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Over the winter, we wrote about the Blue Jays coming to terms with a pair of pitchers who were trying to become knuckleballers. Alex Len Jersey . They were Josh Banks and Tomo Ohka. Banks had been a Blue Jays draft pick who had a brief stint with the club in 2007 before moving on to San Diego and then Houston, compiling a career record of 4-8. The other was Ohka, a journeyman from Japan who spent time with six organizations, including the Blue Jays in 2007, where he went 2-5. Ohka, who turns 38 next week, was already sent to the minor league camp last week. Now there is a third. Hes 30-year-old Frank Viola III. If the name is familiar, it should be. Hes the son of former big league star lefty, Frank Viola Jr. Frank Jr. had a very good career, predominantly with the Twins and the Mets. He was the MVP of the 1987 World Series - the Twins first win ever - and won the Cy Young Award in the American League the following season - his final full season with the Twins with a 24-7 season. Frank "Sweet Music" Viola, as he was affectionately known, is a member of the Twins Hall of Fame. Viola actually finished off his major league career in a short stop over with the Blue Jays in 1996. He went 1-3 for the Jays and ended his career on May 28 of that year. His son chased that major league dream as well and pitched in the White Sox organization thtough 2007 before injuries appeared to cut his career short. He dabbled in the media doing Florida State League games and even had his own fishing show, but Viola III never gave up his dream of pitching in the majors. The next step was trying to master the knuckleball. He worked with the likes of R,A Dickey, Tim Wakefield and Hall of Famer Phil Niekro and finally impressed the Blue Jays enough that they signed him last week. This doesnt necessarily mean the 30-year-old will make it to the big club. The Jays game plan is to have a knuckleballer or two in the minors to work with their catching prospects. That way, if they get called up to the Jays theyll be ready to work with Dickey without any major adjustment. Still, it would be great to see one of these knuckleballers eventually make it to the majors. Frank Viola Jr. incidentally is entering his second season as the pitching coach with the Mets Triple A farm club, the Las Vegas 51s. After writing about the passing of Dr. Frank Jobe, the man who pioneered Tommy John surgery last week, I discovered another interesting twist to the Tommy John story. Back in 1968, in a game at old Tiger Stadium, John was pitching against Detroit. In the first inning he hit Dick McAuliffe with a pitch. He later scored on an RBI single by Al Kaline. When McAuliffe came up again in the third, threw one pitch high and tight and then a 3-2 pitch behind McAuliffes head that sent him sprawling in the dirt. When he got up he dusted himself off and started to head to first glancing out towards John. McAuliffe claims that John taunted him by saying "What the F are you looking at?" That was the final straw for McAuliffe and he charged the mound. John got into a defensive position and the knee of the charging McAuliffe dug into Johns left shoulder. He suffered a separated shoulder and torn shoulder ligaments and missed the rest of the season. McAuliffe was suspended for five games and was fined $250.00. The interesting thing about John is that he resisted the advice to have surgery and let the shoulder heal with rest and rehab. The plan worked, though it took a while for John to get back to peak efficiency. 1974 was different. When Tommy John blew out his elbow, he said his arm simply felt dead. This time he agreed to surgery, which not only changed his career but revolutionized baseball in terms of treating this type of elbow injury. The Detroit Tigers have made history over the last three years, winning five of the six major awards handed out. They have won three straight MVP awards - the last two by Miguel Cabrerra and three straight Cy Young awards. The Tigers have made the postseason in each of the last three years. The only other time the organization did that was in the hay day of Ty Cobb in 1907, 1908 and 1909 when they dropped three straight World Series - two to the Cubs and one to the Pirates. This season under rookie manager Brad Ausmus, they will be trying to make the playoffs for the fourth straight time and for the first time in franchise history. Over the weekend, Tigers GM Dave Dumbrowski denied rumours he was listening to offers for starting pitcher Rick Porcello. In fact, he denied trying to trade any of his starters. But considering the Tigers have question marks at 3rd base and left field, you have to wonder a bit. Its still a bit too early to get too excited or too worried about this but Baltimore is 8-2 so far this spring and is scoring nearly eight runs-again, even without a rehabbing Manny Machado (knee) at full strength. Connie Hawkins Jersey . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Cam Reddish Jersey . DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1:00 PM (ET) Detroit - G Rodney Austin, WR Ryan Broyles, DT Nick Fairley, QB Kellen Moore, DT Caraun Reid, CB Mohammed Seisay, DE Larry Webster Chicago - S Chris Conte, DT Brandon Dunn, QB David Fales, K Robbie Gould, CB Terrance Mitchell, OT Michael Ola, DE Trevor Scott GREEN BAY PACKERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Green Bay - LB Carl Bradford, DT Bruce Gaston, C Garth Gerhart, CB Davon House, WR Jeff Janis, TE Justin Perillo, QB Scott Tolzien Tampa Bay - OT Anthony Collins, CB Isaiah Frey, WR Robert Herron, RB Mike James, WR Solomon Patton, FB/TE Evan Rodriguez, LB Lawrence Sidbury KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Kansas City - WR Donnie Avery, CB Marcus Cooper, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL Eric Kush, QB Aaron Murray, RB Charcandrick West, DT Nick Williams Pittsburgh - WR Justin Brown, DE Clifton Geathers, G Chris Hubbard, QB Landry Jones, S Troy Polamalu, TE Matt Spaeth, CB Ike Taylor MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1:00 PM (ET) Minnesota - LB Anthony Barr, OT Carter Bykowski, DB Ahmad Dixon, OT Charlie Johnson, FB Zach Line, CB Shaun Prater, TE Kyle Rudolph Miami - G Nate Garner, WR Matt Hazel, S Don Jones, WR Rishard Matthews, LB Chris McCain, G Dallas Thomas, RB Daniel Thomas NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS, 1:00 PM (ET) New England - CB Kyle Arrington, RB LeGarrette Blount, OL Dan Connolly, CB Alfonzo Dennard, OT Jordan Devey, WR Julian Edelman, RB James White NY Jets - DT T. https://www.cheaphawks.com/114r-al-horford-jersey-hawks.html . -- Michael Frazier II scored 21 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 and No.The New York Rangers made the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons, and went on a nice postseason run, ultimately losing the Stanley Cup Final in five games. The series was close enough, with three overtime losses, that the Rangers can feel like they should be contenders, but it was also clear that there is room for improvement to match the leagues best. Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Rangers team that has a good core group, but is looking at some significant roster turnover this summer. Having finished sixth in (Fenwick Close) puck possession during the regular season, along with one of the games premier goaltenders, the Rangers had credentials to justify their strong postseason run and it should keep expectations high for the future. If the Rangers return most of the same roster, with Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard and Carl Hagelin as the forward core, the Rangers will likely be a playoff team next year, but there are enough free agents that it cant be assumed the Rangers will have the same roster. Mix in a buyout of Brad Richards, and potential free agent departures of defenceman Anton Stralman along with forwards Benoit Pouliot, Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore and others and that will present an opportunity to make some changes. Additionally, the Rangers are known for being big-game hunters and, in a summer in which many big names are already being floated in trade rumours, it would come as no surprise if at least one of those big names found its way to Broadway. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACH Glen Sather/Alain Vigneault Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Martin St. Louis 74.43 81 30 39 69 50.4% $5.625M Rick Nash 73.50 65 26 13 39 54.2% $7.8M Derek Stepan 71.31 82 17 40 57 53.1% $3.075M Carl Hagelin 67.10 72 17 16 33 54.5% $2.25M Brad Richards 65.55 82 20 31 51 54.1% $6.667M Derek Dorsett 59.31 51 4 4 8 50.5% $1.633M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Chris Kreider 72.68 66 17 20 37 55.2% RFA $1.325M Mats Zuccarello 72.45 77 19 40 59 53.8% RFA $1.15M Derick Brassard 67.31 81 18 27 45 53.5% RFA $53.2M Benoit Pouliot 65.59 80 15 21 36 53.8% UFA $1.3M Brian Boyle 64.97 82 6 12 18 46.9% UFA $1.7M Dominic Moore 62.10 73 6 12 18 55.2% UFA $1.0M Daniel Carcillo 62.08 57 4 1 5 50.5% UFA $825K Its pretty sweet when the reigning scoring champ insists on a trade to one team, and your team is the beneficiary, but the Rangers probably hoped for more than what they got from Martin St. Louis, who scored one goal and eight points in 19 games with the Blueshirts before a little better production (8 G, 7 A in 25 GP) in the postseason. St. Louis has a brilliant track record -- Joe Thornton is the only player with more points since 2003-2004 -- but St. Louis is also 39 and his production with the Rangers is a little troubling, with his shots on goal way down from earlier in the season in Tampa Bay. St. Louis is going into the final year of his contract, and may have more years left in him, but 0.85 points per game was St. Louis lowest rate since 2005-2006 and its not a given that a player in his late thirties will simply rebound offensively. After leading the NHL playoffs with 83 shots on goal, yet managing only three goals, Rick Nash came under heavy fire for his lack of production. And yet, over the past two seasons, no one gets shots on goal during 5-on-5 play at a higher rate than Nash and his goals/60 is also best in the league. Yes, it was a bad slump in the postseason but Nash, who just turned 30, has strong enough underlying numbers to believe he can still be a top goal-scorer. Derek Stepan got off to a slow start after signing a new contract shortly before the start of the regular season, but finished with 22 points in his last 23 regular season games. Hes a strong two-way player who hasnt missed a regular season game in four years (though he did miss one game after having his jaw broken in the playoffs). A winger whose speed puts pressure on opposing defences, Carl Hagelin is a strong puck possession player, who scored 33 points without netting a single point on the power play. He may not put up huge point totals because of the lack of power play time, but Hagelin creates chances at even strength. Technically, at this moment, Brad Richards is under contract to the Rangers for next season, but the most likely scenario involves Richards being bought out of his contract because his play has declined and there is no earthly way to believe that he can provide value on a contract that runs through 2020. While Derek Dorsetts calling card is his aggressive play -- he has 51 fights over the past four seasons -- hes also taken regular shifts in a defensive role, consistently starting more shifts in the defensive zone and surviving despite that tilted ice. Chris Kreider had a very strong rookie season, with strong possession stats, he showcased his game in the playoffs, scoring 13 points in 15 games once he returned from a broken hand. Kreider doesnt have top-tier finishing skill, but he has a rare combination of size and speed to create chances. It took some time for Mats Zuccarello to establish a regular role in the NHL, but he did last season, playing 77 games and leading the Rangers with 59 points. Zuccarello is short, but he doesnt shy away from physical play and has been high-end in terms of puck possession. Derick Brassard has been a valuable complementary forward for the Rangers, scoring 80 points with solid possession numbers in 129 (regular season plus playoff) games since he was acquired from Columbus. As a third-line centre with offensive upside, Brassard tends to get favourable matchups. There are definitely going to be holes to fill for the Rangers, with four unrestricted free agent forwards, and thats without counting Richards, so there will undoubtedly be some changes. Of all the unrestricted free agents, Dominic Moore may be the best bet to return. Moore was a reliable checker for the Rangers last season and played well in the postseason, so it shouldnt be difficult to find room for him on next years roster. Looking outside the roster, a trade for Joe Thornton -- who does have some history with Rick Nash -- would be a way to upgrade down the middle and keep the Rangers among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. It might require some financial maneuvering, but would also be worth the trouble. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Ryan McDonagh 75.65 77 14 29 43 51.1% $4.7M Dan Girardi 66.91 81 5 19 24 49.9% $5.5M Marc Staal 64.22 72 3 11 14 54. Cliff Levingston Jersey. 4% $3.975M Kevin Klein 58.44 77 2 7 9 46.5% $2.9M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Raphael Diaz 63.21 63 2 13 15 49.7% UFA $1.225M Anton Stralman 62.74 81 1 12 13 56.5% UFA $1.7M John Moore 61.73 74 4 11 15 51.6% RFA $965K Justin Falk 55.54 21 0 2 2 45.2% RFA $975K Not only did Ryan McDonagh set career highs in goals (14) and assists (29), but he also did so while facing the oppositions best lines, starting more shifts in the defensive zone and still managed positive possession stats. The 25-year-old rising star is a terrific skater and can handle physical play. Often partnered with McDonagh, Dan Girardi is an interesting case. Hes something of an underdog story, undrafted out of junior, and only half a dozen defencemen had more combined hits and blocked shots last season than Girardis 365, so he isnt shy about sacrificing his body. However, his critics will note that others -- particularly McDonagh -- tend to fare better when playing without Girardi and cite hit and block totals as evidence that the puck is in the Rangers end too often when Girardi is on the ice. Maybe the solution is to find less demanding matchups for Girardi, because he has a six-year contract extension that kicks in next season, so hell likely be around a while. Mostly healthy last season, aside from suffering one concussion, Marc Staal had a solid season alongside Anton Stralman, though 20:31 average ice time per game was below his standard. As he gets more comfortable, and puts injuries further in the rearview, Staal could resume playing big minutes. Once he arrived in New York, in a trade for Michael Del Zotto, Kevin Klein was relegated to the third pair, so he didnt play as much as he had in Nashville, and while Kleins regular season was mediocre, he put up strong possession numbers in the playoffs. The question for the Rangers is whether its worth paying Klein at this rate to play as a third pair defenceman, or can he move up the depth chart, if necessary? 