Lisa » his most trusted right-handed reliever

TORONTO - Josh Gorges knows Toronto hockey fans havent forgotten he turned down a trade to the Maple Leafs, but he tries not to dwell upon the decision. Malcom Brown Jersey .You cant look back on things in the past and say, Maybe I shouldve done this different, or Maybe I shouldve done that different, the veteran defenceman said Tuesday before his first game at the Air Canada Centre with the Buffalo Sabres. Its in the past. You cant change whats happened.But by refusing to remove Toronto from his no-trade list, Gorges not only changed the course of history for himself but at least three other players and a trio of franchises. Had Gorges agreed to go, its likely the Canadiens wouldnt have signed Tom Gilbert and possible the Leafs wouldnt have signed Stephane Robidas.And, of course, Cody Franson probably wouldnt have remained in Toronto. But Gorges didnt realize that initially when he called Franson, his longtime friend and Kelowna, B.C., neighbour, in June when considering his options.I needed some time and I called everybody I knew that knew anything about this team, this organization, Gorges said. I wanted to get as much info as I could.Ive known him for a number of years. Hes a good friend of mine so I thought why not give him a call and see what things are about.Ultimately Gorges, 30, decided against going to Toronto because his heart simply wasnt in it. Facing the Leafs in so many emotionally charged games with the Habs made it hard for him to accept the move, something Franson understood.He was in a situation where he had been a part of a rivalry for a long time and he did what was best for him, he felt, Franson said. Nobody can blame him for that, I dont think.It wasnt the first and almost certainly wont be the last time Franson is the subject of trade talk. As much as playing in Toronto has taught Franson how to shield himself from it, he said these were tough rumours not to hear.Those are ones that show up right on your front doorstep, Franson said. If (the Leafs) were going to make a move that they feel is going to better the team, theyre going to do that.Thats out of my hands. I just approached my normal day and kept my phone close.News that Gorges had turned down the Leafs surfaced around the NHL entry draft. On July 1, Montreal dealt him to Buffalo for a second-round pick and signed Gilbert to a US$5.6-million, two-year contract. Gilberts $2.8-million cap hit is just below Fransons $3.3 million.The Leafs continued stocking up on right-handed defencemen that day as well, signing Robidas to a $9-million, three-year contract. Days before, they sent Carl Gunnarsson to the St. Louis Blues for stay-at-home righty Roman Polak.Through eight games, Franson is tied with Dion Phaneuf for the most points among Leafs defencemen with three. Gilbert is averaging over 22 minutes a game for the Habs.Meanwhile, Gorges is an alternate captain with Buffalo and is being counted on to be a stabilizing force for another defenceman whos seemingly always on the trade block, the six-foot-eight Tyler Myers.Franson considers that a good thing for Gorges and Myers.Hes a guy that plays with a heart on his sleeve and leads very well, Franson said of Gorges. Hes a guy that comes with a lot of experience.Hes a great person. I think hes a guy that will fit into any locker room, any team in the NHL. I think hes only going to help those guys.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Discount New England Patriots Jerseys .C. -- Jackson Whistle made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Kelowna Rockets blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Jeremy Hill Jersey . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news. http://www.cheappatriotsjerseyssale.com/?tag=jawhaun-bentley-jersey-sale . - No matter the lineup or location, the San Antonio Spurs are rolling through the NBA again this spring, just the way they have for most of the last two decades.TORONTO - The starting pitcher tossed a brilliant game. The manager made the correct move going to his bullpen. The Blue Jays lost the game. Whats the saying about best laid plans? All it took was one pitch. The scenario: Blue Jays up 2-0 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Marcus Stroman, to that point, had two-hit the White Sox. Only two White Sox hitters, Adam Dunn (three times) and Jose Abreu had reached base off the Toronto starter. Dayan Viciedo was due up as the go ahead run. Manager John Gibbons made the call to the bullpen for Dustin McGowan, his most trusted right-handed reliever not named Casey Janssen. McGowans first pitch was a slider. It was a cement-mixer, as seamheads like to say, in that the slider didnt break. It caught the entirety of the plate. Viciedo was looking for it, stayed back and launched a go-ahead three-run home run into the leftfield seats. There was no doubt where the ball was headed the moment Viciedo made contact. The White Sox led 3-2 and wouldnt cough it up en route to a 4-3 victory. Gibbons, it says here, made the right move going to McGowan. It gave Viciedo a different look. It allowed Stroman to leave the game feeling good about his performance. The result, clearly, was undesirable. The strategy made sense. Still, Gibbons admitted he second-guessed himself. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I mean, if you could do things over you leave him in but my thinking was (Stroman) pitched his butt off, its unchartered territory, you dont want him to lose the game right there. Thats the way it goes. You always look back on things like that. I had a plan. It just didnt work." The Blue Jays bullpen blew its 10th save of the season, which puts it in the middle of the pack. Pittsburghs 14 blown saves rank as the worst in the majors. Torontos number is made less hideous when you factor in that six of the blown saves came in a span off 15 games from mid-April to early May. Jacob Hollister Jersey. Yet, after McGowan was tagged with Chicagos third and fourth runs on Saturday, Torontos bullpen ERA climbed to 4.45. Thats fifth-worst in baseball. The late-game meltdown sullied the second consecutive strong start by Stroman, who was coming off an eight-inning, four-hit performance in a win over the Yankees on Monday. "Its tough to deal with but its part of baseball," said Stroman of the Viciedo home run. "I have 100 per cent faith in Dustin to come in and get that out every time. He makes a pitch like he knows he can and were not even having this conversation. I know McGowans going to be right back to it. Im not worried about it. Hes been great for us all year, coming out of the pen, so Im not stressing about it at all." The Jays were held to two runs, a Darin Mastrioanni two-run homer in the fourth, on four hits over seven innings by White Sox ace Chris Sale. He picked up the win to run his record to 7-1. ABREU IMPRESSES BLUE JAYS Jose Bautista was planning to speak to Jose Abreu about taking part in the home run derby, part of the All-Star Game festivities on July 14 in Minneapolis. Manager John Gibbons is impressed with the 27-year-old Cuban rookie, whose 25 home runs tie him with Edwin Encarnacion and the Orioles Nelson Cruz for the most in baseball this season. "A pretty good looking player," said Gibbons. "The numbers speak for themselves. Those kids that come over from Cuba, theyre all pretty damn good so that really shouldnt surprise anybody. They put a lot of money into him for a reason and theyre reaping the benefits right now. Hes got a nice, short, simple swing and hes producing with it." Abreu leads the majors with a .633 slugging percentage. To go with his 25 home runs, he has 16 doubles and a triple, meaning almost 57-percent of Abreus hits have gone for extra bases. 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