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MILWAUKEE - Fatherhood has given Ryan Braun a different perspective on baseball and life in general.The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder has more pressing matters to worry about right now than whether an off-season medical procedure will finally fix the nerve damage near his right thumb that affected his swing.So far, so good — both with the thumb and raising a 4 1/2-month-old daughter.Its a lot of work, Braun said Sunday. Weve been sleep training her this week, which is one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life, but productive for all of us moving forward. So overall its been great.Almost everything sounded rosy on Sunday at the Brewers On Deck winter fan outreach event, where Braun, catcher Jonathan Lucroy and other teammates signed autographs and met fans.In a month, baseball will become more of a priority when spring training begins in Arizona for the Brewers. The slugger hopes to get a better feel by then about what kind of impact that the procedure known as cryotherapy had on his lingering nerve problem.The procedure involved the application of extreme cold. Assistant general manager Gord Ash said Braun and the teams medical staff are very optimistic, but cautioned that until he gets to spring training and gets some continuous at-bats and continuous repetitions, were not going to know for sure.The sore thumb left Braun struggling through a subpar season when he hit .266 — well below his career average of .306. His 19 homers and 81 RBIs were also career lows for a full season.It was Brauns first full year following a 65-game suspension at the end of the 2013 season for his connection to the Biogenesis doping scandal. There was work needed in 2014 off the field to rebuild trust with fans. He also switched positions.Ryan did everything we asked him to do last year, owner Mark Attanasio said. With that all behind him — I think the thumb was the primary thing we were focused on — but being another year removed from the drama, I think, is certainly going to help, and its another year now that hes comfortable in right field.It is his comfort level at the plate that could make the biggest difference in Milwaukee.A predominantly free-swinging club struggled at the plate the last five weeks of the season. A 20-7 start that allowed Milwaukee to stay atop the NL Central for five months was wasted by a 9-22 collapse to finish the season.The Brewers missed the playoffs for a third straight year.Milwaukee tweaked in the off-season instead of making wholesale changes. The hope is that a healthy Braun will make just a positive impact on the lineup as a big free agent addition.Its certainly big. I know hes said that if he was healthy, things might have been different last year and maybe they would have, manager Ron Roenicke said.At the same time, Roenicke said the other hitters need to be more consistent, too.It shouldnt all be on him, the skipper said. Is he a big part? Absolutely. We need him to bounce back and be the kind of hitter we know he is, and be the kind of defender we know he is.Braun said the thumb feels good so far. He started hitting a little earlier than he usually does in the off-season, but otherwise Braun is maintaining his typical routine.The thumb feels much better than it did at this point last year, Braun said. The first real test will come in spring training.I feel as good as I ever do this time of year ... I think its always kind of a progression of getting to the point where you feel really comfortable with your swing, Braun said. That normally happens at some point during spring training. But overall right now it feels good as I could possibly hope for.NOTES: General manager Doug Melvin said he hasnt spoken recently with the Philadelphia Phillies about trading for closer Jonathan Papelbon. That changes day by day. Sometimes you think theres nothing happening and sometimes you get a phone call. But I havent gotten any phone calls lately, Melvin said. ... The Brewers appear to still be in touch with free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez, who had 44 saves last season. In 2014, Rodriguez signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee about a week before spring training started. Jonathan Broxton would be the favourite to close if the Brewers didnt make another bullpen move.___Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP Nike Vapormax Suomi . -- Theres been so much talk about Mike Moustakas at the plate that the third baseman ignored the conversation Wednesday -- even after doing something positive. Vapormax Plus Ale . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto. http://www.vapormaxsuomi.com/vapormax-97-ale.html. Fabio Fognini pulled off a surprise 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray to level the best-of-five quarterfinal at 2-2 before Andreas Seppi defeated James Ward 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive match. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Ale . Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidics header in the 58th minute. Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. Vapormax 2020 . Over the course of his career Glenn is 79-71-1 in 151 starts for a .526 career winning percentage. Since becoming a Stampeder, he has elevated his play and raised his stock around the league.ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The time for talking is over. Its put up or shut up time. A pivotal season, the Blue Jays 38th in Major League Baseball, gets underway at Tropicana Field on Monday afternoon. Last springs eternal optimism has been replaced by this springs eternal doubt. Jobs are on the line if 2014 takes on a pattern similar to 2013. That certainly goes for manager John Gibbons. The heat already is being turned up on general manager Alex Anthopoulos. The players know it, including the ace knuckleballer for whom much was traded away over a year ago. "Guys really know that this is a big year for us collectively," said R.A. Dickey, who will make his second consecutive opening day start for the Blue Jays. "Were kind of getting a mulligan this year. Last year a lot of things went wrong. This year were pretty much all healthy, were here, weve been here all spring, weve been able to do relationships with one another and now were in a much different place than we were last year and its a much more comfortable place." While its nice that a full season has bred greater familiarity, the degree to which teammates are comfortable around one another will only take them so far. The Blue Jays go into the season with a starting rotation full of question marks on the heels of last year, when the club finished 29th out of 30 teams in starting staff ERA (4.81). "Thats the key to our success this year, thats the key to anyones success is how well you pitch as far as giving you a chance," said manager John Gibbons. "Were ready to go. Weve had a good spring all year." All things being equal, namely health, you know what youll get from Dickey and Mark Buehrle. The knuckleballer will be among the American League leaders in innings pitched, he was second last year with 224 2/3 innings despite pitching most of the first half with a strained muscle in his neck, and if Dickeys spring is any indication he could improve upon last years numbers (14 wins, 4.21 ERA). "I feel prepared. I feel confident, which is great," Dickey said after his final Grapefruit League start on March 26. "Last year I didnt feel very confident simply because I didnt feel as prepared. Im really looking forward to getting started and being able to adjust my schedule this year in a way that really maximizes my preparedness has been great." Buehrle, whose 12 wins and 203 2/3 innings in 2013 marked the 13th consecutive season hes achieved double-digit victories and more than 200 innings pitched, said of his changeup after an early March outing that it hadnt been that good in three years. Typically a slow starter, Buehrles 4.32 career ERA in the month of April is his worst for any month of the season. The joke has been how good he feels. "Its a joke but not a joke," explained Buehrle. "At times you go through your little stretches where you almost say, man, I wish I was giving up some hits and home runs to kind of get them out of the way for the season. But I feel good. I mean, obviously the results in spring training dont mean stuff but you still want to get people out no matter whether its spring training or the regular season. I feel good and I think thats the biggest thing Im taking out of this camp is I feel healthy, Im ready to go and hopefully the results are there." Thrrow Drew Hutchison and Brandon Morrow in the questionable category.dddddddddddd Hutchison is there because hes 23 years old and likely to experience the normal ups and downs of any young pitcher, not to mention he has limited minor league innings under his belt following last summers return from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. Still, Hutchison was the Jays best pitcher this spring. He earned a starting job on merit and appears poised to resume a career halted by injury in June, 2012. Morrow, entering the final guaranteed year of his contract (the Blue Jays hold a $10 million option for 2015), must prove he can not only remain healthy but that he can pitch effectively, consistently. The Jays need Morrow to be his 2012 version (10-7, 2.96, 1.115 WHIP) save for the two and a half months lost to an oblique strain. Dont think the 29-year-old doesnt feel he has a point to prove. "You definitely dont want to be labeled as somebody injury prone," said Morrow. "My goal is to go out there and make every start this year. I had a positive spring so Im feeling good about it." Its a wait-and-see, hold-your-breath approach with Dustin McGowan, wholl be closely monitored not only during his outings but in between starts. The 32-year-old is returning to the starting rotation on a full-time basis for the first time since 2008. Multiple shoulder surgeries and various other injuries later, McGowans story is testament to his resolve but also a reflection of the Blue Jays lack, at the moment, of quality starting pitching depth. Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman and Sean Nolin are on the way but arent ready yet. Todd Redmond or J.A. Happ, once the issues with his wonky back get worked out, are the immediate fallback plans should McGowan falter. Anything the Jays get from McGowan has to be considered gravy given what hes been through. CASEY JANSSEN TO DISABLED LIST The Blue Jays have placed closer Casey Janssen on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 29, with what the club is calling a left abdominal/back strain. Janssen, 32, made only three spring appearances, all in the last week, after dealing with pain and stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder for most of camp. Reached for comment, Janssen told TSN.ca he isnt worried about the state of his shoulder, which was surgically repaired more than a year ago. "Shoulder is feeling good," said Janssen. "Maybe compensated for it but, no, shoulder is good to pitch." Sergio Santos will replace Janssen as the clubs closer for the time being. Catcher Erik Kratz, who lost out to Josh Thole for the back-up job to Dioner Navarro, has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. McGOWAN THROWS SIMULATED GAME Dustin McGowan threw a 77-pitch simulated game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium on Sunday. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, speaking on a Sunday afternoon conference call, said that as of this moment McGowan is on track to start the home opener on Friday against the Yankees. McGowan describes himself as a "second day pain guy," meaning his shoulder is most uncomfortable following his second sleep after a start. Regardless, at the moment the 32-year-old appears to have cleared all hurdles in his attempt to return to the starting rotation. ' ' '