Report: Canadian Law Enforcement Assisting in Roger Clemens Probe
by A.J. Perez
Federal investigators have reportedly received help from law enforcement north of the border in the perjury case against Roger Clemens.
Toronto police recently went to the headquarters of the Toronto Blue Jays -- where Clemens spent two seasons -- with a court order seeking medical records, CBC News reported on its Web site on Thursday. The Blue Jays hired Brian McNamee as a strength coach in 1997 and he soon began to provide Clemens with steroids, according to the Mitchell Report that detailed baseball's steroid era.
Detectives carried out several boxes filled with evidence, according to the CBC.
Clemens was indicted on six felony counts last month related to his testimony in front of a Congressional subcommittee in February 2008. During the hearing, Clemens denied that he ever used performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 21 months in prison under current sentencing guidelines and a fine of up to $1.5 million.
by Ed Price
One could not blame Cito Gaston, with the Blue Jays not in contention for the playoffs, if his mind occasionally wandered to thoughts of the Irish countryside, South African safaris or Sydney harbor.
But as the end of his managerial career approaches, Gaston claims no twinges of wistfulness nor sentimentality -- "So far I haven't," he told FanHouse last week.
There are indications Toronto will name its next manager within days of the season's end. Third-base coach Brian Butterfield deserves consideration -- if passed over, he could wind up coaching third in Baltimore for Buck Showalter, with whom he worked in New York and Arizona -- as does Yankees third-base coach and native Ontarian Rob Thomson. Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale is thought to be on Toronto's list as well.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos said he hasn't had the managerial search on the front burner until now and wouldn't comment on candidates or timing.
"I'm just going to let the process play out," he said. "It's an important decision, and it can't be rushed. I think the timeline will determine itself." 
by Frankie Piliere
When a player appears to come out of nowhere with a monster season, people reach for explanations. It's human nature to want answers, and it's human nature, after the Steroid Era, to be skeptical. Jose Bautista's power surge in 2010 has led to some very unfair questions. In a world where we know things like steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs are out there, the reality is that those questions won't go away.
But, if you're looking for real answers about where Bautista's home run explosion has come from, look no further than his revamped setup and swing mechanics at the dish. Given those new mechanics, it's probably time to accept that his season may not be a fluke. 
by FanHouse Staff
Ricky Romero is one of those players who doesn't get as much attention as he probably deserves, simply because of the uniform he wears, but it doesn't appear he'll be leaving Toronto anytime soon.
The left-hander has signed a five-year, $30.1 million contract with the Blue Jays that will cover the 2011-15 seasons and also includes a club option for 2016, the team announced Saturday.
Romero, 25, is in only his second major league season, but he has shown marked improvement over an already solid rookie campaign in going 9-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 23 starts. Though he leads the majors with an impressive 15 wild pitches, Romero's overall control numbers are much better than a year ago, with his walks per nine innings dropping from 4.0 to 3.2 and his strikeouts per nine up from 7.1 to 7.8. 
by FanHouse Newswire
TORONTO (AP) -- The Blue Jays' Brandon Morrow lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on an infield single by Evan Longoria, then struck out his 17th batter of the game to finish off a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
The three-game sweep was crippling for the Rays, who have lost a season-high five straight after briefly moving ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East earlier in the week.
The crowd of 22,313 gave Morrow a standing ovation as he took the mound in the ninth inning.
Jason Bartlett flied out to center, Ben Zobrist walked on four pitches and Carl Crawford popped out to bring up Longoria, who took a shaky swing at a 1-1 pitch and hit a grounder the other way. Second baseman Aaron Hill scooted to his left and made a dive as the ball took its third hop, and it fell out of his glove and trickled away as he hit the ground.
Morrow was drifting toward first base, saw the ball get loose and sagged a bit, putting his hands on his thighs. He then recaptured himself and started going toward third base to back up the play - quick thinking, considering the outcome of the game still hung in the balance.