DETROIT – Its the annual rite of the first week of June, baseballs amateur draft, where clubs take part in a three-day, 40-round marathon, selecting more than 1,000 players they hope will improve their fortunes in the years ahead. Jordan Poyer Bills Jersey . The Blue Jays had two picks in Thursday evenings first round – ninth and 11th overall – and used them to take a pitcher and a catcher. First, the club took right-hander Jeff Hoffman, a 21-year-old from Latham, New York, who attended East Carolina University. Two selections later, the Blue Jays selected Kennesaw State University product, 21-year-old catcher Max Pentecost from suburban Atlanta. Major League Baseball uses a slotting system – a recommended signing bonus value based on where a player is taken – and the Blue Jays, if they pay in full, will be on the hook for about $6 million for their two picks. Hoffman is an interesting case. He has a plus fastball, mid-90s miles per hour which can top out in the high 90s, a strong curveball and a developing changeup. But, just last month, Hoffman underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. The procedure, now so routine its rarely flawed, was hardly a concern to Torontos front office and top scouts. "We just felt like the talent was too big to walk away from," said Blue Jays director of amateur scouting, Brian Parker. "This guy was going to go top three, top four picks prior to his injury and we just felt like even with the Tommy John, we felt this was a good gamble for us." Pentecost was a seventh round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2011. He was projected to go higher but suffered a stress fracture in his throwing elbow, which dropped his stock. He didnt sign with Texas, choosing to go to school instead. The first catcher the Blue Jays have taken in the first round since, take a breath, J.P. Arencibia in 2007, Pentecost is a versatile player who projects to be a good hitter, although more gap-to-gap than for power. A.J. Jimenez is the Jays top catching prospect, currently toiling at Double-A New Hampshire more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery of his own, and the Blue Jays have shipped out catchers like Arencibia, Travis dArnaud (to the New York Mets in the R.A. Dickey trade), Yan Gomes (to Cleveland for Esmil Rogers) and Carlos Perez (to Houston in the J.A. Happ deal) in recent years. "Taking Max had nothing to do with any of those trades or getting rid of any of those players," said Parker. "When you pick nine and 11, you just have to line up your board and take the best player and thats what we did. We like Max, we scouted him pretty hard from last summer in the (Cape Cod League) and throughout this spring. Hes an athletic, two-way position player and we like the bat. I think theres a lot of positives with him. Obviously, a guy at a premium position that can help out offensively and defensively is something that attracted him to us." In two of the last three drafts, the Jays have failed to sign their first round pick. In 2011, it was Tyler Beede, who instead chose to go to Vanderbilt University and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants 14th overall on Thursday night. Last year, the Jays failed to land right-hander Phil Bickford, who instead went to California State-Fullerton. The pick that landed Pentecost was compensation for missing out on Bickford. Going with two college kids, including one coming off an injury, increases the likelihood of the player being willing to sign. Neither has a full school ride to fall back on. Hoffman, who is pleased with the progress hes making early in his rehabilitation from elbow surgery, sounds eager to put pen to paper. Chris Kline, the Blue Jays area scout in the Carolinas, did most of the legwork on Hoffman. Mike Pidick, an area scout whose region includes Georgia, watched Pentecost. Josh Allen Youth Jersey . When New Zealand finally held on for an 8-7 win, France No. 8 Imanol Harinordoquy collapsed to the ground, having given every drop of energy he could muster, and lay prone as All Blacks danced around him in celebration. Few critics had given France any chance, but coach Marc Lievremonts team rallied from 8-0 down and came within one kick of taking the lead with 15 minutes remaining, only for flyhalf Francois Trinh-Ducs 49-meter effort to drift wide. Tremaine Edmunds Youth Jersey . The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball.com/authentic-josh-allen-bills-jersey/ .C. -- Jackson Whistle made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Kelowna Rockets blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.SAO PAULO - A Rio de Janeiro judge on Wednesday denied a request from prosecutors to halt construction of the Olympic golf course because of environmental concerns, curtailing fears that the venue wont be ready in time for test events.Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausner said in his decision that there is no new fact justifying ... a halt in the implementation of the golf course for the Olympics.He said changes made by the city and the course developer partially attended to the prosecutors demands to protect the local environment.Although the decision represented a loss for the prosecutors and environmentalists, it was only part of the ongoing legal battle. The judge can still reconsider his decision not to stop construction based on new evidence provided by the participants.It wasnt clear if state prosecutors would seek to appeal Wednesdays ruling, but legal challenges were expected to continue.In a 27-page legal brief made public last week, prosecutors had termed laughable proposals by the city and the course developer to modify the layout to reduce the environmental impact.The judge ruled that by changing one of the holes of the golf course, the developers did enough to preserve the local vegetation. He said that the relocation of hole No. 12 made way for a 32-meter-long wildlife corridor that will keep the vegetation intact. He also said that the type of grass being uused on the golf course does not endanger the vegetation already in place in the area. Jim Kelly Jersey. Prosecutors initially said they wanted a wildlife corridor of about 400 metres long to make sure the local environment was properly preserved.The course, estimated by local media to be about 70 per cent completed, is being cut out of a nature reserve in western Rio near the main cluster of Olympic venues and is part of a complex of luxury apartments selling for $3 million to $7 million.Prosecutors have argued the environment must be the primary concern — not the Olympics or the real estate development.In their brief filed last week, they alleged that the environmental licensing process for the course was riddled with errors and asked the judge to suspend the license.The defendants in the case — the city of Rio and the golf course developer — have insisted any legal impediments to the courses construction could harm the Olympics, Rio, and the city international reputation.Construction workers have been working on the course and putting down grass for months, hoping to have the work finished as the South American summer growing season begins. Officials said the course needs two full growing seasons to be playable at a top level.Test events were initially scheduled for late 2015 and early 2016.___Follow Tales Azzoni on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '