one of the top linebackers

NEW YORK -- Brian McCann hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and later added a bases-loaded triple to help the New York Yankees to a 7-3 win over the first-place Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. The Yankees beat Mark Buehrle for the ninth straight time and handed the Blue Jays their 15th loss in a row in the Bronx. Rookie Chase Whitley (3-0) remained unbeaten in seven starts since making his big league debut this season. Buehrle (10-4) was trying to tie Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for the most wins in the majors. He gave up three runs and six hits in six innings and lost his third straight start overall. Buehrle is 1-11 lifetime against the Yankees, with his lone win coming in 2004 while with the Chicago White Sox. McCann tied his career high with five RBIs. Torontos Jose Bautista had an RBI double in the eighth for his 1,000th career hit. The Yankees have taken the first two in a three-game series against Toronto. McCanns third big league triple, and first since 2009 with Atlanta, came off left-hander Brett Cecil, who had been brought in to face pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki with the Blue Jays down 3-2 in the seventh. Cecil walked Suzuki with the bases loaded to force in a run before McCann put the game safely out of reach. McCann was hitting .174 for June before his homer in the fourth, which was measured at 348 feet -- not far enough to clear most fences in the majors. He helped the Yankees respond after the Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead on two-out RBI singles by Colby Rasmus and Dioner Navarro in the top half. Alfonso Sorianos first-inning single put the Yankees on the board. Whitley gave up two runs and five hits in five innings. He walked Melky Cabrera in the fifth, ending his streak of starts without a walk at three. His last walk was May 26 against the Cardinals. NOTES: Derek Jeter saw six pitches in his first four at-bats, going 0 for 4 before he popped up a bunt attempt in the seventh. He hit a double off the wall in the eighth, giving him 533, one behind Lou Gehrig as the Yankees leader. . Brett Gardner singled his first four times for the Yankees before a lineout in the eighth. . McCann was the first Yankees catcher to have a homer, a triple and five RBIs since Elston Howard on Aug. 19, 1962. ... Toronto 3B Brett Lawrie was hit in back of the left hand by a pitch in the fourth inning replaced by Steve Tolleson in the bottom of the fifth. Tolleson had appeared in the on-deck circle the inning before. X-rays did not appear show any broken bones. ... The series ends Thursday night, with Yankees RHP David Phelps (2-4) set to face righty Drew Hutchison (5-4). ... The Yankees longest home winning streak vs. any team was 19 in a row over Cleveland from June 1960 to April 1962, the team said in citing the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Torontos Melky Cabrera extended his streak of games with a hit against his former team to 18 with a first-inning single. Steve Nash Jersey . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. Grant Hill Jersey . 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. http://www.sunsofficialshop.us/ . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. Eric Bledsoe Jersey . -- New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no concerns about the health of shortstop Derek Jeter, who was limited to 17 games last season due to leg injuries. Charles Barkley Jersey . Groves signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent last year after a season with Arizona. He was in the linebacker rotation and had a sack in the season opener against Miami.Joe Philbin missed two days of practice this week to attend his fathers funeral in Massachusetts. While the Miami Dolphins said the workouts went smoothly, they felt the absence of their coach, a notorious stickler for detail.Its different not having him here, defensive tackle Jared Odrick said. In practice he makes sure everybodys dotting their Is and crossing their Ts, and that shoelaces arent untied. Its a small thing, but as much as you may laugh at it, thats like the first sign of readiness, having your shoes tied. People who are less ready for practice usually have their shoes untied.Philbin also missed two days of practice last week to be with his father. The Dolphins then beat San Diego 37-0 to improve to 5-3, and they take a three-game winning streak into Sundays game at Detroit.Its probably better that Im not around, Philbin said with a smile. You know how that goes.RED FLAG ON RED FLAGS: First-year head coach Jay Gruden has yet to win a replay challenge.Gruden is 0 for 6 with the Washington Redskins, including a failed effort to get officials to turn in incomplete pass into an interception in last weeks 29-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.The referees have got a tough job, but I dont know what the deal is, Gruden said. I thought that for sure was an interception. All I can do is challenge them, man.Im going to start begging here pretty soon, he added with a laugh. Please just reverse one for me, good golly, but I thought for sure that was an interception.PUNTING PUNTS: The Green Bay Packers own an unusual record in the punting department. Rather, a lack of punts.Green Bay has been involved in two games this season in which there was no punt by either team. It happened Oct. 26 in a 44-23 loss to the Saints, and Sept. 28 in a 38-17 win over the Bears.Prior to that match, there was only one other regular-season game in NFL history that concluded without a punt, a Sept. 13 1992 affair between Buffalo and San Francisco.For the Packers, the dubious mark is in part a reflection of this season. The defence is worst in the league against the run, giving up more than 153 yards per game. The up-tempo offence led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been unstoppable at times.Green Bay and Chicago meet again Sunday at Lambeau Field.Both teams executed pretty well last time with no punts — which for us is kind of old hat, Rodgers joked Wednesday, eliciting laughs.JUST PLAIN TOM: Fans see Tom Brady as a great quarterback with plenty of money and a supermodel wife.The three-time Super Bowl champion for the New England Patriots sees another side.I feel like Im still the kid from Portola Drive, the street where he grew up in San Mateo, California, Brady said. I know probably from the outside in its different, but from the inside out, its the same.No matter how many magazine covers hes on or high-profile events he attends with wife Gisele Bundchen, developing relationships with teammates remains a big part of playing this game, he said.We see each other at our most vulnerable moments. When you lay it on the line like that, you develop a really special bond with those guys. Thats nothing that I think about. Its just probably part of who I am, and its probably why I love the game so much and its why its a really natural thing.Some things have changed for Brady as the years have gone by. With three children, he doesnt have the freedom that younger players do in deciding how to spend his bye week. The Patriots resume play on Nov. 16 at Indianapolis.My life is a lot different now than when I was 24, the 37-year-old Brady said. Like on a bye week, I couldnt wait to get out of town — where were we going and there are all these things to do. And now I see all my tteammates doing the same stuff and I say, Go enjoy it because youre going to be married with three kids someday and its going to be a lot different.dddddddddddd RECOVERING CASSEL: Matt Cassel knew he was the bridge to Teddy Bridgewater, the trustworthy veteran chosen to start at quarterback for Minnesota while the first-round draft pick developed. It turned out to be an abrupt transition, when Cassel broke multiple bones and sprained a ligament in his left foot in the third game of the season.The 32-year-old Cassel, under contract with the Vikings through 2015, might have lost his last chance to be a starter. But hes kept his spirits up, relishing the extra time with his family and becoming even more of a mentor to Bridgewater. To stay sane and continue contributing to the team, Cassel has asked coaches for analytical projects he can take on, for example a review of recent plays inside the 20-yard line.Cassel has had wires sticking out of his foot to help the bones heal; he wears a boot and uses a cart to get around. Soon, hell be able to resume walking and return to the sideline for games to serve as another aid for Bridgewater and the offence.Then hell start throwing again. Full recovery was estimated at three months.It was definitely crushing at first, especially because of all the hard work that went into this off-season, the battle so to speak, Cassel said. Winning the job and then having it all taken away from you with an injury in the third week of the season. But you deal with it. You know, thats part of the culture of football.INTERN MATTHEWS: Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews spent his off week answering the call to serve as an intern at Sledgehammer Studios.A video game junkie, Matthews got a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the wildly popular Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare game. Matthews traded his uniform for trying on an exoskeleton suit, one of the accessories that goes with the game.Matthews saw everything, from the animation and special effects needed to create the game to taking a turn at the voiceover work done in the game by actor Kevin Spacey. Spacey plays the egomaniacal leader of a private military corporation in the single-player story mode of the game.Its much like football, where people only see the finished product on Sunday, Matthews said. They take for granted all the work that goes into it. Its much of the same with video games.Matthews started playing video games on Nintendo as a kid and never stopped even as he became one of the top linebackers in the NFL.You wouldnt find this work interesting unless you enjoyed playing as well, he said of his one-day intern stint. Ive loved video games since I was a little kid, especially the Call of Duty series. This is awesome for me.Im sure some of my teammates and fellow gamers are going to be a little jealous, Matthews said.Matthews said Packers linebacker Jamari Lattimore and safety Chris Banjo are the most enthusiastic Duty gamers on the team.I make sure to team up with them, he said. We have similar schedules, so its always fun to be on the same team and start playing.Matthews was back to his day job this week with the Packers. They host the Bears on Sunday night. Perhaps when hes done, Matthews will unwind by playing the latest version of the blockbuster franchise.These people have been working on the game for countless years, he said. With all the pride they put into it, its great to see the final product.___AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner and Dave Campbell, and Sports Writers Howard Ulman, Steven Wine, Joseph White, Genaro C. Armas and Dan Gelston contributed to this notebook.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '