TORONTO – Brett Lawries impending return from hamstring tightness creates a problem – a good problem – for manager John Gibbons.
George Moriarty Jersey . That is, how does he keep the red hot bat of Juan Francisco in the lineup when first base is taken by Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind is back as the designated hitter? "Maybe Francisco can play second," joked Gibbons. In all seriousness, Francisco has been a revelation for the ballclub since signing a minor league deal on April 2 and arriving in Cleveland to meet his new Blue Jays teammates on April 20. Coming off an 18-home run season split between Atlanta and Milwaukee last year, Franciscos already hit five in 61 at-bats for Toronto. He doesnt get cheated, either, having deposited one in the fourth deck of Rogers Centre, just above Paul Beestons name on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence. Franciscos slash line of .311/.403/.623 (1.026 OPS) is well above his career .248/.308/.447 (.755 OPS) but even if his history suggests his numbers will regress the longer he plays, until it happens, Francisco needs to stay in the lineup. "Right now were looking at everything," said manager John Gibbons. "While hes hot weve got to find a way to keep him in there somehow." The obvious play is to move Brett Lawrie to second base. It doesnt have to be permanent. Lawrie, should the decision be made, hopes its only temporary. "Im going to do it because its for the team but Im not necessarily amazed about it," said Lawrie. "Im a third baseman. Its where I play. Its what Ive been doing. Its what I did to work to get here. Obviously Francisco is swinging a hot bat but were going to have to find another way to get him in the lineup, who knows, but if I do get put at second base thats how it goes. Ill just do it for my team." Look at this hypothetical starting lineup with Francisco at third base and Lawrie at second base: Reyes – SSCabrera – LFBautista – RFEncarnacion – 1BFrancisco – 3BNavarro – CLind – DHLawrie – 3BRasmus – CF One through nine, wheres the easy out? The Blue Jays would be giving something up defensively with the realignment but Francisco has proven to be more adept at third base in Lawries absence than expected. "Ive been very impressed," said Gibbons. "I think that was his rap. His defence was the reason he never really established himself but we havent seen it. Of course hes not Lawrie down there but how many guys are?" Dont count on Saturday being Lawries return date. He took ground balls on Friday afternoon and participated in batting practice for a second consecutive day. Its part of the process of ramping up the effort level, testing his sore right hamstring. "Ive still got to do some other stuff baseball-wise," said Lawrie. "Ive still got to get up to relatively full speed to see how were doing. Ran on the treadmill today at a little bit higher pace so feeling a little bit better." Lawries willing to be a team guy. He also wants the appropriate recognition for his gold glove caliber play at the hot corner. "Im a third baseman," said Lawrie. "I worked my butt off to get where Im at. Im not saying its not going to help the team. Im here to do what it is to help the team but I worked my butt off to be that good at third base and continue to do what Im doing. I work everyday over there. Still continuing to get my work in and second base, it is what it is, man, its not what Im here to do. I worked my butt off to do what I do out there."
Marcos Diplan Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Thursday nights Bruins-Blackhawks game had a goal by Patrice Bergeron initially waved off by the referee, but video review clarified it was a good goal.
Jeimer Candelario Jersey .J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants.INDIANAPOLIS -- While his team struggled with setup and speed, Scott Dixon has flown under the radar during preparations for the Indianapolis 500. Its exactly how he wants it. Its how he has tried to be his entire career. "I like to live simply," Dixon said. As such, one of the most decorated drivers of the last decade goes grossly underappreciated for his accomplishments. Hes the Jimmie Johnson of IndyCar, the driver tearing through the record books with his eye on the top names in series history. Dixons 33 career victories rank seventh all-time, and three more wins would leapfrog him past Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser into fourth place. The only drivers who rank higher than Dixon in victories right now have the last name Andretti, Foyt and Unser. Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002 while the team still raced in the now-defunct CHAMP Car Series, Dixon has won at least one race in every season except two. He has an Indianapolis 500 win on his resume, and his three IndyCar championships -- spread out in 2003, 2008 and 2013 -- show a consistency and longevity thats hard to match. At just 33 years old, he conceivably has almost another decade of racing ahead of him. But hes worked in the shadow of some huge personalities and some of open-wheel racings biggest stars. When Dario Franchitti joined the Ganassi organization in 2009, Dixon watched his famous teammate reel off three consecutive championships and two Indy 500 wins. In that same span, Dixon finished second in the championship once, third three times, and finished second to Franchitti in the 2012 Indy 500. Living in Franchittis shadow never bothered him. "I preferred that, actually," said Dixon, who will start Sundays Indy 500 in 11th, in the fourth row. "When I come out of the truck and everyone is standing around waiting, they all chased after Dario and I could just get on the scooter and ride off and get to work. Ive never had any problem not having the spotlight on me." Franchitti is on the sidelines now, forced into retirement last November from injuries suffereed in a crash at Houston a month earlier.
Barney McCosky Jersey. . The imposing 1-2 attack of the two red Target cars has been broken up. It means Dixon finally has the team to himself, but he doesnt view it that way -- he maintains its always been owner Chip Ganassis team -- and the laid-back New Zealander isnt seeking any fame. Its a shame, because hes earned the attention. "Hes achieved so much, hes one of the most successful of all time, but a lot of people dont know that," said reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, a fan favourite and Franchittis replacement this year in the Ganassi organization. "He just does his job. Is he more famous than me? Not really. But were not talking about that. Its not what his goal is. Hes doing exactly what he wants to do." Dixon excels at striving for more and putting in the work toward continuing to improve his race craft. "He doesnt stop learning. He doesnt allow what hes just done to be the high point in his life, in his career. He only uses that as a springboard for the next day," said Mike Hull, Ganassis managing director and the strategist atop Dixons pit stand. "We just do not stop learning together, and he represents us. I wish we could clone him, to be honest about it, moving forward because hes the kind of person you need driving your race cars." In his 13th season with Ganassi, Dixon is easily the longest tenured driver in organization history. The team owner says the longevity is because Dixon "doesnt seem to carry much baggage with him." For an owner who dislikes drama or having to massage egos and manage personalities, Dixon is his easy child. As for where Dixon ranks among the all-time greats, Ganassi doesnt want to be part of the conversation. "Were obviously very proud to have Scott," Ganassi said. "When you talk about legacies ... that will be something someday for you in the media to talk about. I dont think its our position in the race team to talk about that. We certainly think his name deserves to be up there as well." ' ' '