SAN DIEGO - Baltimores Dan Duquette and Kenny Williams of the Chicago White Sox say they arent focused on overtures from the Toronto Blue Jays, who appear to be seeking to replace Paul Beeston as team president.Duquette is president of baseball operations for the Orioles and Williams is an executive vice-president with the White Sox. The Blue Jays would need to permission from their current clubs to speak with them.Permission was neither denied nor granted. At this given time, its just not the time as were trying to put the White Sox together in the best possible way, Williams said Monday at baseballs winter meetings. Its been going on for a little while. Theyre obviously in a transitional phase in Toronto now. Otherwise they wouldnt be doing it. So whatever their plan is, it includes reaching out to people.Duquette avoided direct answers to questions about Torontos intentions.Were here to put together the strongest Oriole team that we can for 2015. Thats my focus, Duquette said. Im here with the Orioles, and my focus is with the Orioles and helping the Orioles put together the strongest team that they can have in 2015.Duquette was hired as Baltimores top baseball executive in November 2011. Duquette, who held similar positions in Montreal and Boston, at first was given a three-year contract but currently is signed through 2018.Since he was hired, the Orioles have twice reached the post-season and this year won their first AL East title since 1997.We are very pleased with his performance, and we expect him to satisfy his contract, Orioles owner Peter Angelos told The Sun in Baltimore. We dont want him to go away, and we dont expect him to go away. And hes given no indication he wants to go away.The first employee hired by the Blue Jays in May 1976, Beeston became vice-president of business operations in 1977, executive vice-president of business in 1984 and president and chief operating officer in 1989. He was promoted to chief executive officer in 1991 and held that position until 1997, when he quit to become the COO of Major League Baseball, a role he held until 2002.He returned to the Blue Jays in October 2008 as interim CEO, and Toronto took off the interim tag a year later. UGG Boots Cyber Monday UK SALE. Matt Carkner got back into the Ottawa lineup, and made his presence felt right away by settling his clubs score in a one-sided fight with Rangers forward Brian Boyle. UGG Boots Cyber Monday UK 2015. The 7-footer spent last season with New Orleans, averaging 9.7 points and a career-high 5. http://www.uggblackfridayuk.eu/.ca NHL Power Rankings, but there werent a lot of changes at the top, with the same top five as the previous week. Cheap UGG Boots Black Friday UK. "I was like, Who is this kid?" Girardi recalled. "Im like, Man, this kid is special." Girardi is the Yankees manager now. Rivera is no longer a kid. UGG Boots Cyber Monday UK CHEAP. Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game live on TSN Jets at 6:30pm et/5:30pm ct. The game is also available on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg.(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Falcons will attempt to take advantage of what appears to be a golden opportunity when the playoff contenders conclude a two- game home stretch with Sundays matchup against the reeling Minnesota Vikings from the Georgia Dome. Catch all the action on TSN2 starting at 1pm et/10am pt. The Falcons received a welcomed Thanksgiving gift courtesy of the Green Bay Packers, whose 27-15 victory over Detroit on Thursday enhanced Atlantas chances of returning to the NFC Playoffs as a Wild Card entry. A win over the badly-struggling Vikings would give the Falcons an identical 7-4 record as the Lions, whom Atlanta defeated earlier this season. Atlanta still has designs on capturing a second straight NFC South title, however, and enters the weekend trailing rival New Orleans by one game in the standings. The Saints, who will host the New York Giants on Monday, will face the Falcons at the Superdome in Week 16 in a contest that could decide the division. In the meantime, Atlanta hopes to take care of business against a Minnesota squad thats won just twice in 2011, has lost 13 of its last 16 road games, and may be without star running back Adrian Peterson on Sunday. Peterson exited last weeks 27-21 loss to AFC West leader Oakland in the first quarter with a high left ankle sprain and although subsequent tests revealed only a Grade 1 injury, Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier indicated that the four-time All-Pro would likely be held out for at least one week. Minnesotas offense had its problems following Petersons departure, with rookie quarterback Christian Ponder throwing three interceptions and the team turning the ball over five times in all on the afternoon. "He is the center point of our offense, so anytime you dont have Adrian Peterson, it alters your plans as an offense and as a team," said Frazier. "Hes one of our leaders. Hes arguably our best player in a lot of ways. To not have him on the field, thats a big loss for our team and it does change how you have to approach things." 2010 second-round draft pick Toby Gerhart would get the lions share of carries in the event Peterson doesnt play, and versatile wideout Percy Harvin may be utilized some as a running back as well. Theyll be facing a stern Atlanta defense thats yielded the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL and held Tennessees Chris Johnson to a meager 13 yards on 12 attempts in last weeks 23-17 triumph over the Titans at the Georgia Dome. Quarterback Matt Ryan contributed 316 passing yards to the win, the Falcons fourth in five outings since a sluggish 2-3 start to the season, with running back Michael Turner adding 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. "I believe that were still not playing as consistent as we need to play, but were playing more consistent than we were through the first five games of the season," said Falcons head coach Mike Smith. "I think the things that are going to make us the team that we want to be is that weve got to play with consistency, weve got to play with focus and weve got to play smart. I dont know that weve put all three of those things together like we would like in one football game." SERIES HISTORY The Vikings have a 15-9 lead in their all-time regular-season series with the Falcons, but Atlanta has won two of the past three meetings between the clubs. The Falcons posted a 24-17 road decision over Minnesota in the most recent clash, which took place in 2008, and delivered a 30-10 victory in the Vikings last visit to the Georgia Dome back in 2005. Minnesota last topped the Falcons via a 24-3 verdict at the Metrodome in 2007 and hasnt prevailed in Atlanta since a 39-26 win in 2003. These teams have also faced off twice in postseason play. Minnesota dealt Atlanta a 30-24 setback in Minneapolis in a 1982 NFC First-Round Playoff, while the Falcons upset a one-loss Vikings outfit in a 30-27 overtime thriller in the 1998 NFC Championship to advance to their only Super Bowl in franchise history. Smith owns a 1-0 record against Minnesota during his time as Atlantas head coach, while Frazier will be opposing both the Falcons and Smith for the first time as a head man. WHEN THE VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL The expected absence of Peterson (872 rushing yards, 16 receptions, 12 total TD) could be a devastating blow to a Minnesota offense thats fifth in the league in rushing (143.1 ypg) and has depended heavily on its workhorse back. It also hasnt helped matters that Ponder (955 rushing yards, 5 TD, 6 INT) has been experiencing substantial growing pains in a debut campaign that began promisingly. The first-round draft choice has six interceptions in four starts since replacing declining veteran Donovan McNabb in the starting lineup and has completed a subpar 52.1 percent of his attempts, though he did throw for two late touchdowns against the Raiders and added 71 rushing yards on five scrambles. Gerhart (118 rushing yards, 5 receptions) has shown to be serviceable in spot duty during his brief pro career and the dynamic Harvin (43 receptions, 2 total TD) has accumulated 224 rushing yards and averaged an excellent eight yards per carry when employed as a runner, so the ground game shouldnt be in dire straits if Peterson is indeed held out. Harvin is also the best of a rather nondescript corps of receivers that also contains Michael Jenkins (36 receptions, 3 TD), a first-round selection of the Falcons in 2004 who spent his first seven seasons with Atlanta before joining the Vikings over the summer, with fellow wideout Devin Aromashodu (8 receptions) a deep threat whos averaging over 24 yards per catch on the year. Even if Peterson does suit up, Minnesota may encounter difficulty moving the ball on the ground on an Atlanta defense that limited both the Saints and Titans to 41 rushing yards in each of itss past two games and sports a strong crew of linebackers headed by the durable Curtis Lofton (91 tackles, 1 INT) in the middle and athletic 2010 first-round selection Sean Weatherspoon (79 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 PD) on the weak side.dddddddddddd The Falcons havent been quite as formidable against the pass, having allowed an average of 254.1 yards per game through the air (26th overall) on the year, and the secondary may have strong safety William Moore (32 tackles, 1 INT) unavailable for a third straight week due to quadriceps injury. Veteran nickel back Kelvin Hayden (24 tackles, 2 INT) also may not play after dislocating his toe in the Tennessee win, which could place a further burden on a pass rush thats been sporadic over the course of the season. Atlanta has produced only 16 sacks through 10 games, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL, and hasnt gotten much out of big-ticket free-agent end Ray Edwards (23 tackles, 2 sacks), a former Viking who faces his old team for the first time since signing a five-year contract with the Falcons in the offseason. Opposite-side starter John Abraham (21 tackles, 4 sacks) has notched double-digit sack numbers in three of the previous four years, but may be slowing down some in his 12th NFL season. WHEN THE FALCONS HAVE THE BALL An offense thats been operating with both balance and efficiency has helped engineer Atlantas midseason turnaround, as has a greater urgency to put the ball in the hands of Turner (888 rushing yards, 8 TD, 10 receptions). The powerful back has had at least 19 carries in each of the past five games and come through with three 100-yard efforts during that stretch, and the Falcons have averaged an impressive 142.4 rushing yards over that period. That reliance on the running game has also aided both Ryan (2625 passing yards, 15 TD, 10 INT) and a front line that was shaky in protection early on. After surrendering 13 sacks over the first three weeks, the group has permitted just seven in seven games since. Ryan has averaged 314 passing yards and put together a 6- to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the three contests that followed a Week 8 bye, and the fourth-year signal-caller will have three quality receivers to work with once again with rookie standout Julio Jones (30 receptions, 2 TD) on track to return from a hamstring strain that kept him out of last Sundays win. Veteran Roddy White (54 receptions, 710 yards, 3 TD) stepped up his game in Jones absence, with the three-time Pro Bowler registering a season-best 147 yards on seven catches against the Titans, while ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez (50 receptions, 7 TD) continues to excel in his 14th season. The 35- year-old totaled 74 yards on five grabs last week and scored a touchdown for a third straight game, and hes often Ryans go-to guy within the red zone. The Vikings defense has generally been pretty tough against the run but poor versus the pass over the course of this season, but last weeks results were a reversal of fortune. Minnesotas injury-riddled secondary gave up just 139 net passing yards and recorded four sacks against the Raiders, but were gashed for 162 yards on the ground as Oakland held the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Still, a front seven headlined by perennial Pro Bowl tackle Kevin Williams (21 tackles, 1 sacks) and linebackers Chad Greenway (88 tackles, 1 sack) and E.J. Henderson (55 tackles, 2 sacks) has held opponents to 100.7 rushing yards (10th overall) per game and a solid 3.7 yards per carry on the year. Stopping enemy quarterbacks has been another matter, altogether, however. Even with difference-making end Jared Allen (43 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 1 INT) applying pressure on a routine basis, the Vikings stand a lowly 28th in pass defense (259.4 ypg) and have come up with a mere six interceptions, and the backfield is presently without its two best cornerbacks in veteran Antoine Winfield (fractured clavicle) and second-year man Chris Cook (suspension). KEYS TO THE GAME Basically, the Falcons should win this game as long as they take care of the football. Atlanta is 5-0 this season when finishing with a positive or even turnover ratio, but 1-4 when it has more giveaways than its opponent. The team has had just one turnover in each of its last three contests, and continuing that trend would likely lead to further success this week. Ponders play. The Vikings are going to find it hard to reach their usual level of production running the football without Peterson and in a matchup against the leagues second-ranked rush defense. That means Ponder is going to have to come of age and make plays with his arm while keeping the rookie mistakes to a minimum. Another three-interception output like last week will almost surely spell doom. Red-zone performance. Atlanta would have had an easy win last Sunday if not for a host of missed scoring opportunities. The Falcons marched inside the Tennessee 20-yard line six times but scored only two touchdowns, settling for three Matt Bryant field goals while also losing a fumble on one drive. Minnesotas capable of hanging around if Atlantas equally as inefficient in this game. OVERALL ANALYSIS Considering that the Vikings two wins this year have come against a pair of the leagues bottom-feeders in Arizona and Carolina and factoring in the teams sustained lack of success on the road, Minnesota was already in a tough spot with a struggling rookie quarterback going up against a quality opponent in its own building. With Peterson likely out and a depleted back end of the defense, the outlook looks even more bleak. The Falcons hold sizeable advantages in just about all phases here, and only their tendency to go through lulls over a course of a game prevents this one from turning into a massive blowout. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Falcons 27, Vikings 13 cheap nfl jerseys? cheap jerseys?cheap jerseys?cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '