hose of you uncomfortable with how fashioned this season is by Oh Wicked One, Im not saying you have to worship the Father Of All Lies, Founder Of Murder. Im just saying, if youre a ball fan, you should probably send him a card.

VANCOUVER -- Shortly after being named to his first head coaching job, Carl Robinson was on the phone with Camilo Sanvezzo to talk about getting the Vancouver Whitecaps star striker a new contract. Robinson said that December conversation was cordial, with Sanvezzo expressing excitement about what lay ahead for the Whitecaps in 2014. "Three days later he was in Mexico with an opposition shirt on," said Robinson. "So obviously that put the cat amongst the pigeons and then we needed to address that situation." The Whitecaps finally did that on Friday, selling Major League Soccers top scorer to Queretaro F.C. in what it called a "multi-million dollar" deal that ended a messy, two-week long soap opera. Last seasons Golden Boot winner with 22 goals, Sanvezzo had turned his back on the Whitecaps, practising with Queretaro and posing for pictures in the teams kit, even though the flashy Brazilian was still under contract with Vancouver. When Robinson travelled to Mexico to sit down with the 25-year-old Sanvezzo last week to see if anything could be done to heal the relationship, he knew there was no way back. "It surprised me and Ive been in football 25 years," said Robinson. "Hopefully we can put it to bed and move forward." That could prove to be a challenge. The Whitecaps -- who will get the majority of transfer fee, with MLS pocketing the rest -- tried to put a positive spin on a situation that can only be described as a disaster both on and off the field with pre-season training set to start next week. Sanvezzo joined Vancouver in 2011, scoring 39 goals in 92 league games, including 75 starts. The Whitecaps scored 53 times in MLS play last season, with Sanvezzo playing a part in 28 of them. He even told reporters after the Whitecaps missed the playoffs and fired head coach Martin Rennie that Robinson -- then an assistant with the club -- would be a good candidate for the job. "Its a frustrating situation because we believe we did what we needed to do," said Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. "We talked about sitting down with him and doing a new deal ... prior to getting to that, he was in Mexico in another teams jersey." While the Whitecaps could have gone the legal route and forced Sanvezzo -- who had two option years left on his deal -- back to Vancouver, Lenarduzzi said his mind was already made up. "When we sat down with Camilo, he said he was done," said Lenarduzzi, his voice raised as he met with reporters at Vancouver International Airport after arriving back from the MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia. "He had given Queretaro his word that he would be going there. "Why are we going to battle someone that doesnt want to be here, thats actually reneged on his word when he signed a contract with us and then turned around and says hes given a club that hes going to, who he doesnt have a contract with, his word? "He doesnt want to be here, obviously, so on you go." Queretaro president Adolfo Rios apologized in a brief statement released by the Whitecaps for the way in which the situation was handled. "On behalf of our club, we sincerely regret our misunderstanding in regards to Camilos contract earlier in the process," the statement read. Sanvezzo made US$247,500 last season, which put him third on the Whitecaps, but that number paled in comparison to fellow striker Kenny Millers salary of nearly $1.25 million. Robinson said Sanvezzo never asked for a raise and was made aware that no contracts talks would take place until a new coach was named. The loss of Sanvezzo creates an obvious hole up front for Vancouver, but perhaps more importantly, the spectacular departure also leaves the Whitecaps looking weak from a public relations perspective after the player simply refused to honour his contract. Trying to find a silver lining and with the regular season less than two months away, Robinson and Lenarduzzi both said that the money from the sale will be invested back into the club -- perhaps a creative midfielder that the Whitecaps have been lacking. Vancouver fans have watched Canadian cousins Toronto FC make major moves this off-season, including the signings of striker Jermaine Defoe and midfielder Michael Bradley. "There will be a number of signings coming in. Over the last few weeks weve had a lot to deal with," said Robinson. "Hopefully in the next few days and weeks there will be a lot of new players coming in." Lenarduzzi added that Sanvezzos departure opens up a spot for some of Vancouvers younger players, including strikers Darren Mattocks, Omar Salgado and Kekuta Manneh. "We have some guys that are ironically enough pretty excited that Camilos not coming back, not for the fact that they dont get along with him but (because) its going to provide opportunities," said Lenarduzzi. The off-season was anything but quiet for the Whitecaps before the Sanvezzo soap opera took centre stage in the new year. The team took six weeks to name a new coach, with Vancouver striking out in its attempt to hire former United States national team boss Bob Bradley before settling on Robinson. Mattocks also went on Jamaican television and expressed his displeasure with how he was used during the 2013 campaign. The 37-year-old Robinson, just past the first month at the helm, said the Sanvezzo saga has been a learning experience. "Ive dealt with it professionally and honestly and the club has done the same as well," said the Welshman. "Im sure Ill be a better person for it and a better head coach moving forward." Notes: The Whitecaps said that midfielder Andre Lewis, who was drafted seventh overall on Thursday, is their property despite a report that said he had signed with the NASLs New York Cosmos. Both Lenarduzzi and Robinson said MLS and the Cosmos are dealing with the situation and that Vancouver expects that Lewis will take part in pre-season training. ... Lenarduzzi said the Whitecaps are nearing a deal that will keep captain Jay DeMerit with the club. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . Catch all the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. San Antonio took the series lead Monday night with a 122-105 home victory in Game 1. The Spurs used a balanced scoring attack and clamped down defensively late in the third quarter to claim the win. Cheap MLB Jerseys From China . - This win was more the New Jersey Devils style. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Fake Nike MLB Jerseys . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys . The third baseman whipped the ball across the diamond to second baseman Aaron Hill. He quickly tossed it to shortstop Chris Owings, who flipped over his shoulder to left fielder Cody Ross.I told him the Jays were a desperate bunch, which is cheddar cheese to a puppy dog in devil-speak. I gave him my hard sell. Cmon, buddy. Cmon, Sweet Lu. Our All Star-shortstop Jose Reyes, finally healthy, literally leads off the season by taking his first at bat, popping out, then proceeding to walk off the field and on to the disabled list. Maybe hes out for two weeks, maybe four months, maybe hes taking up painting. The team, left with a defence only Abbott and Costello could love, is even more desperate than when it was just known for jettisoning its best young talent for knuckleballers pushing 40 - he stopped me right there. He smiled deep and wide, his horns dewy with anticipation. He was ready to make a deal.Fine, I said. I will bypass my desires for fame or fortune or a game of wall ball with Lloyd Moseby and put my deal making skills to work for our boys in royal blue. So, fellow fan, you are welcome. Allow me to outline the exact details of how this season is going to go down (as hashed out between me and Mr. Three Prong, Son of Perdition).(Disclaimer: if you are planning to use this remarkably accurate information for gambling, I urge you to keep investing that extra money into lotto scratchers, lest we have a Back To The Future situation on our hands. APRIL (14-13 record, .519)The Jays whimper out of the gate, getting crushed on Opening Day, then lose 7 of 10, doing a bang-on impersonation of the mediocre team we thought they were. Thats when the cauldron bubbles and the thick smoke rolls in and the creepy carnival comes to town. What happens specifically? Maybe the entire Red Sox roster contracts syphilis. Maybe Derek Jeter becomes a clubhouse cancer in his final diva-tirade-filled season. Maybe Camden Yards becomes Marlo Stanfield turf. Maybe Tampa Bay management decides the empty cavern they play in would be better monetized by jai alai tournaments. Listen, I dont ask El Diablo how he gets stuff done, I just sit back and enjoy the results which Im assured come with no consequences. MAY (31-26, .544)Little known fact about devil-dealing: May is Buy One, Get One Free Month! Thats across the board, whether youre looking for life extension or to unravel the happiness of a sworn enemy. Why not do both?Truly, Beelzebub has little to do with the Blue Jay surge of May. The team plays a whopping 18 games at home, and with the city still suffering from an endless winter, the Rogers Centre roof is only opened once all month, a paralyzing condition visiting teams cannot physically handle (the technical term is "depression"). (Sidenote: I apologize for not asking The Crimson Sausage, Enemy Of Christ to improve the weather. The Cable Box on Blue Jay Way is the Bikram Yoga studio of stadiums.*) (*Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga.**) (**Hot yoga is a thing you do when you are a 22-year-old girl or a thing you do when you are trying to impress a 22-year-old girl).JUNE (48-36, .571)Until mid-June, the league hadnt noticed the Jays ascension to the ranks of the privileged, largely because after twenty years spent ignoring someone, it is perfectly understandable that you might mistakenly walk past them in the hall and fail to notice the shotgun they are holding. But the Jays had now arrived, andd their demands were going to be met, even if Barb in accounting didnt know their goddamn name.dddddddddddd Josh Thole was gonna make sure you remember.We gotta give props to The Author Of All Sin, because he works the impossible this month. Jose Reyes is back in the lineup in time for his birthday (June 11) and his bobblehead day (June 8 for those fair weather fans planning to attend). To think, how many nasty critics said meaningful baseball would never be played in Toronto again in July?JULY (62-48, .564)With just a paltry nine home games on tap, our Blue Man Group must do their damage on the road, visiting Tampa Bay, New York and Boston. In a month-long celebration of Canada Day, our national baseball representatives do just that, proving Canadians to be fearless and capable. (Flipside: After witnessing the condition of our departing players hotel rooms, it is clear we Canucks may lack some respect for the environment. I believe the players call it, "doing it Harper-style").The All-Star break falls in July, an annual tradition typically partaken by Jose Bautista and a middle reliever nobody knew was on the team. 2014 proves to be no different despite being a dozen games over .500 at the break. Respect will have to be earned. FYI, did you wanna know who wins this years All-Star game, giving their respective League home field advantage in the World Series? Answer: NOBODY. Nobody [expletive] wins with a rule that stupid.AUGUST (79-57, .581)On August 11, Colby Rasmus turns 28. That same day, Melky Cabrera turns 30. The Prince Of Darkness promises me these achievements will be met and hes been totally standup so far.Playing every division rival at home this month, The Descendants of Alfredo Griffin enjoy their greatest month this century, forcing Vegas to recognize them as a team and set World Series odds. They are given 60-1 chances, though in metric it works out to a more sensible 18-1.(For those of you uncomfortable with how fashioned this season is by Oh Wicked One, Im not saying you have to worship the Father Of All Lies, Founder Of Murder. Im just saying, if youre a ball fan, you should probably send him a card. Maybe bath salts. Nothing fancy).SEPTEMBER (93-69, .574)A peculiar month of scheduling down the home stretch. Sensibly, the Jays visit every division rivals park. Oddly, they play the Chicago Cubs for an unknown reason my sources tell me may have involved money and bad judgement.2014 ends in a dog fight -- a climax of tension and emotion and games that are still a little too long -- all in the service of the Jays holding on for their first playoff appearance ever (in the lives of the children whose aging fathers drag them to the games). We did it! Were number 4 or 5!And there you have it: 93 wins. 1 wild card spot. 0 logical discrepancies. Is it getting hot in here?Gallays Poll #5Lets say we dont know what we know. With how many wins doth the Blue Jays finish?A) <70 -- I am familiar with the team. The win total will be commensurate with the talent level.B) 70-81 -- I dont pay much attention to the baseballs but have read a few headlines.C) 82-89 -- I rarely hear about the Jays anymore. Is Kelly Gruber still with the team?D) 90+ -- I dont understand how baseball works. ' ' '