from when tennis first joined the Olympics in that nearly ev

ATLANTA -- New York Mets manager Terry Collins fell on his sword Saturday, taking responsibility for not recognizing the need for a pinch runner on what became a potentially game-deciding play.The strategic lapse resulted shortly thereafter in a painful neck injury for Wilmer Flores and a stinging 4-3 defeat to the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings at Turner Field.The Mets (75-67) fell out of the second wild-card position as their six-game winning streak snapped. They now trail the San Francisco Giants by 1? games and the St. Louis Cardinals by a half-game for the two wild-card spots.Flores had produced a two-out double in the top of the eighth with the score tied at 3. Collins said he was distracted by setting up his pitching for the next half-inning and did not recognize to pinch run for the slow-footed Flores. When pinch hitter T.J. Rivera followed with a single, right fielder Nick Markakis threw out Flores at the plate.To add injury to insult, Flores went headfirst into catcher A.J. Pierzynski and had to depart the game with a neck injury. X-rays taken at Turner Field were negative. Flores said he initially felt really weird and dizzy. That subsided, but his neck remained painful after the game. He did not require concussion testing.I should have ran for him there, Collins said. I was trying to get the pitching set up. My fault. ... Hes going to have a stiff neck. But we certainly have enough guys. We could have ran for him, which we should have. I was trying to get the pitching set up and get a pinch hitter in and got distracted. Its my fault.Whats more, Pierzynski sent out signals postgame that he was retiring. He even passed out cigars to teammates and did not officially acknowledge any plans to Atlanta reporters.Flores has stepped into the primary second-base role with Neil Walker having undergone surgery Thursday to address a herniated disk in his lower back that was causing numbness in a toe.Im just really sore -- my neck and back, Flores said. I feel a lot of pain right now. If you watch the play, home plate was open. I saw it open and my first thought was a head[first] slide, avoid the tag. When I was head[first] sliding, he got the ball and he ran right into me. Its one of those plays where I really want to score, and I tried to do too much and thats why I got hurt. Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Harold Baines Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. http://www.whitesoxteamshop.com/White-Sox-Michael-Jordan-Kids-Jersey/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Melky Cabrera Jersey . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Bo Jackson Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- This is one time Rory McIlroy says he was happy to be mistaken.McIlroy was among the top four players in the world who chose not to play in the Olympics, and the four-time major champion didnt help the cause when he said it was not his role to grow the game and that he would only watch the stuff that matters on television.He did watch the golf -- at least the final hole, when Justin Rose outlasted Henrik Stenson to win golfs first gold medal in 112 years.It pleasantly surprised me, McIlroy said Wednesday at The Barclays. There was more people at the golf events than there was at the athletics. It was good to see, it really was. It seems like it was a great atmosphere down there. I think it was one of the cheaper tickets, as well, and I think that encouraged a lot of people to go.But to see the crowds and see the turnout, I was glad to be somewhat proven wrong.Golf did its part with tickets that cost about $16. It was the only sellout among Olympic venues on Sunday of the mens final round.The Olympics went as expected for Jordan Spieth.He said on the day he withdrew that his decision would loom over him during the Olympics. And he was right.I enjoyed watching the finish to the Olympics, and I wished I was there, Spieth said.He still believes he made the right decision at the time. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and McIlroy all specifically cited the threat of the Zika virus, while Spieth said he had broader concerns about the Rio Games and that Zika was only a part of it.Spieth tweeted after the mens golf ended that it would be a goal to be in Tokyo in 2020.The potential for regret was going to be there, and it certainly was while I was watching, he said.More than the competition -- Rose and Stenson came down to the 72nd hole, while Matt Kuchar shot 63 to win the bronze -- was the Olympic experience. So when he said that I wished I was there, Spieth was talking about opening ceremony and golfers spending time at other evvents.ddddddddddddRickie Fowler sent plenty of videos, his way of trying to make the absentees see what they were missing.McIlroy didnt watch much of the traditional sports, either. He was in a cabin in upstate New York that didnt have television or even electricity, but he managed to catch up with golf on the Sunday afternoon when it finished.Johnson was in Idaho with his family, and nothing Fowler shared on social media made him jealous. He was relaxing on the lake and on the course with his family. He did watch the Olympics, just not he golf. Thats not unusual. Most players dont watch golf when they arent playing.I checked the scores on the golf just to see how it was going, but thats about the extent, Johnson said.Golf was different from when tennis first joined the Olympics in that nearly every player supported it from the start, up until uncertainly about Zika, security and other operational issues that planted doubts about the Rio Games.I would have loved to have gone and played, Johnson said. But to me, the risk wasnt worth it. So that was the reason I didnt go. I think it would be a neat experience and a lot of fun, and especially winning a gold medal would be even more fun.Day said he had no regrets. He decided not to go because of his family. His wife wants more children and he stayed home because of the Zika virus. The worlds No. 1 player only watched the final hole of Rose and Stenson, and he didnt watch much else except for Usain Bolt and a swimming relay.He said that Rose told him during a corporate outing earlier this week how many people watched golf who dont ordinary pay attention, just because it was the Olympics. And he already was looking ahead at the next chance.Theres a lot of golf to be played from now until then, Day said. If I can play my way on to that team, that would be fantastic. ' ' '