R.A. Dickey lost on Opening Day and Jose Reyes is on the dis

[carrie201918]

R.A. Dickey lost on Opening Day and Jose Reyes is on the disabled list. Stop me if youve heard this one before, because amazingly its a scenario that Blue Jays fans are now experiencing for the second straight April. Add in the fact that closer Casey Janssen was placed on the DL on the eve of the season, and you could argue things are even worse than they were a year ago for the Jays. Lets get it out of the way right off the top - it was Game 1 of 162. A baseball fan wouldnt feel uncomfortable about a teams chances after just one game, right? But theres no question that theres a sense of deja vu for Toronto fans after Mondays 9-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Bad starting pitching last April coupled with the injury to Reyes pretty much killed the Jays chances at contending by the time the calendar flipped to May. So is it an overreaction this time around to have that same ominous feeling that this is nothing more than a continuation of last season? Sure, Tampa Bay is considered a World Series contender and theres no shame in losing to former Cy Young winner David Price. But still. In the 1989 baseball cult classic film "Major League", it was commentator Harry Doyle, played by the legendary Bob Uecker, who said "a lot of people say you can tell how the seasons gonna go by the first hitter of the year." Willie Mays Hays legged out an infield single for the Indians in the movie, then got picked off first base. On Monday, Reyes never made it that far. In the first at-bat of the Blue Jays season, he pulled up while running to first base after aggravating the hamstring injury that had been bothering him during spring training. The team placed him on the 15-day disabled list after the game, meaning it will be the middle of the month at best before we see Torontos star leadoff hitter in the lineup again. The Blue Jays will play three more games at Tropicana Field this week, a place where they have not won a series since 2007. Then its home for three against the revamped New York Yankees to close out the first week of the season. Last year the Blue Jays finished the first week with a record of 2-4, and its entirely possible they could be in that zone again. Given, its very, very early. You cant judge a major league season by the first game. But do you feel uncomfortable about the Blue Jays after witnessing their Opening Day loss? Its Your! Call. Anthony Davis Lakers Jersey . -- Jacksonvilles offensive makeover is just getting starting. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Wil ... in-Jersey/. According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with cornerback Kelvin Hayden. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot.HUMBLE, Texas -- Phil Mickelson has never shied away from suspense, though its usually limited to his play. The four-time major winner, who withdrew from last weeks Texas Open after pulling a muscle in his right side, waited as long as possible to end the guessing about whether he would play this week ahead of the Masters. Mickelson finally announced his intentions to indeed play at this weeks Houston Open on Wednesday afternoon through a post on his website. The decision came after two days of "light practice" at Augusta National, where Mickelson said his side "felt sore as opposed to hurting." "I feel that to give myself the best chance at the Masters I have to play in Houston," Mickelson said. "If I thought I would injure myself further I would have withdrawn from the tournament, but the last few days have been good." Mickelson didnt play in Wednesdays pro-am, fueling speculation that he might withdraw from the tournament he won in 2011. However, tournament director Steve Timms said that had been planned for six weeks -- long before his injury. Timms said Mickelson had already agreed to take part in a sponsor dinner rather than play in the pro-am. The worlds No. 5 player helped solidify the Houston Opens spot as a preferred Masters tuneup by committing to play in 2008 and every year since. He finished 16th last year. Mickelsons return to the 7,441-yard Golf Club of Houston -- formerly known as Redstone Golf Club before an ownership change -- highlights a stellar field that features the winners of 34 major championships. Its a field that includes Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, among others, as well as defending champion D.A. Points. First and foremost, theyre after the winners share of the $6.4 million event -- while also using the courses slick greens and tight rough to prepare for the Masters. After a schedule change last year, the tournament is back in its normmal slot.dddddddddddd And thats just fine with McIlroy, who tied for 45th at the event last year while still in the infant stages of a club change. "Its brilliant," McIlroy said. "They get the fairway heights the same, the rough heights the same, the runoff around the greens ... Its perfect for that." McIlroy finished 19th at the Houston Open in 2009 before missing the cut a year later. The former world No. 1 was winless on the PGA Tour last year, though he has been trending upward since -- including a win over Adam Scott in the Australian Open in December. He finished second at the Honda Classic last month before tying for 25th at Doral. McIlroy took the last three weeks off leading into the Houston Open-- a big change from last year when he decided to play the Texas Open only days ahead of time. Even with Augusta National looming, McIlroy said hes fully focused on competing this week. "I think its important to finish well," McIlroy said. "I dont think theres any better way to prepare than getting yourself into contention and playing golf under pressure, because thats ultimately what you want to do next week." Points sank a 13-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to win last year, winning by one stroke over Stenson and Billy Horschel. The American hasnt finished higher than 28th this year, including missed cuts in each of his last two tournaments, but his confidence is high this week. "Knowing that Ive had success here, and its cool to be out there," Points said. "Makes you feel like, Hey, I can do that again." Mickelson tees off Thursday morning with Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, with the threesome of Texas native Jimmy Walker, Stenson and Matt Kuchar behind them. McIlroys threesome with Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald begins in the afternoon, followed immediately by a group including Jordan Spieth, Garcia and Steve Stricker. ' ' '