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Blue Jays go with an eight-man bullpen to start the season,

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Manchester Uniteds disappointing start under David Moyes has dominated the early season headlines, sitting 12th place on seven points through six matches in the Barclays Premier League. Kenny Golladay Youth Jersey . Its been a tough go for United supporters feeling mortal for the first time in ages. The 4-1 loss at Manchester City a fortnight ago highlighted how far they have to go under the new manager. It could be a weekly feature in this space: The Missteps of Moyes. Were not going there this week. Take solace United fans; all is not flawless on the other side of Manchester either. Manchester City looked a dominant force that day: a class above their rivals. When the blue side of Manchester is on, few can touch the tactical superiority and overall quality they possess. Manuel Pellegrini is a wonderful manager. The Chilean has a cool demeanor and keen eye for the game. Manchester City under Pellegrini looks a more complete outfit than their cross-city rival. But Pellegrini isnt without early season challenges. Away form is a real issue, as is proper depth in defensive positions. In a season where even the top teams have fatal flaws, Manchester City need look no further than their number one goalkeeper as the biggest issue. Pellegrinis decision on what to do about the struggling Joe Hart will determine the success or failure in the early days of his City tenure. A goalkeepers role is very simple. Save what you can get your hands on and dont make mental errors that leave your backline vulnerable. Of course, theres the catch, punch, communicate, distribute, and proper positional aspects of the game as well. But none of the tasks are too complex in nature. Its when these basic tasks become a chore, and ultimately blundered over, when a change at the position must be made. Confidence is key. The Manchester City and England No. 1 goalkeeper, Hart has none at present time. His play has been indecisive and unconvincing dating back to last season. You can see it in his body language. Its plain to see in his regular hesitation on the field. His inability to come up with saves at crucial moments has become borderline epidemic. This is nothing new to England goalkeepers. The revolving door and lack of consistency has plagued English goalkeepers since the days of David Seaman. Hart is just the most recent case. Dont call Hart cursed; call it a temporary dip in form thats lasted longer than expected. Hart, 26, captured the number one job at City to start the 2010-11 season. He cemented himself ahead of Shay Given, and proved worthy of the role with standout play. Back to back Golden Glove awards culminating in helping City to their first League title in 44 years in 2011-12 showed his talent. Since that time, Hart has been inconsistent at best, failing to maintain his lofty standard in often frustrating fashion. Highlight reel save one moment, to lapse in concentration or improper positioning the next. With a top-team in front of him, reliability is essential. The seeming lack of faith of the manager, and even worse the body language of his teammates as of late does nothing to secure faith in him leading City from the back. “The three goals, I think we can do better, not only the goalkeeper,” said Pellegrini after a 3-1 loss in Champions League to Bayern Munich. The manager is unwilling to throw his goalkeeper under a bus. His team was nowhere near up to par, and Bayern Munich was clearly the dominant side. The result was not on Hart. The goalkeeper was part of the mess. His play, poor, and on the Champions League stage, Hart has to do better; much better. Hart was beaten near post with his hand on the ball on the first and third goals. Better positioning and firmer wrist and the goals would have been kept out. And on the second goal, Thomas Muller got behind the back line far too easy and Hart, as he failed to do so last weekend on the match-winner for Aston Villa, hesitated, didnt get big and didnt properly time his approach. It all ended with egg on Harts face, looking lost. The Premier League losses to Aston Villa and Cardiff City highlighted indecision on Harts part and the critics voices grow louder and greater in number by the day. Gary Neville, Roy Hodgsons assistant in the England side and television commentator politely acknowledged Hart should have done better against Bayern Munich. Pellegrini nor Hodgson can ignore the subpar play of their goalkeeper and the subsequent calls for change. Its a fragile position for the managers, especially for Pellegrini. City surely needs Hart at his best, but England does as well heading into the crucial final two matches which will determine whether they punch their ticket to Brazil next summer. Pellegrini cannot let the latter effect his words or decision in the coming days towards Hart. He must do whats best for the club. To the onlooker, its quite clear: Hart needs some time on the sideline, out of the line of fire, to sort out his issues. If it were not for a striking lack of depth and ready-made options, its time for Hart to lose his No. 1 job for country, and for club to follow suit, at least for the time being. The argument will be made Hart is the only choice for England. Fraser Forster nor John Ruddy have International experience to give confidence in big games for England against Poland and Montenegro – virtual must wins for World Cup qualification. A bold move by Hodgson going with Forster or Ruddy would open old wounds, bringing back memories of Scott Carsons blunder in his England debut in a 3-2 loss to Croatia seeing the Three Lions fail to qualify for Euro 2008. Then manager Steve McClaren was ridiculed for his goalkeeper selection and was fired the next day. Does Roy Hodgson have the courage to take a similar ‘risk and try the same? Blaming inexperience among back-ups is a cop-out. Form should be the best indicator of who should start. Hart is not in form. The argument can be made Forsters top play in the Champions League for Celtic warrants serious consideration. A player featuring in the Scottish Premier League may be too big of a leap of faith. Without a Buffon or Casillas to rely upon, Hodgson will stick with Hart and hope for the best. Two good games are all he needs. Hodgson will hold his breathe. Pellegrini must take a longer view. Does he want to entrust Hart in important matches this season and beyond? Loyalty is earned, not easily given by a new manager. The early returns havent been good. January may not be the time to dip into the market for a goalkeeper if faith in Hart is already lost. Next summer seems a better time to address the position if needed. Pellegrini must weigh his in-house options first to deal with the immediate task at hand. Back-up goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon warrants a look. The Romanian International is a big body and hasnt been given a chance to play significant time at the club. He doesnt have the resume or experience as Hart. But a new face may be suffice short term. Call it a stopgap measure and see how it plays out. Hart needs a few games to get his head straight. The status quo is not good enough. Call this weekends match against Everton the test. If Hart continues with his unreliable ways, look for Pellegrini to act. It may be early days for he at City, but these are important days nonetheless. In the ultra-competitive and unpredictable Premier League, a steady goalkeeper may be the difference between a title or not. Right now Pellegrini needs to think with his head, not with his Hart. Other Musings - Spurs have been the most impressive and consistent side weve seen through six Premier League matches. The depth at Andre Villas-Boas disposal is impressive, rotating his side to near perfection in all competitions. The ball movement has been very good and there is every reason to believe this group of new players in the team will continue to grow and develop continuity as the season progresses. The positive steps are plain to see, but work is still to be done. The second half performance in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea shows they have maturing to do before making the next step. It was a match they were in complete control. Spurs let Chelsea off easy in a subpar performance by the visitors. The counter-punch of Jose Mourinhos side caught Spurs at a moment of weakness and once Chelsea was given a step, they took full advantage and grew into the match. Tottenham need to learn how to take full control of matches as such at home. This type of maturity comes through experience. Its much different playing as the hunted rather than the hunter. They will grow from this and be better from it. - West Broms 2-1 victory over Manchester United, the clubs first win at Old Trafford since 1978, was played in the media as more a United failure than the top play from the visitors. Steve Clarkes men are worthy of greater acknowledgement of how well they played. A slow start to the season had many pegging West Brom for a relegation battle. Positive performances in recent weeks have changed that tone. Without the injured goalkeeper Ben Foster, midfielders James Morrison, Chris Brunt, and striker Nicolas Anelka, Matej Vydra, Shane Long, and with Scott Sinclair limping off early, the team had ever reason to roll over at Old Trafford as so many have done before. The team had a coming of age performance, and could have put five past David De Gea if it were not for the intervention of the woodwork and United keeper. Newcomers Morgan Amalfitano and Stephane Sessegnon have put in back-to-back top performances, and 20-year old striker Saido Berahino has burst on the scene, looking very much the part. The backline will always be steady. Its having more quality in attack that will keep opposition honest. This isnt to say the current standard is sustainable. But the panic button is not being hit in the Midlands any longer. - Hull City is becoming the sweethearts of the new Premier League season. The newly promoted Tigers have points in four straight in all competitions and is giving Steve Bruces side the belief needed to compete in the top league. Theyve been winning with Captain Robert Koren on the sidelines. Tom Huddlestone and Curtis Davies have put in top performances through the spine of the team. They will be challenged over the next month with top scorer Robbie Brady on the sidelines after hernia surgery. - You wont see a worse display of defending than Newcastle centre-backs Fabricio Coloccini and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in a 3-2 loss to Everton Monday. Yanga-Mbiwa was especially palpable substandard display as Newcastle conceded three times in the first 45. The rest of the team play was fine. Without reliable play at the back, Alan Pardew doesnt have a chance. Its concentration and basic commitment that are lacking. You feel for the manager, who is clearly on the hot seat. There is nothing he can do about such pathetic defending other than not play the players. Unfortunately he is not blessed with top options. One thing he can do is bury the hatchet and start Yohan Cabaye. The Frenchman is top quality. His goal in the loss was outstanding. Hes too good to be wasted on the bench. - Arsenal was impressive again this week. Top wins over Swansea away and Napoli in the Champions League have the team riding a level of confidence not present at the Emirates in years. Theyve done so despite a rash of injuries. A more difficult schedule comes in November, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Southampton in consecutive weeks. The most important thing is to keep striker Olivier Giroud healthy with sufficient rest. The games are adding up. The return Nicklas Bendtner does leave a whole lot of confidence the team has enough depth in attack. @WheelerTSN | gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Brad Kaaya Womens Jersey . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. Michael Roberts Youth Jersey . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida – Aaron Sanchez was so impressive on Friday afternoon against the Rays big league line-up, he had Tampa Bays hitters giving him props to catcher Dioner Navarro. "Theyve never seen him," said Navarro. "Theyve never faced him and they get this young, lanky, tall guy whos throwing cheese and hes got pretty good movement. I think his composure on the mound was pretty good, his demeanour was pretty good, his body language, everything around him was pretty good today." Sanchez played the role of top prospect, shutting out the Rays over five-and-a-third innings in Torontos 5-0 win. He allowed three hits, all singles, and walked three, but helped his cause be forcing three double-play balls. One each came off the bats of Evan Longoria and Wil Myers. Sanchez struck out two, his fastball was clocked consistently in the mid-90s and his patented curveball was sharp. "It was extremely impressive, theres no doubt about it," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "He came out throwing strikes. He was composed. Faced their line-up, Im sure close to their opening day line-up, faced all their big hitters and certainly handled them pretty well. Pounded the zone, got ahead of the hitters, didnt work from behind in the count, showed an explosive fastball and, like I said, a lot of poise and a lot of ground-ball outs." Watching Sanchez pitch on Saturday, its easy to fall in love with his stuff, his composure, and easy to forget about where he is in his career. The Blue Jays have taken great care, some would say too much care, since drafting him 34th-overall in 2010. Hes only 21, turns 22 on Canada Day, and hasnt thrown a pitch in pro ball above High-A Dunedin. Sanchez hasnt exceeded 100 innings in three pro seasons, although factoring in Arizona Fall League appearances, combined with his time in Dunedin, he tossed 109 2/3 last year. If the Blue Jays increase his innings load by 20 per cent this year, hed throw approximately 130. A 30 per cent increase and Sanchez would throw about 140 innings. He authored a 3.34 ERA in 22 appearances, 20 starts, for Dunedin in 2013. His strikeouts per nine innings dropped to 7.8, but that was by design. Hes worked to become a better ground ball pitcher, which was evidenced by the double play turns in Fridays game. Its tempting for a coaching staff that can see the future but knows another