Andrew Stein and Glenn Macaulay bought into the Blue Jays hy

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TORONTO -- Andrew Stein and Glenn Macaulay bought into the Blue Jays hype. Cheap Adidas Shoes Online . Best friends since kindergarten and lifelong baseball fans, the pair were swept up in the promise of 2013 and purchased season tickets. From the top level of Rogers Centre above home plate they watched as Toronto slumped through the spring then came alive during an 11-game winning streak only to finish last in the AL East. Excitement isnt a word they used to describe their hopes for 2014. "I wouldnt say worried," said Stein. "Not optimistic," said Macaulay. "Yeah, not optimistic," said Stein. "Maybe slightly uneasy that its just going to be a repeat of last year." Stein and Macaulay were among the Blue Jays season ticket holders at Rogers Centre on Wednesday for the teams annual State of the Franchise event. Team president and CEO Paul Beeston, general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons were on hand to take questions as jazz played throughout the stadium and food and drinks were handed out to fans wondering just what the state of the team is. Anthopoulos had no surprise announcements, nor was he worried about being grilled despite promises of change going unfulfilled during a quiet off-season. "When you dont have a good season you expect theres criticism that comes with that, that goes without saying, thats part of it," he said. "But again, these fans, I think its a different type of setting because these are the season-seat holders. They support the club. They love the team good and bad. Obviously were here to be accountable and to make ourselves available to talk and answer whatever questions they might have." Torontos only notable acquisition has been catcher Dioner Navarro, who was brought on to replace J.P. Arencibia. Navarro, who hit .300 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in 240 at-bats with the Chicago Cubs last season, barely made the splash that all-stars Jose Reyes or R.A. Dickey did when Toronto traded for them prior to last season. "(Navarro will) be serviceable. Im not going to buy his jersey or anything," said Stein. The Blue Jays real need, the one Anthopoulos promised would be his winter focus, is starting pitching. Dickey, coming off a Cy Young season, struggled, although not as badly as Josh Johnson. J.A. Happ missed time after being hit in the head by a frightening comebacker in May, while Brandon Morrows season ended in July with a forearm injury. Only Mark Buehrle, who also had a slow start to the season, performed to expectation. Torontos rotation finished with a 4.81 earned-run average last season, second worst in the majors, and the starters 899.1 innings pitched were 28th in baseball. But Toronto has stood pat during the off-season. Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka was signed by the New York Yankees before veteran Matt Garza joined the Milwaukee Brewers. Several pitchers such as Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez still remain on the market, but Anthopoulos said progress has been slowed by free agents who cost teams draft picks. That doesnt apply to the Blue Jays -- theyve got two protected first-round draft picks. But Anthopoulos remained non-committal. "We like some of the upside of the guys that are coming back. Wed still like to add," he said. "I think weve been very open about that. I dont know whats going to happen obviously between now and the start of camp. "Depending on how free agency goes or even the trade market, maybe its beyond that, but we are excited about some of the guys coming back, especially some of the young guys. Theres upside to the performance of a lot of these guys. But at the same time were still going to be active and try to get a starter." Whereas Anthopoulos could only ask fans to stick by the team, Gibbons said hes looking ahead after making peace with 2013. "After I was home for about two weeks I said, you know what, its time for a new season," said Gibbons. "Ive always been an optimistic guy. Its smart to look back and look at some areas to do things differently maybe to improve some things. But in the end youve got to turn the page and its a new start here in the next two months." Gibbons, who heard plenty of calls for his dismissal last season, isnt worried about the direction of the team. He acknowledged fans frustrations, and that there wont be as much good will in April as there was last year. "It sure would be nice me coming in here feeling good going to this thing having won something, but until you do that youre just hoping and dreaming. So hopefully we can do that." What, then, is the state of the Blue Jays? Ask again on Opening Day. Adidas ZX 700 Sneaker . Then Ryan Raburn came to the plate and did what he usually does against the Chicago White Sox. Raburn hit a tiebreaking single and David Murphy drove in four runs, leading the Indians to a 12-6 victory over the White Sox. adidas shoes nz online . With speed throughout the lineup and a power play that is clicking on a nightly basis, it is no wonder why the Rangers are on quite a roll.HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard didnt think he was aggressive enough in Houstons two losses to Sacramento this season and vowed to attack from the beginning when the Rockets faced the Kings on Wednesday night. Howards plan worked. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds by halftime on the way to a 26-point night to help the Rockets cruise to their third straight win, a 119-98 victory over the Kings. Howard also had 13 rebounds and four blocks and James Harden added 24 points and nine assists before the pair went to the bench for the fourth quarter. "The last couple of games against those guys, I didnt come out aggressive like I needed to on both ends of the floor," Howard said. "Ive been looking at some film and I wanted to get off to a better start. Its not just about scoring. Its defence and things like that." The Rockets took the lead midway through the first quarter and didnt trail again. The Kings struggled after losing top scorers Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins to injuries before halftime. Gay, who tied a career high with 41 points on Tuesday night, injured his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter and Cousins sprained his left ankle in the second. Sacramento coach Mike Malone didnt have any more information on the injuries after the game and said that theyd know more on Thursday. "It was a big loss to lose both of those guys in the first half," Malone said. "Unfortunately, those other guys that were able to play didnt respond. We got our (tails) kicked tonight and were a no-excuse team ... so the fact that we guarded no one tonight has nothing to do with them not being able to play in the second half." Derrick Williams scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and Isaiah Thomas added 20 points for the Kings. Houston led by 15 points entering the fourth quarter and padded its lead with Harden and Howard relaxing on the bench in their warm-up shirts. They used a 15-3 spurt in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the fourth to make it 103-76. Sacramento missed eight shots, including three layups in that span, and its only points came on free throws by Williams. The Rockets were up by nine points early in the third quarter before scoring 10 straight points to stretch their advantage to 65-46. Chandler Parsoons and Patrick Beverley both had 3-pointers in that stretch. Adidas ZX Flux NZ. Jimmer Fredette made a 3-pointer that cut Houstons lead to 11 points with about eight minutes left in the second quarter. Cousins went down on Sacramentos next possession when he was knocked to the court on a hard foul by Beverley as he drove to the basket. Beverley stood over him for a second while he was down and Beverley received a technical. Cousins entered the game leading the team in scoring (23.1) and rebounding (11.7). He scored just two points before getting hurt, snapping a streak of 30 straight games with at least 10 points. The Rockets used a 6-2 spurt after that to extend their lead to 44-29. Sacramento got within eight two times after that in the second quarter, but Howard scored six points with two alley-oop dunks in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the first half to help the Rockets lead 55-44 at the break. The Kings were up by five points early before Houston used a 14-5 run to take a 21-17 lead with about three minutes left in the first quarter. Gay, who entered the game averaging 20.2 points, was injured at the beginning of that run, which was powered by eight points from Harden. Houston coach Kevin McHale was impressed with Hardens work on Wednesday night. "He started getting to the rim," McHale said. "I thought we were settling for a lot and playing East and West. We told them to get to the hole and put pressure on the basket and they did." Gay has started all 21 games for the Kings since being traded from Toronto on Dec. 9. Aaron Gray received a flagrant foul soon after that when he grabbed Harden as he was heading to the basket. Harden made both free throws as part of an 8-2 run that put the Rockets up 29-22 at the end of the first. Omri Casspi added 20 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds and Parsons added 19 points with 10 rebounds. NOTES: Houstons Terrence Jones missed his second straight game with a deep thigh bruise and Ronnie Brewer sat out with a sore calf. ... Sacramentos Quincy Acy and Harden both received technical fouls on the same play in the third quarter. ... Thomas has made at least one 3-pointer in 35 straight games, tying the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '