The Toronto Blue Jays entire plans for the approaching July 31 non-waiver trade deadline may have been drastically altered, if not shut down, by Sundays injury news. Eric Dickerson Jersey . Brett Lawrie is likely gone for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger on his right hand, and Jose Bautista is possibly following him to the disabled list with a hamstring issue on his right leg. Before those injuries and during that ugly 3-7 road trip, there was talk the Blue Jays were scouting Rays ace lefty David Price and might have an interest in the multi-talented Ben Zobrist, who can play nearly any position on the diamond. Both players would be an immense help to the Blue Jays, but the odds of either ending up in Toronto are slim and none. It all goes back to that old cliché about not trading within your division. This is Tampa Bays 17th year of existence. Over that span, the Devil Rays/Rays have only made four trades within the American League East, and it might even be a stretch to say even one of those was significant. In fact, they have made only one deal apiece with the Yankees and Red Sox. The Yankees deal goes back over eight years to May 24, 2006. The Yanks bought Nick Green from the Rays. Thats it. The Boston trade goes back even further to July 21,1999. The Rays dealt Dominican-born reliever Julio Santana to the Reds Sox for a player to be named later (Will Silverthorn) and cash. Santana spent seven years in the Majors - including a brief stint with Montreal - but never did pitch for the Red Sox after that deal. The Rays have made three trades with Baltimore but none since August 7, 2009. Arguably the biggest deal between the Rays and Os happened March 29, 1999, when Tampa Bay dealt right hander Jason Johnson to the Orioles for Danny Clyburn and a minor leaguer by the name of Bolivar Volquez. Again, hardly a blockbuster. On August 7, 2007 the Rays picked up catcher Gregg Zahn from the 0s for a player to be named later, named Rhyne Hughes. Zahn was 38 at the time and about a year from calling it a career. All of which brings us to the Blue Jays. They havent made a trade with the Rays in nearly 10 years. On December 12, 2004, they sent catcher Kevin Cash to Tampa Bay for right hander Chad Gaudin. The deal with the Rays that was supposed to have the biggest impact for the Jays happened on July 31, 2000. The Blue Jays looking to add some pitching depth for the stretch run dealt second base prospect Brent Abernathy to the Rays for right hander Steve Trachsel and veteran reliever Mark Guthrie. The deal failed to push Jim Fregosis Jays over the top. Overall, if you look at all eight of the deals the Rays have made without their division, only one - the Trachsel-Guthrie for Abernathy trade - actually came on the July 31 deadline. Most of the trades were inconsequential and none involved a star player. The Rays, as mentioned, havent even made a deal in the East since August 7, 2009, so dont hold your breath waiting for the Jays or any other team in the East to get Price or Zobrist. If either or both are dealt, theyre likely wind up in the National League. The San Diego Padres will be holding a special ceremony this Thursday to honour Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who passed away after a long battle with cancer. I only had the pleasure of watching him up close and in person three times. The first was at the All-Star game in 1998 at Coors Field in Denver. I was so impressed with his smile, his laugh, his personality and his limitless skill with the bat. I was lucky enough to watch that game from a bunker just below field level in right field. We were able to look thought a glass partition and see Tony Gwynn playing right field right in front of us. It was like we were playing right alongside him on every ball hit to right. It was an unforgettable experience. I saw him again in the 1998 World Series, where he might have been the best player on the diamond even though the Yankees swept the Padres four straight. In 1999, I was at the final All-Star game of the last century at Fenway Park in Boston. The most incredible moment was watching all the All-Stars gather at the mound before the game when Red Sox legend Ted Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch from his wheelchair. Tony Gwynn was right at his side. That will always be one of my greatest sporting memories. The Angels put 42-year-old Raul Ibanez on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. If this indeed is the end for Raul as a player, what a career he had. He was a 36th-round draft pick of Seattle back in 1992. He went on to hit .273 for his career with five different organizations with 2019 hits and 3030 homers. He was one of those rare individuals who seemed to get better with age. In 2005, at age 33 he played the entire 162 game schedule. He slugged 29 home runs with Seattle last year at age 41. He also made it to the postseason in five different seasons. If he wants to remain in the game, there are bound to be plenty of organizations willing to give him a chance. If the Jays are going to stay in playoff contention, they have to pick it up against the East - 47 of their remaining 85 games are against their own division and they have slipped to 15-14 versus the East. Baltimore is a division-best 20-13 against the East, while the Yankees are second at 15-10 and the Jays are third. Jack Youngblood Womens Jersey . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. Cooper Kupp Womens Jersey . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/bobby-evans-jersey/ . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee.TORONTO – In each of the past two offseasons Cody Franson and the Maple Leafs disagreed on the worth of the now 26-year-old defender. Contract disputes lingered for days, weeks and months in the winter of 2012 and once more in summer of 2013 before the two sides finally compromised on an unhappy middle with a pair of one-year contracts. Franson, not surprisingly, feels he has something to prove in his third season in Toronto. "Definitely," he said in conversation with the Leaf Report on Tuesday afternoon. "Thats the way my dad raised me was live by proving people wrong, have that motivation and drive to make people that say youre not eat their words." Franson believed that hed established himself as a viable top-4 defender last season, when he broke out with 29 points in 45 games, but Dave Nonis and the Leafs management group wanted to see more. They werent sure what the Sicamous, B.C. native was (the half-season sample size undoubtedly a factor) and balked at committing the sizeable term and dollars he desired in free agency (hence the one-year deal worth $2 million). Soon to be a restricted agent once more in the summer of 2014, Franson is out to prove that hes worthy of such an investment. Entrenched with the significant role and responsibility he always wanted upon landing with the Leafs via trade from Nashville, Franson is only half-satisfied with the season hes had to date. "Its going okay, but I can do more," said Franson, who will assume top pairing duty in the absence of suspended captain Dion Phaneuf. "I feel like I can do more. I feel I can help produce more. I can be a bigger part in our group turning things around." The Leafs have stumbled into December, struggling to generate offence and adequately defend amid a stretch which has seen them win just twice in regulation in 17 games. Now without their captain and leading minute-eater for the next two games – against top teams from Los Angeles and St. Louis no less – theyll need others, Franson most prominently, to step up their game. "The challenges are bountiful as we go forward into the season," said Randy Carlyle of a year thats seen an increasing number of injuries and suspensions, "but somebody else now gets an opportunity to fill those minutes." Be it offensively or defensively, Franson feels his game could stand to rise on a number of different fronts. The scoring leader of the Toronto defence once again this season – he has 14 points – Franson is nonetheless concerned by his inability to find the back of the net. He had four goals on 70 shots in 2013, but has yet score on any of the 40 attempts hes fired so far this year. Directing more pucks on net, thus creating not only goals but rebound opportunities for teammates, will aid in the teams struggling offensive attack – the Leafs have just 23 even-strength goals during this lasting 17-game run. "Obviously not having scored a goal is in my head," he said, noting a desire to increase hiss overall offensive production. Robert Woods Womens Jersey. "Its been a tough year to try and get shots through to the net and really help our forwards in that sense. Thats bothering me a bit." Amongst the best at his position in producing offence at even-strength last season – he had 16 points, tied for 12th most among NHL defenders – Franson has just three such points this season, the majority of his production coming on one of the leagues top power-plays. Because the Leafs have struggled to move the puck effectively for the better part of the opening two-plus months theyve been ineffective with a forecheck from which theyd like to initiate offence. One of their better puck-movers, Franson can help in that regard with some measure of improvement. "I havent got enough of those this year," said Franson of even-strength points, 11 of his 14 assists coming with the man advantage. "Thats something Ive been trying to focus on in getting better at and try to help our team win." Already second in ice-time among Leaf defenders – 21 minutes per game –Franson is poised to peg, if not more minutes, than more difficult minutes with Phaneuf suspended for tough tests against the Kings and Blues. He was paired with Carl Gunnarsson on the top pairing of Tuesdays practice. Though hes made strides in the right direction in Toronto, Franson remains a work in progress in the defensive zone. Part of that growth lies in his assertiveness and physicality. The 6-foot-5 defender has always been prodded to employ the requisite physical game his size is said to demand. Under the direction of Carlyle he has improved considerably. Franson actually leads all NHL defenders with 98 hits (entering Tuesdays action), quite a shift for a player who had 55 in his first 61 NHL games with Nashville. "Ive gotten better," said Franson, "but theres always room for improvement. Ive watched the video clips of myself after a lot of games and I see spots where I know I couldve at least bumped a guy there or a guy takes a shot and I was more worried about the rebound than finishing [him] into the wall. Just some things that I need to get back into the habit of doing and itll help me." Habit has also been forced to change with a steady mix of defensive partners. Unlike last season, when he played with Mark Fraser almost exclusively, Franson has shifted from partner to partner amid the teams struggles on the back-end. Gunnarsson will be the fifth partner hes been paired with already this season. The adjustment is as subtle as thinking versus reacting instinctually. "[I]t makes you think a little more and sometimes Im thinking too much and its making me read things a little slower than I should be and in turn making me not quite as aggressive as Id like to be," said Franson. "Ive got to get that down a little quicker and itll help." Such improvements will go a long ways toward proving the "naysayers" wrong while helping the Leafs turn a much-needed corner. ' ' '