#1

2006 to a record 18,807 in 2012 before dropping slightly this season to

in Mariah Carey Sat Nov 09, 2019 5:08 am
by gf1234566 • 150 Posts

DUNEDIN, Florida – Ryan Goins 35th-career major league game will be his first on an Opening Day. "Yes he is the second baseman," said manager John Gibbons, confirming Goins has made the team. "Thats official today." The Blue Jays love Goins glove. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said earlier this spring he believes Goins is the best defensive second baseman the club has had since the days of Orlando Hudson, going so far as to call Goins Gold Glove-caliber. Goins offence, specifically his lack of offensive production, is where the concern lies, although youd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the organization to admit to it publicly. Instead, there is great optimism, most notably from hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, whos developed a bond with Goins dating back to a week spent together in Kansas City during the offseason. The two continue to work on adjusting Goins swing, the latest tweak made Sunday morning before a trip to play the Yankees. Goins has changed the position of his hands in his stance on multiple occasions, first bringing them down and then bringing them in closer to his body. The latest adjustment involves the elimination of a small hitch as Goins cocks his bat, allowing him to get his bat through the strike zone quicker and better square up the pitch. The hitch wasnt happening during soft toss and batting practice but would appear in game action. Far too often, Goins was rolling over on pitches. He hit into a double play in his first at-bat against the Yankees on Sunday but his contact was solid, which is viewed as a positive step. The pitch was a 94 mile per hour cut fastball. The club says it isnt just about results. "I just took a chance yesterday of getting (his hands) back even further and then just saying, feel like theyre not moving, which theyre still going to move but mentally hes thinking theyre not doing anything, load with your body, and his BP was probably the best its been yesterday," said Seitzer. "I feel like Im in a good place," said Goins. "Going into the season I feel like Im ready to go, ready to get it going. The hits havent come in spring training but Ive really made some strides and had some production and really been working on stuff so that when the season comes I dont have to worry. Thats kind of what spring training is for, to get your timing and get everything ready for the season so I think Im in a good spot." The Blue Jays held their annual minor league awards banquet at the Bobby Mattick complex on Monday morning. Goins took home the Triple-A MVP award for his 2013 season at Buffalo. He acquitted himself well defensively with the Blue Jays in 34 games following a mid-August call up. Hell bat ninth, where his .609 OPS from last season belongs and Gibbons has said Goins will need to "hold his own." The club is willing to trade some offence for defence at the bottom of the order. "Thats my job is to make productive outs," said Goins. "Whatever way I can help the team. Hitting a ground ball to the right side to get a guy over, bunting guys over, getting them in from third, just however I can get them in Im willing to do it. Whatever I need to do to stay here." "Hes doing everything that he needs to do to give himself the best chance against big league pitching," said Seitzer. "Im ecstatic from that standpoint. Hes seeing the ball good, recognitions good, plate disciplines been much better than what I understand its been in the past. Hes very confident on whats going on." REYES UNDERGOES MRI While Jose Reyes insists hes not concerned about the tightness hes feeling in his left hamstring, its enough of a concern that he underwent an MRI on Monday afternoon. Reyes was lifted after the third inning of Saturdays game against Detroit. Is this something he would play through if the games mattered? "Its not the regular season," said Reyes. "The regular season hasnt started yet so I cant think that way. Right now, thats my goal is to be ready for opening day." Manager John Gibbons says Ryan Goins likely will be the clubs shortstop on days when Jose Reyes needs a rest or is injured. Goins is a natural shortstop. MORROWS OUTING Brandon Morrow pitched five innings and threw a personal spring high of 74 pitches in Mondays 6-3, rain-shortened loss to the Phillies. His line was mixed: four earned runs on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts. "Obviously I would have liked to not have walked the two guys in the two scoring innings," said Morrow. "That kind of set up the scoring innings for them." Morrow has one more start before hes penciled in to pitch either the fourth or the fifth game of the season. Hell make that start on Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and the plan is for Morrow to exceed the 74 pitches he threw on Monday. Manager John Gibbons says the club will closely monitor Morrows pitch count during his early regular season outings. JANSSEN MAKES FIRST GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE APPEARANCE Casey Janssen, whos been on his own program this spring as he battles stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder, stranded two Phillies singles over a scoreless inning in his first Grapefruit League appearance this year. A control artist not known for his velocity, Janssen wasnt concerned that his fastball topped out at 86 miles per hour. "I think as I continue to challenge my arm the velocity will come," said Janssen. "Still kind of feel like youre kind of breaking through some stuff from the winter and each and every day you kind of hit a new high and continue on like that." Janssen plans to pitch on back to back days on Thursday, against the Phillies in Clearwater, and on Friday versus the Mets in Montreal. TUIASOSOPO ARRIVES Its been quite the odyssey for Matt Tuiasosopo, who was finally in a Blue Jays uniform on Monday morning. "A little crazy," he said. "Flown a lot of miles." Tuiasosopo was in Sydney, Australia, where his former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, played two season-opening games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was placed on waivers and picked up by the Blue Jays on Friday, necessitating a Sydney-to-Dallas-to-Tampa trip, 16 hours all told, not to mention the time change. Tuiasosopo is a right-handed hitter with some pop. He has a career .638 OPS hitting against left-handers in a limited major league sample size. He offers the Jays some defensive versatility, able to play the two corner outfield positions as well as first base and third base. "Not a lot of time, just a couple of days," said Tuiasosopo. "Better make the most of every opportunity I get." CAMP CUTS The Blue Jays pared down their major league roster by four bodies on Monday. Outfielder Anthony Gose was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Infielders Chris Getz and Steve Tolleson, and catcher Mike Nickeas were reassigned to minor league camp. Fake Vans Store . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. The plea will be formally entered in court in Oakland, Calif. Fake Vans For Sale .Simon will work with head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate for the 2014-15 season. http://www.fakevans.com/. Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Wholesale Fake Vans . -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. Fake Vans SK8 . Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Slumans birdie attempt rolled just wide.MIAMI -- David Beckham hopped onto the stage, his back to sun-splashed Biscayne Bay, and a pack of photographers jostled for position as admirers cheered and chanted. "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. The deal will be finalized when the former English national team captain can secure a financing plan and location for a new stadium. Beckham attended a news conference with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to discuss their progress. "This is an exciting time, and something were really looking forward to bringing to Miami," Beckham told a crowd of more than 300 people on a downtown museum plaza. The event was frequently interrupted by cheers for Beckham, whos popular around the world and especially in celebrity-smitten Miami. The retired soccer icon has scouted possible stadium sites and is seeking investors to assist with startup costs such as construction and player acquisitions. Among those who might become involved is Miami Heat star LeBron James, who has had recent conversations with Beckham about bringing a team to Miami. "LeBron has become a friend over the last few years," Beckham said. "We spoke about this on the business side and also as friends. Hes very interested in this." Beckham, looking the part of a businessman in a suit and tie, said city officials have promised the teams stadium will be downtown, which is his preference. "We dont want public funding," Beckham said to applause. "We will fund the stadium ourselves. We have worked very hard to get to this stage where we can fund the stadium ourselves. We want to create a football club that is the peoples football club." Gimenez -- who at one point referred to Beckham as "Beckman" -- said theres political support for a plan. "We started our negotiations last week," Gimenez said. "We have to get rolling. Theres a time crunch. We are willing partners. We are very grateful that Mr. Beckham and MLS have chosen Miami as the site for their next franchise. Were going to do all in our power to make sure we get the stadium built in the right place as quickly as possible." New teams have been announced for 2015 iin New York City and Orlando, Fla.dddddddddddd, increasing the leagues total to 21. Beckham declined to offer a timetable regarding when Miami might play its first game, but a likely target is 2017. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain star has the right to an expansion team at a discount fee of $25 million. MLSs Miami Fusion played in Fort Lauderdale from 1998-01 before folding because of poor attendance, but this time, Beckhams star power could make a difference. "Miami is a vibrant city with a lot of passion," he said. "I know this city is ready for football -- soccer -- this time around. I know this is going to be successful." The crowd at the news conference included a throng of chanting, singing fans. "People here love this sport," Garber said. "We together have no doubt it will be a very successful MLS team." Beckham said he also wants to start a childrens soccer academy in Miami. Shareholders in the team will include Beckhams business partner Simon Fuller, the "American Idol" creator who is the driving force in franchise negotiations, and Marcelo Claure, president and CEO of Brightstar Corp. Beckham said hell finalize his group of investors over the next couple of months. He declined to say what players he would like to bring to the team. "We have a list," he said. "We want to bring some of the best players in football to Miami to play on this team. Ive seen what happens to teams when you bring great players in. Im talking about the Heat." That brought cheers from the crowd. James and the Heat have won the past two NBA titles. Beckham laughingly ruled out hiring his former manager, Alex Ferguson, to coach the team, but said he has ideas regarding that search, as well. "I kind of know what makes a great coach and what doesnt," he said. "Well have a good coach here." Beckham praised the growth in recent of years of MLS and said hes optimistic about the leagues direction. Regular-season attendance increased from an average of 15,504 in 2006 to a record 18,807 in 2012 before dropping slightly this season to 18,594. "Ive seen the change in this league," Beckham said. "Ive seen the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona come over to America. They want to play against the MLS teams. Theyre interested in this league, and thats whats changing." ' ' '

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