TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Kevin Seitzer usually stands right behind the cage during batting practice while the players take their cuts. From time to time, hell move over to the side and will weigh in with a quick tip or two. Its a comfortable approach that has paid dividends for the American League East division leaders, who boast an offence that is among the best in Major League Baseball. "I think hes hands on when he needs to and he sits back and he watches when he needs to too," said Blue Jays catcher Erik Kratz. "We have a lot of good hitters here and with good hitters comes success and some streakiness. "He does a good job of limiting the bad streaks and extending the good streaks." The teams offensive statistics over the first two months of the campaign have been eye-opening. Entering Wednesdays games, the Blue Jays led the major leagues in home runs (83) and were second in runs scored (296), RBIs (281), slugging percentage (.451), hits (534) and OPS (on-base plus slugging — .784). Toronto was also tied for second in on-base percentage (.333) and sat fifth in team batting average (.264). Seitzer keeps a close eye on all the numbers but values some statistical categories more than others. "Runs scored is the one Im most concerned about," he said. "If youre scoring runs, whether you do it by home runs, situational hitting, youve got to be able to get on base, draw walks, be able to move runners and get big hits when guys are in scoring position. "It kind of encompasses everything really." The 52-year-old native of Springfield, Ill., was hired by the Blue Jays last fall after spending parts of five seasons as a hitting coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. He succeeded Chad Mottola, who spent one year in the position. Seitzer, a two-time all-star as a player, had a .295 career average over 12 seasons with the Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians. As a coach, he has preached the importance of preparation and making hard, consistent contact in the box. "Have an idea of what the pitcher has got and what hes going to try to do, and then what each guy needs to do in order to have the best chance to succeed," he said of his approach. "I like to keep things simple. I dont like it complicated, they dont want it complicated. "Theyve made really good adjustments so far." The power portion of the Toronto lineup has delivered so far with sluggers Edwin Encarnacion (.272 average, 19 homers, 50 RBIs) and Jose Bautista (.310, 14 homers, 41 RBIs) on pace for big seasons. Among the other notable performances, first baseman Adam Lind is batting .347 while Melky Cabrera has a .303 average. Juan Francisco is hitting .276 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in just 36 games. As for that important runs scored category, three Toronto players are in the top 15 in the major leagues: Bautista (44 - tied for fourth), Encarnacion (41 - tied for seventh) and Cabrera (37 - tied for 14th). Those numbers are a big reason why Toronto took a 35-24 record — the second-best mark in the American League — into Wednesdays game at Detroit. Its a big step up from this time last year, when the Blue Jays were last in the East at 24-34. "Its been phenomenal," Seitzer said of the teams effort. "If youre in first place after the first third, then the second third and the third one, then youre right where you need to be. So I couldnt ask for more right now." The 2013 Blue Jays posted decent offensive numbers despite their poor 74-88 record. The team was ninth in runs scored (712), fourth in homers (185), 11th in RBIs (669), eighth in slugging percentage (.411) and 15th in batting average (.252). While Seitzer deserves his share of the credit for the improvement, hes quick to praise the players for their professional approach and effort. He has been very impressed with what hes seen so far. "Probably the most (impressive thing) is the talent level and then secondly, their work ethic and preparation going in," he said. "When you have that combination and the ability to make adjustments along the way, youve got a chance to do some damage every night. Theyve been doing great." Loic Mbe Soh Paris Saint-Germain Jersey .com) - Patrik Elias registered the winner in the shootout as New Jersey nipped Toronto 2-1 at Prudential Center on Wednesday. Kevin Rimane Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . Espanyol midfielder Sanchez intercepted Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizozs clearance and, having spotted a gap, risked using his less-favoured left foot to fire a beautifully precise long-range shot that bounced in from high up the near post in the 24th minute. http://www.parissaintgermainfcstore.com/...ain-Jersey/.com) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and four-time Australian Open titlist Roger Federer were among Mondays fourth-round winners at Melbourne Park. Presnel Kimpembe Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . The triple gold medallist from the 2010 Paralympics tweeted on Tuesday: "Woke up with a virus yesterday. Timing couldnt be much worse. Not the ideal prep for the . Dani Alves Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick.Theres a new man leading the monthly International Scouting Service rankings of the Top 30 draft eligible prospects. After a solid performance at the World Junior Hockey Championship, Barrie Colts defenceman Aaron Ekblad ended Sam Reinharts four-month reign atop the ISS rankings. Reinhart, a centre for the Kootenay Ice, fell to No. 2. Ekblad, 17, has 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 31 games played for the Colts this season. The Belle River, Ont. native had a four-goal performance against the Kingston Frontenacs on JJan.dddddddddddd 11. Reinhart has 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points in 34 games with the WHLs Ice this season. Sam Bennett is third on this months list, tallying 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points in 40 games played with the Frontenacs. Michael Dal Colle of the Oshawa Generals and Wille Nylander of Sodertalje in Sweden round out the top five. David Pastrnak of Sodertalje, Brycen Martin of the Swift Current Broncos and Ryan MacInnis of the Kitchener Rangers are the newcomers on the ISS rankings for January. ' ' '

Tommy Haas needs a fourth operation on his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the tennis season. The 20th-ranked German retired from his opening match at the French Open last month and withdrew from last weeks Gerry Weber Open in Halle to assess the injury. The 36-year-old players management company said Monday that Haas has three damaged tendons in his right shoulder, which was operated on in 2002, 2003 and 2007. Haas says "the diagnosis was a real shock" and surgery "cant be avoided because the injury is very serious." Haas, once ranked No. 2 in the world, will undergo surgery Tuesday in New York. He says he no plans to retire and hopes for a comeback in 2015. Haas says "Im still totally convinced Ive good matches and tournaments ahead of me." Giovani Lo Celso Argentina Jersey ." One game is checked off, 15 remain and the next one to get crossed out could come Tuesday night when the defending champion Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Franco Armani Jersey . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com/...America-Jersey/. Hawkins severely sprained his left ankle while making a diving catch during training camp and went on injured reserve with a designation he could return midway through the season. He was back at practice Wednesday. Cristian Ansaldi Argentina Jersey . Gomes drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Ever Banega Argentina Jersey . "Today was a very great day for me. It was always my dream to be good in GS," Wierather said. "I took quite a long time to get there. It feels awesome to have my first win (in GS)." Wierather leads overall with 595 points from Lara Gut (568), who finished second, and Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany (535).HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Nico Rosberg won the German Grand Prix on Sunday to stretch his lead in the Formula One drivers championship over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished third after starting 20th. "Its an amazing feeling to win at home. Its a very special day," said Rosberg, who led throughout to become the first German to triumph at Hockenheim since Michael Schumacher won in 2006. Hamilton, who crashed in qualifying and survived a number of scrapes throughout the race, could not pass Valtteri Bottas in the closing laps and the Finn took second to give Williams its 300th F1 podium finish. "It was not easy and required input from all the engineers. Thanks to all the fans. I saw many Finnish flags so thank you," Bottas said. Hamilton was pushed back to the penultimate row of the grid due to his qualifying crash and a penalty for changing his gearbox, but threaded his way through the field despite a broken front wing caused by a collision with former teammate Jenson Button of McLaren. His super-soft tires wore quickly in his final stint and he did not have the grip to get past Bottas. Rosberg leads Hamilton by 14 points going into next weekends race in Hungary. Four-time defending champ Sebastian Vettel was fourth, ahead of Ferraris Fernando Alonso who won his exciting battle with Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo for fifth. Alonso and Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg, who finished seventh, are the only drivers to have scored points in each of the ten races so far this season, and the Spaniards points finish means Ferrari has finished in the points for 77 consecutive races. There was a collision at the first corner between Kevin Magnussens McLaren and Felipe Massas Williams, which flipped over and slid across the run-off area in a shower of sparks. The McLaren also left the track and Ricciardo had to steer wide around them to avoid the damage, dropping him down to 15th and compromising his race. Magnussen had to pit to repair damage to his left front tire but Massas race was over. The Brazilian emerged unhurt from the car to cheers from the crowd. "Im okay. The accident was a little bit more scary watching than being inside. I just saw everything the other way around, butt I am fine," Massa said.dddddddddddd "I am so disappointed at what happened. Its another race and another car that has pushed me out and finished my race. With a car that that is very competitive and fast thats so disappointing." Massa said the Danish driver was at fault although a stewards review found no wrongdoing. "I was in front and doing the corner in front. If someone needs to watch, its the car behind," Massa said. It was looking like it could be another a 1-2 for Mercedes as Hamilton quickly worked his way through the field. The Briton hit Kimi Raikkonens Ferrari to overtake both the Finn and Ricciardo in a brave move at the hairpin on lap 13. A piece of Raikkonens front plate flew into the air. On lap 30, Hamilton tried to overtake Button on the hairpin but damaged his left-front wing and that proved critical in finishing third rather than second. "I did as good as I could. It was hard to get through the pack safely and I had a little bit of a collision with Jenson," Hamilton said. "I thought he was going to open the door which he has done a couple of times lately but that was my bad judgment." Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat retired on lap 46 when his car burst into flames. The Russian was visibly annoyed, hitting a barrier in frustration. Adrian Sutil of Sauber spun on lap 50 of 67 and stalled in the middle of the start-finish straight. The race director had to make a big decision on whether to bring out the safety car, which would have pulled Rosberg back to the field, or let the race continue, and he chose the latter even though it took a couple of laps before they moved the car. "That would have made it more difficult," a relieved Rosberg acknowledged. It has been a remarkable couple of weeks since the Germans first non-finish of the season at the British Grand Prix. The 29-year-old married his girlfriend, watched Germany win the World Cup, signed a contract extension with Mercedes, and he has now won his home GP for his fourth victory of the season. Rosberg had previously not finished higher than eighth place at Hockenheim, in 2010. The best he managed at a German GP was fourth at the Nurburgring the year before that ' ' '

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Derek Norris figures the only difference between starting and coming off the bench is the need to bear down a little quicker when hes asked to pinch-hit. Norris delivered a pinch-hit homer and drove in five runs, Stephen Vogt went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and the Oakland Athletics roughed up Yu Darvish again in beating the Texas Rangers 10-6 Tuesday night. "He has a knack," As manager Bob Melvin said about Norris. "Hes ready for the situation." Norris, a career .500 hitter against the Rangers, is 4 for 11 with five RBIs as a pinch-hitter. "I dont know what that means," he said. "I mean, I like starting, too." Six of the catchers eight home runs this year have come with at least two runners on base. "Five RBIs off the bench; thats something special," Norris said. "Ultimately, the credit goes to the team for getting on base. I dont get any more or less aggressive whether someone is on or no one is on. I just try to put the barrel of the bat on the ball." Tommy Milone (5-3) won his fifth consecutive decision, matching his career best, as the As won their third in four games. Milone gave up three runs and five hits over 5 2-3 innings, improving to 5-0 in his last eight starts. He walked one and struck out three. "Every game I just try to stay within myself and not do too much," Milone said. "Im trying to get those guys out and so far its been working. When were scoring runs, pitchers in general just attack the zone and throw strikes." Darvish (7-3) dropped his eighth straight to the As, and the Rangers lost for the second time in six games. "For some reason, they have really good numbers against me," Darvish said through a translator. "I just have to prepare myself for the next start." Darvish allowed seven runs -- four earned -- and eight hits over five-plus innings. He walked five and struck out eight, including Brandon Moss in the first for career strikeout No. 600. "He was out there searching, which he always does," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Usually he finds something, but tonight he just didnt find it. He just couldnt find anything to get them out with." Roughned Odor homered, tripled and drove in three runs for the Rangers. Aaron Poreda, recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day, took over for Darvish with two runners on in the sixth and got two outs before giving way to Shawn Tolleson, who gave up Norris home run. Adrian Beltre gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first with his two-out RBI single. The As scored twice in the second. Jed Lowrie, Vogt and Alberto Callaspo hit consecutive singles to open the inning. Lowrie scored on Callaspos hit, and Vogt came around to score on right fielder Alex Rios throwing error. Vogt added RBI singles in the third and fifth. Coco Crisp hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Norris hit a three-run shot, his fourth career pinch-hit homer, in the sixth. "It seems like all the catchers are producing, even when they are all in the lineup," Milone said. "Its a lot of fun right now." Odour hit a solo homer in the fifth and added a two-run triple in the seventh. Rios hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Daniel Robertson drove in a run in the seventh. Norris added a two-run double in the eighth. NOTES: Robbie Ross was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room for Poreda. ... The Rangers signed veteran 1B Carlos Pena to a minor league deal. ... Darvish owns a 7.59 ERA in four career starts at the Coliseum in Oakland. ... RHP Nick Tepesch (2-2, 3.94 ERA) starts for the Rangers in Wednesdays series finale. Hes won three straight over AL West opponents. RHP Sonny Gray (6-3, 2.93) goes for the As. He has lost his last two. ... As LHP Drew Pomeranz was placed on the 15-day DL with a broken right hand. He was injured when he punched the back of a chair in frustration Monday night after losing to Texas in his shortest outing of the season. ... As RHP Evan Scribner was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. Oakland also obtained LHP Brad Mills for cash in a trade with Milwaukee. Torry Holt Jersey . The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S. Tyler Higbee Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Marshall-Faulk-Jersey/. The Raptors had an early deadline Sunday, a dreaded afternoon game, and they left the bulk of their work until the last minute, as theyve done so many times before. Marshall Faulk Rams Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Clay Matthews Rams Jersey . For one, he still gets to crank the intensity to the max. "I push pretty angry. I ran pretty angry too though, but I have fun doing it," Lumsden said.Toronto Rock General Manager Terry Sanderson announced the signing of goaltender Brandon Miller to a two-year agreement on Thursday. Along with the last line of defence being under contract, Toronto has re-signed defencemen Damon Edwards to a three-year deal, Rob Marshall to a two-year contract and Ethan OConnor to a one-year pact. The signings are pending league approval. Miller was acquired at the 2014 NLL trade deadline in March and won three of his four starts down the stretch as the Rock rallied from four games below .500 at the end of March to finish 9-9 and earn the second seed in the East Division. The 35-year old Orangeville, ON native is a veteran of 14 NLL seasons with stops in Albany, San Jose, Chicago, and of course Philadelphia, before landing in Toronto last season. "Brandon came in last season and was a big part of us making the playoffs," said Sanderson. "We have great depth in goal with Nick Rose and Steve Fryer alongside Brandon. That depth sets us up very nicely tto compete with the top teams in the league.dddddddddddd" The other three players signed will be keys to the Rock defence that plays in front of Miller in 2015. Rob Marshall is the second longest tenured athlete on any Toronto pro sports team behind Blue Jays pitcher Dustin McGowan. The nine-year NLL veteran, all with the Rock, was a member of the 2011 Toronto Rock championship team and has been one of the teams most reliable defenders for years. A veteran of five NLL seasons, defenceman Damon Edwards had a career year offensively transitioning the ball from the back end. He scored 7 goals and added 15 assists for 22 points in 2014, shattering his previous career high of 4 points established in 2011 and 2012. 2013 first round draft pick Ethan OConnor had a tremendous rookie season in 2014, leading the team and all NLL rookies in loose balls with 133. That total ranked him 9th overall in the league. He scored 5 goals and added 4 assists in 17 games for the Rock last season. ' ' '