Coversongs » class is, then I dont want to be it,"

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Gareth Morgan sat in the dugout before Tuesday afternoons sun-soaked Baseball Canada Junior Teams tilt against the Blue Jays, visualizing what was to come both in the short term and in the future. "Its pretty cool and humbling," said Morgan. "Its an honour to be a part of this team and get an opportunity to do this. Its not everyday you get to put your uniform on and play against big leaguers." Morgan, who turns 18 next month, is a presence at 64", 220 pounds. He is the top-ranked Canadian heading into Junes amateur draft. Some projections have the product of Torontos Vaughn Road Academy going in the first round. An outfielder, he possesses all the tools over which scouts salivate. "Hes a high school player so sometimes I think the expectation is unrealistic given the skill set," said head coach Greg Hamilton. "He has tremendous talent. Hes got everything youre looking for. Hes got size. Hes got power. Hes got speed for a big man. Hes got a plus arm. Its a complete package. Its a major league right fielder in the making if everything falls into place and he stays healthy, obviously." Morgan grew up splitting his summers and winters between baseball and hockey. Three years ago, his first in high school, Morgan made a choice. He would commit to playing baseball full-time and, having already gone through a growth spurt, was showing signs of the imposing figure hes become. Fast forward three years, through all the games and the tournaments and the travel with the junior team, and he feels like he belongs. "I feel like Ive come a long way both mentally and physically," said Morgan. "I was a lot smaller back then and my skills werent as good. On the mental side, Ive gained more confidence and I just feel more comfortable with what Im doing." He recently spent a week visiting Larry Walker in West Palm Beach, Florida. They hit, shagged flies, worked out and talked the tools of the trade. It was an opportunity to pick the brain of a former great about life in the big leagues. "It was awesome," said Morgan. "We hung out, went kayaking, played a little baseball, hit with the Cardinals." Theres a big decision looming on the horizon. As he awaits the June draft, Morgan also has a scholarship offer from North Carolina State University. Hell have to weigh the value of signing with the pro club that selects him versus a free education at a strong ACC school. "It crosses your mind sometimes, of course youre going to think about it, but the less you think about it the better it is," said Morgan. "Just go out and play the game you love and have fun with it." "We try to give them the information thats objective so that they know all the opportunities available to them and then they qualify what resonates to them the most," said Hamilton. "As long as they understand what a Division I scholarship means and what that experience means; what signing out of high school and minor league baseball and the challenges that come with that mean, the day to day grind that theyre going to go through means to them on a personal level and where they are physically and mentally, I think if theyve got the comparables in front of them, everythings in order, then it becomes a personal decision. We try to convince them its not always about dollars." Morgan cites Brett Lawrie as his favourite ballplayer. The two shared the same field together on Tuesday. A few years from now, it could happen again. ONYSHKO GRINDS IT OUT Left-hander Ben Onyshko, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, admitted to being nervous in the first inning. He walked the first two hitters he faced, Munenori Kawasaki and Colby Rasmus, almost hitting Kawasaki twice. Brett Lawrie followed with a single, loading the bases with nobody out for Jose Bautista. "I mean, I tried not to think about it," said Onyshko. "I tried to just execute pitches the same as always but Ive got to admit, my mind was racing a little bit. It was surreal." Bautista flew out to deep left centerfield for a sacrifice fly. "I was scared for a split second when he hit the ball," said Onyshko. "Once I was able to get that first out I think things started to roll a little bit better. I settled in." He certainly did settle in. Onyshko limited the Jays to that one run in the first and allowed two runs over his three innings of work. Onyshkos curveball caught the attention of onlookers. Its a pitch he started throwing when he was 12. "I just remember hanging in the backyard with my dad, just working on it, throwing it," said Onyshko. "He would sit there catching bullpens for me every couple of days." LAWRIE HAS FLASHBACKS It wasnt too long ago Brett Lawrie was playing for the Baseball Canada junior team in games like Tuesdays. "Its a lot of fun for me," said Lawrie. "Especially nowadays because theres a lot more guys coaching that Ive played with and had a chance to play with that are across the other way now. Its good to see those guys coming back and helping the young guys. It sets a good example for all them because the guys I played with were the good players and theyre fun to play with so things are probably pretty light in the clubhouse, which is cool." Lawrie and his Blue Jays teammates did most of the talking as they mingled with the young Canadians before the game. "I think its kind of keep your ears open, more or less," said Lawrie. "Theyre a little nervous, which I anticipated so I think, more or less, they just kept their ears open, listened to how the boys talked and just taking it all in." HAMILTON APPRECIATES BLUE JAYS APPROACH Brandon Morrow started for the Blue Jays. Baseball Canada alum Brett Lawrie, Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus, Adam Lind and Dioner Navarro were in Torontos starting lineup on Tuesday. Head coach Greg Hamilton appreciated the Jays willingness to send some of the clubs top stars to the game. The rest of the roster was in Lakeland for a game against the Tigers. "Its a special day and an opportunity to come out on the field and play against the players that you watch on TV and aspire to be like is incredibly special," said Hamilton. Fans will follow the paths of these young players. Visit www.baseball.ca to learn more about the program. "Every player that weve got has a chance to play beyond high school," said Hamilton. "At minimum theyre going to go on scholarships and play collegiate baseball. You never know. You extend your playing career and you figure a few things out and there are some here today you think will be for sure potential major league prospects and there are others who will sneak up on you too just by having the opportunity to continue to play." Air Force 1 Cheap Outlet . Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead when he got in front of his marker to neatly flick in Lucass cross in the 59th minute. New signing Yohan Cabaye came on as a second-half substitute and headed Ezequiel Lavezzis cross against the post in the 87th. Moments later, Lucas set up another goal from the right when fellow countryman Alex turned in his corner with a strikers finish. Cheap Air Force 1 Uk . 3. Trevor Ariza left them talkin about 40. Ariza made eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points to help the Washington Wizards win their sixth straight game, 122-103 over Philadelphia on Saturday night. http://www.airforce1uk.com/ . He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. Air Force 1 Clearance . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Air Force 1 Uk .com) - Jeff Teague finished with a game-high 26 points and eight assists as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Utah Jazz, 98-92, on Friday. FORT WORTH, Texas -- Bryce Petty and Baylors vaunted offence needed some help from the defence to build a lead against TCU. When that cushion was in jeopardy in the final seconds, the secondary came through one more time for the No. 9 Bears. Petty threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, Baylor returned two interceptions for touchdowns and turned away an upset bid with a late pick in the end zone for a 41-38 victory against TCU on Saturday. "For the defence to have played like they did, I mean, I cant say enough about the defence," Petty said. "The defence is the MVP of this team, the way they turned it around, the way they kept us in games." The Bears (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) scored 21 consecutive points on either side of halftime with just 1 yard from their high-powered offence and bounced back from a blowout loss at Oklahoma State to maintain their hopes for a share of the conference title. Baylor could win the league outright and qualify for a BCS bid, likely the Fiesta Bowl, if it beats Texas and the Cowboys lose to Oklahoma next Saturday. The Horned Frogs (4-8, 2-7) were in position to tie at the Baylor 23 in the final seconds when Casey Pachall decided to go to the end zone and threw his third interception. Sam Holl dove in front of Brandon Carter just as the ball reached the TCU receiver inside the 5, causing it to pop into the air off Carters hands and into the arms of Terrell Burt as he crossed the goal line. Baylors Orion Stewart and Eddie Lackey had interception returns for scores off Pachall on either side of halftime. "It came down to my three interceptions that cost us the game," said Pachall, a senior playing his final game after missing most of last season to enter a substance abuse program following a DWI arrest and getting knocked out of five games this year with a broken arm. TCUs second season in the Big 12 ended with the schools fewest wins since going 1-10 in 1997. "The bottom line is, we should have beat them," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "That was our bowl game." The Baylor offence had running backs Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin for the first time after both missed two games with injuries, and the Bears started fast.dddddddddddd Baylor ran 40 plays in the first quarter and had 201 yards before sputtering the rest of the way and finishing with a season-low 370 yards -- 292 yards off their nation-leading average of 662. The Frogs outgained the Bears by 40. Seastrunk had 92 yards against the Big 12s best rushing defence in the first half, but just 2 after halftime. "We couldnt ever maintain any continuity," said Baylor coach Art Briles, who was on the sideline three days after his older brother, Eddie, died from an apparent head injury after a fall. "Some of thats got to do with TCU." Pachall erased some of a 34-17 deficit built on his mistakes with a 4-yard touchdown run and a 16-yard scoring pass to Josh Doctson. The first scoring drive was kept alive when Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon was penalized for targeting and ejected after hitting Trevone Boykin with his helmet on a third-down incompletion. Patterson said a coach from the Baylor sideline came across the field to yell at him after Dixon was thrown out. He never specified which coach. "If thats what class is, then I dont want to be it," said an agitated Patterson, who had his first losing record since 2004 and just his second in 13 seasons at TCU. The two interceptions returned for scores came in a span of just four passes from Pachall, who was 20 of 45 for 267 yards and two scores. Stewart jumped an out route and went 82 yards after a slipping tackle from Carter, and Lackey stepped in front of a slant and ran untouched 54 yards to put Baylor up 34-17. Before the two interception returns, Petty had a 1-yard scoring run after TCUs B.J. Catalon ran into the back of one of his linemen at the 10 and fumbled. Beau Blackshear recovered at the 1. After Pachalls first scoring pass made it 34-31, Baylor went back up 10 when Petty completed a 26-yard pass to Clay Fuller on third down, then found Levi Norwood on a 33-yard score. Petty had 206 yards passing. TCU answered when Petty threw just his second interception of the season to Sam Carter, setting up TCU on the Baylor 25. Pachall fooled Stewart with a pump fake for an easy 22-yard score to David Porter on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 41-38. ' ' '