11.   Juan Guzman went back on the DL last week with an injured thumb.

12.   MARK MESSIER, who has an injured left thumb, practiced Tuesday and said he would play against Quebec on Thursday night.

13.   Now he is struggling as teams adapt to his style of play and he plays through an injured thumb.

14.   Tendinitis in his throwing elbow, an injured thumb, a sprained arch, bruises all over the place.

15.   The controversy surrounding the decision to play Drew Bledsoe with an injured right thumb turned into the worst possible scenario for the Patriots.

16.   The Los Angeles Clippers will remain short-handed for one and possibly two exhibition games as guard Brent Barry had a cast placed on his injured thumb Thursday.

17.   The Nets needed someone spry and energetic when Jayson Williams left the game after his injured right thumb took a hit in the first quarter.

18.   The Packers must hope the injured thumb on his throwing hand stays fairly stable.

19.   West Virginia has lost its quarterback, Marc Bulger, to an injured thumb.

20.   Piazza missed the last two games of the NL division playoffs because of a reaction to a cortisone shot to his injured left thumb.