a way for neophyte commissioner, Adam Silver, to

DUNEDIN, Florida – Heres what we know when it comes to exactly who will fill out the back of the Blue Jays season-opening starting rotation: We dont know. At the moment, neither do the decision-makers. Dustin McGowan is front-and-centre in this ongoing saga, having thrust himself into the conversation with a dominating three-inning performance against the Phillies on Thursday, just hours after manager John Gibbons appeared to pour cold water on the notion. Heres part of Gibbons conversation with the media from that day: QUESTION: "So it seems like (McGowans) more in the bullpen picture then?" GIBBONS: "Yeah, yeah. Unless he comes out of nowhere and you know." Then, later: QUESTION: "How concerned are you if he went the route and got the innings needed to be a starter, worried about injury with him?" GIBBONS: "Well, me personally, I was concerned about that. Not everybody was, but I was, because thats where hes had his problems. We think hes beyond that kind of stuff. And, I thought he thrived in the bullpen, I thought that was a good role for him. But he had desire to do it, a lot of people had desire to see if he could do it. Myself, personally, I kind of had some reservations." On Saturday, Gibbons clarified his stance, saying hes always left the door open to McGowan beginning the season in the rotation. "Im concerned about his health but I didnt say we had to have him in the bullpen," said Gibbons. "That hadnt been determined yet. Did I officially say he was in the bullpen?" McGowan wants to be a starter. Hes expressed as much on repeated occasions dating back to the end of last season. But the 31-year-old, whose multiple shoulder surgeries have sidetracked a promising career, admits to having his own hesitations. Hes topped out at 47 pitches this spring, the Thursday outing, and plans to throw 65 pitches in a minor league game on Tuesday. "Its going to be tough, I think," said McGowan. "Anytime you increase by 15 to 20 pitches, its more stress and I havent done it in so long Im kind of eager to see how I feel after." As of Saturday morning, McGowan hadnt spoken with Gibbons or pitching coach Pete Walker about whats in store beyond Tuesdays appearance. If McGowan feels good the day after his next start, its believed the plan is to have him throw an 85-pitch outing in a minor league game on Sunday, March 30. "I have to try it to see if I can do it," he said. "I cant just say in my mind, oh I can do it or I cant do it. So well see. "Well have to see after the next one, after 65 how I feel," McGowan continued. "Its possible. It all depends on me." The fact that McGowan is even in the rotation conversation is reflective of a number of things: First, its a testament to the injury-riddled players resolve. McGowan hasnt been a regular starter in the big leagues since 2008. Second, J.A. Happ entered camp with a job in the rotation but three poor outings later (20.25 ERA) and uncertainty about the status of his back has cast a cloud of doubt; Esmil Rogers is better suited to a long relief role; Todd Redmond is a strike thrower who typically struggles after the first time through the oppositions lineup. Third, the failure to sign Ervin Santana, or acquire any major league-caliber pitching help via free agency or trade in the offseason, is forcing the Jays into a less-than-desirable decision. McGowan wont throw a bullpen session before Tuesday in the name of resting up. "Thats one of the things were kind of discussing," he said. "Would it benefit me more to throw one or not to throw one, to have more days in between to rest? I believe well kind of try both at some point to see if I feel better not doing it or if I need a bullpen. Its no big deal though." Regardless of whether hes a starter or a reliever, McGowan is poised to break camp with the Blue Jays for the first time since 2008. Theres still a week to go, though, and McGowans been through enough injuries to know he cant take anything for granted. "Weve still got a little bit to go in spring training so lets not jump ahead here," he said, pretending to knock on wood. Hutchison tosses gem Drew Hutchison pitched seven innings of one-hit, one-walk baseball in a minor league game on Saturday morning. The 23-year-old still hasnt officially secured a job in the starting rotation, although its difficult to believe the impending announcement is anything but a mere formality. "It was good to get stretched out, get 80 pitches and get up-and-down seven times," said Hutchison. "Those were the two most important things out of the outing." Its been a rewarding spring for Hutchison, whose positive results reflect the hard work he put in to rehabbing from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. General manager Alex Anthopoulos pursued pitching help in the offseason, both via trade and free agency, but failed to secure an arm. Hutchison watched from afar, unconcerned about what he couldnt control. "Ive always thought I was a guy that could contribute," said Hutchison. "Regardless of what is being talked about anywhere else, it doesnt change the way I prepare for a season." Janssen on track Casey Janssen, recovering from soreness in the back of his pitching shoulder, threw one inning in a minor league game on Friday. The key is the so-called "bounce back," how a guy feels the morning after his outing. "Good," said Janssen. "Not too bad on the soreness. Those guys were scrappy down there and made me work a little bit. Its good to get a little sore. Its good to get some work in." While Janssen estimated he threw 21 or 22 pitches, the official line given to the media was 17 pitches and 10 strikes. In his one inning, he allowed a hit, walked one and struck out two. "I was kind of more pitching, not necessarily to a Double-A Philly team, it was how I would pitch in the game or knowing in a 2-1 count I might throw an offspeed pitch because thats what I going to have to do in two weeks," said Janssen. "It was just here it is, hit it and see what you can do with it. I was pitching and trying to put sequences together." Janssens shoulder pain was in a different spot – the back of the shoulder where the decelerator muscles are located – than last years post-surgery soreness. The plan is for Janssen to pitch in three spring games before opening day, including two appearances on back to back days. Reyes leaves early Shortstop Jose Reyes left Saturdays 9-4 win over the Tigers before the fourth inning. He experienced tightness in his left hamstring. Asked quickly whether he was concerned, Reyes said he was fine. Camp cuts The Blue Jays reduced their major league camp roster be three on Sunday, optioning OF Kevin Pillar to Triple-A Buffalo and reassigning 1B Dan Johnson and P Aaron Sanchez to minor league camp. Getting buzzed for good cause Todd Redmond will shave his head on March 26, all in the name of a good cause. Hes supporting Cut for Cure, which raises money in the fight against pediatric cancers. "Im going to shave my head to I think a Number One," said Redmond. "Im shooting for a Two just so I can have a little bit of hair on there." The aim is raise $50,000. Former Atlanta Braves great Chipper Jones is also involved. For more information, visit Redmonds Twitter page @redneckred34 or click on the this link. Air Foamposite Ireland . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Air Foamposite Wholesale .com) - The 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continue a four-game homestand at Value City Arena on Wednesday night when they face off against the High Point Panthers in a non-conference matchup. http://www.outletvapormaxireland.com/ . The Blue Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and R.J. Umberger and Curtis McElhinney posted his first shutout since 2011 in a 4-0 victory on Friday night. Vapormax Plus White Ireland . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Replica Vapormax Ireland . This is not some token job for a prominent, popular former player. All of those areas need a lot of work, so Molitor is going to be busy. "Hes certainly got a history and knowledge and a high baseball IQ," general manager Terry Ryan said. Neophyte NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, speaking at the IMG World Congress of Sports (which is apparently a real thing), was asked if he envisions sponsorships appearing on player jerseys in the next five years. Without hesitation he responded, "Definitely." This, of course, is not revelatory, as there has been smoke coming from this fire pit for years. But the foregone conclusion of his answer, making a foray where none of the other major North American team sports have gone, still felt surprising. He would later add fuel to the fire stating, "Its inevitable. Its such an enormous opportunity for our sponsors to connect with us. I think the marketplace is asking for it." There is something sitting uneasily in those words. First, an admission. I get it. This is the way of the world and not just in athletics. Corporate advertisements are now an integral part of bringing sports and entertainment to the masses. Ads subsidize a ton of beloved stuff from music festivals to television series to this website. I am thankful for the ad models that bring value to the advertisers and consumers alike. Frankly, at this point if an event doesnt have corporate sponsors it feels amateur to my eye. But my beef is that the NBAs latest revenue tool doesnt arrive with even the most basic pretence of being a value add for the consumer, and at a time when the league is massively, historically profitable. It isnt even a plea from the league to fans to understand that novel revenue tools are needed to sustain stability or whatever. Its just that "the marketplace is asking for it." (Quick note before further maligning the Commish. He did admit yesterday that maybe the whole t-shirt-as-jersey experiment the NBA launched towards the end of last season isnt a lock to pan out. Phew.) The precedent of sponsored jerseys has long been established in countless sports from international soccer to Nascar. (This is apparently a Liverpool FC jersey for kids though that wouldnt have been my first guess.) Even sibling leagues, the WNBA and NBA D-League, have encouraged and profited from jersey sponsorship for several years. Um, but when Commissioner Silver says "the marketplace is asking for it" he is hedging on what the marketplace actually is. Shouldnt the marketplace consider the biggest stakeholders and contributors in the hard-earned dollars-to-NBA equation (AKA the fans)? Numerous related tweets and blogs have erupted inn the past few days concerned about the same distractions 1981-me dealt with.dddddddddddd. But despite a tendency to stand in solidarity, I find myself less than concerned. My focus is not so much aimed at the inevitable uniform developments, but more on predicting the next step. Where will the advertising stop? If the NBA allows the final frontier of their reach, the players clothes, to be monetized by sponsors, how much would it diminish their capacity to limit players from earning off their own skin? Players are already more or less free to cut private sponsorship deals in practically every segment of product or service. Wouldnt the league erode their own ethical (read: judicial) high ground that might have otherwise prevented a player from tattooing an ad on their neck or sleeving their arms with monthly specials? With the next collective bargaining session set for three years from now, it is altogether possible that the questions raised by these types of sponsorships will be debated for the first time. What is without question is that how to divvy up the new-found revenue from jersey ads will loom large. I dont know a ton about the inner-workings of the mind of agents, but I suspect they dig on money and material if HBOs Entourage has taught me anything. What is to keep those agents from speculating on the next set of potential revenue tools? This new territory is, of course, a way for neophyte commissioner, Adam Silver, to make his mark on the league and, more importantly, to get in the good graces of team owners and league sponsors. I do not have a problem with these tactics as they are baked into his job description. But when the final vestiges of the basic game have to share space with sponsors who subsidize it, and in a time when the NBA is flourishing, I havent heard a word on what we fans get out of this latest version of the marketplace, other than a personal expectation that whats to come would have blown 1981-mes head straight off. Gallays Poll #4 Where should the NBA draw the line on advertisements? a) A small patch on the jersey is no big deal. But thats it.b) I dont mind if they re-name the Raptors with pretty much any corporate identity. But thats it.c) With so many inked players, I have no problem if Birdman becomes Kentucky Fried Birdman. But thats it.d) The back of the jersey is the future of innovation as Metta World Artest demonstrated. Lebron Jameson Irish Whiskey would move merchandise. ' ' '