TORONTO – Marcus Stroman grinned at the recounting of that aha moment in his last start. Cheap Swell Bottles . It was the fifth inning and his Blue Jays were leading Texas 2-0. Stroman had struck out Rougned Odor and induced a groundout from Robinson Chirinos. Hed gone to a full count with on-base machine Shin-Soo Choo. The 3-2 pitch was a sinking fastball. The opposing reactions told the story. Stroman turned, struck a pose with a glare and retreated to the dugout. Choo looked flummoxed at the plate, staring back at the umpire with confusion. This reporter, from an angled vantage point, wondered if Choo disagreed with the call. He didnt. The pitch had cut the heart of the plate. He was confused. "Just something Ive been working on," said Stroman of the sinker. It must be nice. When Stroman throws fastballs, theyre predominantly four-seamers. He can "spin" the ball with the best of them, as baseball people say in reference to his devastating array of curveballs and sliders. Stromans changeup continues to develop. By the time hes through, Stroman could be a five-pitch guy. More importantly, in the immediate, is Stromans barreling onto the scene not just as a piece of the starting rotation but as a frontline guy. The sample size is small but take a look at four of Stromans last five starts, excusing the hiccup he had on a Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim earlier this month. On June 23 at home against the Yankees: Eight innings, one earned run on three hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. This start was made more impressive by the fact the Yankees were the first team to see Stroman for a second time and the first had been less than a week earlier when he struggled in the Bronx. On June 28 at home against the White Sox: Six and two-thirds innings, two earned runs on two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Stroman wasnt physically on the mound when a run against crossed. He left the game with a 2-0 lead, two on and two outs in the seventh. Dustin McGowan promptly entered and gave up a three-run home run to Dayan Viciedo, saddling Stroman with a no-decision in a game the Jays would eventually lose 4-3. On July 4 on the road in Oakland: Seven innings of scoreless ball on three hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. The offence didnt score any runs that day and the Jays eventually lost, 1-0. July 19 at home against the Rangers: Seven innings of scoreless ball, four hits allowed and five strikeouts. Do the math and in those four starts, with Stroman still physically in the game, hes allowed one run in 28 2/3 innings. Stroman, whose self confidence has been repeatedly discussed, is willing to admit to some surprise at how well things have gone since he returned to the big leagues and entered the rotation. "Yeah, absolutely," said Stroman. "Its definitely been a ride. Its been extremely fun. Its definitely gone a lot better, because its my first year and I feel really settled in and I feel like I belong." Dont mistake the confidence for arrogance. The 23-year-old knows he has plenty to learn and hes willing to listen. Two veteran teammates in particular have taken Stroman under their wings. One is a pitcher, Mark Buehrle. The other is a hitter, Jose Bautista. Having a guy with 15 straight seasons of 10 or more wins and another with two-time 50-plus home run credentials in your corner doesnt hurt. "Anything from mentality, anything from preparation to, hey, what would you throw in this count, to this hitter or what are you trying to do in this certain situation with guys on base? Just picking their minds like that and theyre more than happy to help out," said Stroman. "Bautista being awesome this year; hell come up to me out of nowhere, even during a game, and say, hey, when Im hitting this is what Im looking for, this is what I see, and this is how Im adjusting in-game and this is how you should attack hitters." Bautista sidled up to Stroman after his commanding performance against the Rangers. The superstar offered some praise. He also suggested areas in which Stroman could improve. Dont leave the kid satisfied. Bautista repeatedly reminds Stroman to be quick with his pace. Fielders appreciate a pitcher who gets the ball back from the catcher and immediately toes the rubber. Stroman has gone from potential trade bait to an irreplaceable member of the staff. Hes making general manager Alex Anthopoulos look good for being hesitant to part with the Duke alumnus. "To be honest, obviously its just rumours and you dont know whats true, whats not," said Stroman. "It wasnt unsettling at all. I was just focused on getting here and dominating and pitching like I know I could. Trades are something thats a part of the game and its not something that can rattle you if you over-think it." Dont worry about Stroman wilting under the brighter lights of important September baseball. If the Blue Jays hang in the division and wild card races, hell be looking forward to getting the ball every fifth day. "Zero intimidation factor. Im pretty confident," said Stroman. "Thats where I want to be. The bigger the moment, I feel like the bigger I get up for the games and the better I play." Yellow Gold Swell Bottle .