DUNEDIN, Florida - Whether the approach translates to on-field success will only be revealed with the passage of time but its ob

DUNEDIN, Florida - Whether the approach translates to on-field success will only be revealed with the passage of time but its obvious to those whove been around the first two weeks of camp: the 2014 Blue Jays, constructed and built to win beginning in 2013, have no intention of repeating the misery that befell the ballclub a season ago. Yeezy 350 V2 Outlet . The attitude is all business. One of the major pieces of the clubs puzzle knows it ought to be, given whats happened and what could happen if Torontos fortunes dont turn around. "I think guys are singularly focused on trying to get the most out of what we have collectively here," knuckleballer R.A. Dickey told TSN.ca. "I think last year we were kind of handcuffed a little bit by a few different variables but this year guys are together and they know its basically we need to make this work or it could all get blown up. "We know that and we dont want that to happen so guys are focused." Theres been no speech alluding to a closing window of opportunity but the veteran players, all too familiar with the business of baseball, sense that after falling flat in the season after club ownership increased payroll by some $40-million, another failed year wont be tolerated. You can have one bad year as a group. A second consecutive down season and the "this team cant get it done" narrative cements itself in reality. Dickey, himself, is looking for a bounce back season. The trend is positive, dating back to last year. In 20 first half (pre-All Star Break) starts, Dickey was 8-10 with a 4.69 ERA, 20 home runs allowed and a strikeout to walk ratio of less than two-to-one. He threw 128 2/3 innings, averaging a little more than 6 1/3 per start. After the break, in 14 starts, Dickey went 6-3, 3.56, 15 home runs allowed and stuck out more than three-and-a-half hitters for every walk. Dickeys 96 second half innings work out to almost seven per start. While still prone to the long ball, everything else improved, including his health. Dickey pitched through a strained muscle in his neck, something that began in spring training but by mid-April had mushroomed into a pain that forced him to consider a stint on the disabled list. "You know how things progress," said Dickey. "It starts as something very mild and you just keep going on and thinking its probably going to go away and then something happens and it gets much more significant. It had been there in the spring. When everything gets cranked back up some things arent necessarily in the right places yet." There are no such concerns now. "Physically, Im stronger," said Dickey. Mentally, Dickeys refreshed. The trade to Toronto wasnt the only matter on his plate last offseason. He was promoting his book, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, working with child sex victims in Mumbai and by the time camp started, was being followed by a reporter and camera crew from 60 Minutes. Aside from a fundraiser in New York City and a family vacation to Florida, Dickey had a much quieter winter this year. "That was intentional," said Dickey. "Anne and I both felt like it was a season to be at home together. With the year before, with the trade and the book and India and the Cy Young and all of that, just really spread me very thin. Having a good mate, she realized that was one of the things that should probably change this offseason and she was right." When its pointed out to Dickey that the American League East likely will be stronger this year than last - the Red Sox are the defending World Series champions, the Rays have great starting pitching, the Orioles added pitching in support of a potent offense and the Yankees retooled - the knuckleballer acknowledged the Blue Jays will need a diamond in the rough, maybe more than one, to emerge. "I think that every championship club has to have a guy on the team that you dont expect a ton out of that steps up and does something special for you," said Dickey. "Whether its a position player or a pitcher, in our case I think the hope is theres going to be a pitcher that steps up and gives you something that you werent anticipating and its going to lift you into the next place." Drew Hutchison could be the guy, based on early camp returns. "I think Drews a name," Dickey concurred. "I think Todd Redmonds a name. There are others in this clubhouse that I think, by the end of the year, well have a conversation about this day and youll say, Yeah, that was the guy that you were talking about and heres what happened. Thats the hope. Thats what were hopeful for." JAYS HAMMERED BY TWINS The Blue Jays longest spring trip, not including two games in Montreal later this month, got out of hand early and finished with a 12-2 drubbing at the hands of the Twins in Lee County, near Fort Myers. J.A. Happ struggled badly, retiring one of only seven hitters he faced. He allowed four runs on two hits, walking four in a third of an inning of work. The game was the first played under MLBs new replay rules. In the sixth inning, manager John Gibbons challenged a close play at first base in which the Twins Chris Rahl was ruled safe when shortstop Munenori Kawasakis high throw brought first baseman Jared Goedert off the bag. After a review lasting more than two and a half minutes, the umpires upheld the call on the field. DELABARS BEARD While it isnt yet long enough or messy enough to be mistaken for the facial hair you see on Duck Dynasty, Steve Delabar is committed to the beard hes wearing in camp. Where this odyssey will take him, he doesnt know. "No plan," said Delabar. "Its not a bother to me. It doesnt itch. It doesnt get in my way. I get good comments from it." He wouldnt be the first late-game reliever to create a specific look but Delabar, typically low-key and easy going, isnt trying to strike fear in opposing hitters. This was a concoction for the hunting season. "Its not an intimidation thing at all," said Delabar. "I started growing it in the offseason, Ive trimmed it a couple of times and Im just letting it go." There will be no dying his facial hair, like Brian Wilson of the Dodgers. Itll have its natural tinges of red, white and brown. "Its going to become what it becomes on its own and Im going to let it do what it does," said Delabar. What about his wife, Jamie? Is she agreeable to all of this? "My wife tells me Ive got stuff hanging off of it all the time but its not intentional. "She puts up with it," Delabar continued. "Its not like, Ooh, I like the beard, its not like that. Shed rather me trim it and have it groomed nicely and keep it clean but that aint me." Scarpe NMD R2 Italia . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor. Scarpe Nmd Scontate . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. http://www.scarpenmdscontate.it/scarpe-nmd-uomo-outlet.html .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Packers by 3RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 7-4, Green Bay 5-5-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 5-5.The Triple Crown is made up of three races in three states that use three different sets of drug rules. A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in charge of drug testing at races nationwide. "Its an industry that has, for years, pledged to clean things up," said Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, who sponsored the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. "But things seem to be getting worse, not better." Pitts introduced the bill last spring, and since then, it has been in committees awaiting a chance to be voted on by the full House. Drug use is widely seen as the biggest problem facing horse racing today. A recent investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sparked an investigation into successful trainer Steve Asmussen for allegedly mistreating horses. A 2012 investigation by The New York Times found that 3,800 horses had tested positive for drugs, the large majority of which were for illegal levels of prescription drugs. Some critics of the current rules point out that the 38 states that operate horse tracks work under 38 distinct sets of rules. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has adopted a set of uniform rules and is pushing state legislatures, racing commissions and other regulatory bodies to pass them in the individual states. So far, 19 states have passed or are considering a rule that would remove all controlled substances except for Lasix -- a diuretic known to improve horses performance -- from racing, and standardize testing for the other drugs. Eight states havve passed another rule that standardizes a penalty structure for trainers who violate drug rules. Scarpe Yeezy 350 v2. Horse racing is highly regulated by the states because it involves gambling. NTRA president Alex Waldrop says he hasnt spent much time analyzing the proposed national legislation, but the reality is that its very hard to pull rulemaking away from the states. "Its a very difficult balance were trying to strike here," Waldrop said. "Its about respecting every states interest and unique concerns. But were constantly pushing for greater uniformity through education and scientific research." The clumsy nature of the issue came into focus shortly after the Preakness, when California Chromes trainer had to get a waiver from track stewards at the Belmont to wear nasal strips, which were allowed in Kentucky and Maryland but not in New York. Though the nasal-strip issue turned out to be minor, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said those sorts of rules differences put horse racing in much the same position Olympic sports were in before they went for more standardized enforcement after the scandals of the 1990s. "The lack of uniformity and strict enforcement has created huge loopholes, where, if youre playing by the rules, youre at a competitive disadvantage," Tygart said. Dionne Benson, who helped write the uniform rules being proposed by the NTRA, said improving anti-doping measures will involve more than one national law. "Its not as easy as enacting a bill," she said. "Its unclear whether that bill would fully regulate in this area, or if wed just be adding another layer." ' ' '