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TORONTO - After an uneven performance at the Americas Rugby Championship, a reinforced Canadian squad looks to take it up a notch on its November tour of Europe.The Canadian men open Nov. 2 in Leicester, England, against an RFU Championship XV, an all-star squad from Englands second tier. Then there are Test matches against Namibia in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on Nov. 7, Samoa in Vannes, France on Nov. 14, and Romania in Bucharest on Nov. 22.Coach Kieran Crowley has named 33 players for the tour but will have to manage his roster given that the opening contest falls outside the IRB Test window so top clubs do not have to release their players. Crowley will field a non-Test Canada XV squad for that game.Crowley is looking for a step up from the ARC, where a Canada A side finished third with a 1-2-0 record after losses to the U.S. Selects and Argentina Jaguars and a win over a depleted Uruguay side.I was pretty disappointed in our overall performances, Crowley said bluntly from London where he was attending International Rugby Board meetings ahead of the tour. The results werent great. Some of the rugby we played wasnt the best. But it was a good competition. It was a step up for some of our guys and I think their skill level got exposed because of the speed of the game. Argentina and the U.S. had very strong teams there.From a long-term perspective, it certainty showed that there were a couple of players there that have put themselves in contention for World Cup selection now. And there will be a couple probably that were disappointed in their performances.Crowley has been able to summon the likes of captain Tyler Ardron, Jamie Cudmore, DTH van der Merwe, Aaron Carpenter and Hubert Buydens for the November Tests.Buydens is coming off winning the ITM Cup Championship in New Zealand with the Manawatu Turbos in a 32-24 decision over a Hawkes Bay side that featured fellow Canadian prop Jason Marshall. Jake Ilnicki, another prop, has been playing for the NSW County Eagles in Australia.These guys have had outstanding experiences, just showing the fact that when they do get the opportunity that they are up to that level, said Crowley, a former New Zealand All Black.Thats good news for Crowley and scrum coach Mike Shelley with the World Cup roster expanded to 31 with the addition of another prop.The European tour represents a demanding schedule for the 17th-ranked Canadians. No. 9 Samoa, No. 16 Romania and No. 22 Namibia have all qualified for next years World Cup, with Namibia joining Canada in Pool D alongside No. 5 Ireland, No. 7 France, and No. 14 Italy.Its going to be a challenge, particularly with the travel, said Crowley.The RFU Championship XV game could also be a banana skin with a roster reinforced by players on loan from Premiership teams.Crowley will be watching closely, with an eye to World Cup selection.Theres still a number of holes actually. Weve got a few players here that I want to have a look at. Probably for some of those guys its their last opportunity to really put their foot forward. At the end of November I will hopefully have a real sense of where were going for next July and that Pacific competition.After the November tour, the Canadians will go to Fiji in March for the Pacific Nations Cup. Canada will also play the U.S. in July.The Canadian tour side will be without the injured Matt Evans, Harry Jones, Phil Mack, Phil Mackenzie, Mike Scholz and Liam Underwood, with Crowley saying some of the omissions are more of a precautionary nature.Former captain Aaron Carpenter will miss the first two games on tour because his wife is expecting.The tour will allow the Canadians to stay at one of their World Cup bases in Leicester.———Canadian Tour SquadTyler Ardron (capt.), Ospreys (Wales), Lakefield, Ont.; Ray Barkwill, Niagara Wasps RFC, Niagara Falls, Ont.; Nick Blevins, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; Connor Braid, James Bay AA, Victoria; Brett Buekeboom, Plymouth Albion (England), Lindsay, Ont.; Hubert Buydens, Manawatu Turbos (New Zealand), Saskatoon; Aaron Carpenter, Cornish Pirates RFC, Brantford, Ont.; Jamie Cudmore, ASM Clermont Auvergne (France), Squamish, B.C.; Nanyak Dala, Castaway Wanderers, Regina; Sean Duke, UVIC Vikes, Vancouver; Kyle Gilmour, St. Albert RFC, St. Albert, Alta.; Ryan Hamilton, Capilano RFC, Vancouver; Jeff Hassler, Ospreys (Wales), Okotoks, Alta.; Ciaran Hearn, Castaway Wanderers, Conception Bay South, N.L.; Tyler Hotson, London Scottish RFC (England), Vancouver; Jake Ilnicki, NSW County Eagles (Australia), Williams Lake, B.C.; Jamie Mackenzie, UVIC Vikes, Oakville, Ont.; Jason Marshall, Hawkes Bay Magpies (New Zealand), Vancouver; Gordon McRorie, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; John Moonlight, James Bay AA, Pickering, Ont.; Patrick Parfrey, Swilers RFC, St. Johns, N.L.; Taylor Paris, SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne (France), Barrie, Ont.; Seb Pearson, London St. Georges, London, Ont.; Jon Phelan, Castaway Wanderers, Montreal; James Pritchard, Bedford Blues (England), Parkes, Australia; Jebb Sinclair, London Irish, Fredericton; Richard Thorpe, London Welsh (England), Beckenham, England; Andrew Tiedemann, Plymouth Albion (England), St. Albert, Alta.; Conor Trainor, UBCOB Ravens, Vancouver; DTH van der Merwe, Glasgow Warriors (Scotland), Regina; Sean White, James Bay AA, Victoria; Jordan Wilson-Ross, James Bay AA, Alliston, Ont.; Doug Wooldridge, Lindsay RFC, Lindsay, Ont.Head Coach: Kieran CrowleyManager: Gareth ReesAssistant Coach: Neil BarnesAttack Coach: Scott HansonScrum Coach: Mike ShelleyStrength and Conditioning Coach: Andy EvansPerformance Analyst: Calum Ramsay———ScheduleNov. 2 at Sixways Stadium, Worcester, EnglandCanada XV vs. RFU Championship XVNov. 7 at Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, WalesCanada vs. NamibiaNov. 14 at Stade de la Rabine, Vannes, FranceCanada vs. SamoaNov. 22 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, BucharestCanada vs. Romania———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Clearance Air Jordan . 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The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins.DUNEDIN, Florida - Whether the approach translates to on-field success will only be revealed with the passage of time but its obvious to those whove been around the first two weeks of camp: the 2014 Blue Jays, constructed and built to win beginning in 2013, have no intention of repeating the misery that befell the ballclub a season ago. The attitude is all business. One of the major pieces of the clubs puzzle knows it ought to be, given whats happened and what could happen if Torontos fortunes dont turn around. "I think guys are singularly focused on trying to get the most out of what we have collectively here," knuckleballer R.A. Dickey told TSN.ca. "I think last year we were kind of handcuffed a little bit by a few different variables but this year guys are together and they know its basically we need to make this work or it could all get blown up. "We know that and we dont want that to happen so guys are focused." Theres been no speech alluding to a closing window of opportunity but the veteran players, all too familiar with the business of baseball, sense that after falling flat in the season after club ownership increased payroll by some $40-million, another failed year wont be tolerated. You can have one bad year as a group. A second consecutive down season and the "this team cant get it done" narrative cements itself in reality. Dickey, himself, is looking for a bounce back season. The trend is positive, dating back to last year. In 20 first half (pre-All Star Break) starts, Dickey was 8-10 with a 4.69 ERA, 20 home runs allowed and a strikeout to walk ratio of less than two-to-one. He threw 128 2/3 innings, averaging a little more than 6 1/3 per start. After the break, in 14 starts, Dickey went 6-3, 3.56, 15 home runs allowed and stuck out more than three-and-a-half hitters for every walk. Dickeys 96 second half innings work out to almost seven per start. While still prone to the long ball, everything else improved, including his health. Dickey pitched through a strained muscle in his neck, something that began in spring training but by mid-April had mushroomed into a pain that forced him to consider a stint on the disabled list. "You know how things progress," said Dickey. "It starts as something very mild and you just keep going on and thinking its probably going to go away and then something happens and it gets much more significant. It had been there in the spring. When everything gets cranked back up some things arent necessarily in the right places yet." There are no such concerns now. "Physically, Im stronger," said Dickey. Mentally, Dickeys refreshed. The trade to Toronto wasnt the only matter on his plate last offseason. He was promoting his book, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, working with child sex victims in Mumbai and by the time camp started, was being followed by a reporter and camera crew from 60 Minutes. Aside from a fundraiser in New York City and a family vacation to Florida, Dickey had a much quieter winter this year. "That was intentional," said Dickey. "Anne and I both felt like it was a season to be at home together. With the year before, with the trade and the book and India and the Cy Young and all of that, just really spread me very thin. Having a good mate, she realized that was one of the things that should probably change this offseason and sshe was right.dddddddddddd" When its pointed out to Dickey that the American League East likely will be stronger this year than last - the Red Sox are the defending World Series champions, the Rays have great starting pitching, the Orioles added pitching in support of a potent offense and the Yankees retooled - the knuckleballer acknowledged the Blue Jays will need a diamond in the rough, maybe more than one, to emerge. "I think that every championship club has to have a guy on the team that you dont expect a ton out of that steps up and does something special for you," said Dickey. "Whether its a position player or a pitcher, in our case I think the hope is theres going to be a pitcher that steps up and gives you something that you werent anticipating and its going to lift you into the next place." Drew Hutchison could be the guy, based on early camp returns. "I think Drews a name," Dickey concurred. "I think Todd Redmonds a name. There are others in this clubhouse that I think, by the end of the year, well have a conversation about this day and youll say, Yeah, that was the guy that you were talking about and heres what happened. Thats the hope. Thats what were hopeful for." JAYS HAMMERED BY TWINS The Blue Jays longest spring trip, not including two games in Montreal later this month, got out of hand early and finished with a 12-2 drubbing at the hands of the Twins in Lee County, near Fort Myers. J.A. Happ struggled badly, retiring one of only seven hitters he faced. He allowed four runs on two hits, walking four in a third of an inning of work. The game was the first played under MLBs new replay rules. In the sixth inning, manager John Gibbons challenged a close play at first base in which the Twins Chris Rahl was ruled safe when shortstop Munenori Kawasakis high throw brought first baseman Jared Goedert off the bag. After a review lasting more than two and a half minutes, the umpires upheld the call on the field. DELABARS BEARD While it isnt yet long enough or messy enough to be mistaken for the facial hair you see on Duck Dynasty, Steve Delabar is committed to the beard hes wearing in camp. Where this odyssey will take him, he doesnt know. "No plan," said Delabar. "Its not a bother to me. It doesnt itch. It doesnt get in my way. I get good comments from it." He wouldnt be the first late-game reliever to create a specific look but Delabar, typically low-key and easy going, isnt trying to strike fear in opposing hitters. This was a concoction for the hunting season. "Its not an intimidation thing at all," said Delabar. "I started growing it in the offseason, Ive trimmed it a couple of times and Im just letting it go." There will be no dying his facial hair, like Brian Wilson of the Dodgers. Itll have its natural tinges of red, white and brown. "Its going to become what it becomes on its own and Im going to let it do what it does," said Delabar. What about his wife, Jamie? Is she agreeable to all of this? "My wife tells me Ive got stuff hanging off of it all the time but its not intentional. "She puts up with it," Delabar continued. "Its not like, Ooh, I like the beard, its not like that. Shed rather me trim it and have it groomed nicely and keep it clean but that aint me." ' ' '