retained, who takes his outfield spot? Is Reyes best suited to con

LONDON -- Roger Federer could play for another four years and add to his tally of 17 Grand Slam titles, according to former No. 1 Pete Sampras. Speaking ahead of an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in London on March 3, Sampras said on a conference call Wednesday that he is impressed by Federers longevity. "Im amazed that he is up for more tennis," Sampras said. "He has done everything in the game and he could walk away tomorrow feeling great about it. But he still wants to travel and compete and Im in awe of it. He is a true lover of the sport." Following a disappointing 2013 season marred by back problems, Federer started this year on a high. Now working with new coach Stefan Edberg, he reached the final of his first tournament, at Brisbane, and then made the semifinals of the Australian Open for the 11th consecutive year. His run at Melbourne included wins over 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Sampras, who retired after winning his 14th Grand Slam title at the 2002 U.S. Open, said Federer should be comforted by a streak that finally ended with a defeat to Rafael Nadal. "I thought his level was quite good," Sampras said. "When youre playing against Rafa and if youre not quite on your game then it can seem like youre struggling. Rafa is a rock. But I do see Roger building from that, I think hes going to do well this year." Asked if Federer could win another Grand Slam title, Sampras said the Swiss "can do it" if he plays his best tennis. "Thats why hes playing, I dont think hes playing for anything else but to win some more majors," said Sampras, adding that Federers best chance would be on his favourite grass surface, at Wimbledon. Sampras was 31 when he decided to hang up his racket for good, while the 32-year-old Federer has hinted he could keep playing until the Rio Olympics in 2016. "As long as Roger is enjoying it and hes healthy, I can see him playing for another two, three, four more years," Sampras said. Adidas Gazelle Tarjous .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Adidas Deerupt Ale . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-nmd-r1-halvalla.html . Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Tampa Bay currently holds the last of the Atlantics three automatic bids to the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs are just one point behind. Adidas Prophere Ale . The Canadian tennis players first full season on the WTA Tour was a strong one. She has risen to No. 32 in the world rankings and will likely be seeded at the first Grand Slam event of the 2014 season. Adidas NMD Halvalla . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do.BALTIMORE – Manager John Gibbons likes to claim he doesnt read what gets written. But he will, on occasion, when something gets passed along. Recently, he was on the receiving end of an article detailing the key difference between his Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles, Torontos opponent this week and the team closing in on its first American League East crown since 1997. "When you really compare our pitching, its almost neck-and-neck when you go by the stats and all the newfound formulas that they have. The same way with the offence, two home run-type hitting teams," said Gibbons. "The big thing this article pointed out has been the defence. Plays made, balls not gotten to because they definitely have one of the better defensive teams in baseball." Successful ball clubs prioritize up-the-middle defence. Teams look for a catcher who not only calls a good game but is a good pitch framer – that is, he receives the ball in a way that will ensure borderline pitches are called strikes and not balls – and who can keep the ball in front of him – that is, prevent wild pitches and passed balls which advance baserunners. While Dioner Navarro has had a nice offensive season for the Jays, hes not in the class of Baltimores Matt Wieters (Wieters is out for the season with an elbow injury and has been replaced by the tandem of Caleb Joseph and Nick Hundley). In the infield, the Orioles hold a decided advantage at shortstop. While there is debate about the effectiveness of Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), which aims to measure the number of runs prevented or allowed based on a players ability to get to balls hit his way, based on the statistic, Baltimores J.J. Hardy (6.1 runs saved entering Mondays action) has badly outperformed Jose Reyes (-9.1, meaning hes given up about nine runs). At second base, Ryan Goins is the Blue Jays best defensive option. The problem is he provides next to no offence. While Goins has made better contact more often since his last recall, his .190/.215/.268 (.483 OPS) slash line in 164 plate appearances doesnt reflect a player "holding his own" offensively, which Gibbons said in spring training Goins would have to do to stick on the big league roster. In centrefield, with the impending departure of Colby Rasmus, Anthony Gose will provide a defensive upgrade but, similar to the situation at second base, an offensive regression at the position. While Gose has improved his on-base percentage to a career-best .321 this season, thanks to a vastly improved walk rate (9.9-percent), it remaains to be seen whether he can carry the freight over an entire season.dddddddddddd The problems the Jays have experienced at second base this season, including having to resort to platooning Brett Lawrie and then overusing Munenori Kawasaki after Lawrie got hurt, arent solved without going outside the organization. Its a position that must be addressed in the offseason. The same, however, could have been said a year ago. Reyes, 31, is about to get really expensive. His heavily backloaded contract, signed with the Miami Marlins before the 2012 season, calls for salaries of $22 million for the next three seasons through 2017. Theres a $22 million option for 2018, which requires a $4 million buyout should the club decline it. Should the Blue Jays, at the very least, explore a positional change for Reyes, perhaps a move to second base, where the club could better cover his lack of range? Speaking to people in the organization, its difficult to get a read on whether anyone is willing even to broach the subject with Reyes. Given the uncertainty surrounding the health of Brett Lawrie, who by the end of this year will have appeared in slightly more than 62 per cent of the Blue Jays games since the start of the 2012 season, there are doubts about who will man third base every day. Can Gose play centrefield every day? If Melky Cabrera, a free agent, isnt retained, who takes his outfield spot? Is Reyes best suited to continue at shortstop? Who plays the middle infield with Reyes? What about Lawrie? There are plenty of questions for the organization to answer between now and spring training. Outfield Configuration A few eyebrows were raised when the Blue Jays posted Mondays starting lineup, which included Jose Bautista in centre field, John Mayberry, Jr. in right field and Kevin Pillar in left field. Pillar, it would seem, would be the right fit in centrefield. Hes played their extensively in his minor league career. Manager John Gibbons explained his rationale. "Against a lefty tonight, weve got our left-handed bats in there," said Gibbons. "The tough part in this park to play is left field and left centre so well put Bautista in centre field and he and Pillar should be able to cover that. Right centre and right field are smaller here. They dont require as much range." Gibbons had to use one of Anthony Gose or Ryan Goins, both lefthanded hitters, in the starting lineup. He opted for Goins, whose plus defence at second base was valued because starter Marcus Stroman works a 55 per cent groundball rate. ' ' '