failed season likely means it wont be a part of it; a coaching staff which knows theres at least one glaring hole in the current composition of its starting rotation. "I guess it would be hard not to just from watching and laying eyes on him," said Walker of whether he thinks about Sanchez breaking camp. "But obviously we want to make sure hes ready when the time comes." Hes an affable young man, but also smart. Sanchez doesnt make much noise around the clubhouse; he knows his role as a young player. Hes the Blue Jays top pitching prospect but restricts the projection of swagger and confidence to his mound appearances. "Its good to get my feet wet," said Sanchez of his first big league camp. "Coming into camp, for me, it was to soak everything all in, learn from the veteran guys, just go out and have fun." "I think some of the intangible things that you try to look for in young players in an atmosphere that can be uncomfortable at times, you know, is he so reserved? Is he getting involved in the drills and some of the meetings? Hes handled himself very well and that says a lot about his character and who he is," said bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who served as manager on Friday. It rremains to be seen whether Sanchez will throw again for the Blue Jays in spring training. Jalen Reeves-Maybin Youth Jersey. . Walker will sit down with manager John Gibbons and draw up a schedule. Sanchez likely starts his season at Double-A New Hampshire. A good showing there and its next stop, Buffalo. Or, maybe, Toronto. THE PIGGYBACK Theres been open musing in the press box about the idea of Dustin McGowan joining R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Mark Buehrle and Drew Hutchison in the starting rotation. Why not cap McGowan at four or five innings as he builds up arm strength and piggyback him with one of two long relievers, either Esmil Rogers or Todd Redmond? "Still trying to sort through it," said pitching coach Pete Walker when presented with the idea. "Obviously, theres still some time left in spring training. Guys are going to get the ball; get their opportunities to stand out right now. Obviously, Dustin looked great yesterday and Sanchez looked great today and the other guys, Redmond and Rogers, have thrown the ball well. Obviously, wed like to see [J.A.] Happ pitch well on the 25th and well continue to take a look at how it works out." Walker didnt have the opportunity to speak to McGowan before leaving for Port Charlotte, but said reports are the 31-year-old "felt fine" after throwing three scoreless innings against the Phillies on Thursday. TUIASOSOPOS NUMBERS General manager Alex Anthopoulos ist shy about scouring the waiver wire for players. On Thursday, he picked up Matt Tuiasosopo from the Diamondbacks. "Played well for the Tigers last year and we had good reports on him," said Anthopoulos in a statement. "He gives us a right-handed bat that gives us positional versatility. Obviously, there isnt a lot of time left but hell come in and compete for a spot." Time is of the essence and Tuiasosopo is going to need more of it than usual to join the ballclub. He was in Australia, where the Diamondbacks are opening their regular season with two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Its difficult to see, on the surface, where Tuiasosopo fits in. Hes a right-handed bat who got off to a strong start with the Tigers last season, hitting six of his seven home runs before the All-Star break, including four in a personal five-game span between June 18 and July 11. He can play the corner outfield positions, first base and third base in a pinch. "Youre talking about, maybe, from the right side where there could be an option there," said bench coach DeMarlo Hale. Tuiasosopo hasnt proven he can hit left-handers at the big league level. In 194 at-bats against lefties, Tuiasosopo has hit .196/.287/.345 with eight home runs. Against right-handers, his slash line is .221/.287/.368. Over his major league career, Tuiasosopo has struck out in 31.7 per cent of his big league at-bats. By comparison, while acknowledging the sample size is small, Moises Sierra hits left-handers at a .267/.327/.478 clip with four home runs. "Decisions havent been made, Im sure of that," said Hale. "I cant speak for Alex and Gibby, but it becomes added depth and well see what hes got over these next four or five days left of spring training.” Like Sierra, Tuiasosopo is out of options, meaning he would first have to pass through waivers before being assigned to the minor leagues. If the Blue Jays go with an eight-man bullpen to start the season, carrying both is out of the question. The back-up catcher, likely Erik Kratz, and Maicer Izturis must be accounted for, which leaves only one additional roster spot. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '