DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jose Reyes reported to Blue Jays camp two days early, donning a Superman T-shirt, a wide grin and an optimistic attitude on what he expects will be a much improved season. The four-time All-Star shortstop spent much of the morning Tuesday working out and joking with teammates in the clubhouse. "Were very excited about this year, because last year was a tough year for me and for the whole team," Reyes said. "This year, I feel like Im 100 per cent and back to normal. I just cant wait to go to the field and do what I do best, and help this ballclub get where we need to get." The speedy Reyes was limited to just 92 games last season because of a broken ankle. Hurt in April, he says the injury continued to nag him after he returned from the disabled list in June. But with more time to rehab, Reyes says his ankle has gotten "way better." He says he is not worried about what kind of effects the artificial turf at Rogers Centre could have on it. "I feel like this off-season, I was able to move how I wanted to," Reyes said. "Last year, it was kind of tough for me. Running the bases, going from first to second. Stuff like that bothered me a little bit. But this year, its not a concern at all." Reyes said he is eager turn the page on the past two years, which he described as the hardest of his major league career. After spending his first eight seasons with the New York Mets, Reyes opted become a free agent in 2011. He signed a six-year, $106 million contract with the Marlins, believing a revamped roster could help them contend for a World Series title. But after the Marlins stumbled to a 69-93 record, Reyes was shipped to Toronto along with pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle as part of an off-season purge by Miami to dump salary. The results didnt get much better for Reyes in a new uniform. Picked by many to be playoff contenders, the Blue Jays were crippled by injuries and poor starting pitching and finished 74-88, last in the AL East. "It is tough, because you come with high expectations in spring training," Reyes said. "But in baseball, you never know whats going to happen. You have to put it in the past. This is a new year." Reyes said he kept in touch with sluggers Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera during the off-season. And while it wont be easy, they agree if the Blue Jays continue to build chemistry, they can contend in the division and return to the playoffs. "We just need to put it together on the field," Reyes said. "If we put it all together -- pitching, hitting, out there on the field -- why can we not compete? The team is still here. We still have the star players that we need to have. We just need to stay healthy and go from there." NOTES: Manager John Gibbons announced that knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will be the teams opening day starter for the second consecutive season, on March 31 against the Tampa Bay Rays. "Itll be Dickey opening up in (St. Petersburg), where he has pitched very well," Gibbons said. "Hes had some good outings down there and hes our guy." Gibbons said he has not yet determined the rest of the rotation order. ... CF Colby Rasmus and 3B Brett Lawrie also stopped by the clubhouse. ... The Jays signed OF Brett Carroll to a minor league contract. Carroll, 31, is expected to report to Triple-A Buffalo. Gerardo Parra Jersey . Rico dove horizontally to meet Andoni Iraolas precise long cross from the right to score his second league goal of the season in the 33rd minute. Two minutes later, Aritz Aduriz netted Bilbaos second when he raced forward and pounced on a poor clearance by Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio, sending a low shot rolling past goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo. James Bourque Nationals Jersey .com) - The disappointing Ottawa Senators hope to record consecutive wins for the first time since early November, as they visit the Boston Bruins on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series. https://www.cheapnationals.com/1137r-wil...ationals.html.C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action. Erick Fedde Nationals Jersey .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years. Raudy Read Jersey . Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The NFLs officiating chief has cleared Broncos receiver Wes Welker of any wrongdoing for his hit that knocked Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib out of Sundays AFC Championship. "It was a legal hit," Vice-President of Officiating Dean Blandino said on the NFL Network on Wednesday night. On Monday, New England coach Bill Belichick blasted Welker for the hit, calling it "one of the worst plays" hed seen in nearly four decades of coaching. Without mentioning his former player by name, Belichick said it "was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib, no attempt to get open." He added, "Ill let the league handle the discipline on that play." There will be no discipline for Welker; Blandino said there was simply no infraction of the rules. Welker, coming from the right, collided with Talib, who was running from the left to stay with his receiver, a split-second before Peyton Mannings pass went off the hands of receiver Demaryius Thomas a few yards away in the first quarter Sunday. No flag was thrown. Talib left the game with a knee injury and didnt return, and Manning threw for 400 yards in Denvers 26-16 win that sent the top-seeded Broncos to the Super Bowl. "The first potential foul would be for offensive pass interference; a receiver cant block downfield before the ball is touched, so the timing is important," Blandino said on his weekly appearance on the NFL Network. He noted that as "contact occurs, the ball is touched almost simultaneously. We dont have a foul for pass interference." "The other thing, is it unnecessary roughness? Under the current rules it isnt," Blandino said. "Its not late; Talib wasnt out of the play." Given that an injury occurred, Blandino said he expects the leagues competition committee to examine the play in the off-season "and determine if there needs to be a change.dddddddddddd But under the current rules, this is a legal play." Welker, who had a cool relationship with Belichick before leaving New England as a free agent last off-season, hasnt been available for comment this week as the Broncos wont practice until Thursday. But after the game, Welker said, "it was one of those plays where its kind of a rub play and I was trying to get him to go over the top, and I think he was thinking the same thing and wanted to come underneath and we just kind of collided. ... It wasnt a deal where I was trying to hit him or anything like that." Broncos coach John Fox responded to Belichicks stinging criticism on Monday by saying Welker is a "a great player, high integrity. I can say that we were not doing anything with intent." At 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Welker is 4 inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Talib. Hes also wearing a special helmet to guard against further head injury after missing the final month of the season with his second concussion. Hes also never been known as a dirty player. Patriots safety Steve Gregory said he didnt think Welker would deliberately try to hurt a player, saying, "I dont think anybody plays that way, especially at this level of football with two great football teams in the Broncos and ourselves." Blandino said he has spoken with Belichick this week about the play "and obviously there is a difference of opinion there and something that well continue to look at during the off-season." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '