Its tough enough for the Blue Jays to be playing in the American League East to get even a sniff of the postseason. Then youve got to worry about the other up and coming teams in the two weaker divisions in the "Junior Circuit". If you had to peg one team whom the Blue Jays will have to reckon with in 2014, it would be Kansas City. The Royals finished with an 86-76 record a year ago and missed the playoffs. However that record was 12 games better than the Jays 74-88. One bad month really cost KC a spot in the playoffs a year ago. They went 8-20 in May. Every other month, they were over .500 including 17-10 in September. Kansas City scuffled a bit to score runs in 2013 averaging four per game, but the Blue Jays werent all that much better at 4.40 runs per game. The big difference was in runs allowed by the starting rotation and the bullpen. The Royals starters had an ERA of 3.87 to the Blue Jays 4.81 which was well above the American League average of 4.17. As highly touted as the Blue Jays bullpen was, its ERA of 3.37 was no match for the Royals 2.55. This is in part because of the Royals spacier ballpark, but KC only gave up 155 home runs over the course of the season to the Jays ugly total of 195. If you want to talk team speed, the Blue Jays stole 112 bases, which was better than the league average of 95, but the Royals were even better swiping 153. You could argue the Royals will be even better in 2014. Although they lost Ervin Santana as a free agent, they added durable lefty and former Angel Jason Vargas to plug into the rotation. They also have an elite closer in Greg Holland who saved 47 out of 50 a year ago and a workhorse starter to lead the rotation in James Shields, who through 228.2 innings last season. The Royals also upgraded at second base and right field. They filled a major hole at the keystone by signing former Tiger Omar Infante to a four-year deal worth $30.25 million and traded for speedy right fielder Norichika Aoki, who will take over as their leadoff hitter. KCs secret weapon might just be 22-year-old right-hander Yordano Ventura. Though only 511", he throws consistantly in high 90s and has been known to hit between 100 and 102mph on occasion. Hes already earned a spot in skipper Ned Yosts rotation and is being touted as one of the top candidates for rookie of the year. Since Pittsburgh made the playoffs last season, Kansas City and the Blue Jays are the two teams that have gone the longest between post-season appearances. The Royals havent made it since they won the World Series over St. Louis in 1985. The Blue Jays of course, havent made it since winning their second straight World Series in 1993. The Blue Jays play the Royals seven times this season, from April 29 through May 1 in Missouri and then back in Toronto from May 29 through June 1. Those are seven games of their first 58 that could well prove whether the Jays are good enough to contend for a Wild Card spot, or which team of these two will wind up with the longest postseason drought when the 2014 season is all said and done. Around Spring Training Injuries turned right-hander Josh Johnson into arguably the biggest disappointment of the Blue Jays season a year ago. Unfortunately his luck hasnt changed much in San Diego. The 30-year-old right-hander is going to be out 4-to-5 weeks with a strained right forearm. Tough blow for the Texas Rangers. Their young second baseman Jurickson Profar is out 10 to 12 weeks with a slight muscle tear in his right shoulder. Profar was expected to shoulder the load at second since Ian Kinsler was dealt to Detroit as part of the Prince Fielder deal. Profar hasnt proven himself as a big league hitter yet, but his glove and arm are world class. Yes, its only spring training, but the Yankees have got to be a bit concerned that Derek Jeter is only hitting .114 and Mark Teixiera only .120. Great to see David Ortiz is probably going to end his career in Boston. After all hes been pretty much the face of the franchise for the last 10 years. Ortiz agreed over the weekend to a one-year, $15 million extension for 2015. He also has a vesting option for 2016 and there is a club option for 2017 by which time Ortiz will be 42 years old. Erik Bedard is looking for new gig. The 35-year-old southpaw and native of Navan, Ontario opted out of his deal with Tampa Bay after the fifth starters job went to 24-year-old Jake Odorizzi. Bedard just didnt want to go back to Triple-A at this stage of his career. Experienced Help We mentioned a couple of articles ago that a former Blue Jays third baseman, Roy Howell, was managing in Triple-A this season at Tacoma. Now another Ex-Jay, Tom Lawless, has taken over as interim manager at Oklahoma City in the Pacific Coast League. Lawless will be filling in for Ton DeFrancesco who was diagnosed with cancer while working in the parent Astros camp this spring. DeFrancescos cancer was caught early enough that he is expected to make a full recovery. Cheap Air Max 97 Mens . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Air Max 97 Plus Hybrid Pink . -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy. http://www.outletairmax97.com/cheap-air-max-97-ultra-17.html. A judge had summoned Clemens and Brian McNamee to federal court in Brooklyn for settlement talks aimed at heading off a trial in the defamation case. McNamees lawyer emerged saying an agreement wasnt likely. "I think this is a case where the lines are deeply drawn in the sand," said attorney Richard Emery. Air Max 97 Silver Bullet Fake .The rookie goalie made 36 saves to help the Calgary Flames blank their Pacific Division rivals 1-0 on Saturday following a 48-hour ordeal that included lost baggage, a cancelled flight and a new pair of contact lenses. Air Max 97/1 Sean Wotherspoon Fake . Mike Ribeiro had a goal and an assist as Phoenix held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Joakim Noah had a season-high 26 points, Carlos Boozer scored 23, and the Chicago Bulls held on to beat the Orlando Magic 128-125 in triple-overtime on Wednesday night. The Magic had a chance to win the game with less than 10 seconds to play, but Glen Davis jumper was partially blocked and rebounded by the Bulls with just 1.5 seconds remaining. The Bulls have now won the last seven matchups with the Magic played in Orlando and improved to 4-1 since trading Luol Deng. Victor Oladipo had a career-high 35 points and Jameer Nelson added 31 points and 10 assists for Orlando. Tobias Harris added 22 points and 16 rebounds. The Magic extended their season-high losing streak to nine games. Orlando played without Arron Afflalo and Nik Vucevic. Afflalo missed his third straight game with a strained right foot, and Vucevic was out for the fifth straight with a concussion. The game featured 20 lead changes and 14 ties. During their most recent road trip, the Magic were tripped up by injuries as they dropped five straight games. Despite losing by an average of 20 points during the trip, coach Jacque Vaughn continually lauded his teams improvement throughout. Orlando returned home still battered, but the strides showed up again against a Bulls team that came in with three wins in their first four games since trading Deng to Cleveland. In a game thhat didnt see either team take more than an four-point lead in any of the overtime periods, the Magic went ahead 125-122 in the third OT on a 3-pointer by Harris.dddddddddddd But Chicago kept chipping away, and eventually took the lead for good, 126-125, on a jumper by Tony Snell. The Bulls had a 119-116 lead in the second overtime on a tip-in by Noah. After several empty possessions on both ends, Davis tied it on a straightway 3 with just 4.2 seconds left. Noah got free on a drive on the other end, but was fouled. The Bulls then failed to get up a shot. The Magic controlled the early pace of first overtime and took a 111-108 lead on a free-throw by Harris with 1:22 remaining. But the Bulls committed their 17th turnover of the night on a bad pass by Noah with less than a minute to play, prompting a Magic timeout. Nelson briefly got free, but came up empty on a 13-foot jumper, giving it back to Chicago. Coming out of a timeout Mike Dunleavy got free on the wing and sank a 3-pointer to tie it with 13.4 seconds left. Nelson dribbled the clock down, but couldnt get a shot off before time expired. The Magic hovered above 55 per cent shooting as they built as much as a 15-point lead in the third quarter. NOTES: The Magic are now 0-11 without Vucevic this season. ... The Bulls recalled G Marquis Teague on Wednesday from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. ' ' '