Drake Bell » though he would prefer to play another year. "No on

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. The Blue Jays had been in the mix for the former Kansas City Royal with several Toronto players making a public plea to sign the 33-year-old former all-star. But Santana, a Dominican who counts several Jays as friends, elected instead to sign with the injury-ravaged Atlanta Braves. "I probably dont want to comment on how close I felt we got or didnt get," the Blue Jays general manager said Wednesday. Anthopoulos deflected many questions on Santana, leaving the impression he was not happy with the way the process had gone. Asked if he felt used, he said "No, no. But (thats) probably the only thing Im going to say." Money and terms apparently werent factors in Santanas decision to sign with Atlanta. "He had a strong desire to pitch in the NL and there was no way to compete with that," said Anthopoulos, who is also Torontos senior vice-president of baseball operations. Was that always the case, he was asked? "Very good question," Anthopoulos replied, before suggesting it was better directed at the pitchers camp. However the Jays GM did say he was told "recently" of that strong NL interest. Such hints aside, Anthopoulos was clearly looking to take the high road, "Obviously its done. He made his decision. Hes in Atlanta. Great signing for them. I wish him the best. Sorry it didnt work out with us." Certainly the NL East, home to the .sub-500 Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies last season, might seem more hospitable than the thorny AL East. Especially when Santana is eligible for free agency again after this season. Santana has spent his entire career in the American League, with eight seasons as a Los Angeles Angel before being traded to the Royals in 2013. His career record is 105-90 with a 4.19 ERA. He became a free agent after turning down a US$14.1-million qualifying one-year offer from the Royals. Its the same deal he accepted from the Braves and likely in the same ballpark as the Jays offer. Minnesota reportedly tendered a three-year offer but at a lesser annual rate. Unlike last off-season, the Jays have been quiet in player acquisitions. So the Santana snub stands front and centre. Anthopoulos said everyone in the organization wanted Santana to become a Jay. "I think we all feel we did everything we could," he added. With Josh Johnson gone and question-marks over J.A. Happ and Ricky Romero, the Jays have been looking to bolster a starting rotation that features R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow. Asked about the paucity of additions, Anthopoulos instead pointed to the healthy return of players like outfielder Melky Cabrera and pitcher Drew Hutchison. "We think Drews got a chance to be outstanding and hes put himself in a great position to make this club. I think if he does make this club, hes got a chance to have a tremendous year." Anthopoulos acknowledged the questions from fans and other observers. "All that being said, I can understand skepticism that comes with the job, the performance we had on the field last year. I think we will show how good we are when we break (spring training). I think the guys that we have tremendous upside but we would have loved to add someone just to have depth." "We werent going to force a deal and do things we really didnt believe in just to make a splash," he added. The GM said the Jays were "extremely close" to landing another starting pitcher in a trade only to see it not happen. He did not provide any other details. Bottom line, he says, the Jays like their talent but know it lacks seasoning in some quarters. So the search continues for that experience. NOTES -- Happ, whose spring training progress has been delayed by back problems, threw a side session Tuesday and "everything felt good," according to manager John Gibbons. Closer Casey Janssen, who has had soreness in his shoulder, was scheduled to throw a side session Wednesday. Dustin McGowan is also back after losing eight pounds to the same stomach bug that hit fellow pitcher Sergio Santos. Nike Free Online Sale . Old times for a defence that has looked just plain old recently? "No," safety Ryan Clark said. "We used to be much better than that. Cheap Nike Free Canada . Aaron Hill and Cliff Pennington hit home runs in the first inning for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night. http://www.nikefreecanada.com/. According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. Nike Free Cheap Online .Y. -- Syracuses streak lives on -- barely. Nike Free Shoes Canada . Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central.MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact need to make the most of Italian stars Marco Di Vaio and Alessandro Nesta while theyve got them, said midfielder Patrice Bernier. That means now, because it appears that neither of the 37-year-olds will be back next season. Former Italy and AC Milan defender Nesta has already indicated he will retire at the end of the Major League Soccer season, and Di Vaio said this week that he may also quit for family reasons, even though he would prefer to play another year. "No one knows what next years going to bring," Bernier said Friday. "Theres personnel that we didnt expect to be here a long time and we have to take advantage of it. "If theyre here next year, great, but this is the season where the teams in good position. Its our second year (together). We know each other better and you have to take advantage of these moments and these players who are maybe in their last year, like Marco." The Impact (13-7-6) are unbeaten in their last four games and much of the credit goes to DiVaio, who has six of Montreals 11 goals in that span. The former Bologna striker leads MLS with 17 goals. They will be looking for another three points when they face the struggling Columbus Crew (9-14-5) on Saturday afternoon. Lately, the stocky Di Vaio has looked like he could play a few more years, but he said this week he will decide with his family whether to stay on after the 2013 campaign. Either way, he said he will play his best until the end of this season. "Its great to have him," added Bernier. "I take every game with him like its the last because you never know. "It could be he comes back, it could be he doesnt, but this is the year where the group has to see that we can do something that will set the standard for the future. Next year, I hope we have another player like Marco. You never know, but Im just going to enjoy 2013 as long as it lasts." The Impact slumbered through the summer and were in a 1-4-3 slump when they found their legs again on Aug. 17 with a 2-1 win over D.C. United. They followed with a 5-0 win over Houston, a 0-0 draw in Philadelphia and last weeks 4-2 victory at New England, their first road win since June. Bernier said the turnaround began with a tweak in their formation to a 4-2-3-1, adding a second holding midfielder to give opponents less room to run in the middle of the field. "We were leaving our defence exposed againsst teams that are athletic and can play one-on-one," he said.dddddddddddd "We went back to a formation that was very helpful to us at the end of last year. "Once we had six defending players, it made (opponents) go outside. And we know that with the towers we have in the back (Nesta and Matteo Ferrari), they can cross the ball all day but theyre not going to score that many goals." It started with Bernier and newcomer Hernan Bernardello playing just in front of the defence, but an ankle injury that will shelf the Argentine for four to six weeks gave Collen Warner a chance to get back in the starting 11 last week, although he looked a little rusty. It also gives Bernier a chance to sneak into the attack from the back if there is an opening. The 33-year-old had a pair of goals in New England, although both were on penalties. Di Vaio had the other two using the move that has become his trademark, a quick cut inside to lose the defender and right-footed shot inside the far post. It helps that the whole team looks to have rediscovered its form. "People forgot in June and July very easily how well we were playing in March, April and May," said Bernier. "When you come down to the wire, you see guys that have character, guys that are used to winning and know how to step up their game when you really need it. "We know this could be a special year if we all are together, like we were at the beginning of the season and like we are now." The Impact seem to struggle against Columbus. The Crew got a late goal from Dominic Oduro to grab a 1-1 tie in Montreal on April 14 and beat the Impact 2-0 at home on June 15. But they have been in a rut in recent weeks. After losing eight of 11 games, coach Robert Warzyche was replaced by former Crew player Brian Bliss on Sept. 2. Bliss is 1-1-0 as interim coach, winning 2-0 over Houston and losing 3-0 in Kansas City. Impact captain Davy Arnaud once played under Bliss with Kansas City and liked what he saw. "Hes going to demand that theyre hard to play against," said Arnaud. "The first game he was in charge of, they looked very good at home. Last week it was tough in K.C. for them, but they have players that can be dangerous. "They have a new coach, which will give them some extra motivation. And theyre in a situation where they need to get points to get back in the playoff hunt. So its going to be tough." ' ' '