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DUNEDIN, Florida – The Yankees roughed up R. Willie Horton Jersey .A. Dickey on Wednesday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Dickeys final appearance before he throws his second consecutive Opening Day for the Blue Jays. Dickey met with the media to preview the season, discuss the clubs decision to keep Josh Thole over Erik Kratz and outline his plans for the next few days. He will not travel with the team to Montreal. Here is a transcript of the conversation: QUESTION: R.A., kind of one last chance to work a few things out as opposed to looking at it as a regular season game? DICKEY: Oh yeah. Today was not a day about results for me. I mean, ideally, it would be great to get out of there with some clean innings but what was paramount for me was to exercise my arm in a way where I felt good and I was able to use a large range of velocities and mix in pitches that I would never throw during the regular season maybe to put it in their head that thats another weapon that I might use on them later. So I did exactly what I wanted to do. I got my exercise. I came out of spring feeling good. It was a good spring for me. My velocity is there. Now its just a matter of going to work." QUESTION: Not to say anything bad about Kratz but with Thole now being named your guy, I mean he has more experience with you than pretty much any catcher. Is that a good feeling to know that Tholes going to be your guy this year? DICKEY: Yeah. Look, Kratz did a great job. He improved every time out. There is, obviously, no replacement for experience and I think thats probably the angle that the leadership was coming from in making the decision to stick with Thole. Its important for us to get off to a good start, I think, this year and whatevers going to help us do that, so to take that doubt, even if it was just a miniscule doubt, out of the equation completely is good for me. Its good for everybody. QUESTION: But they didnt ask you personally what you thought? DICKEY: No and I didnt want them to. I wanted them to evaluate it on their own. They have enough baseball people in place to be able to see with their own eyes and make the decision accordingly. Thats a tough position for a teammate to be put in and I didnt want any part of it. QUESTION: Are you comfortable throwing to (Kratz) if that happens later in the season? DICKEY: Absolutely. I thought he did a very good job of improving every time out. QUESTION: Are you as ready as you think you can be for your Opening Day assignment? DICKEY: Yes. I feel prepared. I feel confident, which is great. Last year, I didnt feel very confident simply because I didnt feel as prepared. Im really looking forward to getting started and being able to adjust my schedule this year in a way that really maximizes my preparedness has been great. To have the two games where I pitched eight innings and then to have this taper down outing is great. QUESTION: R.A., what are your plans for the two or three days the team is in Montreal? DICKEY: Well, Im going to be hanging back and staying with Josh. Josh is going to stay back. Well throw a bullpen on Friday and then well probably head over together on Saturday, meet the team and it will become regimen after that. The season will begin and Ill just be working out at the minor league complex until its time to go. QUESTION: At the beginning of camp, you were talking about how hopefully somebody steps up and becomes that surprise guy. Now youve got McGowan and Hutchison making the rotation. Has camp pretty much gone as you expected that, you know, you get some kids that come out and maybe a McGowan that no one expected? DICKEY: Yeah, I dont think it ever goes as you expect it to. Theres always a knuckleball thrown in there, you know, for lack of a better word. This year, you know, some guys have been called on to step up that maybe werent expected to. McGowan probably didnt come into spring training thinking he was going to be a starter. He may be our fourth guy in the rotation and great, hes got the stuff for it and I think he wants to do it. Like I said early on, its going to take one or two guys that you dont really count on when you come into camp stepping up and doing something special and weve got those guys in place right now. QUESTION: R.A., the routine you got back to this spring, was it very similar to what you would have done in New York or were their adjustments? DICKEY: No, its almost exactly like 2011, 2012 for me where I was able to pitch a lot early on and then get to a place where I felt comfortable with my stuff and could just go out there and get my exercise that last outing. Again, this outing in particular for me was not at all about results. It was much more just about conditioning. QUESTION: You had that upper back and neck issue, obviously, last year. Was that something that was even bothering you at the end of camp or was that something that didnt really pop up until later? DICKEY: No, I was having to kind of step on the gas. A lot of times you labour to get to where you want to get to and I was labouring last year. This year, I feel like its just coming pretty naturally for me so thats a big encouragement. QUESTION: Is there an overall different feeling with the team as you get set to break camp compared to last year? There was so much going on, expectations were different. Whats the difference in feeling this year? DICKEY: I think the heartbeat is a lot different this year. I think, one, were very comfortable. If I had a word to describe what this camp has been, its been comfortable. Guys really know that this is a big year for us collectively. Were kind of getting a mulligan this year. Last year, a lot of things went wrong. This year, were pretty much all healthy, were here, weve been here all spring, weve been able to do relationship with one another and now were in a much different place than we were last year and its a much more comfortable place. QUESTION: So does that mean it was uncomfortable a year ago? DICKEY: It was for me, sure. I mean, coming in and out of camp, WBC, people flying all over the place, people getting hurt, yeah it was uncomfortable. I dont think it was what anybody wanted last year but every team has to deal with adversity throughout the season. We just were forced to deal with it very early on. Hopefully, this year, we will not have to do that. QUESTION: Your thoughts on pitching Opening Dday. You got to do it last year but theres got to be something special about taking the mound in that first game? DICKEY: Yeah, Ive worked my whole career to try to be trustworthy. I think thats something Ive always longed to be for a team is a trustworthy component. When you get the ball on Opening Day, the manager is saying, We trust you. Thats a special thing and its not something I take lightly at all and so Im very excited and very honoured to have the honour. QUESTION: Getting back to the health issues, did you do anything differently in the offseason to change your conditioning regimen in response or in a way that might curb the possibility of a recurrence? DICKEY: Yeah, I started earlier. I started earlier in the sense that last year, at the World Baseball Classic, I had to be game-ready a lot earlier in the spring than I did this year because youre competing in, basically what it came down to, an Olympic event. You just had to really step on the gas and my body just wasnt ready for that. This year, I didnt have that. I could really take my time and I did take my time. I started a little bit earlier and I was able to pump the brakes a little bit when I needed to and get to a place where I felt very comfortable taking the next step and then the next step. Youre always trying to eliminate excuses. You dont want to have to say, well I dont feel great, or I have a WBC or we werent together. Now were starting to eliminate all those excuses out there that you could hold on to that could make you less than who you should be. So for me, being prepared and being healthy, those are not excuses for me. Alan Trammell Jersey . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges. Miguel Cabrera Jersey . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. http://www.cheaptigersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-daniel-norris-jersey . Scott scored a career-high 30 points, Jeff Teague added 28 and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night. "We were down Paul, down so many bodies," Scott said.DETROIT - Locked in an unexpectedly tight battle with the lowly Pistons, having coughed up an early 18-point lead, the Raptors went up by one with just over seven minutes remaining as conflicting chants broke out in the stands. "Lets go Pistons," cried the home crowd while a boisterous group of Toronto supporters chimed in with their own anthem of equal or greater volume. "Lets go Raptors," shouted a four-row contingent of fans, dressed in red, white and black, rooting for the Atlantic Division champions right behind the visiting teams bench. "Oh, man, I think we had more fans than them tonight," said DeMar DeRozan, who had scored all 12 of his teams fourth-quarter points at that time. "It was definitely cool to see that." With the clock winding down, the Raptors now up 10 and on their way to a monumental, albeit shaky victory, that section erupted in anticipation. They were not alone. Four fans stood on the opposite end of the court, proudly wearing their Raptors jerseys as they held up four sheets of paper spelling out "R-A-P-S". The Palace of Auburn Hills was filled with Raptors faithful who made the four-hour (or so) drive from Toronto, crossing the border to Michigan, where they were able to witness team history. "I didnt know where I was for a while," Casey said of the unexpected support after his teams 116-107 victory, Torontos 47th of the season, matching a franchise record. "When you win, people come out of the woodwork and they want to jump on the wagon and it was great that they came out with that enthusiasm. I thought it helped our guys." Nearing the end of their magical, out-of-nowhere campaign, the Raptors continue to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Two days after clinching their second ever division title, they tied the teams all-time win mark - previously set in 2000-01 and then again in 2006-07 - and have a chance to top it on Monday when they host the Bucks or in Wednesdays finale against New York. "We talked about it as a team," Casey said. "It wasnt our goal going into the year but its good for this group. Its something they should be proud of. They worked at it and its all their doing." "Why not break it?" "It definitely means a lot, man," said DeRozan, who scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the final quarter Sunday. "When you look at it, if you really sit down and look at it, man, thats big. To be tied with the franchise record and have a chance to break it. We came a long way. A lot of people wouldnt have counted [on] us to be in this position that were in now. So its definitely a credit to our hard work, players and coaching staff." DeRozan cited the teams surprisingly successful Western Conference road trip in late January - with wins over Dallas and Oklahoma City - as a turning point in the season. Thats when he knew they could go on to do something special. "Once we saw that happen, we understood we could play with anybody," the all-star guard said. Their 47th win was not the most memorable, certainly not the easiest on the eyes but there was DeRozan, coming up big when his team needed him, once again. "He really carried us down the stretch," Casey said of DeRozan, who was masterful in the fourth, especially after Kyle Lowry fouled out on a pair of highly questionable calls midway through the quarter. "Hes been doing it all year, its why hes an all-star. He did a great job of managing the game, picking his spots, being aggressive. Losing Kyle hurt us a little bit but I thought thats when DeMar really took over." With just over six minutes remaining, Lowry was called for his fifth foul as he stood in, hoping to take a charge on the Pistons Peyton Siva as he barrelled into the lane. Twenty seconds later, the Raptors point guard picked up his sixth and final foul, although replays showed that he made little-to-no contact with Andre Drummond, who tripped over his own feet and went to the ground. After scoring 28 points in 33 minutes, Lowry was done for the afternoon. He had been brilliant and was as animated as you might expect as his teammates walked him to the bench, seeming to say, &quoot;we got this. Wholesale Tigers Jerseys. " "Everybody was frustrated with the calls when Kyle fouled out," DeRozan admitted. "We understood that we werent going to win by complaining or forcing to get calls. We had to go out there and take it and thats what we did." The Raptors had led by as many as 18 in the first half, 17 early in the third, before the Pistons went on to drop 37 points in quarter, making for another subdued post-game celebration. You wouldnt know if from their record - theyve won eight of 10 - but Caseys team has been moonwalking its way into the postseason, beginning next weekend. As we know, Torontos once stifling defence has slipped. For the 12th time in the last 20 contests they surrendered 100 (or more) points on Sunday, but the Raptors coach lamented over a more specific concern; toughness, or a lack thereof, magnified in their win over Detroit. "The thing that bothers me most is the rebounding, them kicking our butt in the paint, the physicality and [them] taking advantage of us that way," said Casey after the Pistons grabbed 21 offensive boards, most by any Raptors opponent this season. "Thats all weve been talking about and its something we have to correct or itll be a short stint in the playoffs." Practice time has been and will continue to be scarce in April, so Casey and his coaching staff are forced to utilize their final games to make necessary tweaks and adjustments going into the playoffs. "You have to," Casey said. "Thats whats tough this time of year, is finding that time where you can work on things and tweak things. Thats why these games are important to us." Electric start Thanks in large part to the Pistons generous defence and early foul trouble, Toronto got off to a quick start, scoring 42 points in the first frame, most of any quarter this season. The Raptors scored 16 points off Detroits eight turnovers, connecting on 14 of their 19 field goal attempts and 11 of 13 free throws, while holding the Pistons to 36 per cent shooting. Both Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe were relegated to the bench after picking up a couple fouls apiece. Without their star frontcourt, the Pistons had no answer for the brute strength of Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 10 in the opening period while Tony Mitchell picked up four fouls in six minutes trying to hold him off. Centre of attention Sundays matchup of emerging sophomore centres lived up to its billing. For the 10th consecutive game, Valanciunas scored in double figures, finishing with 18 points to go along with eight rebounds. On the other end, Drummond recorded his 56th double-double of the season - second to only Kevin Love for the NBA lead - with 14 points and 17 boards. Lift from the bench With Lowry exiting in the fourth, Greivis Vasquez was subbed in and immediately picked up where the starting point guard left off, scoring six of his 14 points in the final six minutes of the game. "I was concerned, not about his offence but more about defence because Kyle was doing a decent job on their guards," Casey said of Vasquez, who has led the Raptors bench in scoring in 10 of his last 14 games as a reserve. "Greivis came in and ran the offence, got us into sets." Earlier in the game it was another guard, Nando De Colo, that made an impact coming in off the bench. After a dreary start to the second quarter, De Colo sparked Toronto in nine quality minutes. "He picked us up," Casey stated, crediting De Colo. "He moved the ball, he attacked, he did a great job of increasing the tempo [and] gave Amir one of the best passes weve had all year running the floor. His court vision is uncanny and thats why I dont hesitate to get him in there to change the game." The stat In three meetings, the Raptors outscored Detroit by 28 (84-56) in the fourth quarter, sweeping the season series with the Pistons. The quote "Its timing, its grit, its anticipation and a lot of those things we didnt have," Casey said of the rebounding discrepancy. The Raptors were bested 55-40 on the glass. "They basically manhandled us in the paint and weve got to better than that." Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '