ake over in right field for Nori Aoki, who departed in fre

CHARLOTTE - Jonas Valanciunas took a quick glance at the stat sheet, no longer banned post-game, crumpled it up into a ball and hurled it across the locker room. At the bottom of the page the final score read "100-95" - Torontos third loss in four games - but it was how they got there that had the Raptors young centre shaking his head as he destroyed the evidence. In the less literal sense he wasnt alone. The Raptors locker room was filled with distraught players drowning their sorrows in a sea of chicken fingers and mac and cheese at the post-game buffet, eager to forget about their most recent setback. "We cant really panic, but weve got to hold each other accountable," said Greivis Vasquez, moments after his team failed to close out what would have been a historic comeback in eventual defeat to a familiar, albeit perplexing foe, the Charlotte Bobcats. "Its easy when we win and you smile and youre cool, youre hanging around, but when you face adversity or obstacles, thats when you really show your character, so now weve really got to show what [were] made of." For Vasquez - who helped engineer Torontos late-game run - his teammates and his coach, there were no moral victories to be celebrated after cutting a 30-point third quarter deficit to one with 26 seconds remaining. No moral victories, not anymore, not if they fancy themselves a playoff contender. Instead the question was, how could they fall behind by 30 to the Bobcats - who had lost 10 of 13 and were playing without Kemba Walker - in the first place? "Effort," Kyle Lowry said, and repeated six times in a three-minute scrum. For the final 16 minutes they played with plenty of it, outscoring the nemesis Bobcats 54-29 to close out the game. For the first 32 it was nowhere to be found. "Thats it, effort," the Raptors point guard continued. "That simple. Effort." Its not that simple, not for the teams fans or coaching staff that were left to wonder where that effort went for two and a half quarters in a game the Raptors sorely needed. "Its a long season but you tell a lot about who you are in these situations," Dwane Casey said. "Today was a gut-check game and the fourth quarter we turned it around but its about what we did in the first three quarters thats disappointing." Coming off a loss to the corpse of the Los Angeles Lakers 24 hours earlier, and an equally disheartening defeat in Boston last week, the Raptors scored a season-low 11 points in the first quarter. For the second straight day they attempted nearly three times as many three-pointers as free throws and allowed the leagues 28th ranked offensive team to score 100 points on 49 per cent shooting. The loss was their seventh straight in Charlotte to a Bobcats team that has been varying degrees of terrible throughout that span of Raptors futility. "Weve got to take these two losses to heart," said Vasquez who had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, his best line as Raptor. "Were professionals, we know what were playing for, so, [theres] no excuses on this team. Some guys just got to step up and understand what were playing for." "I think were fine," he continued. "Weve just got to wake up and understand that one loss cant really take us down, but one win can really build some good momentum." Veteran bruiser Chuck Hayes put it best. "Its an emotional roller coaster in this league." A week ago they were riding high, winners of three straight and eight of 10, since then theyve crashed back down to earth. Where do they truly stand in the grand scheme of things? Likely somewhere in the middle. Success in the league is fickle, as Casey knows and Hayes has learned in his years of service. "After the momentum we had in December you would kind of hope it would shift over into the New Year but the New Year aint been so good to us so far," said Hayes, who recorded his first double-double - 12 points and 13 rebounds - since Apr. 11, 2011. "But theres a lot of basketball left." Hayes, along with fellow reserves Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, played the bulk of the fourth quarter in place of frontcourt tandem Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, who each played less than 19 minutes, and Terrence Ross, who logged 21. For the fourth straight game Valanciunas failed to eclipse 23 minutes or score in double figures, shooting 6-for-21 over that stretch. On Monday he was overwhelmed in a daunting matchup with crafty, low-post shaman Al Jefferson. The Raptors sophomore bit on Jeffersons pump fakes, got beat on the boards and most alarmingly let his frustration get the better of him. Jefferson, who had a double-double after the first quarter, finished with 22 points and 19 boards. Fellow sophomore Ross has also seen his performance slip over the teams recent slide, recording just one point on Monday, shooting 0-for-6. Meanwhile, Johnson connected on just one of his four attempts and has exceeded 10 rebounds in one of his last 15 contests. "Weve got to find a start that fits us," said Casey, who wouldnt rule out an eventual lineup change but insisted its too early to make that call. "You cant spot any team in this league 25-30 points and expect to be successful." The Raptors will be given a much-needed day of reflection before hosting the Mavericks on Wednesday. It will be the first time theyve faced a winning team in seven games. After squandering three golden opportunities in six days, it could be the wakeup call they need. "Weve got another game," said Hayes. "This is not it, [its] just a little adversity and weve got to find a way to respond." Zane Gonzalez Jersey . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence. Jarvis Landry Browns Jersey . The Raptors second-year forward has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the early-season trade, breaking out and becoming a vital part of his teams success on both ends of the floor. Around the league, teams are starting to take notice and feature Ross more predominately in their pre-game scouting reports but its not just the opposition that hes impressing. http://www.brownsauthenticproshop.com/Customized/. There was little fanfare, though, when the Yankees captain was taken out of his final regular-season Subway Series game in the eighth inning. Jeter watched the last four outs from the bench, pulled off the field during a double switch Thursday night as the Yankees held off the Mets 1-0. Carlos Hyde Browns Jersey . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B. Baker Mayfield Browns Jersey .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night.There was a flurry of news around Major League Baseball on Friday as teams worked to retool before the holiday break. Here are some things to know about all the player moves and other changes:___SAN DIEGO PADRESNew general manager A.J. Preller and the Padres were in the middle of all the action. They took a break Friday from a dizzying series of blockbuster trades to introduce one of their new sluggers, Matt Kemp.This is unbelievable. Hes a GM rock star right now, moving in and out and doing so many things, Kemp said at a Petco Park news conference. Every day theres something different.In just more than a week, Preller has worked a five-player deal with the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers to get Kemp; an 11-player deal with Tampa Bay and Washington to get outfielder Wil Myers, the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year with the Rays; a six-player deal with Atlanta for slugger Justin Upton; a four-player trade with Oakland that landed All-Star catcher Derek Norris; and a straight-up trade with Boston to get third baseman Will Middlebrooks for catcher Ryan Hanigan, who came over from Tampa Bay.Its a stunning haul for a team that was starved for offence last season and has had only two winning campaigns since its last playoff appearance, in 2006.Preller said the Padres are taking a win now and win later attitude.DODGER DEALSLos Angeles finalized its trade for All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins, sending right-hander Zach Eflin and left-hander Tim Windle to the Phillies for Rollins and $1 million to cover part of his $11 million salary in 2015.The Dodgers had to wait to unveil their acquisition until Kemps trade to the Padres was finished Thursday.After a 14-year tenure in Philadelphia, the 36-year-old Rollins agreed to waive his no-trade clause. He said the Dodgers were his top trade destination.I dont feel I have to re-prove myself at all, Rollins said. Its sort of a fresh start. Its hard to (get) a fresh start going into your 15th season.Los Angeles also introduced new second baseman Howie Kendrick, putting a blue cap on the longtime Angels infielder. Kendrick is just one element of a thorough makeover for the NL West champions under new top executive Andrew Friedman.Since Friedman took over from Ned Colletti, Los Angeles has parted ways with Kemp, Dee Gordon, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Haren and Brian Wilson. The Dodgers have acquired Kendrick, Rollins, catcher Yasmani Grandal and Brandon McCarthy in their place, stabilizing their defence and addressing several possible problem areas from the plate to the clubhouse.YANKEES-MARLINS TRADEThe New York Yankees made a five-player swap that helped their rotation get younger and healthier, acquiring right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from the Marlins for versatile Martin Prado and righty David Phelps.The Yankees also received first baseman-outfielder Garrett Jones and minor league pitcher Domingo German from Miami.Eovaldi, who turns 25 in February, throws up to 98 mph and was 6-14 with a 4.37 ERA in 199 2-3 innings last season. He helps shore up a rotation that includes Masahiro Tanaka (torn elbow ligament), CC Sabathia (knee surgery) and Michael Pineda (shoulder muscle), all pitchers who lost time to injuries last season.Prado, 31, was obtained by the Yankees from Arrizona at the July 31 trade deadline and hit .dddddddddddd316 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in 133 at-bats for New York. An All-Star in 2010, he plays second, third and the outfield.The Yankees also acquired right-handed reliever Gonzalez Germen from the Mets for cash.JAKE PEAVYAfter reviving his career in San Francisco, the 33-year-old righty is returning to the World Series champions.Peavy agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract with the Giants, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.San Francisco also found a replacement for departed third baseman Pablo Sandoval, obtaining Casey McGehee from Miami for minor league right-handers Kendry Flores and Luis Castillo.McGehee became expendable once the Marlins acquired Prado from the Yankees.A three-time All-Star and the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner, Peavy was 1-9 with Boston before being traded to San Francisco in late July. He went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the Giants.Always animated and intense on the mound, Peavy went 0-2 in the World Series. He had a chance to clinch the crown in Game 6, but lasted just 1 1-3 innings against Kansas City.SIGNEDAlex Rios signed an $11 million, one-year deal with the Royals that includes a mutual option for the 2016 season. Rios will take over in right field for Nori Aoki, who departed in free agency. ... First baseman Corey Hart and the Pirates agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract. The deal, which includes $2.5 million in performance bonuses, gives Pittsburgh a right-handed option at first base to join left-handed slugger Pedro Alvarez, who is moving from third to first. ... Reliever Jason Motte and the Chicago Cubs finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract that allows the former St. Louis closer to earn $2.5 million more in performance bonuses. ... David Ross and the Chicago Cubs agreed on a two-year contract worth $5 million, reuniting the catcher with frequent batterymate Jon Lester. ... Left-handed reliever Wesley Wright and the Baltimore Orioles completed a $1.7 million, one-year contract.ROYALS-ANGELS SWAPAfter trading away Kendrick, the Los Angeles Angels acquired second baseman Johnny Giavotella from Kansas City for minor league pitcher Brian Broderick.BUD SELIGAt 80, Selig is set to take a new title — baseball commissioner emeritus.Selig has led MLB for 22 1/2 years. His time as commissioner ends when Rob Manfred takes over Jan. 25.This role will allow the game to benefit from his unmatched institutional knowledge, experience and relationships, Manfred said in a statement. I could not ask for a finer mentor.LUXURY TAXThe Dodgers have taken over as MLBs biggest spenders, a distinction held by the Yankees for the previous 15 years. That spot at the top comes with a price: Los Angeles owes more than $26.6 million in luxury tax.The Dodgers finished with a record payroll of $257,283,410, according to final calculations made by MLB and obtained by the AP. Thats more than $20 million over the previous high set by the Yankees last year.The luxury tax was put in place as a slowdown on spending by high-revenue teams. Three of the five biggest spenders missed the playoffs last season — the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies. Cheap Warriors Jerseys Authentic Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap Spurs Store Celtics Jerseys Online Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Wholesale Raptors Jerseys Cyber Monday Pistons Jerseys Wholesale Team USA Basketball Jerseys Cheap Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Raptors Jerseys From China Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cavaliers Jerseys From China Wholesale Pistons Jerseys Bucks Jerseys From China Pacers Jerseys Outlet Authentic Hawks Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Authentic Wizards Jerseys Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Timberwolves Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Discount Warriors Jerseys Wholesale Clippers Jerseys Wholesale Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Discount Mavericks Jerseys Authentic Rockets Jerseys Discount Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Spurs Jerseys From China ' ' '