Plauderecke » did last year with the stuff I was featu

If you go back over the past five seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the top home run slugging teams in the American League. Part of that is due to talent and part is due to the ballpark they play in. Yet, despite being right up there with home run leaders every season over that span, they havent been able to end their post-season drought that extends back to their last appearance in 1993. Since 2009, the Blue Jays have finished in the top five in home runs every season. 2009 was the peak year for round-trippers over the last five seasons in the junior circuit with 2,560. The Yankees led the league with 244 homers, well above the league average of 183 per team. The Blue Jays finished with 209. 2009 was the only season in the last five that the team with the most homers in the American League won the Fall Classic, as the Yankees beat the Phillies for their fifth title in 14 seasons. The Yankees also led in 2011 with 222 homers and 2012 with 245. They also hit over 200 homers every season in the last five except 2013, when they were devastated by injuries. Over the last five years, the Blue Jays have hit 209 homers in 2009 (4th), 257 in 2010 (1st) , 186 in 2011 (5th), 198 in 2012 (5th) and 185 in 2013 (4th). One team that has benefitted a little bit from a power surge has been Oakland. In 2011, the As only hit 114 homers. In 2012, they jumped to 195 (6th) in the A.L. and followed that by climbing to third in the league last season with 186. Of course, they won the American League West each of the last two campaigns. I guess what Im trying to say is that the Blue Jays could and should sacrifice some of their power to boost the starting rotation. Under new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, the Jays are going to attempt to use the whole field and just drive the ball into the gaps as opposed to just trying to pull the ball for home runs. Trying a different approach and attempting to cut down the strikeouts cant hurt. There has been a lot of talk about home runs diminishing over the past few years. As I mentioned off the top, in 2009 there were 2,560 home runs hit. The next year, the total dropped off to 2,209 - a decrease of 351. From that point on, though, over the past three seasons, home runs are on the rise again. In 2013, the total was 2,504 in the American League - just 54 off the 2009 total. There is another pitcher out there on the rumour mill that the Blue Jays might take a run at. The Chicago Cubs are reportedly trying to get right hander Jeff Samardzijas name on an extension but if he balks, they could consider dealing him over the winter since he could become a free agent after 2015. Samardzija is a bit of a late bloomer at 28 years old. In just his second year as a full-time Cubs starter in 2013, he went 8-13 on a bad ball club with a 4.34 ERA. But hes got what everyone is looking for; durability - 213.2 innings last season - and ability to strike guys out with 214 against just 78 walks. The trouble for the Jays is that Arizona, Washington and the Pittsburgh are also rumoured to be after him, and all three appear to have deeper farm systems flush with the kind of talent the Cubs would want in return. Nike Vapormax Italia .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. Vapormax Plus Scontate . "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there. http://www.vapormaxscontateoutlet.it/vapormax-bianche-scontate-outlet.html . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a course-record 10-under 62 on Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Vapormax Nere Senza Lacci . Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. Nike Vapormax Scontate Uomo . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept.SAN FRANCISCO - Adam Wainwright is determined to forget about his frustrating October outings and get back to the dominant post-season pitcher he used to be.The Cardinals ace is confident he made some key adjustments in a bullpen session Monday and will return to form when he starts Thursday nights Game 5 of the NL Championship Series against the Giants.It remains unclear whether Yadier Molina will be able to catch him. A.J. Pierzynski was set to start for a second straight game Wednesday in place of Molina, who strained his left oblique during Sundays Game 2.He tried taking a few swings and it didnt feel real great, as expected, manager Mike Matheny said before Wednesdays game. Still continuing to feel good as he goes out and plays catch and throwing, receiving. Doing the things he needs to behind the plate are all fine.Wainwright said he and the pitching staff have plenty of confidence in Pierzynski, who chatted up several teammates in a circle near near home plate before batting practice.For now, Wainwright is encouraged by his own progress.The positives to take away were when your arm doesnt feel the best, you need everything else to be locked in and your delivery to be sharp, Wainwright said. My delivery was not sharp. My arm didnt feel great the last few times out. Now my arm feels better and my delivery should be much sharper going forward, so it should be a much more polished pitcher you see on the mound.The right-hander has failed to make it out of the fifth inning in each of his two post-season starts, raising speculation about his health and prompting general manager John Mozeliak to acknowledge Wainwright might be tired after pitching 227 innings following a career-high 241 2-3 a year ago in 2013.The 33-year-old Wainwright went 20-9 with a 2.38 ERA in 32 starts for the second 20-win season in his nine-year major league careeer.ddddddddddddHe has pitched 512 2-3 innings including post-season the past two years.Wainwright was unbeaten in the post-season until Game 3 of last years NLCS, when he lost at Dodger Stadium. Wainwright took two more defeats in the World Series against Boston and then a 3-0 loss in Game 1 of this NLCS at Busch Stadium. He pitched on seven days rest his last time out and will be on regular rest Thursday.This post-season, Wainwright has allowed eight earned runs and 17 hits, but has said mechanics are the problem and not an ongoing elbow issue.Im not tired at all, Wainwright said. Ive battled some things this year injury-wise that I have not battled those other years. If my body would have felt as good as it did last year with the stuff I was featuring this year, man, would have been fun. But more than anything, what I want to get back into is throwing quality games in the post-season. Until last years NLCS, I was undefeated in the post-season. I just dont want to get a bad rap for not being a good playoff pitcher. Thats the time I want to shine the most.Matheny has spoken about Wainwrights example to the young St. Louis pitchers, such as showing up at spring training with two new pitches this year after finishing runner-up to Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw for the 2013 NL Cy Young Award.Making adjustments between starts is just one of those.I think its real difficult for most guys, but not for him. He has just impressed us so much how he can make those minor alterations and just how aware he is of himself and his own mechanics and what it feels like. Hes been the kind of example that you need, especially for such a young staff, Matheny said. They see a guy who has had all the accolades and is still figuring out how to make those minor changes and learning himself even better. Thats just a rare leadership quality. ' ' '