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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 she was right." 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." 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Seems to me that he was questioning the integrity and impartiality.Newcastles high number of foreign players may weaken their chances in Sundays relegation derby against Sunderland, according to former Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given. The two sides head into the 153rd Tyne-Wear derby at St James Park, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, knowing a victory could significantly improve their chances of avoiding relegation.Sunderland sit just above the relegation zone on 25 points, ahead of Norwich on goal difference, with Newcastle one point behind in 19th position. Given, who made 354 appearances for Newcastle between 1996 and 2009, knows all about the passion and rivalry that the fixture guarantees, but is worried the clubs foreign players may not be able to deliver the result that new manager Rafa Benitez desperately needs.Speaking on Sky Sports Now, Given said: My only concern is that there are a lot of foreign players at Newcastle now. Emmanuel Riviere battles against Bournemouths Steve Cook during the Magpies 3-1 defeat Sometimes you question whether they know what it means to play in such a big game as this - what it means to the fans, what it means for them going back to work on the Monday morning?Youd like to think Benitez can get that message across. Newcastle forward Aleksandar Mitrovic is one player who has not yet had the hoped-for impact He added: Its a tense occasion. Its huge for the fans, wanting to win this game more than any other game but if you asked any Sunderland fan or Newcastle fan this week would you take a loss at the weekend and stay up, they would probably do that.Its definitely a six-pointer, theyre both in the relegation fight and its going to be so close who stays up.ddddddddddddIt looks like Aston Villa have gone, and that its between Norwich, Newcastle and Sunderland [for the other relegation places] so it looks as if one of the two big ones from the north-east are going to go down. This game at the weekend is monumental. Rafael Benitez took charge of his first Newcastle game against Leicester Its not just a normal game, its not just another Premier League game, its a very special occasion. You can cut the tension with a knife beforehand.Sunderland have won the last six Tyne-Wear derbies, while Newcastle are enduring a run of failing to score in the past four matches against their local rivals.Eight points adrift of Newcastle is another one of Givens former clubs, Aston Villa, who have managed to record just three league victories all season and the 39-year-old has deep concerns for Remi Gardes side ahead of their trip to Swansea on Saturday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Its bleak reading when you see the Premier League table relegation fight at the bottom and theyre so far adrift, Given said.Randy Lerner invested I think £50m in the summer, thats a huge investment. The biggest problem is the players they brought in dont seem to be up to the standard of the Premier League. Theyre sometimes good players in the French leagues or the Dutch leagues but its a big step up to the Premier League and personally I felt they should have signed more Premier League experienced players in the summer - who know the league and know what it takes to stay in the division. 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