Ive got to admit, I wavered back and forth over the last year as to whether the Blue Jays should keep Jose Bautista. Anfernee Simons Blazers Jersey . My doubts about retaining Bautista were mainly age related. Hell be 34 soon and is entering a stage in his career when most players talents begin to diminish. As weve noted in the past, the Blue Jays "million dollar outfield" of George Bell, Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield were all done playing before they hit 34, and there are countless other examples of players that age whos bodies break down or who lose the desire to keep playing. The As Adam Dunn for instance is 34 and has strongly suggested hes going to retire at the end of this season. But Bautista doesnt appear to be just any other player. He just slugged his 200th homer as a Blue Jay the other night. He has hit 32 homers on the season, while driving in 96 runs and batting .286. He still plays a solid right field and has a strong arm. Bautista still shows an unselfishness as well in his willingness to move to other positions if the club is in a pinch. Bautista is a leader and a mentor to the younger players. Right now hes second in walks, second in on base percentage, and third in on base plus slugging in the AL. Hes been an All-Star five straight seasons, and led the fan vote this season. If he has any fault, it may be the way his emotions can get him into confrontations with umpires. But its that same fire that makes him the player he is. The Jays arent the only team Bautista has played for, but when you consider he didnt really blossom into a player till he got to Toronto, his nearly seven years with the Blue Jays have been the most meaningful of his career. Hes already played for the Jays longer than the likes of Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, and even Roberto Alomar. Alex Anthopoulos said a week or two ago that he thought Bautista had the body type, the mental make-up, and the love of the game that he could keep playing into his late 30s or early 40s. Bautista takes me back a few years to one of my all-time favourites, Al Kaline. The Tigers Hall of Famer was a 15-time All-Star, including his final season in 1974 at age 39, and won 10 Gold Gloves. He won a World Series with the Tigers in 1968 at age 33 and though his numbers diminished after 35, he was still a solid contributor and set the tone for what Tigers baseball was all about. To me at least, Bautista is cut from the same cloth. Considering his contributions to the team, Bautista has a very club-friendly contract. Hes owed $14 million for 2015 and the club has an option for another $14 million for 2016. Jose has said repeatedly hes committed to being in Toronto until his contract is up. Maybe its time for the Blue Jays to think about extending one of their core pieces, who one day may be considered one of their All-time greats. - If the Blue Jays do anything significant next season it will be in spite of their schedule. They have one of the toughest slates of game you could imagine. They open the season on the road and close it away from home, but the real killer could be the month of July, when the Pan-Am Games come to town. Over a span of 23 days the Jays are home for only three games. That month could make or break their season. - Next season will be a real test for the Tampa Bay Rays. Owner Stu Sternberg says he is going to reduce the clubs payroll for next season. Thats a scary thought since it was only $78 million this year, or 26th of the 30 teams in the Majors. On the flip side there is the Boston Red Sox. Club Chairman Tom Werner hinting the Bosox will be big players in the off-season and will have plenty of money to spend. Just one more reason for there to be added urgency for the Blue Jays postseason push this year. - I really thought the Baltimore Orioles were going to miss catchers Matt Wieters when he was lost to "Tommy John" surgery earlier this season and in some ways Im sure they still do. But Caleb Joseph has done an incredible job in the No. 1 role behind the plate and the Os are (17-1) when he drives in at least one run in a game. - There are strong rumblings out of Arizona that the Diamondbacks are going to hire a key member of the Blue Jays 93 World Series run, Dave Stewart, to be their new general manager. "Stew" had a shot at becoming the Blue Jays GM after the 2001 season when Gord Ash was let go. But instead of promoting their assistant GM Stewart, the Jays went in a different direction and hired J.P. Ricciardi. Heres hoping Stewart gets the job this time. Damian Lillard Blazers Jersey . The Flames are in the midst of a six-game slide (0-5-1), their longest losing streak since an 0-6-3 skid from Jan. 11-28, 2010. They havent won since Nov. 3 in Chicago and most recently went winless on a three-game homestand. Terry Porter Blazers Jersey . 1. Did the Senators trade the wrong goalie? Lets make one thing clear: The Ottawa Senators acquired Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues for one reason and one reason alone. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Bill-Walton-Blazers-Jersey/ . -- Canadian freestyle skier Roz Groenewoud isnt letting surgery to both of her knees deter her expectations for the Sochi Olympics.LONDON, Ont. - London Knights forward Matt Rupert has been given a 15-game suspension by the Ontario Hockey League for delivering a hit to the head of an opponent in a game last week. The incident occurred in the third period of a 5-4 shhootout loss to the Barrie Colts on Nov. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey. 8. The 19-year-old left-winger has already served two games of the ban. Rupert, from Grand Bend, Ont., is eligible to return to the lineup on Dec. 15 against Kingston. ' ' '