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ST. Tyson Alualu Jersey . PETERSBURG – Casey Janssen is still the Blue Jays closer. Except when he isnt, which depends upon Aaron Sanchezs status on a particular day. Janssen was measured when describing his own situation. “Its an interesting one.” An unselfish player during his decade in the Blue Jays organization, Janssen offered a little more when discussing the state of the team. “The situation right now is were on a four-game winning streak, were trying to back into the playoff race and hopefully we continue to stay hot and make this an interesting September for everybody.” Janssens situation is a reminder, perhaps a cruel one, about the nature of professional sports. The ‘What have you done for me lately? mindset supersedes the broader resume. An older player, especially an impending free agent whose re-signing isnt prioritized, runs the risk of being bumped by a young up-and-comer whos at the centre of an organizations plans. It isnt about whats right and it isnt about whats fair. Thats not a bad thing. There is, however, a way to afford a tenured veteran the respect of clarity. Heres whats clear: Sanchez is the priority. A starting pitcher throughout his professional career, the 22-year-old is dipping his toes in big league waters as a reliever and hes been very good. In 16 appearances, Sanchez has posted a 1.52 ERA and allowed runs in only three of his games. Taking pains to protect Sanchezs arm, the Blue Jays wont allow him to pitch more than two consecutive days. As well, if Sanchez makes a two inning appearance, he is unavailable the next day. If Sanchez warms up during a game, he will pitch in that game. A warm up counts as a work day so if Sanchez heats up, its a waste not to use him. The latter scenario unfolded during Wednesday nights 7-4 victory over the Rays. Sanchez loosened up in the seventh, with the score 7-2, behind Aaron Loup. Loup stranded a baserunner in the inning but Sanchez picked up again in the eighth as Dustin McGowan was giving up a two-run home run to Evan Longoria to cut the Toronto lead to three. Suddenly, a save situation existed. But there stood Janssen, down the left field line in the visitors bullpen, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and, towel in hand, loosening his arm. He would not ascend to the bullpen mound. “Im starting to get the grasp of it a little bit more,” said Janssen of his situation vis-à-vis Sanchez. “Pretty much, I just have to be ready to pitch and make the most of every opportunity that I get and see where that takes me. Sanchez is a heck of a pitcher, hes throwing the heck out of the ball and right now were just concerned with wins and if he gives us the best chance to win then we need him in the game.” Manager John Gibbons said he spoke to Janssen following Wednesdays game. After the skipper laid out the details, Janssen made a counter offer. Hell throw when hes needed. It doesnt have to be the ninth inning. “Because its a little fluid Ill pitch whenever,” said Janssen. “I just want to pitch and I just want to help the team as best I can. If one night of the week thats closing, if one night of the week thats something else, weve just got to roll with it.” Janssen has converted 21 of 25 save opportunities this season. The first two of his blown saves, on May 29 versus Kansas City and on June 9 against Minnesota, werent his fault. A ninth inning, two-out throwing error by Jose Reyes brought home the Royals tying run on May 29. Kansas City would win the game in 10 innings, snapping the Blue Jays season-high nine-game winning streak. On June 9, a one out double play groundball didnt get turned, extending the inning and the Twins managed to cash two runs to tie the game, although the Jays would win on a Kevin Pillar walk-off single in the ninth. The two most recent blown saves were on Janssen. Both came in August, a month in which he posted a 6.75 ERA and opponents slugged him for a .943 OPS against. Janssen hasnt been the same since being felled by a bout of food poisoning over the All-Star Break. He lost eight pounds during the ordeal and after missing the first two games post-break, he threw in five of Torontos next eight. It took Janssen longer to feel better than hed be willing to admit – hes not one for excuses – but the illness is far enough in the rearview mirror that its out of mind. Its all but certain Janssen will be in a different uniform next season. However it appears his time in Toronto is ending, he doesnt want it to reflect the life and career hes built in the city. “I dont want my time here in Toronto to get muddied by this last month and a half of the season,” said Janssen. “Ive been here for eight-plus seasons. Ive given this city and the team everything Ive had for as long as Ive been playing and I just dont want this … whatever you want to call it, stamp who I am as a person, as a teammate and as a competitor.” JENKINS SEASON OVER Reliever Chad Jenkins suffered a fractured right hand in a freak batting practice accident. He was in the outfield when a line drive short-hopped him, bending back his pinky finger and fracturing the bone at the fingers base. The recovery time is four-to-six weeks. Roosevelt Nix Jersey . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Kevin Greene Jersey .Johnny there, who knew he had that speed? teammate Tommy Wingels said.Scott and Matt Irwin were unlikely goal-scorers Tuesday night as the previously stingy San Jose Sharks finally sprung a leak or two, blowing a pair of three-goal leads before coming away with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals. http://www.footballsteelerstore.us/Black-Friday-Jordan-Berry-Jersey/ . Speaking with TSN 1050 following Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference, the Leafs GM also addressed the clubs perceived leadership issues and the type of working relationship that can be expected within Torontos front office.The St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Numbers Game breaks down the Blues acquisition of Ryan Miller and Steve Ott. The Blues Get: G Ryan Miller and C Steve Ott. Miller, 33, is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, despite rarely getting rewarded with wins by this struggling Sabres team. Millers .923 save percentage this season is the second-best of his career, bettered only by his .929 save percentage in 2009-2010, when he won the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender. Its that strong play from Miller this year that has made him an attractive commodity on the trade market because, over the past three seasons, his .926 even-strength save percentage is only okay, just barely ahead of Jaroslav Halaks .925 mark. Its also not like Miller has a sterling playoff reputation. He hasnt played beyond the first round since 2007 and his .917 career save percentage in the playoffs is actually worse than Halaks .923. The numbers arent going to present a strong edge for Miller, so the deal has to be predicated on some comfort level; that the Blues intangibly feel better about their chances with Miller than Halak. Ott is a 31-year-old forward who has been asked to handle too much ice time on a Sabres team lacking bona fide NHL talent. Hes averaging a career-high 19:42 per game -- a couple of seconds more per game than current Blues No. 1 centre David Backes -- despite getting destroyed in terms of puck possession. However, Ott had established earlier in his career that he could be a decent complementary forward, skating in a top-nine role and penalty killing while chipping in some offence and annoying just about anyone he comes in contact with. Since the start of the 2009-2010 season, Ott is the only player in the NHL to have at least 60 goals and 600 penalty minutes. In a third or fourth-line role with the Blues, though, Ott should be in position to have some success. Both Miller and Ott will be unrestricted free agents in the summer, so there isnt any grand financial commitment from the Blues, though if their playoff run goes well, its safe to assume that St. Louis would at least want to keep Miller around. The Sabres Get: G Jaroslav Halak, RW Chris Stewart, LW William Carrier, a first-round pick in 2015 and a third-round pick in 2016. Halak, 28, has been decent this season, posting a .917 save percentage (that matches his career mark) in 40 games. Hes had some ups and downs, including an injury-marred 2013 season during which he posted an .899 save perccentage but, by and large, hes been an above average goaltender throughout his 260-game NHL career. Jack Butler Jersey. Halaks .917 career save percentage is actually a hair better than Millers .916 save percentage. While Halak was moved out, its not impossible for the Sabres to flip him again prior to the deadline. Halak will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, so there are no guarantees about where hes going to be playing next year. Stewart is a 26-year-old power forward who has 15 goals, 26 points and a career-high 112 penalty minutes in 58 games this season. Those numbers are a far cry from last season, when Stewart led the Blues with 36 points in 48 games and his ice time has been knocked down to 14:42 per game, his lowest since his rookie year in 2008-2009. Even worse, Stewart has been getting torched in terms of puck possession, despite starting more than 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone. On a team as good as the Blues, thats not easy to accomplish. Nevertheless, Stewart is a big winger who can score and is under contract at a cap hit of $4.15-million for next season. If he doesnt perform well in Buffalo, Stewart could very easily be moved again, or he could get flipped even before he suits up for the Sabres. Carrier was a second-round pick of the Blues in 2013 and has 56 points (17 G, 39 A) in 59 QMJHL games. He has the size to be a power foward and was traded to Drummondville part way through the season. Carrier will need a few years to develop, but his offensive production this year raises some questions about whether hes going to be a notable scorer as a pro. Getting the Blues first-round pick in 2015 is a nice coup for the Sabres. Its not as though the Blues can be expected to collapse and be in line for the No. 1 pick, which is earmarked for Connor McDavid, but the 2015 draft is expected to be strong, so there is likely more value for the Sabres getting that pick rather than one late in the 2014 draft. The third-round pick in 2016 is a nice sweetener, with upside, as it could be a first-round pick if the Blues reach the Western Conference Final or Miller re-signs in St. Louis. These are two teams in virtually opposite positions. The Blues are ready to take a run at the Stanley Cup and are willing to take on a couple of potential rentals to help in that regard, and while the Blues sacrificed some draft pick value, they didnt lose any core pieces of the team that has been so successful to this point in the season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '