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CINCINNATI - Billy Hamilton set a Reds rookie record by stealing 56 bases last season, tied for second-most overall in the major leagues. He also wore down as the months wore on, with his hitting and stealing showing a big drop-off.So the 6-foot, 160-pound outfielder is on a weight-lifting regimen this off-season, trying to make his body ready for the extra wear-and-tear of a major league season.This off-season Ive had a chance to do stuff like that, Hamilton said on Thursday, before the start of the teams annual media caravan to nearby cities. Ive been getting in the weight room. Im not a power hitter, but I want to be stronger than last year.He took the National League by surprise during his first promotion in September 2013, batting .368 for the month and stealing 13 bases while getting caught only once. Hes so fast that pitchers and catchers got rattled.The 24-year-old was the starting centre fielder last season and quickly recognized that teams were better prepared to stop him the second time around. He was caught stealing 23 times, the most in the National League, and repeatedly got nabbed when pitchers threw over to first in anticipation that he was running.Lesson learned.The thing about being a young, confident player is feeling theres not a situation where you cant be successful, manager Bryan Price said on Thursday. Even though the percentages are always in his favour, theres going to be better opportunities to run, better pitcher-and-catcher combinations to run against.That will be part of his learning curve.Hes showing that hes a quick study.Hamilton was overmatched at the start of last season, going only 6 for 43. Once he relaxed, he got much better. Hamilton batted .250 overall in 152 games with 25 doubles, eight triples, six homers and 48 RBIs.He wound up leading NL rookies in runs, hits, total bases, doubles, steals, extra-base hits and multi-hit games despite a second-half fade. Hamilton batted only .200 after the All-Star break with one homer and 18 steals.All we can do is speculate that the second half (slump) was just getting used to playing a full season in the big leagues, Price said. We want him getting stronger and getting reacquainted with the acumen of bunting and getting more balls hit on the ground and hard line drives instead of balls hit in the air.Were seeing the development of a young player.Hamilton finished second to the Mets Jacob deGrom in voting for NL rookie of the year. Even though the season wasnt quite what hed hoped, it gave Hamilton more confidence.Especially the way the season started, I felt like it was going to be a tough, tough season, Hamilton said. But I started relaxing and getting myself into it. Going into this season, I feel way better than last year. Im way calmer and feel like Im supposed to be here where last year it was, Oh, oh, I dont know if Im ready. But right now, Im ready.Hamilton has been working out in Atlanta with Delino DeShields, manager of Triple-A Louisville this season, in order to hone his bunting and get stronger. The major league season lasts about a month longer than the Triple-A season.I did get a little draggy, Hamilton said. I wouldnt say I completely tired out. Ive got to do better than I did last year. Ive been taking care of my body this off-season and getting prepared for that extra month.___Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . - Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored twice and added an assist, and Antoine Bibeau made 43 saves as the Val-dOr Foreur downed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final series. Air Max 97 Discount Uk .Y. -- Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U. http://www.airmax97discountuk.com/ . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. Air Max 97 Sale Uk . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Air Max 97 Cheap Online .? It was his second straight start for the Jets; he suffered a 1-0 loss against Minnesota Monday. So this season Hutchinson has now won games in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was perfect three- for-three in the shootout to nail down the win.VANCOUVER -- Alex Anthopoulos was a busy man last off-season. The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign. The lead-up to the 2014 season has been relatively quiet in comparison, with the Blue Jays biggest splash coming when they cut ties with catcher J.P Arencibia and replaced him with free-agent Dioner Navarro. While that deal wasnt not on the same level as the headline-grabbing acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey, Anthopoulos says he wont be adding any pieces through trade or free agency unless it fits into the teams model. "We made a lot of big moves early last off-season. It wasnt by design, it just worked out that way," Anthopoulos said Friday. "Weve had a lot of dialogue. Theres still a lot of players out there, just havent been able to line up with respect to a price, whether its trade or free-agent cost. "We do have the ability on some trade fronts to just say Yes. We know what the asking prices are -- just not willing to pay that price. From a free-agent standpoint ... we have been given a price and we just dont necessarily see the value right now." The starting rotation continues to be a point of emphasis after a miserable 2013 that saw Toronto finish last in the American League East after starting the season as World Series favourites. Free agent starters Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez are still on the open market, but Anthopoulos said theres a chance that the rotation could be filled out from within. "We have a lot of candidates and a lot of options. Someone like Brandon Morrow coming back (from injury) is a huge boost for us, some of our young kids that are coming back are certainly going help," he said. "We still have dialogue and try to upgrade but we do have some upside to some of the guys that are coming back." Anthopoulos, who was in town for a luncheon with the single-A Vancouver Canadians, also touched on the New York Yankees signing of Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka earlier this week. The 25-year-old right-hander inked a seven-year deal worth $155 million dollars with Torontos AL East rivals that also includes a $20-millionn dollar payment to his club team.dddddddddddd The Blue Jays, who have an internal policy of not signing player contracts longer than five years, were rumoured to be in the running for Tanakas services early on in the process. "Obviously hes a great starter and there was a lot speculation on where the dollars would go just based on the previous two Japanese starters (Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish)," said Anthopoulos. "I think it was expected that he would go north of (their price tags) -- $175 million, I dont know if anybody predicted that. "Hes very talented and the Yankees certainly got better." Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays use the five-year limit on contracts as "a guideline" but tend to shy away from longer-term deals because they offer clubs very little wiggle room. "Weve held firm on our five-year policy in terms of contracts. When free agents are signing for seven, eight years, then normally thats where we tap out," he said. "We definitely have the resources financially in terms of annual value and salaries and things like that. I think weve proven that with some of the players we have acquired. But just the length of term -- very rarely do those seven-, eight-year deals work out." Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons will be feeling the heat if the Blue Jays stumble out of the gate as the they did in 2013. Fans flocked to Rogers Centre with dreams of a return to the teams glory years of the early 1990s that included two World Series titles, but were instead bitterly disappointed with the product on the field. With pitchers and catchers set to report for spring training on Feb. 17, a repeat in 2014 surely wont fly. "Youre always anxious to try to improve the club and to add to it, but you dont necessarily have to guard against it when you know theres a deal that just doesnt make any sense," said Anthopoulos. "We just dont want to force a deal and do it for the sake of doing it. "We want to make moves that we think are going to help the club. If we have to go more years and dollars than we believe in, people might get excited now but a few months into it we may be regretting that deal and be hamstrung with a contract that we dont want." ' ' '