ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Raiders preseason game against Seattle means nothing in the big picture other than being the final hurdle before the regular season.For backup quarterbacks Matt McGloin and rookie Connor Cook, it means a whole lot more.With Derek Carr almost certain to sit out against the Seahawks, the Raiders will lean on McGloin and Cook to share the quarterback duties in what will be their last extended workout before the regular season begins.One of the two will be Carrs primary understudy. Although McGloin seems to have the edge, coach Jack Del Rio and his staff havent made an official announcement, which puts an added emphasis on Thurday nights game at the Oakland Coliseum.You just let everything out, Cook said Tuesday. All the stuff that I have learned thus far, go use it. This is the time to cut loose and have fun with the guys. We know theres going to be cuts after this game and once the season starts the reps are going to be very miniscule so were just going to go out there and have fun.Del Rio hasnt revealed the quarterback rotation for Oaklands preseason finale but McGloin is expected to start while Cook, a fourth-round draft pick this year, is expected to come off the bench late in the first half and play the remainder of the game.The Raiders are likely to keep both players on the 53-man roster so the game against the Seahawks is more a formality than anything else.Still, the two quarterbacks understand the significance of what playing well could mean in the big picture.Both have had moments where theyve played well and each has also struggled.Thats the thing about preseason, you have a limited amount of reps so it is crucial for you to get in there, get a couple of completions early and get into a nice rhythm, McGloin said. Preseason or not, practice or not, its always important as a quarterback to get into a great rhythm, find completions and get that confidence built up.McGloin has been the Raiders backup quarterback since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He started six games as a rookie but has played in only three since then.The former Penn State standout has had mixed results this preseason after signing a $2.55 million second-round tender with Oakland. McGloin threw a pair of touchdown passes against Arizona in the preseason opener but has failed to match that since. He attempted only five passes against Green Bay then went 8 of 13 versus Tennessee last week but threw an interception and had a 44.1 rating.Ive done some good things, Ive done some things that definitely need improvement on, McGloin said. You can always improve on decision-making, always improve on your checks and things like that. Its just continuing to get better every day.Cook, who holds almost every meaningful passing record at Michigan State, got off to a slow start with the Raiders and is coming off a game in which he was intercepted twice while completing 16 of 26 attempts.The comfort level that I have now is head and shoulders above where I was in minicamp and OTAs, Cook said. With limited reps its hard as a quarterback. For any of the quarterbacks, even starters who get in there and play three series and then theyre done. As a quarterback you need to establish a rhythm. It could take you a quarter, it could take you maybe a half. Its just how it is at the quarterback position.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Vapormax Wholesale China . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. 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Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in.Alex Anthopoulos cautioned us last week not to expect the Blue Jays to make any more deals for the rest of this month after he shipped Emilio Bonifacio to Kansas City for cash or a player to be named later. The month following the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline traditionally isnt as busy. Teams can for instance use waiver claims to block rivals from picking up key players. That can cause deals to be aborted, or teams to be stuck with players they didnt really want in the first place. In 1998, San Diego claimed lefty reliever Randy Myers from the Blue Jays just to make sure he didnt wind up with Atlanta. Myers career was beginning a slow fade, and the Blue Jays were able to get out from under his rather large contract. Still, there have been significant trades made in August. In fact you could argue that the Blue Jays made two of the biggest in franchise history during the eighth month of the year. On August 27, 1992, the Blue Jays acquired right-hander David Cone from the New York Mets for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson. Though the rookie Kent would later star with the Mets and the Giants, Cone was instrumental in helping the Blue Jays win their first World Series when they beat Atlanta in six games. Former Blue Jays reliever Dan Plesac, who was with the Milwaukee squad that was trying to pass the Jays for first place, said at the moment that trade was made, the Brewers knew it was over because they realized their organization would never be able to swing that kind of impactful trade at that point of the season. Cone, you must remember, was essentially a rental. He become a free agent in the off-season and signed with Kansas City. The Blue Jays traded for him again in the spring of 1995. However, lightning didnt strike twice. Toronto had a disappointing season and Cone was ultimately traded to the Yankees later that same year. The Blue Jays other big August deal looked rather innocuous at the time. The Blue Jays picked up Jose Bautista from Pittsburgh for catching prospect Robinson Diaz on August 21, 2008. At the time Bautista was a journeyman outfielder who was running out of last chances. It took him the rest of 2008 and most of 2009 to find his groove. But in six years with the Blue Jays, "Joey Bats" has hit 168 homers, has been an All-Star four times and twice has finished in the top four of MVP voting. Diaz hasnt played in the Majors since 2009 and has only one career home run. Unless the Blue Jays move one of their boatload of relievers or send free-agent-to-be Rajai Davis to a contender, I dont see them making any deals between now and the end of August. All A.As heavy lifting will be done in the off-seasson.dddddddddddd Around the Majors The Baltimore Orioles are still in the thick of the battle for a postseason spot. Theyre only four-and-a-half games back of Boston in the A.L. East and three behind Oakland for the second Wild Card slot. It will be interesting to see how they react to losing pitching coach Rick Adair who has taken a leave of absence to deal with a personal issue. Bullpen coach Bill Castro takes over as pitching coach, and former Orioles star Scott McGregor moves in as the new bullpen coach. The As have got their own issues to worry about. Their 14-game winner Bartolo Colon has gone on the 15-day DL with a groin muscle problem. Veteran lefty Tom Milone, who had struggled off and on this season and was demoted to Triple-A, has been called back up. The L.A Dodgers have practically wrapped up the NL West with a seven-and-a-half game lead on Arizona, and what a run they are on. Don Mattinglys crew has won 42 of their last 51 games. They are on a 19-2 run on the road and are on an incredible stretch of 25-4 since the All-Star break. As well as Dustin Pedroia has played for the Red Sox, and Mike Trout for the Angels, there is little if any doubt Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is going to win his second straight AL MVP Award. Hes hitting .360 with 40 home runs and 120 runs batted in with six weeks left in the season. Only two other players in history have put up those kind of power numbers while hitting over .350. Those two gentlemen, Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. Travis DArnaud, who was a key component of the deal with the Mets that brought R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays, played in his first two Major League games over the weekend at San Diego with John Buck away on paternity leave. The Mets, however, dropped both games. DArnaud went 0-for-4 but did walk four times, twice in each game. On Sunday, Mets ace Matt Harvey pitched six solid innings in a no-decision. He gave up just two earned runs on six hits and didnt walk anyone, while striking out six with the rookie behind the plate. The Mets are playing a make-up game on the road against the Twins on Monday afternoon before Buck is due to rejoin the team for Tuesday nights game at home against Atlanta. Heres hoping the National League Central stays as close as it is right now, because the Pirates and the Reds will play home-and-home series on the final two weekends of the regular season, first at Pittsburgh and then at Cincinnati. Right now the Pirates, who havent made the playoffs since 1992, lead St. Louis by one game and the Reds by two-and-a-half. Over those same two weekends, the Cardinals are at Milwaukee and home to the Cubs. ' ' '