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NEW YORK -- Mets ace Matt Harveys ailing elbow is feeling better, and the right-hander said Tuesday he is still optimistic he can avoid reconstructive surgery that would likely sideline him for all of next season. Harvey will visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday before deciding whether he will undergo Tommy John surgery. "Everything feels fine, my arm feels great," the 24-year-old right-hander said. "I am still very optimistic about everything, but I am not a doctor so we will see what happens." In his first public comments since Aug. 26, when the Mets said he had a partial ligament tear, Harvey said he hasnt yet had a second MRI to determine the best course of action going forward. He has been icing his elbow and riding a stationary bike since he was shut down for the season last month. Harvey said the swelling is down and that pain subsided two days after he put a ball down. "We wanted to get the second opinion, let the swelling settle down before we went in and started any rehab or anything like that," he said. "Were going to wait to see how Monday goes with Dr. Andrews. "I am not going to make an immediate decision while I am down there. Whether it is another week or whatnot, I am going to talk to as many people as I can. If we do go the surgery route, having it sooner so maybe I can get back in September next year ... its a possibility. We havent gotten that far." Harvey, the All-Star game starter for the National League, joined Mets teammates David Wright and Zack Wheeler, along with Jeff Wilpon -- the teams chief operating officer -- at a Manhattan firehouse in advance of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York. Harvey was in middle school in Connecticut on the day the World Trade Center was struck by hijacked airliners. "I still remember hearing about it," he said. "It was a scary time. We didnt know what was going on. We were so young and so close. I had spent a lot of time in New York City, and realizing what was really going on was a scary moment. "The way that America bounced back and handled everything, it was something really special to see." Wright, who is also sidelined by injury, has been a regular visitor to firehouses as the anniversary of the attacks approaches each year. Photos and memorials to the 16 firefighters from Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9, who were killed that day adorn the walls at the station. The players posed for photos with current firefighters, adorning helmets and coats, before signing hats and baseballs. Wright remembers fondly the home run hit by Mets catcher Mike Piazza, the clubs star of that time, in their first home game after the attacks. "That is probably my favourite baseball moment of all time, watching Mike Piazza hit that home run, and the USA chants, and the American flags," Wright said. "Just for that split-second, the city of New York got distracted a little bit from that tremendous tragedy. "As Ive said a million times, its a shame we only get to celebrate these men and women once a year, and it has to be under these circumstances. I couldnt be more appreciative, and I look forward to this trip every year." Harvey expressed similar thoughts on his first visit to the firehouse. He could very well be back there again next year. Whether he will be back on the mound is a much bigger question mark. "I am going to get as many opinions as I can," Harvey said. "Which way I decide to go, I am going to go 150 per cent. You have to weigh the risk of having surgery. In my mind, if I can rehab and throw for 10-plus years like (Phillies pitcher) Roy Halladay has then ... but everyone is different. "I can go off how I feel and what I believe in, but when its a doctors decision and hes throwing issues out there that are not going to be able to help from rehab, then obviously decisions will have to be made." If Harvey faces a long recovery period, the Mets would like for him to get started on it as soon as possible. "I know Matt and the organization dont want to lose two years," Wilpon said. "If its got to be a year, and thats what it ends up being, then were prepared for that and well deal with it. I dont think anybody wants it to be longer than that." NOTES: Mets left-handed reliever Scott Rice underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair bilateral sports hernias. ... SS Ruben Tejada was recalled from Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. He had been optioned to Las Vegas on July 7. ... The Mets 2014 schedule was released Tuesday. New York will open the season at home on March 31 against Washington. The Mets will play exhibition games against Toronto at Montreals Olympic Stadium on March 28-29, the first major league games there since the Expos final game on Sept. 29, 2004, before the franchise moved to Washington. ... Wilpon said a report that the Mets would be leaving WFAN radio was "fairly accurate" and added "we are still negotiating with numerous parties about what we are going to do with our radio rights." Red Auerbach Jersey . The rookie is rewarding their faith with a stellar first season. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist, and Colorado beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Saturday. Robert Parish Celtics Jersey .com) - Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar and New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo were named the NHLs players of the week on Monday. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Dennis-Johnson-Jersey/ . Murray, the defending champion and No. 3 seed, claimed his first match win at Queens in 2005 and went on to win the Wimbledon warmup three times. But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point. Walter Brown Celtics Jersey . -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold. Danny Ainge Celtics Jersey . His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game. "The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didnt happen," Dineen said. Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said last week that the Raptors would not be caught in no-mans land, and seems to have made a move with an eye towards the future. Numbers Game looks at the Raptors sending Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings Get: SF Rudy Gay, C Aaron Gray and SF Quincy Acy. Gay, 27, is the second-leading scorer on the Raptors, averaging 19.4 points per game, which is about standard for his last five seasons, but hes doing it this year while shooting a career-low 38.8% from the field, with a career-low effective field goal percentage of 42.1%. That poor field goal percentage speaks to some ineffective close shots because Gays long-range shooting (37.3% on threes) is the second-best percentage of his career, as is his number of free-throw attempts per game (4.9). Gay is also averaging a career-best 7.4 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game, making him one of three players in the league to average at least 19 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. New teammate DeMarcus Cousins is one of the others. In 33 games with the Raptors last season, Gay saw a bit of surge in his Player Efficiency Rating, back to 17-plus, but this seasons poor shooting leaves Gay with a 15.9 PER, barely ahead of last years 15.6 PER. Gay is an above average defender, but the Raptors have been more successful with him off the floor this season in terms of points for and against per 100 possessions, but it has to be taken into account that Gay, playing more than 35 minutes per game, is spending the vast majority of his time playing against the oppositions starters. In Sacramento, there is an opening at small forward in which Gay can easily fit, but he can also play some minutes as an undersized power forward, where hes been effective enough at times this season. He may not get as many shots -- Cousins leads the Kings with 17.3 field goal attempts per game, compared to Gays 18.6 per game -- but, with all those bodies leaving the Sacramento rotation, there will be ample opportunity for Gay to continue scoring in the 18-20 points per game range. Gay, who is making nearly $17.9-million this season, holds a player option for next season worth more than $19.7-million. Clearing out that salary was a top priority for a Raptors team facing a rebuilding process. Aaron Gray is a 29-year-old, big lug of a centre who has hardly played this season. He has the size (7-foot, 270 pounds) to handle matchups with bigger centres, but hasnt been able to rise above being used as a situational player. Gray earns a bit more than $2.6-million and his contract expires at seasons end and can offer frontcourt depth for the Kings in the meantime. Quincy Acy, 23, was a second-round pick in 2012 and has averaged 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game during the 36 games in which he has seen action since the start of last season. Hes a hustle guy who will be hard-pressed to hold a regular spot in the rotation, but if he gets a chance to play a bit, he could be a cost-effective bench player. Acy has reasonably-priced team options for the next two seasons, at a cost of a little over $2-million, total. There is debate over whether the Raptors are simply a better team without Rudy Gay, who controlled the ball a lot, but was spectacularly ineffecient; his 1.05 points per shots ranked worst among Torontos top seven scorers. Maybe the Raptors will be better with others taking Gays looks on offence, but the real objective of this trade is clearing out Gays contract and giving the Raptors an opportunity to land a high draft pick. It says something about his career that Gay, the 8th overall pick in 2006, isnt likely to make the Raptors regret this move, no matter what contributions they get from the players they received in return. The Raptors Get: SF John Salmons, PG Greivis Vasquez, PF Patrick Patterson and PF Chuck Hayes. Salmons, 33, has made a decent career as a useful role player on the wing, starting quite a bit later in his career, even as his prodduction has waned.dddddddddddd This season, hes averaging a modest 5.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, his lowest averages since 2004-2005; not coincidentally, thats also the last season in which Salmons played less than the 24:44 per game hes playing this season. Stricly a jump-shooter at this point in his career, Salmons isnt even doing that particularly well, shooting a career-low 35.0% from the field, with a 41.9% effective field goal percentage. Salmons can continue to play as part of the Raptors rotation, as a place-holder, but could easily be relegated to the bench, so that Landry Fields and Terrence Ross have more opportunities to play on the wing. Its extremely unlikely that the Raptors will pick up the $7-million team option on Salmons contract for next season. Vasquez is a 26-year-old decent point guard, who effectively lost the position battle to Isaiah Thomas in Sacramento. Vasquez had started all 18 games for the Kings, but was playing fewer minutes than Thomas. Vasquez did have something of a breakout season in 2012-2013, for New Orleans, when he posted 13.9 points and 9.0 assists per game for the Hornets. Though Vasquez has size (6-foot-6) that might figure to give him an advantage on the defensive end, hes been a poor defender in the NBA. Until that part of his game improves, hes probably more suited to a backup role over the long haul. However, if the Raptors are going to keep stripping down their roster, and that could mean dealing starting point guard Kyle Lowry, then there may be a nice opportunity for Vasquez to play significant minutes. So long as Lowry remains there arent going to be big minutes available to Vasquez. Vaszuez, who makes $2.15-million this season, requires a qualifying offer of $3.2-million for next season. Patterson is a 24-year-old power forward who has been an adequate offensive player in the past, averaging a career-high 10.4 points per game on 51.2% shooting from the field last season, but has struggled this year, scoring 6.9 points per game on a career-low 41.0% from the field, including an abysmal 23.1% on three-point attempts. In his fourth NBA season, Pattersons production has gone up and down. When hes good, hes a useful part of the rotation, and can probably compete with Tyler Hansbrough for minutes in Toronto. Patterson is earning $3.1-million this year and has a $4.3-million qualifying offer for next season, which would be a reasonable cost if he proves to be a solid member of the rotation. Hayes, 30, has made the most of his ability, handling a physical role at power forward and centre, despite being 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. He doesnt need touches, averaging 2.0 field goal attempts per game this season (averaging 2.1 points on 43.8% shooting, with 2.9 rebounds), yet his team is consistently more effective with Hayes on the floor. Hayes earns a little more than $5.7-million this season and is due to make a bit under $6-million next season. At his age, he hardly fits the rebuilding plan in Toronto, but hes a blue-collar worker and can give the Raptors minutes in the frontcourt, if needed. The botton line for the Raptors isnt so much what this new foursome brings to the floor -- if any of them are a factor long-term, its a bonus -- but moving out Gay gives Toronto both financial flexibility and a fair shot at lottery positioning for the 2014 Draft. Playing for next years draft isnt pretty but its a reality of this NBA season, with so many teams having no shot at title contention, while there is an elite crop of talent in the NCAA, not least of which is Canadian-born Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins, who would probably be the dream scenario for the Raptors but, Ujiri has positioned the franchise to be in a better place going forward no matter who is ultimately brought in to be the core of the Raptors future. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '