e not so much due to inactivity. For Blue

TORONTO – General manager Alex Anthopoulos was evasive on the subject of the Blue Jays budget parameters as baseball moves closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. “Were having dialogue with teams,” said Anthopoulos. “Ultimately what we end up doing, if we do things or get things done, well never get into specifics. I dont think weve ever given out a number when it comes to payroll and things like that.” Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the answer to the question on fans minds: can the ballclub add salary? Can it take on an increase in payroll? Can it make a small dent in the bottom line in order to improve the team? “We can add players,” said Anthopoulos. “We have the ability to have that dialogue at any time. I dont see any reason why we wont be able to add players and obviously players make money. No one plays for free.” What about the belief that any deal must be dollar in-dollar out? Also known as revenue neutral? “I would never get into the specifics of that in terms of how we would make things work and where things fit in our payroll projections. Those are things we keep in house,” said Anthopoulos. “I understand why you guys are asking. I totally respect it. Its just things that we keep that stuff internal.” The proof will be in the actions of the ballclub, not just in the next 11 days leading up to the first trade deadline but also through August, when deals can still be made but not without the players involved first clearing waivers. In most cases thats a formality. “I think you could see, this is just a feeling, I think theres potentially going to be more activity in August this year than in years past,” said Anthopoulos. “You saw last year guys like (Justin) Morneau and (Marlon) Byrd got moved, (Alex) Rios got moved after (July) 31, I think thats where, from a contractual standpoint and because of the extra wildcard, some clubs just need to wait a little while longer.” According to baseball-reference.com, the Blue Jays have $135.4 million committed to player salary in 2014. A quiet trade deadline will lead to finger pointing at Anthopoulos, which would be unfair. There will be blame to go around; ownership would be at the top of the list. The general manager is aware there are holes in his lineup. Theres a need to acquire an infielder. Theres a need to upgrade the bullpen, an attempt at which will be made internally with the likely promotion of top prospect Aaron Sanchez. There are few teams in baseball that wouldnt add an arm to the starting rotation. Anthopoulos, with support of ownership, changed the course of the franchise in the offseason of 2012 when he made blockbuster trades with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets. The Blue Jays went from a franchise with a large haul of prospects building with youth to a win-now ballclub thanks to acquisitions of the likes of R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Now, with a veteran laden lineup, the Blue Jays could use an acquisition or two to cement the clubs footing in the pennant picture. But with ownerships new CEO, who inherited a multi-billion dollar investment in another sports property, the landscape has changed. Anthopoulos finds himself with a win-now lineup. If his jobs on the line, as has been suggested, it would be strange for ownership to fire the general manager if it stood in the way of moves Anthopoulos would and could have made. Ownership needs to be win-now, too. Some trade deadlines are interesting for their activity, some not so much due to inactivity. For Blue Jays fans, the next five weeks, regardless of the degree to which the ballclub is active, will be quite intriguing. Cheap Rockies Jerseys China . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web. Cheap Rockies Jerseys . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. http://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.com/. Cammalleri scored two goals, Corban Knight netted the winner in a shootout, and the Flames erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Stars 4-3 on Friday night. Cheap Rockies Jerseys Authentic . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. Cheap Colorado Rockies Jerseys . 3 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber from Germany. Defending champion Marin Cilic also reached the semifinals -- his fourth in Zagreb -- defeating fellow Croat Ivan Dodig. German qualifier Bjorn Phau beat Dudi Sela of Israel to reach his first semifinals in nearly five years.Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Arcidiacono led the way with 18 points and six assists as No. 5 Villanova cruised past Xavier for an 88-75 win on Wednesday. Dylan Ennis went 5-of-8 from 3-point range to finish with 17 points and Josh Hart chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Wildcats (16-1, 4-1 Big East), who have won three straight following their lone blemish of the season, a 66-61 overtime loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 3. Matt Stainbrook scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and Jalen Reynolds contributed 14 points, five boards and three blocks for the Musketeers (11-6, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last four games. Darrun Hilliard, Arcidiacono and Ennis each made a 3-pointer as the Wildcats jumped out to an 11-2 lead less than four minutes into the game. After J.P. Macura brought the Musketeers within six points, Villanova answered with a 12-2 run that featured seven straight points from Hart foor a 34-17 lead.dddddddddddd The Wildcats maintained its lead as the game was 45-27 at halftime. Daniel Ochefu capped a 9-0 spurt early in the second half with a layup, giving Villanova a 59-36 lead with 14 minutes to play. Dee Davis, however, scored the first seven points of Xaviers 13-2 burst that cut the deficit to 12. Stainbrook scored six points, Myles Davis hit a jumper and Reynolds dunked to make it a 67-57 game with seven minutes to play. JayVaughn Pinkstons two free throws kickstarted an 8-0 run with under five minutes to play and the Wildcats led comfortably the rest of the way. Game Notes Pinkston and Hilliard had 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the win ... Villanova leads the all-time series, 19-4 ... The Wildcats are 37-1 when scoring 70 points or more in a game since the start of the 2013-14 season and are 14-0 when doing so this season ... Xavier owned a 46-18 advantage for points in the paint. ' ' '