DUNEDIN, Florida - Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins made their respective major league debuts nine days apart last August and with just days until spring training play gets underway, the two late-season Toronto Blue Jays call ups find themselves in different situations vis-à-vis the 2014 squad. Goins is the early favourite to win the starting job at second base. Pillar is an outsider to secure a role off the bench, which becomes an even more difficult spot to win if the number of back up jobs is reduced by one. That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen. Praised last week by general manager Alex Anthopoulos as the best defensive second baseman the club has had since Orlando Hudson and as "gold glove caliber," Goins hopes an offensive adjustment he made in mid-September helps to round out his game. Goins moved his hands down in his batting stance. Then, during an offseason visit to new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer in Kansas City, Goins went one step further, starting his hands closer to his body. "I have more time to see the ball," he said. "My timing is a little different than having so much movement, having to get going so much earlier, so now its a little better to see the ball and hopefully it will lead to better plate discipline, hitting the ball harder and more consistent." A safe bet to be the nine-hole hitter if he makes the team, Goins is eager to improve upon the .609 OPS he posted in 121 plate appearances over 34 games with the Blue Jays last season. His .679 OPS in 111 Triple-A games last season feeds into the all defense-not much offense narrative but Anthopoulos is more concerned with run prevention this season after watching his infield struggle with injuries and range last year. "He needs to be able to hold is own (offensively,)" said manager John Gibbons. Seitzer, during his first scrum with the Toronto media in January, said he saw Goins as a potential .275-.280 hitter. Their Kansas City rendezvous had already happened so Seitzer was speaking as someone whod watched Goins up close. "I see myself as a hitter," said Goins. "I think I can put together productive at-bats for a season and help the team win. Whatever they need me to do. If its situational hitting, hit and runs, bunting guys over. Whatever is called upon me, wherever Im hitting in the lineup, is what Im going to go out there and do everyday." Pillar, who made his debut on August 14 and went 0-17 before getting his first big league hit at Yankee Stadium, struggled to a .206/.250/.333 line over 110 plate appearances. He got away from his strength as an offensive player, an up-the-middle approach, becoming pull happy and unable to lay off down-and-away breaking pitches. Not one to mope, Pillar went home to Southern California and went to work. "I went home, took about two weeks off in the offseason and Ive been hitting three to four hours everyday just trying to get back," said Pillar. "People say, Why dont you just go back to what you did? Once its gone its gone. Like a lot of things in life, once you forget how to do it or how you felt in the box youve got to recreate that feeling." Pillar insists he isnt exaggerating his three-to-four hours a day hitting routine. His only break wasnt a break. He went to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic and had 66 at-bats, his attempt to get back in his groove. Lawrie thrilled for Team Canada Brett Lawrie, the lone Blue Jay whos Canadian born and raised, was happy to lord Canadas Olympic hockey gold medals over his teammates. After all, Lawrie is badly outnumbered in the clubhouse. "When youre the underdog youve got to keep quiet because theres too many of them," said Lawrie. "I just waited for my turn and then obviously I got my opportunities." Lawrie did his best to keep an eye on Sundays win, working around media responsibilities and warm up Sunday morning at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Kawasaki follow up One day after predicting Canada would beat Sweden 2-1 in the mens hockey gold medal game, Munenori Kawasaki was pleased with himself. "I say Canada win," Kawasaki said. When reminded he didnt pick the correct score, Kawasaki issued a pseudo apology: "My bad. Im no good." Kawasaki didnt watch the game. Fake Air Max . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday. Cheap Real Air Max .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. https://www.airmaxchina.us/.L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. Cheap Air Max . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way. Air Max Sale . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold.NEW YORK, N.Y. - The New York Rangers were running out of time to make anything out of the longest homestand in team history. The first seven games of the nine-game Madison Square Garden stay produced one win and only four of a possible 14 points for the Rangers, who seemingly lost their way in front of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Enter backup Cam Talbot, who got the rare start and kept all but one puck out. Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello scored second-period goals, and Talbot made 24 saves in the Rangers 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. Talbot allowed the first goal but was steady the rest of the way in relief of the struggling Lundqvist, who started the previous eight games and allowed at least three goals in the last seven outings. "We owed the fans this one," Talbot said. "Theyve been supporting us quite a bit lately, and we havent really produced for them." Benoit Pouliot tied it in the first period, Chris Kreider added a goal in the third, and Derick Brassard had two assists. Kreider made it 4-1 with 7:14 remaining. "Probably our best game all year when it comes to playing a full 60 minutes and everyone contributing," Hagelin said. "We definitely needed one of these just to feel good about ourselves." New York improved to 2-4-2 on the homestand that concludes Monday against Toronto. "There is not a whole lot of time to think about it," Talbot said. "Just go out there and try to carry this game into tomorrow." Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said he decided on his starting goalie for Monday, but didnt reveal his choice. "Hes a young kid thats learning the NHL game," Vigneault said of the 26-year-old rookie Talbot. "He came in here and did what we expect of our goalies and gave us a chance to win." Jason Pominville scored for Minnesota, and Niklas Backstrom stopped 32 shots. He made his second straight start in place of Josh Harding, who is out while adjustments are made to medication for multiple sclerosis. Minnesota, which has lost four of six, has netted only 13 goals in eight games. "When you put yourself in a hole, its hard to get out of it when goals have been tough to come by and overall youre just not feeling good about the way weve been playying," forward Zach Parise said.dddddddddddd "Its just been a frustrating stretch for us. "Weve got to find a way to score. Thats the bottom line. Were not scoring. Were not giving ourselves a chance." New York took control during a dominant second period in which the Rangers outscored the Wild 2-0 and outshot them 17-5 to take a 3-1 lead and a 29-16 edge in shots. "Our compete level, especially in the second period, was probably our best four-line, six-defence pairing in a long time," Vigneault said. Hagelin gave the Rangers the lead when he took a pass from Derek Dorsett in the right circle and snapped a drive that beat Backstrom at 11:26 for his third goal in four games. The Rangers made it 3-1 with 1:25 left in the second when Brassard skated the length of the ice, curled behind the net, and flung a backhanded pass into the slot to the charging Zuccarello. New York fell behind 4:08 in on Pominvilles team-leading 17th goal. Mikael Granlund, who returned after a long absence, won a faceoff in the New York zone. The puck came to Pominville, who moved it back to Ryan Suter at the left point and then cut to the front. Suter sent him a quick pass for a deflection past Talbot. It marked the first time in 11 road games that Minnesota scored first. "We felt pretty good about the way we played in the first period," Parise said. "We got the first goal and that was it." New York cashed in on its second power play when Pouliot finished a crisp passing sequence started by Brad Richards. Brassard moved the puck to Ryan McDonagh, who sent a floating drive toward the net that Pouliot deflected in with 3:52 left. Pouliot, who has five goals, has scored in three of his last six games and has a point in four straight and five of six. NOTES: The Rangers improved to 3-16-1 after allowing the first goal. The Wild fell to 14-2-2 after scoring first. ... Suter has a six-game assist streak, his longest since another six-game run in December 2011 with Nashville. ... The 21-year-old Granlund had missed 11 games with a head injury. He was hurt on his first shift against Phoenix on Nov. 27. ... Wild defencemen Jared Spurgeon and Clayton Stoner played in their 200th NHL game. ... Zuccarello has a point in 10 of 15 games. ' ' '