TORONTO -- Painful lessons learned in the past are keeping Adam Lind confident his chronically injured back wont send him on what has become an annual trip to the disabled list. The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman left Sundays 5-4 loss in Boston after feeling strain in the middle of his back. The 29-year-old, who added he had to wait four innings for a doctor to see him, said he was distraught over what he thought was the return of an injury that has haunted him for the last couple seasons. "Im in a better mental situation than I was yesterday. I was pretty rattled and shook up. I feel better and I hope its only a couple of days," he said Monday before the Blue Jays opened a four-game series at home to the Detroit Tigers. Back spasms landed Lind on the DL in 2011 and again in 2012. On Sunday, Lind said he woke up with the strain, but that it went away during batting practice. Lind added he has played through back issues already this season, but that the pain flared up after he chased Ryan Lavarnways double down the right-field line and forced him to leave in the second inning. He was replaced at first base by catcher Josh Thole, who in the ninth inning failed to field a grounder from Shane Victorino that scored the winning run for Boston. The result didnt help Linds frustration, but that he thinks a couple days off will make the difference. The last trips to the disabled list came from playing through the injury, a mistake Lind said he wont repeat. "Few extra innings results in a month on the DL, so I didnt want to put myself through that again. It just wasnt the smart thing to do," he said. Lind isnt the only Blue Jay suddenly on the mend. Slugger Edwin Encarnacion was pulled moments before Mondays game with left hamstring tightness. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Encarnacion, who is also working through a sore wrist that is keeping him from fielding, is day-to-day and that the team doesnt expect to make any roster moves. A healthy Lind has had a resurgent season with the Blue Jays. His .327 batting average, albeit with 223 at-bats, is tied for fifth in the majors. Lind also has 11 homers and 33 RBIs. Thats a big increase from last season, when Lind hit just .255. Lind, who has yet to be examined by the team doctor, doesnt expect to return to the disabled list. He said staying healthy was the goal he set for himself before the season began. "Im hoping to avoid that for myself and to show the organization that I can be on the active roster for the whole season."Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 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He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season.Tony Johnson spent Labor Day weekend burying his younger brother, who killed himself a week ago.The heavyweight mixed martial artist will spend next weekend fighting in the main event of Bellator 161, believing William Johnson wouldnt want him to miss an opportunity that both fighting brothers craved.I had to go through my grieving really fast, Tony Johnson said in a phone interview from Cincinnati, his parents home. I have beautiful daughters Ive got to take care of. I cant just sit there and wallow in my sorrow. I have to get over it. Theres no other way. Ive always been the backbone of my family. Im very strong. My family leans on me a lot for support. Ive always grieved in private to be strong in public for my family.Johnson takes on French MMA veteran Cheick Kongo on Sept. 16 just outside Austin, Texas. A victory would change Johnsons career, which has been following a winding path from college football to big-money fights.The winner seems almost certain to get a shot at Bellators heavyweight title, which Johnson has been seeking for two years. At 30 years old, he is still relatively young by the wizened standards of MMA heavyweights, but this is his first headlining bout for the promotion.Just days after his father phoned him to inform him of Williams death, Tony immediately told Bellator he would fight anyway.Bellator said, We understand if you dont want to take this fight, Tony Johnson said. There will be no repercussions. Were going to back you 100 percent. Thats all I wanted. Ive got their support, but I told these guys Im going to be there. I dont know if Im going to have another opportunity to fight Cheick Kongo. Im ready now. Im ready to go.Tony Johnson said William Johnson, who lived in Cleveland, was a 27-year-old aspiring fighter with two young children. Although he knew William had a tumultuous relationship with his fiancee, he didnt realize the depth of his younger brothers depression.Every time we would talk, everything was fine, Tony Johnson said. I was trying to give him direction. I was trying to be a big brother to him, trrying to lead him toward the right path.dddddddddddd Hed listen, but of course hes young. He would fall off course, and I would have to put him back on course, but that was our relationship.Johnson attended last weekends viewing for his brother, but he will skip a memorial service at their high school this weekend.My parents want me to stay focused on the fight and winning the fight for my brother, he said.Johnson acknowledges his pain and confusion are still fresh and raw, but he is focusing on family and fighting.I guess he had been going through a lot, Johnson said. I never thought there was an issue. I never saw it. We still dont know. Theres still no closure to figure everything out.Although they lived hundreds of miles apart, the brothers spoke regularly by phone and occasionally trained together. They even fought on the same card in November 2014, both earning victories in a regional Tennessee promotion before Tony returned to Bellator.But William was still an MMA prospect, while Tony has long been considered a rising heavyweight with world title potential. He scored a touchdown for Iowa State in 2004 as a 300-pound freshman fullback before moving from wrestling into MMA.After three years in smaller promotions, he made his Bellator debut in June 2011 with a decision over Derrick Lewis, now a serious contender for the UFC heavyweight title. Problems with his contract led him to take a two-year break from the cage before competing in Asias ONE Fighting Championship and in Nashville, his adopted hometown.Johnson returned to Bellator last year, and he has beaten Alexander Volkov and Raphael Butler to earn a shot at the 41-year-old Kongo, the longtime UFC veteran who moved to Bellator three years ago.Ive gone through adversity before, Johnson said. Ive lost in MMA, and that helps you be strong in life. Things dont go your way, and it hits you. I believe that Rocky Balboa quote: `Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. ' ' '