Fun Forum » ision.All four teams are within 1 1/2 game

BOSTON - Pitching. Defence. Culture. Those are the three words which continue to be brought up in various conversations with players, both in formal and informal settings, around this American League Championship Series. Jonny Gomes, a member of the 2008 Rays club that emerged from the abyss to gain a spot in that seasons World Series and whos since played on contending teams in Cincinnati and Oakland before landing in Boston, has seen similar acts play out in different cities. “This is my fourth division title and my fourth team,” said Gomes. “Theyre all very similar. We pitch. We play defence. We play together. We situational hit. We create an identity and win and lose with that identity. “Youve got to have some guys on your team that will nip in the bud in April, in June, in July, when things roll, stop it now. Youve got to get out of the valley, get back up versus letting it play, riding it out.” Spending much of the last 48 hours around Fenway Park, in this atmosphere, around two successful organizations with, for the most part, annual expectations of excellence, its become clearer just how far away the 2013 Blue Jays were from being a playoff-calibre ballclub. It wasnt too long ago, prior to the end of the regular season, that veteran Mark DeRosa shared similar thoughts to Gomes. He would know, having come up in the winning Braves organization, followed by success with the Rangers, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants and Nationals. “I always go back to the first two weeks of the season,” DeRosa told TSN.ca from the visitors dugout, fittingly at Fenway Park, on September 20. “We got off so slow; just put ourselves in such a pessimistic-type attitude where we were expecting things to go wrong. Its just been the tale of many weeks for this team. Its had its moments of playing really great baseball and taking it to some of the best teams and best pitchers in the game and then weve had moments where weve rolled out there and done a lot of things fundamentally wrong and made mental errors that have cost us.” General manager Alex Anthopoulos has identified the need for starting pitching, constantly reminding that no team stands a chance to contend when its rotations ERA ranks second-worst in baseball (4.81,) better only than the dreadful Minnesota Twins and worse than the Houston Astros, essentially a Triple-A-calibre baseball team. Hes right. Nobody could have, or would have, predicted the respective demises of Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson to injury. But those two were pitching in April. So were R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and J.A. Happ and, as DeRosa alluded to, the Jays got off to a terrible start that set the tone for a terrible season. Nobody cried in Boston when Clay Buchholz missed three months with a neck injury before returning in early September. Remember, too, that John Lackeys bicep locked on him in Toronto in early April. At the time of the injury, the way he clenched his arm, onlookers were speculating hed torn his Tommy John-repaired ulnar elbow ligament. The Yankees finished above .500 with a plethora of injuries, seemingly turning to any available former Blue Jay in the process. This statistics-obsessed culture places zero value on cohesion, preferring to individualize each player and position as if he and it work mutually exclusive to all else. Its strange because when you talk to players whove won, in some cases won often, they preach about the importance of accountability and sacrifice for one another. No, there werent deep divisions in the clubhouse, but neither was there cohesion on the field on a consistent basis. Back in April, it was popular to slough off the mounting losses with the tired “Its early” mantra. There were musings about how the standings didnt matter until the seasons final day, when you hoped to be at least one game ahead of the team in second place. True, if not simplistic, but the public lack of concern over the slow start shouldnt be tolerated to the same degree if it repeats in 2014. Some teams dont recover from a bad first two or three weeks. Theres no place for Twitter drama and unnecessary sparring with the media. The pressure of playoff action, witnessed first hand in this ALCS, is no match for the psychologically fragile. The expectation, of course, should be to contend. Nothing less, although its difficult for fans to want to go there in their heads after the season they just witnessed. “They pitch. They play defense. Team chemistry. Situational hit,” repeated Gomes of championship-calibre teams. The strange firing of hitting coach Chad Mottola wont be the only move this winter and its a good thing because, hanging around Fenway