ole, who caught Dickey throughout much of his NL Cy Young Award season with the New York Mets last year, had two p

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With roster locks Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola on the mend and several other New England receivers unavailable, the absences have created opportunities for others.Edelman broke his left foot in Week 9 last season, missing the rest of the regular season before returning for two playoff games and undergoing a minor cleanup procedure in the offseason. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list Sunday but did not participate in the intrasquad scrimmage workout. Amendola underwent a procedure on his left knee in the offseason and had bone spurs removed from his ankle and remains on the PUP list.Im like day to day right now, so Im a day better than yesterday, Edelman said after the workout. Its good to get out here and run around with the pads and adjust to catching a ball with the shoulder pads and the helmet and the facemask. Going out there and trying to get tired, as tired as possible with the pads on, so you can get used to games and stuff.Chris Hogan suffered an early injury in camp and Nate Washington has been limited after missing several days early in camp with an illness. Keshawn Martin also has missed several days.The absences have opened chances for Aaron Dobson, DeAndre Carter and Chris Harper to step up. Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien also are vying for the fifth receiver spot.Dobson is entering his fourth season but has been limited to just 24 games in his career because of injuries. Head coach Bill Belichick likes what he has seen so far.Aarons had a good spring and a good few days here at training camp, Belichick said. I think weve seen that from him before. Id say Aarons just, for whatever reason, hasnt been able to consistently be on the field and do it. When hes been out there hes looked good a lot, but he hasnt always been out there for one reason or another. So, hopefully -- I know hes training hard, looks like hes in good condition this year -- hopefully hell be able to stay on the field and continue to improve. I think thats really the key. Its not just being healthy, but being healthy to practice and improve. Aarons worked hard, hes made some good catches. So hopefully he keeps climbing in that direction.Harper appeared in five games for the Patriots last season.(He) had a lot of ground to make up and he has come a long way, Belichick said. He had a real good spring and hes built on that here in training camp. (He) shows good quickness, hes caught the ball well. Hes doing well but he has come a long way. He has probably made as much progress as any player has in the last calendar year, maybe a little more than that going back to last spring, but yeah, he has come a long way.It means a lot, definitely coming from a coach of his caliber, Harper said, of hearing Belichicks comments. Just hearing the kind words that he said, it makes me definitely want to work hard to continue to get those praises.Hes not the only receiver who has caught the coachs eye. For the 5-feet-8, 190-pound Carter, Belichick invoked the name of a Patriots great.He runs pretty well. Hes kind of got a Troy Brown-type of build, but I think hes got enough speed to be competitive on the perimeter, Belichick said.Carter appreciated the comparison.Its a great, great honor to be put in that category. Troys a great player. I had a chance to talk with him and work with him a little bit here in the spring at OTAs, Carter said. (He) was a great punt returner in this league and a great receiver in this league, made a lot of great, clutch plays for the Patriots in postseason and big games. Being able to talk with him and pick his brain about how he approached the game, and we have similar builds as well, was definitely a benefit to me and something I enjoyed in the spring.Takkarist McKinley Falcons Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Deion Sanders Jersey . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/Takkarist-McKinley-Falcons-Jersey/ . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Tony Gonzalez Falcons Jersey . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Qadree Ollison Womens Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training.NEW YORK -- Ichiro Suzuki was overwhelmed by the outpouring of appreciation he received from the Yankees after he got his 4,000th hit between the major leagues and Japan in the first inning. The celebration after Alfonso Sorianos tiebreaking homer in the eighth was pretty nice, too. Soriano connected off R.A. Dickey with two outs in the eighth inning Wednesday night, lifting New York to a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays for Torontos 12th straight loss at Yankee Stadium. "Its unbelievable, 4,000 hits," Soriano said of Suzukis milestone. "To get 4,000 hits, you have to be a great hitter." The 39-year-old Suzuki hit a liner off Dickey (9-12) that bounced just beyond diving third baseman Brett Lawrie for the milestone hit. Pete Rose with 4,256 hits and Ty Cobb with 4,191 are the only two players that have reached the number solely in the major leagues. Suzuki broke a tie with Lou Gehrig when he got his 2,722nd major league hit in his 13th season. The speedy outfielder amassed 1,278 hits in nine seasons with Orix of Japans Pacific League. Suzukis teammates streamed out of the dugout and surrounded him at first base, Curtis Granderson giving him the first hug. A grinning Suzuki then faced the cheering fans and bowed, tipping his helmet. He bowed several more times, the last one toward the Blue Jays dugout. "When my teammates came out to first base it was very special, and to see the fans," Suzuki said. "I wasnt expecting so much joy and happiness from them and thats what made it very special tonight." When he went to his position in right field for the second inning, Suzuki tipped his cap to fans who greeted him with a standing ovation. "You never want to be the guy that gives up the milestone," Dickey said. "That being said, what an incredible achievement. The manner that hes done it is equally impressive. Just the longevity, the endurance, the durability. Having played with him in Seattle, it was a real treat to play with him and it couldnt have happened to a more professional hitter." Ken Griffey Jr., a former teammate with the Seattle Mariners, congratulated Suzuki with a message shown on the video board at Yankee Stadium. Suzukis postgame news conference with the Japanese media lasted a whopping 47 minutes. Soriano has played a big role in the Yankees recent surge in which they have won 10 of 13. He had hit six homers and drove in 19 runs over a six-game stretch. But he was 0 for 17 before connecting off the knuckleballer in the eighth for the 4-2 lead. "I like to hit knuckleballs," Soriano said. "The whole game, he had been throwing me knuckleballs, good ones, a lot of movement. Finally, the last one I got a good one to hit." David Huff (1-0) pitched one-hit ball in five innings of relief to shut down the Blue Jays before New York finally got to Dickey. Yankees infielder Jayson Nix broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the second inning. On Tuesday, he hit a tying homer and had a walk-off single in the ninth to help New York secure a doubleheader sweeep.dddddddddddd. "I feel terrible," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "After a great day for him yesterday and what hes meant to our club this year playing so much shortstop in the absence of Jete (Derek Jeter) and Nuni (Eduardo Nunez) going down. This is a guy that just does things right. Adam Warren started for New York to give 41-year-old Andy Pettitte one more day after the Yankees stayed on rotation for their doubleheader Tuesday. He gave up two runs in three-plus innings, including Josh Tholes tying homer in the fourth. It was Tholes first homer with the Blue Jays. Huff relieved and didnt allow a hit until Lawrie led off the eighth with an infield single. Huff walked four, one intentionally, but never was in real trouble. "A lot of that lineup was down in (Triple-A) Buffalo when I was down in Scranton," Huff said. "I got to face them and got a good feel for them." Toronto left at least one runner on base in each of the first eight innings and was 2 for 15 with runners on base. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth and earned his 37th save after working both games of New Yorks doubleheader sweep Tuesday. He gave up a one-out double to Rajai Davis, but picked him off second, and then struck out Edwin Encarnacion looking to end the game. Dickey overcame a rough start, giving up four hits in the first three innings and putting a runner in scoring position with a wild pitch before settling in with his knuckleball in ideal hot conditions. He struck out nine and gave up six hits. But after retiring 14 of 15, he allowed a two-out single to Robinson Cano. Soriano followed by connecting for the 28th homer off Dickey this year, a career high. "Its frustrating. Its like the Twilight Zone. Different day, same script," Dickey said. "Its really a very fluky kind of feeling." Thole, who caught Dickey throughout much of his NL Cy Young Award season with the New York Mets last year, had two passed balls in the first inning, but the Yankees failed to score. In the second, Eduardo Nunez singled and stole second. Dickeys wild pitch sent Nunez to third, and Austin Romines sacrifice fly tied it at 1. Munenori Kawasaki had given Toronto the early lead with an RBI single in the top half. The Blue Jays have led in each of the three games in this series and lost all three. They have dropped nine in a row against New York. Granderson had a two-out RBI single in the third. NOTES: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez was given the night off. ... Blue Jays SS Jose Reyes was ejected in the second inning after he tossed his helmet in the direction of home plate umpire Ted Barrett. Reyes had a brief heated discussion with Barrett following a called third strike. ... The Blue Jays recalled OF Moises Sierra from Triple-A Buffalo to take Jose Bautistas spot on the roster. Bautista was placed on the DL with a bone bruise in his left hip after Tuesdays doubleheader. ... Jeter (strained right calf) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Scranton. ' ' '