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There are many Toronto Blue Jays fans still harbouring the dream that Ricky Romero can conquer his pitching demons and make it back to the Blue Jays and, in turn, again become the pitcher who won 42 games for the club from 2009 through 2011. But maybe its time to face facts, cut Ricky loose and give him a fresh start with another organization. After showing a little bit of progress at Triple-A Buffalo, the 29-year-old southpaw has regressed with three rocky starts in a row. Friday night at Charlotte, against the Chicago White Sox-affiliate Knights, he only lasted three innings, giving up five hits and five earned runs, walking five and striking out three. He also gave up a pair of home runs, a season high. In six games, all starts, Romero is 0-1 and has pitched only 27 innings, or just a little over four per start. Hes given up 30 hits, struck out 20 and has given up an alarming 23 walks. Remember the slide began in 2012, when Ricky went 9-14 with a 5.77 ERA and routinely melted down on the mound. Last season in a brief stint with the big club, he went 0-2 before getting shipping to Buffalo, where hes been ever since. So essentially, this is Ricky Romeros third season of trying to rediscover himself. You can see why the Blue Jays are going the extra mile with this. Romero was a staff ace and an All-Star. The Jays also owe him whats left of his $7.5 million for this season, another $7.5 million next year, plus a $600,000 buyout on his $13.1 million for 2016. So thats at least $15.6 million guaranteed, owed for the next two-plus years. Youve heard that old cliche a million times about pro sports being a business where tough decisions have to be made. Well, maybe its time the Blue Jays made the call on Ricky Romero. Set him free and give him the chance to start with another organization, where he can put the struggles of the last three years behind him. The Blue Jays cut ties with J.P. Arencibia with little regret. Now is the time for Ricky Romero. - There is another interesting reclamation project going on with Buffalo right now. Georgetown, Ontario native Shawn Hill is trying to rebuild his pitching career at age 33. Hill has battled his way through two Tommy John surgeries and had two previous stints in the Blue Jays organization, albeit brief ones, in 2010 and 2012. Hill signed with the Jays in March and started out with Double-A New Hampshire going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He was promoted to Buffalo last week and dropped his first start in Georgia against the Gwinnett Braves. He gave up six hits, including two homers, and walked two in six innings to take the loss in a 5-0 game. Can Shawn Hill make it all the way back? Maybe, but more likely than not, hes just an emergency depth arm the way Chien-Ming Wang was a year ago. Hill does hold one unique distinction, though. He won the last game contested between the Jays and the Montreal Expos. It came on July 4, 2004. The game was played in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Expos played out a 20-game portion their schedule in their final year in Montreal before moving to Washington. Hill and the Expos won that game 6-4. - One arm that might help the Blue Jays out before the end of the season is that of Kyle Drabek. A key piece of the Roy Halladay deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, Drabek has battled his own control demons, and like Romero, has had some epic mound meltdowns. He appears to be improving now at Buffalo. Hes 3-2 with a 4.04 ERA. Over 35.2 innings, Drabek has allowed seven homers, which is not good, but hes also struck out 30 while walking only 15. So there is a bit of hope there. - The strange thing about the Los Angeles Angels taking the first three games of this four-game set over the weekend: the Angels two best hitters, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, had so little to do with the outcome. Pujols who recently smacked his 500th homer and is one of the greatest players of his generation, if not all-time, went 1 for 13 (a double) and walked twice. Trout went 2 for 14 with a walk. He slugged a solo homer off Dustin McGowan on Friday night and hit an RBI double on Sunday out of the DH slot. Trout also earned the old "Golden Sombrero" on Sunday by striking out 4 times. - Ive got to admit, I was shocked when the Baltimore Orioles traded ace closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics in the off-season, but Tommy Hunter, who I always felt was prone to giving up inopportune home runs, has stepped in without missing a beat. Hunter has 11 saves, tops in the American League, and the Orioles are 17-0 when leading after eight innings. - The New York Yankees pitching depth is being push right to the brink. Ivan Nova is gone for the season. Michael Pineda, who was first suspended, is now gone for another week or two with a muscle strain. That would serious impair most staffs, but now the Yankees will have to get by without C.C Sabathia.Hes gone on the 15-day disabled list with right knee inflammation. Its the same knee he had meniscus surgery on in 2010. You have to start wondering if its the beginning of the end for C.C. He was 3-4 this season with a 5.28 ERA and also leads the American League with 10 homers allowed, including three in the final game he pitched before going on the DL. I wonder if theyve got Andy Pettittes number on speed dial. - At the risk of beating the proverbial dead horse, you wonder where the Blue Jays would be if they could have convinced Ervin Santana to sign with them rather than the Atlanta Braves. In six starts with the Braves, Santana has made five quality starts. Hes 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA, with 43 strikeouts, just nine walks and only two home runs allowed. The Brave,s riding a three-game win streak, are in first place in the NL East, two games up on the Miami Marlins. - Kudos to White Sox captain Paul Konerko, who, like Derek Jeter, is in the final year of his career. Konerko slugged his first home run and 435th of his career on Saturday and, thus, moved into 43rd place on the all-time list just ahead of Juan Gonzalez and Andruw Jones. Stitched Jerseys .com) - Joique Bells touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Detroit Lions a 20-14 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Discount Jerseys . 