Tim Hudson's wife thanks Mets' Eric Young Jr. for 'playing the game the right way' after freak play

Tim Hudson was the one laid up in the hospital with a possible career-ending broken ankle Thursday but it was Eric Young Jr. — the Mets player who unintentionally stepped on Hudson's ankle Wednesday night — who also got some words of encouragement from the Braves pitcher's wife, Kim.

Young was beside himself with guilt after being party to the gruesome injury, but took to Twitter on Thursday to voice his appreciation for those who had supported him.

@EYJr: "Thank you all for the kind words. I sincerely appreciate it. Continued prayers for a speedy recovery for Tim. Thank you again. #praying4Tim."

Kim Hudson responded to Young's tweet with her own kind words absolving him of any blame: 

"@EYJr Thank you for playing the game the right way. You're obviously one of the good guys. We appreciate you," she tweeted.

@EYJr Thank you for playing the game the right way. You're obviously one of the good guys. We appreciate you.
— Kim Hudson (@kimberlybhudson) July 25, 2013

Earlier Thursday morning, Kim sent a similar tweet to the Mets.

"Cant say enough great things about the @Mets organization and the way they handled Tim's injury: players, medical team, security #grateful."

Ironically, Young was removed after the third inning of Thursday afternoon's game with pain in his right knee. Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters before the game that Young's leg had been "tweaked" after the freak play.

So he did need a little love.

Julie Hermann, Rutgers' new AD, reveals she is gay in university bio

New Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann has acknowledged she is gay in her official university biography on the  athletic department’s web site but says she wants to be judged solely on her ability as an AD.

"I'm really blessed to have a wonderful family, and we're excited to become part of the Rutgers community," Hermann told ESPN on Thursday.

The closing sentence of Hermann's 453-word bio on Rutgers' official website says: "Hermann and her partner Dr. Leslie Danehy are the proud parents of a seven-year-old son, Aidan."

Hermann is one of a few known athletic directors in Division I who has publicly acknowledged she is gay. She is one of only three current female ADs at the FBS level.

Danehy collaborated with Hermann in Hermann’s former position as the assistant athletic director at the University of Louisville, helping oversee part of that school’s L Care program, which provides counseling and career services for student athletes.

Danehy is self described on her company’s website -- Danehy & Associates -- as a “coach who can improve your ability to function at peak performance in both personal and professional situations.”

Before taking the Rutgers job, Hermann was an executive senior associate athletic director at Louisville for 15 years. Hermann's family information was not included on Louisville's official website.

Madison Square Garden gets eviction notice

The shot clock is winding down on the World's Most Famous Arena and Madison Square Garden has to move from its current spot above Penn Station to a new location within 10 years.

Despite public pleas from former New York Knicks stars Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier and celebrities like superfan Spike Lee, the City Council voted 47-1 in favor of the 10-year limit to the lease after MSG had requested to operate continually —although there is a puncher's chance it could be extended.

Council members and civic leaders want to move the New York City home to the Knicks and Rangers so Penn Station can be overhauled in a three-year, $1 billion renovation.

The current Garden opened in 1968 and has hosted many legendary concerts and boxing matches to go with its glorious hockey and basketball past but has recently had to duke it out with the slick new Barclays Center across the East River and heavy-fisted NYC  bureaucrats.

“Madison Square Garden will have to move, and I think this permit sends the message that that work needs to begin now,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. “We need to make sure Penn Station becomes what we need it to be, a really 21st century grand entrance into the greatest city in the world, not ... what Sen. [Daniel] Moynihan or others historically described as a bunch of rat tunnels that lead people in and out of the city every day.”

Since the City Planning Department already approved the permit, the Council vote makes it final. It does not need a signoff from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Madison Square Garden Company predicted the arena has a “bright” future. “Madison Square Garden has operated at its current site for generations, and has been proud to bring New Yorkers some of the greatest and most iconic moments in sports and entertainment,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “We now look forward to the reopening of the arena in fall 2013, following the completion of our historic, three-year, nearly billion-dollar transformation, which will ensure our future is as bright as our celebrated past.”

Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street will never be the same. Neither will Spike.

Yankee players don't want A-Rod 'circus' back in locker room: Report

It was only a matter of time before the frustration of injuries, the prospect of missing the playoffs and the Alex Rodriguez PED investigation and all the sordid details of his comeback came to a boil in the New York Yankees locker room — and now it has.

Publicly, A-Rod’s teammates have said the right things when asked about him. But privately, many Yankees players believe Rodriguez should suffer the consequences if he is found guilty of using PEDs and of lying about it.

And, as much as the Yankees need Alex Rodriguez’s bat back in the lineup, it seems the players in the Bombers’ clubhouse may have finally reached a breaking point when it comes to their controversial teammate.

One player told The New York Daily News that some of his frazzled Yankee teammates are hesitant to welcome A-Rod back on the roster.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one Yankee said the nonstop A-Rod drama — which on Wednesday took a bizarre turn, as it was revealed that the third baseman got a second opinion on his injured left quad without the team’s knowledge — is becoming a distraction to a ball club that already has enough to worry about.

“Guys are just tired of it,” the player said. “The media circus that’s revolving around Alex is insane — and we haven’t even seen him. It just keeps going. It’s like a carousel that just keeps going around and around and around. At some point, it has to stop.

“I would like his bat in the lineup. We could obviously use it because the potential for some home runs would help us a lot. But with the circus that’s surrounding him right now, I don’t think anybody wants that.”

Publicly, A-Rod’s teammates have been vague, but supportive,  when asked about him — whether commenting on the quad injury that kept him from returning this week or his looming performance-enhancing drug suspension.

But it's beginning to sound like more than just a few Yankees players won't be sympathetic to A-Rod's plight if he is found guilty of the PED charges.

“When it’s all said and done, you’ll hear more than enough comments from the guys in here,” the player said. “You’ll be able to write it for weeks.”

Ryan Braun left his Brewers teammates to answer questions for him on Monday, bolting from Miller Park before Major League Baseball announced his suspension. It has been the same way for the Yankees, who have had to constantly answer for A-Rod, who hasn’t commented about his latest PED scandal, involving his reported links to the Biogenesis clinic, while rehabbing from hip surgery and taking a tour of the Yankees’ minor-league system.

"I don’t think he handled that the right way," added the player. "He adamantly denied it, and it turns out he was lying. It’s going to haunt him through his whole career. That’s something he’s going to have to deal with the rest of his life. If it turns out to be the same with Alex, they’ll both be in the same boat."

Daredevil dives from top of six-story building into marina (VIDEO)

A daredevil diver leaped from the top of a six-story building into a boat marina to the delight of cheering spectators below.

It's hard to know where this video was taken (a spring-break location is a good bet) but besides doing an amazing triple-gainer off the roof, the guy avoids landing on some docked boats below.

I'm sure Greg Louganis didn't start this way.

Freddie Freeman's foul-tip breaks camera at Citi Field

It sounds like bats and ankles weren't the only things being broken Wednesday night at Citi Field after Freddie Freeman inadvertently proved to be an destructive guest — after his foul-tip sailed backwards and smashed into the expensive behind-the-plate camera.

The Braves first baseman's wayward foul in the second-inning shattered the camera's lens cover and even Freeman had to cringe at the result of his at-bat.

Puig shows love for Ryu with dance and a 'noogie' (VIDEO)

What better way to celebrate an five-run lead in the bottom of the tenth inning than doing a little boogie with a brotherly show of affection on your teammate —the infamous noogie.

That's exactly what Yasiel Puig did last night during the waning moments of the Dodgers game against the Blue Jays.

Puig did the dugout hip-shake then walks over to Hyun-Jin Ryu and gives the pitcher a noogie through his cap. The head-rub forces Ryu to spit out his sunflower seeds.

Funny stuff.