Park in October for a couple of days, seeing the anticipation and the expectation and the camaraderie, the Blue Jays have a way to go to get here. Youth Raiders Jerseys . (January 11, 2014) – Once again Kevin Martin proved why he is the all-time TSN skins leader, winning $11,500 in prize money and a spot in the Travelers All-Star Curling Skins Game presented by Pintys final following a semifinal victory over Brad Jacobs earlier this evening at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre in Banff, Alta. Womens Raiders Jerseys . De La Rosa pitched six strong innings to win his sixth consecutive decision, Todd Helton homered and the Colorado Rockies snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers six-game winning streak with a 7-5 victory on Wednesday night. http://www.cheapraidersjerseyselite.com/ . 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The terms were not disclosed.CINCINNATI - Ben Roethlisberger faked a handoff, retreated into his end zone, held the ball long enough for rookie Martavis Bryant to run past the cornerback, and then let it fly.The throw was perfect.The Bengals were finished — for the day, and maybe more.Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns, including a 94-yarder to Bryant as the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled away to a 42-21 victory on Sunday that turned the AFC North back into a totally wide-open division.All four teams are within 1 1/2 games with three to play.The Steelers (8-5) needed a win to stay in the race. They got it with the help of big games by Roethlisberger and LeVeon Bell, who scored three touchdowns.We have a great opportunity in front of us, so Im going to embrace it, said Bell, who ran for 185 yards and had six catches for 50 yards. This is the part of the year where things get a little tight, they get more exciting. Everybody in the locker room is excited about this last couple of weeks.The Bengals (8-4-1) saw their division lead slip to a half-game over the Steelers and Ravens. Instead of pulling away, they find themselves just trying to hold on.Cincinnati has lost to division rivals Cleveland (7-6) and Pittsburgh by 21 points in each in its last two home games. The Bengals havent lost consecutive home games by 21 points since 2002 under Dick LeBeau, who is the Steelers defensive co-ordinator.Andy Daltons fumble started the Steelers toward a 25-point rally in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh piled up piled up 543 yards overall, 229 of them in the fourth quarter.Not even a huge game by A.J. Green — 11 catches for a career-high 224 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown — was enough to keep it close. Pittsburgh got its most lopsided victory in Cincinnati since 2008.This is like playoff football now, Bengals cornerback Adam Pacman Jones said. That is December in the NFL. Everyone is upset about this game. This team has a number of leaders. We will get this figured out.Things learned in Pittsburghs blowout win:BENS BACK: After three subpar games, Roethlisberger was back in form.dddddddddddd He hit his throwing hand on a player and had numbness in his fingers during a loss to New Orleans, but threw accurately with his bare right hand on a cold afternoon. Roethlisberger improved to 18-4 in his home state — 8-2 in Cleveland, 10-2 in Cincinnati.CANT KEEP UP WITH BELL: Bell has totalled more than 200 yards rushing and receiving in each of his last three games, joining Walter Payton as the only players to put together such a streak.LeVeon is the best back in the NFL, Steelers safety Mike Mitchell said. I dont know that there is another one out there playing like he is right now.DALTONS BIG MISTAKE: Dalton set a club record with a 20-yard touchdown run, the longest scoring run by a Bengals quarterback. He faked a handoff to Jeremy Hill, and the Steelers let him run untouched to the end zone. When he tried another fake to Hill in the fourth quarter, he lost hold of the ball. The fumble started Pittsburghs big comeback.At that point, they get points off the turnover, scored a touchdown, and then they scored pretty quick after that, Dalton said. You cant have a play like that at that point in the game.REST OF THE WAY: Cincinnati plays at Cleveland, hosts Denver on a Monday night, then finishes in Pittsburgh. The Steelers play at Atlanta before hosting Kansas City and Cincinnati. Baltimore hosts Jacksonville, plays at Houston, and hosts the Browns. Cleveland hosts Cincinnati and finishes the season at Jacksonville and Baltimore.INJURIES: Cornerback Ike Taylor, who was matched on Green, played with an injured right shoulder and left knee until the fourth quarter, when coach Mike Tomlin decided he couldnt keep up. ... 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