Hands up if you remember the last trade made by the Blue Jays. Ben Bishop Stars Jersey . I admit, I actually had to look it up. It was back on December 14th when the Jays sent reliever Brad Lincoln to the Phillies for 33-year-old catcher Eric Kratz and 24-year-old lefty reliever Rob Rasmussen. It has been a quiet winter hasnt it? Of course we were spoiled in the off-season a year ago, when Alex Anthopoulos pulled off that monster 12 player deal with the Miami Marlins and then followed up with that seven player swap with the Mets that landed R.A Dickey. Off-seasons like that come along every 10 years or so, if that. Over the weekend I was curious to see, which team had been the Blue Jays most common trade partner. I can tell you it wasnt the Yankees, though they have made 23 deals with the Pinstripes. It wasnt Cleveland either, though the Jays have made 23 swaps with the Tribe. No, the team the Blue Jays have made the most deals with over their 37-year history according the BaseballReference.com is the Oakland As; thirty to be exact. Going over them one-by-one, I could see only one that the Jays outright lost. That one went down on Dec. 8, 1984. The Blue Jays dealt left fielder Dave Collins and shortstop Alfredo Griffin to Oakland for Bill Caudill -- the guy who was supposed to be the closer who would push them over the top. Of course that didnt happen, and by June of 1985 Tom Henke became the ninth inning guy and the Jays did in fact go on to win their 1st division title. Eventually Griffin found his way back to Toronto and as a utility infielder became part of the World Series teams in ‘92 and ‘93. The Jays very first trade with the As came on February 24th of 1977, when their original roster was still being formulated. The Jays dealt infielder Mike Weathers to the As for veteran outfielder/first baseman Ron Fairly, who had played with the Expos in their early years as well. Fairly provided a sense of veteran leadership and class in the Jays clubhouse that 1st year. On July 31, 1993 at the non-waiver trade deadline, Pat Gillick was trying to put together a deal for lefty Randy Johnson to help make a run at a second straight World Series title. When he couldnt get the arm he wanted, Gillick turned around and dealt lefty Steve Karsay and a player to be named later (outfielder Jose Herrrara) to the As for all-time stolen base king Rickey Henderson. Though he turned out to be a rental, Rickey helped ensure a World Series win over the Phillies come October. J.P. Ricciardi pulled off a deal with the As on December 7, 2001 that helped both teams. He sent closer Billy Koch to the West coast for third baseman Eric Hinske and right hander Justin Miller. Hinske became American League rookie of the year in 2002. The Jays made two more deals with Oakland that they clearly won. On November 18, 2003 they picked up lefty Ted Lilly for outfielder Bobby Kielty, and then on November 18,? 2007 -- exactly years later -- they acquired SS/2B Marco Scutaro from the As for a couple of prospects who never made it in Kristian Bell and Graham Godfrey. The Jays mistake was not keeping Scutaro around longer as he went on to help the Giants win a couple of World Series titles. If you were wondering, the team the Blue Jays have made the fewest deals with is Tampa Bay. Since the Devil Rays/Rays came into the American League, the two teams have only gotten together on three deals and none of them were really memorable. The last was over nine years ago on December 12, 2004 when the Jays sent catcher Kevin Cash to the Rays for right-hander Chad Gaudin. On December 14, 2003, the Jays pulled off a three-way swap with the Rays and Colorado; the Blue Jays getting reliever Justin Speier from the Rockies and sending lefty Mark Hendrickson and Sandy Nin to Tampa Bay, while Colorado received lefty starter Joe Kennedy from the Rays. The only other deal between the Jays and Rays was supposed to improve the Jays pitching depth for a playoff push in 2000. The Jays sent 2B Brent Abernathy to the Rays for lefty reliever Mark Guthrie and right-hander Steve Trachsel. The deal didnt really work out for the Jays as Guthrie went (0-2) with a 4.79 ERA and in 11 starts, the slow-working Trachsel went (2-5) with a 5.29 ERA. Both were gone at the end of the season after the Jays missed the playoffs under Jim Fregosi. To Trachsels credit, he did revive his career over the next six years with the Mets winning 66 games, including 16 in 2003 and 15 in 2006. The Tampa Bay Rays since 2008 have made four playoff appearances and have been to one World Series (2008). On their roster today, they have only four players who were with that team in 2008: Reliever Grant Balfour, who was just re-acquired as a free agent, lefty David Price , star third baseman Evan Longoria and super utilityman Ben Zobrist. The Blue Jays over that same span have only three players who were with them in 2008: Dustin McGowan, who hardly pitched at all do to injuries, Jose Bautista whos been injury plagued the last two seasons, and Adam Lind, coming off a solid season who nevertheless, over the years has been plagued by inconsistency. Technically Casey Janssen has been with the team that long as well, but he missed the entire 2008 season with a torn labrum. A teams core players tell you a lot about the team. Its not hard to see why the Rays have been contenders the last six seasons and the Blue Jays have not. Mattias Janmark Jersey . The 2014 edition will be the ninth meeting between the Caps and Vikes in a tradition that dates back to 2005. "Since the original Whitecaps, the club has enjoyed fantastic support from fans in Victoria and all across Vancouver Island," said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. Tyler Seguin Jersey . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time. http://www.thedallasstarshockey.com/jason-dickinson-hockey-jersey/ .com) - Generally you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced the legend.When every team had reached the halfway mark of its 2014 season, one name stood out in the race for The Associated Press NFL awards: Arizona coach Bruce Arians.The other seven honours, including the new assistant coach award, should provide a mad scramble heading toward January.Measuring performance through the first eight games can be a valuable tool in predicting which teams and individuals will be busy in January.Still, things often change as the weather gets colder, the schedule gets shorter and the pressure ramps up.Some would argue, though, that Arians deserves top coaching honours regardless of how his Cardinals fare the rest of the way. They have the NFLs best mark through eight games despite a bunch of injuries and living in the rugged NFC West.How are the Cardinals 7-1 after missing their starting QB for three games and, at one point in the season, being down six of last years starters in the front seven? asks Jenny Vrentas of The Monday Morning Quarterback and one of 50 panel members who vote for the awards in January. The first reason is good coaching. Arians hasnt let his team make any excuses and has taken control of the formidable NFC West at midseason.Of the half-dozen AP voters asked in an informal survey, all six selected Arians as Coach of the Year so far.As for the APs newest award, for assistant coaches, Arians defensive co-ordinator, Todd Bowles, received lots of support.Bowles is winning, somehow, without Daryl Washington, Karlos Dansby, John Abraham and Darnell Dockett, not to mention lesser injuries this season for Calais Campbell and others, says Don Banks of SI.com.USA Todays Jim Corbett favoured Dallas defensive co-ordinator Rod Marinelli, whose unit has played far better than many thought it was capable of doing.Another intriguing race is shaping for Comeback Player of the Year. Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, Cowboys linebacker Roland McClain, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, Texans running back Arian Foster and Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer got mentions.Most of them are coming off injury-shortened seasons, while McClain flopped in Oakland and walked away from the game twice in Baltimore.His plan to take a one-year deal with the Eagles instead of trying to hit it big on the market will pay off this coming off-season, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports says of Maclin.Just as with Coach of the Year consideration, the top defensive player award appears to have been a runaway through the halfway point of the schedule. While Houston and Denver LB Von Miller have stood out, too, Texans DE J.J. Watt has soared highest.Its incredible to think a player as consistently dominant as him can be a part of a team thats lost 17 of its last 23 games, Garafolo notes.The NFLs most disruptive defender does it all, adds Banks. He has the sacks, the touchdowns (three, one each via interception, fumble return and reception), the fumble recoveries, the passes defenced and the tackles for loss to maake this race no contest in 2014. Craig Hartsburg Stars Jersey. There figures to be a 16-game contest for Offensive Player of the Year, which quite often is earned because of statistical performance. That could give Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray the nod over the likes of quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Tom Brady, and receivers Antonio Brown and Bears RB Matt Forte.The Cowboys running backs streak of eight consecutive 100-yard games ended on Sunday, Vrentas says, but with 1,133 rushing yards so far this season, Murray alone has amassed more yards on the ground than 28 NFL teams.More than 28 teams — try 32 — have had rookies making an impact already. Thats the pattern of the NFL nowadays thanks to the salary cap and the way the passing game has become dominant.So the top two rookie awards are, well, very much up in the air.Not surprisingly, Bob Glauber of Newsday favours a receiver and a cornerback. Glauber pinpoints for Offensive Rookie of the Year Panthers wideout Kelvin Benjamin, who already has 40 catches for 589 yards and five TDs. His choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year is Chicago CB Kyle Fuller, already a starter with three interceptions.Others to consider halfway through the schedule on offence include Bills WR Sammy Watkins, Saints WR Brandin Cooks, Eagles WR Jordan Matthews, Cowboys guard Zach Martin, Packers centre Corey Linsley and Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon.Other defensive contenders range from Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley to Rams DT Aaron Donald to Browns CB Justin Gilbert to safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix of Green Bay, Deone Bucannon of Arizona and Jimmie Ward of San Francisco.Maybe even one of the outstanding rookie kickers — Arizonas Chandler Catanzaro and Philadelphias Cody Parkey — or punter Tress Way or Washington will get recognized.As for the most recognizable award, MVP, quarterbacks usually dominate the conversation. But Murray and Watt certainly have become major parts of the discussion.Corbett, Vrentas and Banks favour Brady.Brady has stats that are comparable to Peyton Manning, and just convincingly outplayed him head to head in Foxboro, Banks says.Glauber likes the five-time MVP Manning, as does Garafolo.I almost went Andrew Luck here, but thats probably a reaction to the down game Manning had in New England followed by Luck and the Colts thrashing the Giants the next day, Garafalo says. Manning has been outstanding once again and his arm strength seems to have gotten even better. Lucks numbers are gaudy and hes been very good, but hes not wrong when he points out there are areas he can clean up.Most intriguing would be if Watt gets strong support for MVP, an award that has gone to just two defensive players: Alan Page (1971) and Lawrence Taylor (1986).Eight-year, $108 million contract extension hasnt led to any complacency, Glauber says of Watt. Just the opposite, the guy goes a million miles an hour on every play.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '