CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Aaron Boone is back playing baseball, appearing in a minor league game in Texas less than five months after open-heart surgery. Super Bowl Jersey . Boone batted second Monday night for the Corpus Christi Hooks, a double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. He swung at the first pitch and popped up to the first baseman in foul territory. Boone played third base against Midland and was hitless in two at-bats before leaving the game. "It felt good to get out there and play in a real game," Boone told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "I felt good physically. I always have nerves whether its a spring training game or my first game in Corpus. "I was excited tonight. I think it went really well. I had a couple of balls come my way and got to face pitching for the first time in a long, long time. A little overwhelming, but a necessary step on the way back." The 36-year-old Boone had an operation in late March because of a congenital defect in his aortic valve. "My first concern was getting it done," he said. "Then once it did go well I knew the timeline. I thought I had a chance to be in this position." Boone will be off Tuesday and then play five innings again on Wednesday. He hopes to get back into the majors by the end of the season. "The biggest thing for me is going to be building up my strength to play consecutive days," Boone said. Boone, a member of one of baseballs most famous families, signed with the Astros in the off-season. He hit a pennant-winning homer for the New York Yankees in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 AL championship series. The son of former big league catcher Bob Boone, Aaron Boone is also grandson of infielder Ray Boone. Aarons brother, Bret, played 14 seasons in the major leagues, too. Aaron Boone is trying to play in his 12th major league season, possibly when rosters expand in September. He has previously played for Cincinnati, the Yankees, Cleveland, Florida and Washington. Danny Woodhead Jersey . Lentra?neur-chef des Coyotes Dave Tippett a déclaré que Jovanovski était passé sous le bistouri vendredi afin de réparer une fracture à los orbital. Aaron Hernandez Jersey Blue . NGai Evans also added 14 points for the Raiders (13-7, 6-2 HL), while Johann Mpondo chipped in with seven points and 11 rebounds. The Penguins (7-11, 1-7) were led by Ashen Ward and Devonte Maymon who netted 12 points apiece in a losing effort. Patrick Chung Authentic Jersey . The 234-194 vote to overturn the militarys dont ask, dont tell policy reflected a view among many in Congress that America was ready for a military in which gays and straights can stand side by side in the trenches. Related readings: Lawmakers launch bill to end military gay ban White House backs compromise on gays in military I know that our military draws its strength on the integrity of our unified force, and current law challenges this integrity by creating two realities within the ranks, Democratic Rep. Vince Wilfork Jersey . A koala rests in a tree at Sydney Wildlife World September 26, 2008. [Agencies]  The Adopt a Wild Koala Program has been in operation for 15 years and is a major source of funding for The Koala Hospital, the worlds only medical facility dedicated to the care and preservation of the animals. BenJarvus Green-Ellis Youth Super Bowl Jersey . [Provided to China Daily] SHANGHAI - More Chinese consumers say they are growing vegetables at home in response to rising prices and food safety issues. BEIJING - Top officials of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are holding discussions with more than 50 visiting party leaders from Europe on Monday on how to cope with global financial and climate woes. Organized by the International Department of the Central Committee of CPC, the two-day China-Europe High-Level Political Parties Forum starts on Monday in Beijing. The dates of the Sino-European event coincide with those of the strategic and economic dialogue between Beijing and Washington. Chinas top leaders are scheduled to meet the delegates and give speeches at the Sino-Europe forum, which is the first event of its kind in the past 35 years. Reliable sources have privately said some European party leaders are primarily focusing on learning about Chinas experiences in dealing with the global financial crisis and the credit crunch, which have worsened in some European countries. Although Beijing doesnt want to play up the coincidence involved in the dates of the two dialogues, think tank experts said it is an unusual arrangement for China to host dialogues with the US, the only global power, and Europe, the influential global player, on the same days. This arrangement is unusual and it shows that China is a very important part of the solutions for global concerns and woes, said Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Development and Reform. As an influential political advisor for Chinas leadership, China has been on the right track in its global role, especially since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, mostly because its fast-paced economic growth has been sustained, Chi said. China has accumulated some lessons and experiences in the process, said Chi. The leadership, I think, is willing to share with the rest of the world to stabilize the global economy and financial system. Chi said sharing lessons and experiences is an important facet of the constructive role China wants to play in the international communnity, even to the US and Europe. Mario Manningham Super Bowl Jersey. I hope the global players can follow historic trends and put their ears to the knowledge. Chi said the topics of the two dialogues may overlap, and global financial governance, climate change and clean technology should top the discussion list. Michael Eckhart, founding president of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), said the US is becoming the leader in the field of clean technology, while China is becoming the manufacturing leader, and both countries are leaders in adopting the new clean energy systems. However, the sudden, massive increase in clean technology manufacturing in China over the past three to four years, with rumors of vast government subsidies that allow Chinese firms to sell at prices below the full market cost, has gotten everyones attention around the world, he said. This has been made worse by reports from Western companies that they are being blocked from competing in the Chinese markets for wind power and solar energy, Eckhart said. These are very serious issues that will need to be addressed without delay. Some are thinking big. Martin Schoenhals, a professor of China studies from New York-based Dowling College, expects the US, Europe and China can start to design institutional tools to help realize the peaceful historic shift in the world today. Chinas traditions of emphasizing peaceful governance and avoiding military conflict are its strengths, he said. As the world moves toward an era of potential disarmament, and a transition from military to judicial and multilateral bodies, such as the United Nations and the European Union is to settle conflicts peacefully, China can, and should, take a major role in global issues, said Schoenhals. If China, Europe and the United States can cooperate in carrying out a historic shift to institutionalizing the settlement of transnational disputes through peaceful bodies, then the entire world will benefit, said Schoenhals. ' ' '