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CLEARWATER, Florida – Erik Kratzs friendship with R.A. Dickey, he who throws that strange knuckleball, is growing. At 33, back with the Blue Jays organization and tasked with catching a pitch Dickey once described as a "capricious animal," Kratz is a veteran who is evolving under the bright Florida sun. "Its a cool challenge, it really is," said Kratz of catching the knuckleball. "Its something that as any athlete, any competitor will say that the competition, the effort level is something that youre never going to be someone that says, I didnt quite give it all I had today, but in a sense you have to kind of just relax and let the game come to you, which you have to do normally, but as a catcher you kind of have to have that energy." Kratz is like any other ballplayer. Hes been at this game for years and has developed habits that suit his game and have become second nature. Some of these habits are obvious, things youre taught the moment you strap on catchers gear, like giving the pitcher a firm target. Throw up your glove as he enters his wind up. Will your battery mate to locate his pitch. It doesnt work that way catching Dickey. The knuckleballer doesnt want a target. When Dickey is on his game, he has a good idea of where his pitch will end up, but it still can be unpredictable. Kratz is still at the point where hes reminding himself to let his glove rest over his left knee in his crouch, even when Dickey throws his fastball. Kratz has to be consistent every pitch or the hitter could know whats coming. Its a different mindset and he admits he finds it mentally taxing. "Thats something that as a catcher, I take pride in receiving the ball," he said, moving his left hand as if to put up a target. "I take pride in making the pitch look good. Its something that is a hard habit to break, but on the same hand, its something Ive got to be cognizant of that. I call fastball, normally Im like, Hey, lets get it out there; whoops, maybe not because I dont want to tip his pitches." When youre tasked with catching the knuckleball, you have to set your ego aside. "Its a part of my game that I feel is, not to sound conceited, but I feel like Im pretty good at it," said Kratz of his receiving prowess behind the plate. "I feel like Im really good at it. (Catching the knuckleball is) a challenge that is exciting and every time I go out there, kind of at the beginning I was like, jeez, now Im like lets go out there and do it and see what I can get." The battery-mates spend a lot of time together. Dickey says Kratz has "improved" at handling his pitch. The Blue Jays havent publicly committed to Kratz as the second catcher behind Dioner Navarro, saying that the other alternative, Josh Thole, has an extensive history with Dickey and the club needs to see whether Kratz can do the job. Navarro hasnt played in more than 89 games since 2009, making it likely the Jays will need their backup to play more often. Assuming thats the case, the club requires reasonable improvement over Tholes .175/.256/.242 slash line he posted last season. Kratz has hit 18 home runs in 375 at-bats over the last two seasons playing for the Phillies. He is a low batting average, low on-base percentage hitter but he at least is a threat to go deep. Acquired from Philadelphia, along with left-handed pitcher Rob Rasmussen, for reliever Brad Lincoln on December 3, the former Blue Jays draft pick is preparing as if the job is his. Kratz is using a first basemans glove, instead of an oversized catchers mitt, although, he may revert if he finds a prototype with more flexibility. Each time hes catching Dickey in a bullpen session, he simulates game situations in his mind. Kratz will pretend theres a runner on third. If the knuckleball gets by him, chances are that run scores. Its not quite like live game action, but hes trying to put himself in the right frame of mind. Its important not only for himself, Kratz believes, but also for his teammates. He needs to project the right aura. His is the only position each of his teammates can on the field see in front of them. "If you have a bad energy catcher, you have a bad energy team, in my opinion," said Kratz. "The best teams that have guys that are high energy, you look at them and theyre in every play and theyre ready to go." DICKEY WORKS IN TRIPLE-A GAME While the Blue Jays lost a Grapefruit League game 6-3 to the Rays in Port Charlotte on Saturday, R.A. Dickey was pitching in a Triple-A game in Clearwater, against the Phillies Lehigh Valley Ironpigs affiliate. He logged 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks. Dickey struck out two hitters. He threw 100 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. "Its a great mental exercise to come out here and execute your pitches regardless of the situation, surroundings, competition," said Dickey. "Im competing against myself more than I am those guys, anyway, so its a great exercise for me." "I feel more ready," said Dickey. "Now, Im going to take that into the season with me. Its no guarantee that things are going to be perfectly smooth, but at the same time the way that I feel brings a level of confidence with it that I dont have when youre not as prepared. And, yes, I do feel more ready." Dickey has two more starts before he takes the mound on opening day, March 31, against the Rays in St. Petersburg. The first, in which he plans to throw another 100 pitches, will be in a minor-league game, likely on Friday. He will make a shorter start on March 26 versus the Yankees in Dunedin. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Replica China . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Nike Air Max 90 China Wholesale Paypal .ca! Hi Kerry, Im sure youve received many emails wondering what your take is on the Spezza goal that looked like Neil blatantly kicked it in while standing directly in the middle of the crease where, you know, usually a goalie is to make a save but couldnt be due to Neil being there! Thanks! Jon - Westfield, MA Jon: Lets first ask Henrik Lundqvist what he thought of the scoring of the Sens second goal with . http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-balenciaga-shoes-china.html . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Cheap Yeezys Fake . Dillon Brooks scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting for Canada while pulling down six rebounds and picking up six steals. Teammate Chris Egi had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Nike Air Max Plus Clearance . John Albert Elway, 24, was booked into jail early Saturday morning after an incident near a college campus in downtown Denver, according to jail records.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors will try to pad their franchise-best 13-game winning streak on Wednesday, but will face a tall order in the form of the visiting Houston Rockets. The Warriors have vaulted atop the standings in the NBA, but the Rockets arent far off. They share the second-fewest losses and may have as good a chance as anyone in slowing down the Warriors. Houston is second in the NBA in opponents scoring, which should help against the leagues fourth-best offense. Of course, you dont get to be 18-2 without playing some defense and the Warriors rank sixth in opponents scoring. These two teams met in one of the biggest matchups of the early season. Both were undefeated when Golden State toppled the Rockets, 98-87, in Houston on Nov. 8. Steph Curry went off for 34 that night, but the Rockets didnt have All- Defensive Second-Team member Patrick Beverley. The Rockets also didnt have Dwight Howard, a former Defensive Player of the Year, but he isnt expected back from a knee injury on Wednesday. The Warriors havent lost since a home setback to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11. Since, Golden State has taken five in a row at Oracle Arena, but it just returned from a perfect road trip. The Warriors went 2-0 over the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State knocked off the Bulls by 10 at the United Center, then dispatched the Timberwolves by 16 on Monday night. Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 21 points to help the Warriors extend their winning streak. They stretched their road winning streak to eight games, which is also the best in team history. Tonight was not our best ever, the second half was good, Warriors coach Steve Kerr ssaid.ddddddddddddIts good to pile up as many road wins as possible because its going to get tougher as we go. Shaun Livingston and Marreese Speights both netted 12 points and Draymond Green added 10 points with 10 rebounds in the win. Warriors center Andrew Bogut left the game after just two minutes in with right knee irritation. Neither Bogut, nor Kerr seemed terribly concerned about the injury after the game, so Bogut could be in the lineup against the Rockets. Houston has endured a horrid season with injuries and it seems like Howard and starting forward Terrence Jones will both be out for a while. All-Star guard James Harden has back spasms and is questionable. The Rockets have had four days off to get healthy. Their last game was a 100-95 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, their fourth consecutive victory. Beverley returned from a hamstring injury to give the Rockets a big lift, scoring 19 points. Beverley, who had missed Houstons last five games, knocked down 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range and added six rebounds off the bench. We dont win that game unless Pat plays, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale stated. Trevor Ariza also had 19 points in a game the Rockets led from start-to-finish en route to their seventh win in eight outings. Harden offset a 5-of-21 shooting night by posting 12 rebounds and seven assists. He finished with 15 points, while Donatas Motiejunas had 16 along with 11 rebounds. Harden is second in the NBA with 25.2 ppg. These two teams, who have had some testy moments in recent seasons, have split the last six meetings, but Golden State prevailed in the last two. The Rockets are 3-1 in their last four in Oakland. ' ' '

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