Inland Waterways » the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night

DUNEDIN, Florida – For a guy with an uncertain future and a history of self doubt, Colby Rasmus has arrived for his third spring training with the Blue Jays a relaxed and confident ballplayer. He eagerly relives the thrill of the Iron Bowl football victory in November, in which his beloved Auburn Tigers defeated the two-time defending NCAA champion Alabama Crimson Tide on a last second missed field goal returned for a touchdown. In the next breath, he laments Auburns loss to Florida State in the BCS title game. “Too many mistakes,” he said. Rasmus isnt a fan of American Idol. He watches only when his wife, Megan, has it on TV and admits to only passing interest in the success on the show of Dexter Roberts, a singer whos made it into this seasons final 13 contestants and who, through friends, performed at Rasmus New Years Eve bash. “I dont really know him. I only met him once,” he said. When it gets down to the business of baseball, Rasmus will attempt to control only what he can – his performance on the field. Signed for this year at $7-million, Rasmus will become a free agent for the first time in his career if he and the Blue Jays dont reach a contract extension before the end of the season. Hes not bothered that general manager Alex Anthopoulos hasnt approached him about a long-term deal, preferring instead to wait and, as Anthopooulos put it in December, “gather more information.” “Im given a chance to play again another year,” said Rasmus. “They didnt see fit to hold me for a long time and I have had some ups and downs and I get that. Im not really worried about it. Ive been given a chance to play another year so Im going to go out and play and let it all hang out and leave it all out there on the field.” Rasmus enjoyed a bounce back season in 2013. Limited to 118 games thanks to oblique and facial injuries, he authored a .276/.338/.501 slash line. His OPS of .840 looked more like the number in his 2010 breakout season in St. Louis (.859) than in either 2011 (.688) or 2012 (.689.) Despite missing 44 games, Rasmus hit 22 home runs, one off his career high. Prorate that number over a full season and he hits 30-plus home runs for the first time. At 27, Rasmus is entering his prime years. Hes maturing with time. “I guess everybody always said it comes with age or whatever,” said Rasmus. “I mean now that Ive got some time under my belt it definitely is easier. Looking back on how it was when I was younger I understand I had hard times with the older guys. I get it. But now, to be where Im at, Im just happy to be here and I look at it like that.” His manager sees all-star potential in Rasmus. “Last year was a big year for him,” said John Gibbons. “I think as the season went on he got much better. A lot of strikeouts early but he made some adjustments and when he puts the ball in play consistently, the ball goes a long way. Hes got a chance to be one of the premier power hitters in the league. He can do a lot of things.” Rasmus had a strong relationship with former hitting coach Chad Mottola. The two formed a quick bond, Mottola helping Rasmus with his mental approach to hitting. Now, as Rasmus gets to know his third hitting coach in as many seasons, hes willing to be patient as he adjusts to Kevin Seitzer. “Im not putting a rush on it,” said Rasmus. “Weve got a lot of time here in spring. I just try to get my thoughts together on what I think would help me and help him to make it a good flow and a good mix of what Im trying to do and what I need him to look for in me.” Seitzer knows Rasmus is a pull hitter who loves his fastballs – Rasmus believes hes evolved from being a dead pull hitter to someone willing to use all fields – and hes not coming in to overhaul the centerfielders swing. “Hitters have to be able to make adjustments from week to week, game to game, pitcher to pitcher, depending on the stuff theyre going to attack with,” said Seitzer. “Hes been around a long time and hes a smart hitter and hes very talented. You cant teach hand speed and hes got a lot of that. Well see how the process unfolds. “Youve got to be able to get in their head quick and find out how they tick and where their insecurities are, their points of concern in their swing with their mindset and all of that,” said Seitzer. “I get to know them pretty quick.” CECIL AND DELABAR ADJUST Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar were two important pieces of the Blue Jays stellar bullpen last season. Both missed time due to injury and while heavy workload would seem to be the obvious reason why, Delabar identified a different reason: He made a mechanical change to his delivery before the All-Star break, which led to shoulder inflammation and a month on the disabled list in August. “It caused me to put some stress in unneeded areas,” said Delabar. Delabar changed the positioning of his feet in an effort to be, as he describes it, more directional rather than rotational toward home plate. He was falling away on his pitches down and away to right-handed batters, likening the problem to a hitter with a persistently open stance who cant get to outside pitches. “I thought it would get me straight on line,” said Delabar. “It felt good to do it so I started playing catch with it, messing around with it and I got in a game and did it and I was like, ‘Hey, it feels pretty good. I just kept doing it, kept going with it and I didnt realize it was putting stress on my shoulder.” When Delabar returned from injury on September 2, he continued with his new delivery and with such little time left in the season, he didnt experience any more significant trouble. The plan is to use the adjusted delivery this season. Cecil appeared in 60 games in his first season as a full-time reliever. Not a lock to make the club out of spring training, Cecil took the ball whenever he was asked and was eager to put in extra work to prove he belonged. He was shut down on September 13 with elbow pain after only three appearances that month. With his role in the bullpen now firmly established, Cecil will focus on better monitoring his own workload this season. “Casey (Janssen) and Darren (Oliver) have been in this situation a lot longer than I have and they were telling me in April, you know, save your bullets. You may not feel like you need a day but if you pitch one day then use your better judgment,” said Cecil. “I told them in August, you guys were right, man. I was starting to feel like I was breaking down a little bit … Thats why you never stopped learning.” Cecil will better communicate with the training staff if hes not feeling 100 percent, but wants something in return – that the training staff doesnt raise any unnecessary red flags if he describes only simple soreness. Hes already adjusting. Cecil was given a 25-pitch cap for his bullpen session on Friday. He chose to throw only 20 pitches. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. Eddie Yarbrough Bills Jersey . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. http://www.authenticbillsfanatic.com/c-97-bills-taron-johnson-jersey.aspx . - Chris Davis hit a two-run double, scoring Nelson Cruz in his Orioles debut in Baltimores 9-7 win over to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Zdeno Chara scored with 13 seconds left in regulation after David Krejci tied it late, lifting the Bruins to a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night in a game that saw Orpik taken from the ice on a stretcher. Vontae Davis Bills Jersey . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate).OXFORD, Miss. -- Mississippis Andrew Ritter said his game-winning, 41-yard field goal felt good off his foot. Then he watched with dread as it started drifting right. By the time it reached the uprights, it was dangerously close. The senior held his breath. So did the rest of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It sailed through with about a foot to spare. The crowd exploded. It was the finishing touch on Mississippis 27-24 upset victory over No. 6 LSU on Saturday night. "Can you believe it?" Ritter asked. It was a happy ending for Ole Miss (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) after the Rebels let a 17-point lead slip away when LSUs Zach Mettenberger hit Jarvis Landry for a 4-yard touchdown to tie it at 24 with 3:19 remaining. But the Rebels responded with a methodical, 14-play drive that ended in Ritters field goal with 2 seconds remaining. "This is the biggest win of my life," Ole Miss defensive end Cameron Whigham said. "Im just so proud to be a part of the Ole Miss family and be able to compete with my brothers each Saturday." It capped a remarkable day of upsets across the league. LSU joined Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina as ranked SEC teams to lose Saturday. It was another thrilling game for the Rebels, who lost last week against Texas A&M on a last-second field goal. "What (the team) went through this week, with the outside world having their opinions, you can imagine how proud I am," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. Bo Wallace completed 30 of 39 passes for 346 yards and Jaylen Walton rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns for the Rebels, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Ole Miss finished with 525 total yards. LSU had 388. LSU (6-2, 3-2) nearly pulled off the comeback, but couldnt overcome a rough game by Mettenberger, who threw three crucial interceptions. "We didnt do some of the things that we needed to come in here and do," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I really thought we were going to throw those balls and complete them and I thought they were great calls." The winning field goal was redemption for Ritter, who had a 29-yard attempt blocked eaarlier in the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd. LSU moved the ball fairly well in the first half, especially on the ground, but Mettenbergers bad decisions and poor throws cost the Tigers dearly. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound senior came into the game leading the SEC with 1,890 yards, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions. But he had a brutal first half, throwing three interceptions, including two in the end zone. All three were thrown into tight coverage. Mettenberger finished 19-of-33 passing for 274 yards and a touchdown. While Mettenberger was struggling, Wallace started hot, completing 16 of 23 passes for 200 yards in the first half. Ritter kicked a 28-yard field goal in the first quarter to put Ole Miss ahead 3-0 and Barry Brunettis 3-yard touchdown pass to Nick Parker gave the Rebels a 10-0 halftime lead. The Rebels defence was surprisingly stout. They were missing five starters, including linebacker Serderius Bryant, the teams leading tackler. But Ole Miss used a no-name bunch to stop LSU consistently. Chief Brown, Cody Prewitt and Charles Sawyer had the three interceptions. "Im really not surprised at all that we won this game," Prewitt said. "I feel like its the first time this season we played for 60 true minutes." Ole Miss announced a crowd of 61,160, which is the ninth-largest in school history. And the place was rocking by the time Walton broke through for a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the Rebels a 17-0 lead. But the LSU offence finally came alive in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on short runs by Kenny Hilliard and Jeremy Hill to pull within 17-14. Ole Miss yanked the momentum right back with a seven-play, 76-yard drive, capped by Waltons spectacular 26-yard touchdown dash through the teeth of LSUs defence. The Rebels had a 24-14 lead and all the momentum early in the fourth quarter, but Korvic Neat dropped a punt and LSU recovered on Ole Miss 13. The defence managed to hold, but LSUs Colby Delahoussaye hit a 41-yard field goal to pull the Tigers within 24-17. Ole Miss squandered another opportunity a few minutes later when Ritters 29-yard field goal was blocked by Ego Ferguson. 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