ntil last season

HOUSTON - The Houston Texans are nearing a deal to trade quarterback Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders, two people familiar with the negotiations said Friday. wholesale jerseys . The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet complete. Schaub must still pass a physical in order to finalize the trade. ESPN first reported the trade and said the Raiders would give up a late-round pick in this years draft for Schaub. Schaub was Houstons starter from 2007 until last season, when he was benched in favour of Case Keenum after a terrible start to the year. The Texans were expected to contend for a Super Bowl last season, but instead became the NFLs worst team, sinking to 2-14, which tied the worst record in franchise history. It was clear after last season that Schaub didnt have a future in Houston, but his departure looked to be imminent on Thursday night when the Texans signed veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Houston also has the first overall pick in this years draft, which includes top quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel. The pending acquisition of Schaub is the latest attempt by general manager Reggie McKenzie to find a quarterback to lead the Raiders back into relevance after 11 straight years without a winning record or playoff berth. Since dumping Carson Palmer last spring, McKenzie traded a 2014 fifth-round pick for Matt Flynn before cutting him early last season; spent a fourth-rounder last year on Tyler Wilson before losing him off the practice squad to Tennessee; and signed Matt McGloin as an undrafted free agent. McGloin showed flashes in his six starts last season but is viewed more as a potential backup than a starter. The only other quarterbacks on Oaklands roster are Terrelle Pryor, whose running style does not fit what the coaching staff wants to do offensively, and veteran Trent Edwards, who was signed earlier this off-season. The move puts less pressure on Oakland to use a high draft pick on a quarterback in May. The Raiders pick fifth overall in the draft but could use that selection to fill another hole. With loads of salary cap room to start the league year, the Raiders have targeted veterans with only one of their acquisitions younger than 29. That appears to be part of an effort to turn the team around quickly. McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen oversaw back-to-back four-win seasons since arriving in Oakland and owner Mark Davis is running out of patience with this regime. They are hoping last year was an aberration for Schaub. While the Texans had plenty of problems, Schaubs poor play was perhaps the biggest. The Texans won their first two games before Schaub began to struggle and he threw six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns in the next three games. He started the sixth game of the season and left with an injury before being replaced in the starting lineup by Keenum, an undrafted free agent who spent 2012 on the practice squad. Keenum was injured late in the season, forcing Houston to go back to Schaub for the last two games. He didnt fare any better than he had before he was benched and he threw four interceptions combined in the last two games as Houston wrapped up the season with a 14-game skid. The 32-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowler, who last made the game in 2012. He had been solid for the Texans since taking over the job after being traded from Atlanta in 2007, but his best seasons came in 2009 and 2012 when he started each game. In 2009, he led the NFL in yards passing (4,770), completions (396) and attempts (583) and was fifth in touchdown passes (29). In 2012, he threw for 4,008 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions to help Houston to its second straight AFC South title. He spent three seasons with the Falcons as Michael Vicks backup before joining the Texans, and has thrown for more than 24,000 yards with 130 touchdowns in his 10-year career. AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report cheap jerseys .C. -- The Texas Stars snapped a three-game winless streak the best way they know how -- by scoring a bushel of goals in quick succession. jerseys from china . LOUIS -- Adam Wainwright had a nice view from his seat in the dugout.The day after Brandon Morrow walked eight batters in just two and 2/3rds innings and got the hook, Ricky Romero had a two-inning control meltdown of his own Sunday at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo. Facing the Reds Triple A  affiliate Louisville, Romero walked the bases loaded in the first inning and again in the second, but he escaped unscathed both times and actually lasted five innings. Romero didnt give up any more walks and didnt surrender a run during the stint. Earlier in the week, an upbeat Romero was on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor and co-host Dave Hodge and said he felt he was pitching better than he had been in a year and a half. He also said he would welcome a call-up right now if the Blue Jays needed or wanted him. As shaky as the Jays starting pitching has been this season, especially over this just completed homestand, Romero doesnt figure to get called up anytime soon. He simply has to be more consistent with his control. The largest pitcher I have ever seen in the Majors is C.C Sabathia. Though he has trimmed down now a bit, there were times over the past two or three years where he weighed between 285 and 300 pounds. Well in that same Buffalo-Louisville game on Sunday, the Bats used a closer by the name of Jose Diaz. A year ago, the 64 native of the Dominican Republic pitched at 347 pounds and of course was known by the nickname of Jumbo. This year having just turned 30, he realized it might be time to shave off a few pounds to try and prolong his career. He got down to 278, but the stat sheets now are listing him at 315. Jumbo racked up his sixth save Sunday against the Bisons. He throws with pretty good velocity, too. Cincinnati already has Aroldis Chapman as their closer, but who knows at some point, he may surface in the Majors. Historic Lineup Since the Blue Jays in the Pat Gillick era were one of the very first teams to extensively scout and sign talent out of the Dominican Republic, it only seems fitting that on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre, they became the first team in Major League history to field a starting lineup that included six players born in the Dominican. The starting 9 included Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Juan Francisco and Moises Sierra. An equally, if not more, historic moment occurred back on Sept 1 of 1971 when the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded an entire starting lineup of African American and Latin American players including Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. The rest of the starting 9 included Al Oliver, who later played with the Expos and the Blue Jays, Rennie Stennett, Jackie Hernandez, Dave Cash, Manny Sanguillen, Gene Clines and starting pitccher Dock Ellis. cheap jerseys from china. Better April The Blue Jays started last season at 10-17 in April and they are already guaranteed a better first month this time around. John Gibbons and company are 12-13 with two games at Kansas City left in this month. But something to remember, there were only two playoff teams with losing Aprils in the American League a year ago. Tampa Bay went 12-14 but rebounded to finish 91-71 to earn a play in the knockout game with Texas to decide the second Wild Card spot. Cleveland earned the first Wild Card at 92-70 after opening April at 11-13. Conversely Texas had the best record in April at 17-8, but finished the season in that knock-out game at 91-71. All of that means if the Blue Jays are going to need 91 victories to have a shot at the playoffs this year, they will have to go 79-58 the rest of the year or 21 games over .500. Thats not impossible, but the starting rotation will have to be far better the rest of the way. Right now, the Blue Jays staff era is 4.45, 25th in the Majors, just slightly ahead of Baltimore at 4.49. I dont know if this is a plus but the only team in the AL East with a sub -4.00 era is Boston at 3.90 and the BoSox are fourth in the division just behind the Blue Jays. This and That Its really interesting to look at the early season gap in some pitching categories between the National League and the American. The Senior Circuit has eight of the top 10 staff ERAs. Only Oakland and K.C. break into that group. The National League has had 10 complete games to just four for the American, including two by Texas. There have been 34 shutouts in the National League to 23 in the American. St. Louis has six and Texas leads the American with six. I guess it just helps to illustrate why Ervin Santana chose Atlanta over the Blue Jays. After going 7-9 in their 1st 16 game segment against the East, the Jays have a 20-game stretch where they dont play their own division at all. Their next game against the East is May 20 at Fenway Park in Boston. In fact, they only have six games against the East for the entire month of May, getting Tampa Bay at home the week after that Boston series. The All-Star voting has begun for the Mid-summer Classic Tuesday July 15th at Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. If voting closed today, the only Blue Jays on my ballot would be lefty Mark Buehrle and Melky Cabrera. Jose Bautista could make it as well, but more on his name and All-Star reputation at this point. I also did a rough count and if Buehrle keeps it up, his natural turn to pitch would fall on All-Star Tuesday so their might even be a chance he could start. But thats still a lot of innings pitched and a long way off. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '