Gästeforum » ed one of the better owners in the league, not on

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The Blue Jays limped into the All-Star Break off a 2-8 road trip around the continent, taxing in terms of games lost, bodies injured and miles traveled. Take a look at the broader picture and while Toronto enters the unofficial second half with a winning record (49-47), the clubs 2014 trend to-date isnt entirely different from the 2013 Blue Jays, a team that terribly disappointed. The Jays opened up with a 12-15 March/April, looked like world beaters in May when they won 21 of 30, and since have erased those gains by losing 23 of their last 34 games. Last year, the Jays were 23-32 at the end of May and made it to two games over .500 on the strength of an 11-game win streak in June, only to fall into a July tailspin from which they wouldnt recover. Like last season, the club as currently constituted is injured. Brett Lawrie is out through July, most likely, with a fractured right index finger. Edwin Encarnacion is on the disabled list until at least July 20 with a Grade-2 strain of his right quadriceps. Adam Lind is down for at least two weeks, likely more, with a fractured right foot. Unlike last season, the starting pitching has held up. Its been the bullpen thats been suspect. The staff ERA of 3.91 is a marked improvement over last seasons 4.81, which was second-worst in baseball. The bullpen ERA has climbed from 3.37 in 2013 to 4.39 through the first half of this year. It was responsible for six blown saves in a 15-game span in April at a time when the offence was averaging five-and-a-half runs scored per game. Speak of the devil, the offence, which after a hot start in April and torrid May has cooled considerably. Still, Toronto is a Top-10 team in most major statistical categories. The clubs .325 on-base percentage ranks seventh; its .422 slugging percentage ranks fourth; put the two together and the on-base plus slugging percentage of .747 is fourth. The Jays continue to lead with 116 home runs, although a recent dry spell has afforded the Baltimore Orioles (113 heading into their game Sunday night) and Colorado Rockies (112 pending Sundays results) opportunities to close the gap. So, what is this team? Star slugger Jose Bautista (.292/.409/.510 – 17 home runs) summed up his clubs first half performance. "Were obviously not playing the baseball that we started off playing and that were capable of playing, and we have a lot of injuries to deal with," he said. "Bottom line is weve got to figure out how to win some of these games that weve been losing, especially the close ones. Weve got a lot of open opportunities for some people that could step up to those opportunities and hopefully make a name for themselves and cause a good enough impression to stick around maybe a little longer than it was planned when they originally got called up. So hopefully we can manage to win enough games to stay in one of the top two positions in the division, and when we get all our big bats back, kind of get back in the thick of things." As for the approaching July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the clubs veterans are saying the right things publicly, but there is a quiet longing for general manager Alex Anthopoulos to be active in the market. The budget parameters with which Anthopoulos is working arent clear and the general manager often refers to the need to be "creative" when piecing together a potential trade. It seems likely that an addition of salary, even prorated to about one-third of its 2014 value, would require the deletion of salary off the current roster. It doesnt help that the Jays have injured Ricky Romeros $7.5-million and Esmil Rogers $1.85-million rotting away at Buffalo. It all matters to the bean counters. "It would definitely help," said Bautista of a trade acquisition or two. "I dont think its a must and I dont think its the only way that we can become contenders. I think weve been playing good enough baseball. We managed to get up to first place and stay there for a while earlier this year. We can definitely get back there. Weve just got to play that good baseball we were playing earlier. So I dont think a move is needed just to be considered contenders." "I just think we need to get healthy," said R.A. Dickey. "I feel like we had our team there for a while when we were really going well in May and early June. I feel like thats kind of what were capable or doing with the guys in this clubhouse. Every team thats going for a championship would love to have another player, sure, but I dont think its essential for us to win, no." The American League East hasnt been this available to the Blue Jays since the club won the division in 1993. The Orioles will come out of the All-Star Break on a 10-game, pacific swing through Oakland, Anaheim and Seattle while the Blue Jays launch a seven-game homestand against injury-riddled Texas and the scuffling Red Sox. It is, essentially, a reversal of the schedule the two clubs have experienced over the just-completed 10-day span. The Yankees are dealing with crippling injuries to their starting rotation, most notably Masahiro Tanaka (elbow), CC Sabathia (knee) and Michael Pineda (shoulder), which leaves the Bronx Bombers vulnerable. Theyre openly talking of being sellers at the deadline in Boston, leaving the Rays as the divisions lone sleeper team should Tampa Bay decide to hold on to ace David Price through the remainder of the regular season. Its been an up and down, 96-game ride for the Blue Jays so far this season. The final 66 games should provide more of the same. ROTATION OUT OF THE ALL-STAR BREAK Friday (vs. Texas): R.A. DickeySaturday (vs. Texas): Marcus StromanSunday (vs. Texas): Mark BuehrleMonday (vs. Boston): Drew HutchisonTuesday (vs. Boston): J.A. Happ The Rangers are expected to start ace right-hander Yu Darvish in Friday nights series opener. Custom Utah Jazz Jerseys . Orlov, who scored two goals in the game, was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the play. The Flyers scored once on the power play and again with the extra attacker with 65 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Pete Maravich Jersey . - Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 41 seconds to go as the Niagara IceDogs edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to even their first-round series at a game apiece in Ontario Hockey League playoff action on Sunday. http://www.cheapjazzjerseys.info/Authent...ne-Jazz-Jersey/. Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist as Phoenix held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Donovan Mitchell Jersey .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Grayson Allen Jersey . - The Oakland Athletics have finalized an agreement on a 10-year extension to play at the Coliseum through the 2024 season.NEW YORK, N.Y. - OK, it is done.Rex Ryan and John Idzik are out with the Jets. The Bears canned Marc Trestman and Phil Emery. Mike Smith was fired in Atlanta.It wasnt as bloody as some past Black Mondays, but the axe swung swiftly on them. Throw in the two coaching openings in the Bay Area, and theres plenty of searching ahead for team owners in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Oakland.What should they look for and who might fit the bill? Lets look.NEW YORK JETSA wise former football writer always stressed that the most important position in pro football is owner. A case in point, hed say, was this team, which has fallen short in competing with the local rival Giants, whose ownership is considered among the most stable, patient and insightful.Two years after hiring Idzik, owner Woody Johnson fired him, in great part because the talent level has fallen so precipitously in the GMs short regime. It was Idziks work in free agency and the draft — of course, Ryan had a hand in those moves, too — that doomed him when the Jets went 4-12 and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.New York needs to solve its quarterback woes first, particularly because there is some talent elsewhere on offence. It should seek a head coach or offensive co-ordinator who has a history of success grooming QBs.And it should get a GM with experience in the job who can deal with a flighty owner.ATLANTA FALCONSSmiths tenure hardly was a flop. His 66 wins in seven seasons are the most for any Falcons coach, including five straight winning seasons; the Falcons never had even two successive winning records before he arrived.But Arthur Blank, considered one of the better owners in the league, not only saw a 10-22 record in 2013-2014, but the no-show against Carolina on Sunday with the division title on the line.Living in a weak division gives the Falcons a quicker chance to turn it around, but they need a running game to complement the passing offence, and they need drastic improvement on defence, supposedly Smiths strength.Blank indicated there could be other changes, and GM Thomas Dimitroff could be in trouble. For now, look for Atlanta to grab someone a bit more fiery who can mend the deffence.ddddddddddddDid someone say Rex Ryan? Probably not.CHICAGO BEARSThis one is a total mess, in some ways similar to the Jets situation. The biggest issue is leadership, and that permeates the entire organization.Emery committing to quarterback Jay Cutler for seven years and putting the team on the hook for $54 million guaranteed ($36 million remaining) has become an albatross for the organization. The new GM must seek a trading partner — highly unlikely — interested in a volatile player with a huge cap number and a history of underachievement.Or that general manager, who likely will need to work some salary cap magic, might have to swallow hard and keep Cutler.So the new coach, same as the old coach, had better be a QB guru, and one who rules with more of an iron fist than did Trestman.OAKLAND RAIDERSDennis Allen was fired early in the season, and Tony Sparano managed to win three games with an undertalented team. So many of the free agency moves by GM Reggie McKenzie backfired; that same wise former football writer said McKenzies signing built a powerhouse for 2009, not for 2014.Raiders owner Mark Davis would like to make a big splash, and was enamoured of the idea of persuading Jim Harbaugh to cross the Bay. Barring that, and with the co-ordinator promotion route not working since Jon Gruden left, look for Davis to go after a well-known coach who also could get personnel control.Should he keep McKenzie, Davis might even turn to the fiery Ryan to inspire a dispassionate bunch.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERSThe jewel of the open jobs, although some might wonder why if a coach such as Harbaugh couldnt stick it out there with so much success during his tenure. Given the discord that helped ruin a talented teams season — as did injuries — GM Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York might be in the market for someone less independent.For continuity, the Niners could opt for promoting popular line coach Jim Tomsula, a loyal soldier.And, sorry to sound like a broken record, but whoever takes over must reverse the regression of the quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.___AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this story.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Authentic Bills Jerseys Dolphins Stitched Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Wholesale Jets Jerseys Wholesale Texans Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Jaguars Jerseys Store Authentic Titans Jerseys Authentic Broncos Jerseys Authentic Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Chargers Jerseys Store Cheap Ravens Jerseys Wholesale Bengals Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Steelers Jerseys Store Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys Wholesale Giants Jerseys Authentic Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Authentic Falcons Jerseys Panthers Jerseys Store Wholesale Saints Jerseys Authentic Buccaneers Jerseys Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys Store Wholesale Rams Jerseys Wholesale Bears Jerseys Authentic Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Vikings Jerseys Store ' ' '