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Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.INDIANAPOLIS - Jim Irsay has invested three years trying to turn the new-look Colts into a Super Bowl contender.After losing in the wild-card round two years ago and the divisional round last year, the Colts owner hopes to see his team take another step during this seasons playoffs.We feel were better, more talented than the last two years, Irsay told The Associated Press. But we have to go out and prove that. On paper, Irsay insists the Colts (11-5) have made progress.Quarterback Andrew Luck threw a league-high 40 touchdown passes this season. His 2012 draft classmates — T.Y. Hilton, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen — have becoming increasingly bigger components in the Colts offence. The defence exceeded expectations after losing its best player, outside linebacker Robert Mathis, to a four-game suspension and later to a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. Indys coverage units are ranked among the best in the league, and punter Pat McAfee and kicker Adam Vinatieri are both headed to the Pro Bowl.Irsay also understands all is not well.The power running game hasnt blossomed the way the two-time AFC South champions anticipated, an injury-riddled offensive line has used 10 different starting combinations and penalty flags have been flying at an alarming rate. Indy has had 41 penalties in the last six games just one year after they committed a league-low 66 over the entire season.But the most glaring problem has been turnovers. Indy had 15 giveaways in the five weeks preceding Sundays meaningless regular-season finale, a problem Irsay repeatedly lamented during a 20-minute interview. Those trends have some expecting an early playoff exit.While Irsay acknowledges those problems need to be fixed before Sundays wild-card game at home against Cincinnati (10-5-1), Irsay looks to the Colts improbable 2006 title run as a reason to believe. Indy went into the playoffs that season with three losses in its last five games, the No. 3 seed and a seemingly doomed outlook after the defence allowed 375 yards rushing in Jacksonvilles 44-17 victory in Week 13.Tony Dungy was the only one who thought we could go on and win the Super Bowl after the Jacksonville game, Irsay said. Tony Dungy and Tony Dungy alone was the man who said, I can fix this. We can win and we can win big. He did and we did.A similarly odd twist could be a fitting finish to what might be thhe strangest season of Irsays 17-year tenure as owner.ddddddddddddIn March, he was arrested on preliminary charges of misdemeanour driving while intoxicated and four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance. He left the team to enter an out-of-state treatment facility and did not return until draft weekend. In September, hours after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour count of driving while intoxicated, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000.Irsay declined to talk about his legal issues or the suspension — topics he addressed at length when he returned to the team in mid-October — or his personal reflections on a season that isnt finished.Im doing great, Irsay said. But like I said, Im focused on our playoff run. Im excited.Especially after he spent those early weekends pacing nervously around family and friends, watching the games on television for the first time since taking over as the owner.But after Indy lost the first two games, it rebounded to win five straight, capping the streak with a 27-0 shutout of the Bengals in Irsays return to the owners suite.Since then, things have not gone nearly as well.Indy was routed at Pittsburgh and at Dallas, and lost 42-20 to New England at home — a game that exposed some of the Colts flaws and disappointed their owner.It wasnt only that we lost (to New England), it was the way we lost, Irsay said. But I like the way weve gathered ourselves.Things may be changing again, just in time for the playoffs.Indy has won five of its last six despite the mistakes and produced its first turnover-free game since Nov. 3 on Sunday. Now comes the big test.Do we want to take the next step? Yes. Do we want to reach the Super Bowl thats going to be played in Arizona? Yes, coach Chuck Pagano said Monday. Were glad to be in (the playoffs), but (were) never satisfied until we hoist that thing (the Lombardi Trophy).Irsay believes its still possible — if the Colts can clean things up.Well probably have to go through Denver and New England and then beat Green Bay or Seattle in the Super Bowl or something close to that, Irsay said. We know New England and Denver are trying to establish the run and theyve been successful running the ball. So we have to bring our level of play up.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '