MINNEAPOLIS -- Diagnosed with cancer in his neck, Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan has taken leave from his job for treatment and recovery. The timetable for his return is unclear, but the prognosis is optimistic. Though sobered by and concerned about the news, the Twins expressed confidence in the ability of their front offices long-time leader to beat the disease and get back to running the team. "I dont doubt hell get this knocked out," assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "Hes a tough bird, as he would say." The Twins released a statement on Monday from Ryan, who thanked his doctors, friends and colleagues for their work and support. "Its my intention to see you back at the ballpark as soon as possible," Ryan said. During his recent annual physical exam, the 60-year-old Ryan asked team physician Dr. Vijay Eyunni to examine a hard lump on his neck about an inch in diameter that had appeared a few weeks earlier. Further tests revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The squamous cells are in several parts of the body, but Eyunni said the source and cause of the cancer was undetermined. All that was known, he said, was that it was in his lymph node but had not spread to anywhere else. "The good news is we caught it early," Eyuinni said, adding: "As you know, both mentally and physically, hes very strong. So with treatment and radiation, its going to help him a lot. Hell recover better than someone who is not healthy." Ryan was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and expected to have surgery on Tuesday. Radiation treatment will likely follow. But once removed, Eyunni said, this type of cancer does not come back. "It should be completely done. It does not regenerate anymore," Eyunni said. Despite the positive outlook for a full recovery, this close-knit organization felt a collective anxiety and letdown upon learning of Ryans condition. "My family is praying for Terry Ryan and his family. Cancer is a terrible thing and we are hoping for a fast recovery," reliever Brian Duensing said on Twitter. "Cancer news hit close to home today. Sickened to hear about one of the men I respect most. My prayers are with you Terry," closer Glen Perkins tweeted. Manager Ron Gardenhire, in an email, said hes had a "rough few days" in regard to Ryans cancer. "You wont find a better boss or a better friend," Gardenhire said. Ryans primary concern, his colleagues said, was with his wife and adult children and how they would take the news. "But beyond that, he took it really well," Eyunni said. "He says, Doc, lets move on. I want to get this done." Ryan initially became general manager in 1994, stepping down 13 years later, citing burnout. After serving as a special assistant to general manager Bill Smith for four seasons, Smith was reassigned, and Ryan reassumed the job in 2011. In his statement, Ryan expressed confidence in Gardenhire, Antony and the rest of the baseball operations department to keep the Twins on the right track. "I met with Terry last week when he told all of us what was going on, and I started asking him questions about how he wanted me to handle this and that, and he just looked at me and basically said, Youve been around here long enough. Youve been in all these meetings. You know what goes on in spring training. Just go down and do your thing," Antony said. "He said, You know what youre doing. So that felt good." In addition to vice-president of player personnel Mike Radcliff, a member of the organization since 1987, special assistants Smith and Wayne Krivsky and have each previously been major league general managers, Krivsky with Cincinnati. For now, theres no plan on when or how much to consult with Ryan regarding general operations and key decisions. Antony told Ryan to call him when he feels good enough to participate. The Twins start spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., next week. "All I want to hear is the call that he says he had his checkup and the thing is completely gone and now he can start getting back to a normal routine and life, and whether that comes in March or April or whatever, it doesnt matter," Antony said. "Its the end result more than anything." He added: "There comes a time you need to put your family and your personal health and everything in front of your job and the game, and hes a smart enough guy to know that this is the time to do that right now." Paul DeJong Cardinals Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Tyler ONeill Cardinals Jersey ., will experience this week. 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"Basically it hit the board, every part of the rim, hit Jerry West over there (the logo on the backboard), came back over and it was definitely an ugly, ugly shot," he said. But when the 19-foot jumper bounced up and then fell in as time expired, the Dallas Mavericks had a 110-108 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night. The Mavericks blew an eight-point lead in the final 90 seconds, then pulled out their third straight victory when Nowitzkis jumper that seemed to have missed instead fell through. "I didnt even feel like celebrating it was so ugly," Nowitzki said. His teammates and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did it for him, rushing onto the floor after Dallas moved into seventh place in the Western Conference. Carmelo Anthony had 44 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks. He played strong defence on the Mavericks final possession, but was left standing in disbelief long after the buzzer after Nowitzkis shot appeared to hit the backboard first, then the front rim, then bounced up before dropping. "It was like a needle in a balloon right there," Anthony said. "It sucks all the air out of you. He hit a hell of a shot." Vince Carter made seven three-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points. Monta Ellis had 22 for Dallas (35-23), which has won nine of 11 and is a season-best 12 games over .500. Jose Calderon finished with 20 points for the Mavericks, who swept a three-game road trip and beat the Knicks for the 20th time in the last 25 meetings. Nowitzki had just 15 points after missing all five three-point attempts. "Thats one thing about the greatest players. I played with (Larry) Bird for three years. He took more pleasure in hitting a game-winning shot after he missed eight or nine in a row than having a great game at times," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 12 rebounds against his former team, sparking the Knicks comeback after they trailed 108-100 with 1:37 left. But New York (21-36) lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell a season-worst 15 games below .500. The Knicks had blown big leads in their last two games, giving away a 14-point advantage at Orlanddo and a 17-point cushion at Atlanta, collapses that coach Mike Woodson called "mind-boggling.dddddddddddd" This one had to hurt worse. "There were games last year when our backs were against the wall and we just found a way to win," Woodson said. "This year when weve been in the situation where we needed a big stop or two we havent been able to get it done." The Mavericks seemed to have put it away when Calderon made a three-pointer, and Brandan Wright followed with a basket to stretch the late lead to eight points. But after Raymond Feltons basket, Chandler converted a three-point play, then came up with a steal to start a break that ended with Anthonys three-pointer that tied it at 108 with 50 seconds remaining. The Knicks got the ball back after a Dallas miss but committed a shot-clock violation, giving Dallas the ball for Nowitzkis winner. "We maybe shouldnt be in the situation at the end, I think six points up," Calderon said. "It was a good lead with 1:20 or something, but it was good at the end." Amare Stoudemire scored nine points in his first start since the end of the 2011-12 season for the Knicks, who had just 10 available players after waiving Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih earlier Monday following contract buyouts. The Mavericks shot 55 per cent and led 31-21 after one quarter, but the Knicks came right back and made 14 of 19 shots (74 per cent) while scoring 38 points in the second, when Anthony scored 17 points. New York erased a 14-point deficit to grab a two-point lead on Anthonys jumper with 11 seconds left, but Ellis made a three-pointer as time expired to give Dallas a 60-59 edge. Dallas had the lead back up to eight in the final minute of the third, but Anthony made three free throws, then nailed a three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining as the Knicks trimmed it to 84-82. NOTES: Woodson said he would talk with team president Steve Mills on Tuesday to discuss filling the teams open roster spots. He said he thought the Knicks needed a big man with Andrea Bargnani and Kenyon Martin still injured, and a guard who could defend on the perimeter. ... The crowd included U.S. Olympian Erin Hamlin, who won a bronze medal in luge, and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. ' ' '