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Cheap Swell Bottle .Y. - The New York Rangers have reached a one-year contract extension with goalie Cam Talbot, keeping Henrik Lundqvists backup away from unrestricted free agency. http://www.swellbottlesales.com/17-oz-swell-bottle-outlet.html . Among the six changes: Drivers are now eligible if they have competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR or turned 55 in the calendar year before nominating day. Previously, drivers were not eligible until they had been retired for three years, so drivers can continue to compete and still reach the hall.CINCINNATI - Call it a sequel 32 years in the making. For the first time since the famous "Freezer Bowl," the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals will square off in the NFL playoffs on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. You can see all the action on CTV beginning at 1pm et/10am pt. Early forecasts for Sundays game have the temperature reaching into the low 40s, certainly a positive development for the Southern California-based Chargers and a stark contrast from the last time San Diego visited the Queen City for a postseason game. In NFL lore, the "Freezer Bowl" was the AFC Championship Game between the Chargers and the Bengals on Jan. 10, 1982. The Bengals won that one going way, 27-7, in what was the coldest temperature in NFL history in terms of wind chill. Air temperature was minus-9 on that day with the wind chill dipping down to minus-37 due to sustained 27 mph winds. No one in their right mind wants to play in that kind of weather again but the Bengals probably wouldnt mind taking another 10 or 15 degrees off the current forecast. There was a massive cold front ahead of the relatively balmy temperatures forecasted for Sunday and another looms behind it with the National Weather Service forecasting an 80 percent chance that snow and rain will fall Sunday in Cincinnati, with some of it likely coming during the game. "Accumulating snow is expected," the weather service said in an advisory. "Snow will change to rain during the afternoon." Either way, though, Cincinnati, which will be shooting for its first playoff win in 23 years, doesnt figure to be a hospitable place for any opponent because the AFC North champion Bengals finished the regular season a perfect 8-0 record on their home field. "They have to come here to "The Jungle" and deal with our weather and our fans," Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. "Well see if we get the best out of them." The Bengals last win at Paul Brown Stadium may have been the most satisfying as they knocked their division rival and the reigning Super Bowl champion Ravens out of the postseason hunt last Sunday. Andy Dalton ran for the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter in that one as Cincinnati closed out the regular season with a 34-17 triumph. Dalton had an uneven performance with two touchdown passes and four interceptions but Baltimore could only turn those miscues into a trio of Justin Tucker field goals. He finished 21-of-36 overall for 281 yards as the Bengals (11-5) posted an unblemished home record for just the second time in franchise history. Cincinnati scored the final 17 points after squandering a 17-6 halftime lead. "We overcame the turnovers early and did a great job again in the red zone on defense, holding them to field goals early in the game," said Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis. "We got the lead back and then kind of went to work on offense." The Chargers, meanwhile, got in the postseason by the skin of their teeth. Kept alive by a pair of losses earlier in the day, including Baltimores loss to Cincy, San Diego raallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to post a 27-24 overtime win over Kansas City to nail down the AFCs final wild-card spot and end a three-year playoff drought. Swell Bottles Deals. "Its been a real long time so it feels great to be back in," said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who finished tops in the NFL in completion percentage with a stunning 69.5 rate. Nick Novak kicked a pair of clutch field goals, the first coming with 3:21 remaining in regulation and the other giving San Diego a 27-24 edge in the extra session, while Rivers threw three touchdown passes to help the Chargers outlast a surprisingly competitive Kansas City squad fielding predominantly backups. San Diego remained in contention when both Miami and the Ravens lost prior to kickoff, then got another gift when the Chiefs Ryan Succop pulled a would-be game-winning 41-yard field goal try wide right with four seconds left in the fourth quarter. Rivers, who finished 22-of-33 for 229 yards with an interception, began the Chargers comeback with a 6-yard touchdown toss to Eddie Royal early in the fourth quarter, while Ryan Mathews ran for 144 yards on 24 carries in San Diegos fifth straight triumph to close out the regular season. "A great team effort," said Chargers coach Mike McCoy. "The one thing Ill say about this team and Ive said it since day one, the character of the organization and the players we have here never gave up." A day after the game, however, the NFL was forced to admit an officiating error that would have given Succop a second opportunity to send San Diego packing from five yards closer. "With 0:08 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sundays game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers, Kansas City faced a 4th-and-12 from the San Diego 23. The Chiefs attempted a 41-yard field that was no good. "On the play, San Diego lined up with seven men on one side of the snapper. This should have been penalized as an illegal formation by the defense. "The penalty for illegal formation by the defense is a loss of five yards. This is not subject to instant replay review. Had the penalty been assessed, it would have resulted in a 4th-and-7 from the San Diego 18 with 0:04 remaining, enabling the Chiefs to attempt a 36-yard field goal." If the correct call was made and Succop connected, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been visiting the Bengals this weekend. San Diego holds a 19-13 overall advantage against the Bengals but Cincinnati topped the Chargers in the Golden State on Dec. 1, 17-10, when BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 92 yards and a TD and A.J. Green added five catches for 83 yards and another score. Meanwhile, Rivers recorded a season-low passer rating of 80.0 and San Diego turned it over three times. "I want to be very respectful because they had a lot to do with it," Rivers said. "They caused the turnovers and they covered us. Some of it may not have been the best throw. They certainly were out there causing us to not get in the end zone and our execution wasnt great. Weve got to execute better." ' ' '