday. Goetze scored twice and created another for Thomas Mueller, with Bayern substitute Claudio Pizarro cancelling out Hakan Calhanoglus consolation. Bayern defender Jerome Boateng was sent off late for hitting out at Hamburg midfielder Kerem Demirbay. Eintracht Braunschweig conceded in injury time to lose 1-0 to Augsburg, and Nuremberg lost 2-0 to Hannover, meaning two points separate three relegation rivals going into the final round next weekend. "I can understand the fans disappointment," Nuremberg goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer said after his 250th league appearance for the club. Stuttgart was no longer in danger of the drop, despite losing 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg, with Vieirinha scoring the winner in injury time. "Wed rather have done it by ourselves but the important thing is that we keep playing in the Bundesliga," Stuttgart president Bernd Wahler said. Bayer Leverkusen consolidated fourth place with a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Gonzalo Castro and Emre Cans first-half goals put Leverkusen in pole position for the last Champions League qualification spot. "The goal was special," said Can, who grew up in Frankfurt. "For the Champions League we still need a win against (Werder) Bremen." Borussia Dortmund defeated Hoffenheim 3-2, third-place Schalke won 2-0 at Freiburg, Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Mainz 3-1, and Bremen captain Aaron Hunt marked his last home game for the side by scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin. "I couldnt have wished for better," Hunt said. Gladbach keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was unable to hold back the tears as he was thanked for his service to the club he joined as a four-year-old. The 22-year-old is expected to move to Barcelona. Bayern wwas hoping to make amends for its humiliating Champions League semifinal loss to Real Madrid, and Goetze made his case for a starting place against Dortmund in the German Cup final in two weeks.dddddddddddd Franck Ribery did not travel to Hamburg due to back problems. Mueller started up front rather than Mario Mandzukic, and Goetze took Riberys place on the left. Goetze played a one-two with Arjen Robben to open the scoring in the 32nd minute. Bayern went 2-0 up after a corner in the 55th, when Goetzes shot took a slight deflection from Mueller. The goal was awarded to the Bayern winger. Mueller returned the favour by crossing for Goetzes second with 20 minutes remaining, two minutes before Hakan Calhanoglu pulled one back. In the 75th, Pizarro scored with an overhead kick two minutes after he went on as a substitute. Hamburg is battling to avoid its first ever relegation after playing every season of the Bundesliga since the leagues formation in 1963. "The second goal was the turning point," Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka said. "Still, there were a lot of positive things to see. You can see the sheer will is there." There was some trouble among frustrated fans in the stands at halftime when police were forced to intervene. Braunschweig might have overtaken Hamburg but Augsburg keeper Marwin Hitz denied substitute Salim Khelifi in the 89th minute and Raul Bobadilla scored with a lob four minutes into injury time. Nuremberg got off to a bad start when Hannover midfielder Szabolcs Huszti scored in the fifth, and Manuel Schmiedebach made it 2-0 in the 51st. It was the 10th loss from 11 games for Nuremberg, which has been relegated seven times from the Bundesliga. There were no such worries for Dortmund, already assured of second place before beating Hoffenheim. Dortmund fans gave a warm send-off to Robert Lewandowski, who is joining Bayern next season, and Manuel Friedrich, who is retiring. 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