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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-season. 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. Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Stitched Sabres Jerseys . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Buffalo Sabres Gear . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Buffalo Sabres Shirts .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Purdue came to Illinois Saturday reeling from a 43-point loss at Maryland and living with growing pressure on its coach, Darrel Hazell, to win.The Boilermakers got just what they needed from a freshman kicker who had missed more field goals this season than he had made and a freshman running back starting his first game, knocking off the Illini in overtime, 34-31.The running back, Brian Lankford-Johnson, carried the ball 18 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.The kicker, J.D. Dellinger, had missed three of his five field goals on the season. But he hit from 28 yards on the games final play, and set off a wild celebration.The Boilermakers (3-2, 2-1 Big Ten) rushed for the Illinois sideline, mistakenly thinking they would find the Cannon trophy the teams play for there, before finally mobbing their band in the south end zone.Dellinger said the aftermath of the win was a blur.I never thought about celebrations because Ive never been put in this position before so Ill have to watch it again -- I dont remember it honestly, he said.Hazell, who earlier in the week acknowledged the pressure, said the win was a big lift.People dont understand how hard it is to win football games, all the pieces have to fit together and you need a break every once in a while, he said.Illinois (1-4, 0-2) kicker Chase McLaughlin had a chance to win the game on the final play of regulation but his 41-yard attempt clanged squarely off the right upright. McLaughlin had already made three field goals, including one from 47 yards, and had been a perfect 8-8 on the year.Every loss hurts, but some hurt a little bit more than others, Illinois coach Lovie Smith said. This is the one that hurts a little bit moreWe just kept shooting ourselves in the foot, a red-eyed Illinois center Joe Spencer added, noting that Illinois had 12 penalties for 125 yards.Crouch, a sophomore, carried the ball 17 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.Lunt was knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a big hit by linebacker Danny Ezechukwu, who was flagged for roughing the passer. Smith said immediately after the game that he only knows Lunts injury is a concern.THE TAKEAWAYPurdue: The Boilermakers are out of the Big Ten West cellar and suddenly havve a winning record and are halfway to bowl eligibility.dddddddddddd They also ran the ball for 231 yards (an average of 5.6 a carry) and three touchdowns on a team whose defense was considered its strength. But their run defense was still a problem. Illinois ran for 315 yards.Illinois: It isnt clear yet just how long Lunt will be out, but the Illini got a look at what their offense is likely to be if he misses any time. Crouch is not a consistent deep-ball threat. But he ran for more yards Saturday than Lunt has at Illinois. Illinois is still in search of its first Big Ten win, and its first win since the opener against Murray State.Right now, were not a good football team, Smith said. Thats where we are. Were facing reality right now.INJURY REPORTWhile Lunts status is not known, starting cornerback Darius Mosely left the game after a hard hit in the third quarter and backup cornerback Cameron Watkins was also knocked out with an unspecified injury. For Purdue, receiver Dominique Young left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his right leg. He was carted off the field with his leg in an inflatable cast. Jones did not make the trip to Champaign as he tries to recover from a shoulder injury that has nagged him all season.YELLOW FLAGSBoth teams had trouble with penalties, and not just the quantity of flags thrown. Illinois defensive end Carroll Phillips was flagged for roughing quarterback David Blough in the fourth quarter, and also called for targeting on the play and ejected. Purdue nose guard Eddy Wilson was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing the passer on one play for knocking Crouch to the ground and then stepping on his helmet.UP NEXTPurdue: The Boilermakers host Iowa next Saturday, the first Big Ten home game on their schedule.Illinois: The Illini make their first trip to Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten and just the third meeting between the schools. The last game, in New Jersey, was a 33-0 Rutgers win in 2006.---Follow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAPAssociated Press college football coverage: http://collegefootball.ap.org/ ' ' '