23-year-old John Moore hasnt yet risen above a third-pairing role, but hes been effective with that sheltered usage. There could be more opportunity for him to move up, depending on what happens with the rest of the Rangers defensive unit. A big stay-at-home defenceman, Justin Falk didnt play much in the 21 games that he did dress last season, so his future with the Rangers, or in the NHL, could be in doubt. Perhaps the biggest issue facing the Rangers defence is the pending unrestricted free agency of Anton Stralman, something of a hockey nomad who finally found his game in the past couple seasons, putting up elite-level possession stats while handling a top-four role on the Blueshirts blueline. Stralmans strong play may price him out of the Rangers range, so his departure would leave a hole that needs to be filled. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Henrik Lundqvist 77.88 63 33 24 5 2.36 .920 $8.5M Cam Talbot 76.24 21 12 6 1 1.64 .941 $563K Pretty much from the time he arrived in the NHL, in 2005-2006, Henrik Lundqvist has been among the top puck-stoppers in the game and though he struggled in the first half of last season, posting a .908 save percentage through the end of December, he was lights-out after that, right through the playoffs. Since they signed him to a seven-year contract extension, the Rangers had better hope that 32-year-old Lundqvist ages well. Undrafted out of Alabama-Huntsville, Cam Talbot had three-plus years in the AHL when he was summoned to New York after Martin Birons sudden early-season retirement. Talbot enjoyed a phenomenal year, one that he cant be expected to duplicate, but hes an inexpensive backup for Lundqvist. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats J.T. Miller RW Hartford (AHL) 15-28-43, +10, 41 GP Brady Skjei D Minnesota (Big 10) 6-8-14, +15, 40 GP Jesper Fast RW Hartford (AHL) 17-17-34, +14, 48 GP Conor Allen D Hartford (AHL) 6-25-31, -4, 72 GP Anthony Duclair LW Quebec (QMJHL) 50-49-99, +19, 59 GP Dylan McIlrath D Hartford (AHL) 6-11-17, +2, 62 GP Danny Kristo RW Hartford (AHL) 25-18-43, even, 65 GP Oscar Lindberg C Hartford (AHL) 18-26-44, +2, 75 GP Pavel Buchnevich LW Cherepovets Severstal (KHL) 7-11-18, -1, 40 GP Ryan Haggerty RW RPI (ECAC) 28-15-43, +7, 35 GP Mat Bodie D Union (ECAC) 8-31-39, +28, 40 GP Mackenzie Skapski G Kootenay (WHL) 2.70 GAA, .916 SV%, 53 GP The 15th pick in the 2011 Draft, J.T. Miller has established that he can produce in the AHL, but has 10 points in 56 career NHL games and has taken some criticism from new coach Alain Vigneault. If he sticks around, Miller should have a good shot at a top-nine role next season. Picked 28th in 2012, Brady Skjei is a strong skating defensive defenceman who is still working on the offensive side of his game with the Golden Gophers. A sixth-round pick in 2010, Jesper Fast had a solid showing in his first season in North America, earning 11 games with the Rangers and impressing with his skating. If he gets stronger, improving his physical game, hell have a chance to make the jump soon. Signed as a free agent out of UMass-Amherst, Conor Allen was solid in his first pro campaign, solid enough to get a three-game look with the Rangers and the 24-year-old is as likely as any defenceman in the organization to get called up. Drafted in the third round last summer, Anthony Duclair erupted offensively last season, raising the ceiling on what he might be expected to become once he turns pro. If he can show that his 50-goal season wasnt a fluke, well, that offers interesting potential in the long term. Towering tough guy defenceman Dylan McIlrath was the 10th pick in 2010, and while hes not going to do anything flashy, hes a tough customer who scrapped with Flames heavyweight Brian McGrattan during his two-game trial in the NHL last season. Acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, Danny Kristo is a fast winger who can score, but needs to get stronger if hes going to handle the rigors of NHL action. Picked up in a 2011 trade with Phoenix, Oscar Lindberg is a two-way centre that had a solid showing in his first North American season. It would not be a surprise to see him get some time in New York next year. A third-round pick last summer, Pavel Buchnevich is a skinny skilled winger who had a nice year on a poor team in the KHL. Theres no rush to get him to North America just yet. Signed as a free agent out of national-champion Union College, Mat Bodie is a puck mover who lacks ideal size, but is a good skater and passer who can play an offensive role. Taken in the sixth round last summer, Mackenzie Skapski has played well under a heavy workload over the past couple seasons in Kootenay. Rangers advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFTNo first-round pick. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Rangers have approximately $54.0M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 13 players. Check out my possible Rangers lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top nine forward, four more forwards, one top four defenceman, depth defencemen. What I said the Rangers needed last year: Two-three top nine forwards, depth defencemen. They added: Chris Kreider, Benoit Pouliot, Dominic Moore, Taylor Pyatt, Jesper Fast, Justin Falk. TRADE MARKET J.T. Miller, Kevin Klein, John Moore. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '