Travis Snider works on swing in minors,comes back swinging a hot bat

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TORONTO -- Travis Snider's new outlook and approach at the plate appears to be paying off in a big way for the young outfielder.

The 23-year-old has been on an tear since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on July 4. His success continued on Wednesday night with another impressive performance against the Mariners.

Snider matched his career high with five RBIs while Brandon Morrow had little difficulty taking care of his former team in an 11-6 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.

Bluejays don't like day games

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TORONTO -- Maybe the Blue Jays just aren't morning people.

We all have a little bit of trouble pulling ourselves out of bed in the morning to go to work, but this Blue Jays team seems to especially dread the early wake-up call, having dropped yet another day game Sunday afternoon, 7-2 to the Yankees.

The loss plummeted Toronto's record in day games to 13-25, as opposed to a rather favorable 34-23 record when the team plays at night. It's a stat that has not been lost on Blue Jays manager John Farrell.

Win streak ends at 5

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TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' surging offense came to a standstill when matched up against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

CC Sabathia held Toronto in check for almost his entire outing with a dominating performance in front of 45,606 fans at Rogers Centre on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Jays' winning streak was snapped at five games, thanks in part to the eight quality innings from Sabathia in a 4-1 loss to the Yankees.

Oh no...son of a bitch

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TORONTO -- You could almost hear the collective hearts of Blue Jays fans drop on Thursday night as Jose Bautista writhed on the ground in considerable pain after turning his right ankle while sliding into third base.

The 30-year-old slugger was running into a routine forceout in the fourth inning when he slid feet-first and caught a cleat in the dirt beside the bag.

He immediately left the game for X-rays, which came back negative. He will be re-evaluated on Friday morning before likely going for an MRI to determine if there is any muscular damage.

Jose Bautista is the best player the past 2 years

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CLEVELAND -- Jose Bautista's outstanding start to the 2011 season is second to none in Blue Jays history.

One swing on Saturday night made sure of it.

Facing Josh Tomlin in the third inning, Bautista hit a solo home run into the left-field bleachers at Progressive Field, giving him 30 for the season.

Not satisfied with that number, Bautista broke a 4-4 tie in the 10th inning with his 31st shot, also into the left-field bleachers. That blast proved to be the gamewinner.

Bautista is the first Blue Jays player to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break, which he did in his 83rd game. His first shot broke the record of 29, set by George Bell in 1987 in his 84th game. Bell finished with 47 long balls that year, a career high.

Bautista went deep 54 times last season, setting a team record.

Bautista is the first player to hit at least 30 homers in the first half of the season since Alex Rodriguez did it in 2007.

Snider gets called up from AAA Las Vegas and gets rolling fast

Travis Snider recorded three doubles and a pair of RBIs as the Blue Jays roughed up right-hander John Lackey en route to a 9-7 victory over the Red Sox on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Snider, who was recalled from Triple-A before the game, reached base four times and recorded a run. He was helped out by second baseman Aaron Hill, who homered and notched a pair of RBIs.
Toronto chased Lackey before the end of the third. The right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits while striking out two over just 2 1/3 innings.
Center fielder Rajai Davis opened the scoring for the Blue Jays in the first. He doubled to lead off the game, stole third and came around to score on an error by Kevin Youkilis.
Lackey was dealt the final blow in the third. He allowed three consecutive hits to open the frame. Adam Lind and Hill delivered RBI singles, while Snider added a two-run double in what ended up being Lackey's final batter.

Mike Vick ,just win and ppl will forget anything

Nike re-signs Vick to endorsement deal
Fri Jul 1, 12:45 PM ET


Michael Vick, who has done a remarkable job of repairing his image since being released from prison in 2009, has another big step in his comeback.

CNBC reported Friday that Nike, which had ended Vick's contract in 2007 after he admitted his involvement in a dogfighting ring, has re-signed the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback to an endorsement deal.

“Michael acknowledges his past mistakes,” Nike spokesman Derek Kent told CNBC. “We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field.”

Vick's image has improved, in part, because of numerous public service appearances and speaking engagements regarding animal abuse outreach. His comeback accelerated dramatically during the 2010 season, when he became the Eagles' starter and re-established himself as one of the league's top stars.

In 12 games, Vick set career bests in completion percentage (62.6), touchdown passes (21), passing yards (3,018) and passer rating (100.2) while leading the Eagles to the NFC East championship. He threw only six interceptions and showed his old magic as a runner, putting up 676 yards and nine touchdowns, while earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection.

"Michael is excited to have a long-term and strong relationship with Nike,” Vick's agent, Joel Segal, told CNBC.

Nike had dropped Vick as a spokesperson in August 2007, canceling the release of his fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V. At that time, the company released a statement saying that cruelty to animals was “inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable.”

CNBC reported that this may be the first time in the history of sports marketing that an athlete has been dumped and then re-signed.