1. Shawn Kelley Jersey . Jose Bautista has been shut down for the season. Thats two straight years with under 120 games played due to various injuries and a declining OPS. Should Jays fans be worried about his ability to carry the team in the coming seasons? Jose Bautista hit .302 in 2011 while slugging 43 homers and driving in103 runs. In 2010, he crushed 54 homers and drove in 124 runs. He was a beast both years. He had become a player that no one ever dreamed he could. He went from being a utility man to "The Man." Unfortunately since then injuries have limited the games that he has played. Injuries have also impacted his performance. His injured wrist last season drained some of his power in addition to costing him games. A bad hip this season has hampered his ability to rotate his hips when he swings the bat. He is starting to feel like one of those players who just cant stay healthy. But the biggest reason his production has fallen off is because he just isnt as good as his numbers from 2010-11. Those years were anomolies. He will never again hit over .300 in a season nor will he ever hit 54 homers again. He doesnt have enough quality at bats to do either. He is much more like the .254 hitter that he has been in his career than the .304 hitter he was in 2010. Bautista will still be an important contributor for the Jays moving forward but he is not a carry-the-team type of offensive player. You either have to hit 30 homers and bat over .300 or hit 45-50 homers to truly carry a team. He isnt that guy. The Jays and the fans need to reduce their expectations of Bautista moving forward to get a true read of their team offense, otherwise they will be disappointed. 2. Joe Mauer is on the DL with a concussion after taking a foul ball off the helmet. He is one of eight catchers to go on the DL this season with concussion-like symptoms -- its a growing trend. Is there anything MLB should be doing to help protect catchers more? There is a reason why catchers careers typically fizzle out by the age of 33. There is a reason why very few catchers win batting titles or home run titles. The job is brutal. It is tough on any player to go to the gate for 162 games in 181 days; it is most difficult for catchers. The job takes a physical and mental toll like no other. Joe Mauer is one of only three catchers to ever win a batting title. He won in 2006, 2008, and 2009. The first catcher to ever win the batting title was Eugene "Bubbles" Hargrave. He hit .353 in 1926 while playing for the Cincinnati Reds. The next catcher to win a batting title was Ernie Lombardi in 1938 and 1942. It is amazing to me whenever catchers contribute offensively in an extraordinary way. Their bodies get so worn down over the course of the season. I had Mike Piazza as the catcher for my Mets teams. He was the best offensive catcher to ever play the game. It was difficult to build my team around a catcher because he needed more days off than any other position to allow his body to recover. So automatically I knew I would be playing without my No. 3 hittter for 30+ games. The more serious concern, though, is that I could lose my superstar catcher to injury. There is always a risk of a catastrophic injury like Buster Posey of the Giants suffered a few years ago in a collision at the plate. There is a risk to the hands and wrists of a catcher because of the pounding they take receiving thousands of 90 MPH fastballs. Yadier Molina is currently sidelined with the Cardinals because of a sore wrist on his glove hand. And there are risks of concussion because of potential foul balls and collisions. Some catchers are worth the risks but as a GM I would love to see my guy protected as much as possible. I dont believe that there have been more concussions for catchers this year than any other year. Our awareness of concussions has grown. Our diagnosis of concussions has become more expansive and the willingness of players to speak up about their condition has grown significantly. All of this is good. The next step has to be improved technology and equipment. The NFL is continuing comprehensive studies about player safety regarding concussions. The issues for catchers are the same as NFL players. Catchers need to wear better protective gear. I know some catchers have gone to the hockey mask style helmet but I dont believe that is enough. Why shouldnt baseball catchers wear helmets like football players? Many college, high school and youth football teams in the States are making players wear extra padding outside of their helmets for practices. Why cant a catchers helmet have extra padding too? I know there are weight issues and vision issues. It is 2013; can someone please figure this out? 3. Atlanta has a huge lead. Should they be resting players or playing them to keep sharp heading into the post-season and perhaps risk injury? What is the right strategy? All teams with large leads in the standings are faced with this dilemma. Should we play our guys and keep them sharp or should we rest them so they can be sharp again? The truth is that there is not one right answer. In fact, there isnt a correct answer from team to team. It is really a question that has to be considered for each individual player. What is right for one player may not be right for another. This is where a manager has to truly know his team. Some players may need a rest and recover physically and mentally while others may need to keep up with the routine of playing. It comes down to communication and trust. The manager and coaches need to listen to the players and how they feel. Then they have to match those words to what their eyes are telling them about a players performance. Have you ever been really tired but you ignore it because you have a project to complete or you are really busy? If at some point you decide to take a break and sit down for a bit, you can start to feel your body shut down. You tell yourself you better get up and keep moving because if you dont you know you wont be able to get up at all. That total shut down is what a manager needs to guard against when he rests his players. Typically for most teams and players some combination of rest and playing makes sense. A player can be given rest without messing up his routines and rhythm. A manager would prefer to rest those who need it prior to the last week of the season if the standings allow for it. This way the players are back in the lineup for the last five or so games before the playoffs begin to sharpen their skills. If it is a close call between giving players a rest or keeping them on the field, I would always keep them on the field. Remember; the playoffs automatically allow for some physical recovery as there are built in travel days in each series. The players have the entire off-season to rest. Writing this has made me tired. I need a nap. Fair or Foul Hip Hip Hooray! The Pittsburgh Pirates (81-58) have clinched their first non-losing season since 1992. What a thing to celebrate. I guess that is what you do when you have lost so many games for so many years. They teased us a few times over the last twenty-one years. Even just last season they were 11 games over .500 in July only to collapse and finish 79-83. I didnt want to believe this year and be disappointed again. But it finally feels safe to believe that they will have a winning record. They have to be able to win at least one more game.... Right? Actually, the Pirates have been a nice story. They sit atop the NL Central as you read. Whether they hold on or not to that they will likely make the playoffs. They have delivered hope to a hopeless fan base. The Pirates pitching staff has the second best ERA in the NL. They have lowest opponents batting average and have allowed the fewest home runs as well. Their rotation has been good while the bullpen has been even better. They have the second most wins from a pen and the second fewest blown saves. Pitching has clearly been the key to their success this year. Offensively, they are middle of the pack in most categories. They dont have extraordinary team power or speed. They dont hit well in the clutch as evidenced by their .225 batting average with runners in scoring position. In other words they have scored just enough to support their pitching and win games. This is a formula that has worked for the San Francisco Giants over the past couple of years. Pittsburgh is a blue collar town with a blue collar team. They have reenergized their fan base. They are excited. The fans think this is great. Old time baseball fans are remembering the "We are Family" Pirates from back in the day. Expectations have changed. The fans are going to get greedy now. A .500 record is no longer the goal. Now its the playoffs and soon the goal will be a World Series. I want to get excited for and about the Pirates but I know the truth. This team isnt going anywhere. They may hold on and win the division. Sure they may make a run in the crap shoot that is the baseball playoffs. In a short series anything can happen. But they dont have the type of roster to sustain success. So many of the young players have outperformed their abilities and the veterans arent this good. They have track records that prove this. I wish it was different but its not. Small market cities get excited when small market teams compete. It gives them hope. But it is very difficult for them to sustain success. Just ask the Astros. Give the Twins a call. Check out the Padres. Sure Tampa and Oakland are on a decent run. But they havent won anything. And neither will the Pirates. Plus, MLB is praying that the Pirates dont advance deep in the playoffs if they make it. They are a good story, but at some point a no-name Cinderella team lacks appeal. The networks want a Red Sox vs. Dodgers World Series. Fans wont watch the Pirates vs. Rays. So, good for Pittsburgh. It is a good little story. Clint Hurdle has done a masterful job managing his roster. Neil Huntington has made some very astute moves as the general manager. The players have played hard. All parties deserve credit. They have found some success. Unfortunately it will be short-lived and it will fall short. I hate to be so pessimistic because there is finally some hope but the facts are the facts. They dont have enough impact talent and the talent they have wont be affordable in a couple of years. So enjoy it while you can. It may be another 21 years before they do it again. Steve Phillips was general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003, helping lead the club to a National League championship in 2000 and its first World Series appearance in 14 years. Zack Granite Jersey . - New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has an agreement to bring back outside linebacker Parys Haralson on a one-year deal. Ariel Jurado Rangers Jersey . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/392h-hunter-pence-jersey-rangers.html .1 million contract. The club said that Boll will earn $950,000 in 2012-13 and $1.15 million in 2013-14. The 26-year-old Boll had two goals and one assist with 126 penalty minutes in 54 games with the Blue Jackets in 2011-12.The last five games of the season? That wasn’t the Peyton Manning we’re accustomed to. From the end of November to the end of the regular season, Manning averaged only 233 yards per game and one touchdown to 1.2 interceptions. The average passing yards and even the touchdown to interception ratio aren’t bad for a quarterback not named Peyton Manning, or perhaps a quarterback not vying for his second Super Bowl. And then in lies the question: is Manning’s competitive window closing? We’ve asked this question before, and were wrong to do so, but we will, by default, get it right one of these days. Manning’s five-game season-ending run certainly wasn’t a death sentence for his career – Denver went 4-1 during that stretch after all – but it’s not enough for Manning to only be decent to keep the worriers at bay. You don’t draft Manning to put up QB1 numbers in fantasy, you draft him to lead the position category. The 38-year-old is of course close to the end of his road competitively; he still has the smarts that have made him one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but Monday morning quarterbacks across the country have noticed a little less zip on his throws. Will Colts’ defensive backs notice the same thing? There are other concerns for the Broncos heading into Sunday’s Divisional Round tilt, ones the team hopes can be solved by their first round bye week. Denver finished the year with a number of injuries – nicks and bruises that sapped players’ performance – none more concerning than tight end Julius Thomas and his troublesome ankle. While injuries happen to every team, Thomas was making a legitimate argument as the best tight end in the game in the first half of the season. The Broncos mostly lost that threat, a big part of their offence, to injuries in the second half of the season. If Thomas is anywhere close to form come Sunday, it’s another headache for the Colts’ defence. But if he’s still mostly hobbled, it allows Indy to focus their attention on a slightly smaller pool of gamebreakers on the Denver offence. It’s really too bad there are gathering bad omens for the Broncos because it could have been, and it certainly was, great in the first half of the regular season. Manning was rested and nobody was questioning the amount of gas left in his tank, Julius Thomas was joining Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski on the highlight reels, and DeMaryius Thomas was putting together another top notch season, and Emmanuel Sanders was transsitioning seamlessly into the Broncos’ high-powered passing attack, taking over for Eric Decker, who had chased the money to New York, and putting up just as gaudy of numbers in the process. Lance Lynn Jersey. It’s a shame Denver’s running game didn’t find it’s groove until mid-season to line up with the height of their passing attack. Despite Montee Ball looking like a fine replacement for Knowshon Moreno, it wasn’t until Week 10, and in the unlikeliest of places – CJ Anderson, that Denver’s running game really became the threat it was all of last season. Had Anderson been given the rock from the get go, Denver could have made a run for top offence in the league this year, or certainly at least top offence in Sunday’s matchup. As it stands, the Broncos finished fourth overall averaging 402.9 yards per game. Their passing game also finished fourth at 291.3 yards per game while their rushing attack finished a middle-of-the-pack 15th, at 111.6 yards per game. Denver’s star-studded offence actually overshadowed the team’s defence, which was actually the better of the two units statistically. When you spend an off-season dedicated to plugging the holes exposed by the Seattle Seahawks in last year’s Super Bowl, you’re going to improve on a defence that was less than an intimidating unit last season. Big name free agent acquisitions like Aqib Talib, TJ Ward, and DeMarcus Ware helped the Broncos improve from 19th in yards allowed and 22nd in points allowed in 2013, to third in yards allowed and 16th in points allowed this season. All three made the Pro Bowl with Ward finishing second on the team in tackles with 74, Ware returning to double-digit sack totals with 10, and Talib finishing with very few stats at all – the most telling stat for a shutdown corner. Von Miller also kept up his impeccable play, leading the team with 14 sacks, and Chris Harris continued to emerge as a strong cornerback opposite Talib. There are reasons for the Broncos to fall short of their ultimate goal, Super Bowl 49, but not nearly as many as some teams still in the race have. Had Manning’s production not dipped the last five weeks of the regular season, Denver would be on many prognosticators’ lists to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the second straight season. But the team’s four wins in that stretch came against non-playoff teams while their loss was to the AFC Wild Card Cincinnati Bengals. We’ll know on Sunday if there’s anything to that trend. ' ' '