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ST. PETERSBURG – The Blue Jays welcomed nine new faces – okay, some of them returning and not so new – to the clubhouse in time for Tuesdays series opener against the Rays and out of that group, the homegrown prospect offered up the best line about being called up. "When I called my sister – she doesnt know anything about baseball – shes like, What does this mean? Are you going to play with that Lawrie guy," said Dalton Pompey. It used to be that Pompey, a 21-year-old outfielder and a Mississauga native, needed only to jump in the family car for a ride down to Rogers Centre where, as a boy, he would watch his childhood heroes Carlos Delgado and Vernon Wells ply their trades. The route to the Rogers Centre as a big league ballplayer has been, not surprisingly, more circuitous. Pompey was drafted out of high school in the 16th round of the 2010 draft. That selection slot, in and of itself, suggested there would be no guarantees. Yet, as he grew up and he progressed up the minor league chain, Pompey continued to get better. He split 2012 in three Single-A locations: Rookie League Bluefield, Short-A Vancouver and Lansing. Combined, he hit .286 with an .804 OPS. Pompey spent all of 2013 with Lansing, hitting .261/.358/.394. It was at this time when Pompeys speed game became a factor; he swiped 38 bases for the Lugnuts. This year, on a similar track to one of his fellow call ups, left-hander Daniel Norris, Pompey rocketed through three levels, beginning at High-A Dunedin, stopping at Double-A New Hampshire and concluding with a cup of coffee at Triple-A Buffalo. He hit .317 and posted an OPS of .861 overall and almost hit at least .300 at all three stops. His .295 mark at New Hampshire was the result of a slow start following his promotion to Double-A. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, usually able to pinpoint reasons for a players progress, was stumped as to why it has quickly come together for Pompey. He did offer high praise. "Id love to tell you there is something I could point to," said Anthopoulos. "I saw him in Dunedin. I saw him in New Hampshire, obviously in Triple-A. Hes the kind of player you have to watch a lot. He doesnt do anything that jumps off the page at the outset but he does everything well. The one thing is hell consistently give you a quality at-bat, no matter what level we continued to move him. He still has some things to work on, maybe tighten up some things defensively. That will just come from reps. Hes one of the few guys who is extremely selective at the plate. He really does profile as a top of the order guy." Pompey spoke of a maturation process common for any young player who, as they say, figures it out. "I think it was mentally, just showing up every day and trying to be as consistent as possible with my approach, and learning what type of player that I am and that I need to be to be successful," said Pompey. "Also, just trying to help my teammates. When I try to help my team, I end up helping myself. It took me pretty far this year." If Pompeys selection comes as a surprise, it shouldnt. The Blue Jays had to add him to the 40-man roster at some point to prevent exposing him in Decembers Rule 5 Draft. Norris, 21, has pitched so well this year that he finds himself in the future-of-the-starting-rotation conversation with Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison. After posting a 1.22 ERA in 13 starts with Single-A Dunedin and appearing in the Florida State League All-Star Game in June, Norris was promoted to New Hampshire. Despite a 4.54 ERA in eight starts with the Fisher Cats, the Jays saw enough from the left-hander to give him a shot with Buffalo. There, in four starts and five appearances, Norris posted a 3.18 ERA. What stands out is Norris strike out ability. Hes set down 10.7 hitters per nine innings over the course of his professional baseball career. He makes guys swing and miss. "I feel that if you get ahead in the count, 0-2, 1-2, or whenever you have two strikes, theres no point in trying to throw something to put in play or theyll foul off, so just go right at em and put him away," said Norris. "Youve earned the right to punch em out. Not that I pitch for strikeouts. Sometimes they just happen. But if you get there theres no point in getting into a seven, eight, nine-pitch at-bat, which sometimes I had a tendency to do." Norris has tossed 124 2/3 innings this season, which represents an increase of about 35-percent over his total for 2013. That, typically, is the year-over-year limit for the Blue Jays when dealing with a valued prospect. However, Anthopoulos suggested theres wiggle room. "I think the innings limits that get talked about are a little bit overblown. No one has a scientific formula where people say 20-percent, 30-percent, 20 innings, 30 innings, you can pitch four innings and have a 100 pitch outing or you could be another guy who throws eight innings and throw 85 and the four inning outing is much more taxing than the eight inning outing," said Anthopoulos. "We combine all those things. The fact that its an extra month for some of these guys; some of the limits theyve had before is over a five-month period, now were stretching it out into a sixth. I think the big thing for us is we do watch the total workload but its really the recovery and the rest in between thats more important to us." Joining Pompey and Norris as call ups are Sean Nolin, whos getting his second major league look after one appearance in May, 2013; Anthony Gose; Ryan Goins; and pitcher Kendall Graveman. Brandon Morrow was activated off the 60-day disabled list. He missed four months with a torn tendon sheath in his right index finger. Hell be used as a reliever. Dan Johnson comes off the 15-day disabled list. Hed been out since July 31 with a left hamstring strain. George Kottaras, a 31-year-old veteran whos played for six big league teams, joins the club as the third catcher. The native of Scarborough was signed to a minor league contract on August 10 after his release from the St. Louis Cardinals. LAWRIES SEASON OVER Given the nature of his oblique injury, it comes as no surprise that both general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons confirmed on Tuesday that Brett Lawries season is finished. "Theres just not enough time," said Gibbons. "Where hes at, trying to build up, nowhere to go to play games. Continue his rehab and get ready for spring training." From the start of 2012, Lawries first full season in the big leagues, to the end of 2014, Lawrie will have appeared in only 62-percent of Torontos games (302 of 486). Hes missed time in each of the past three seasons due to an oblique injury. 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JOHNS, N.LISBON, Portugal -- Tens of thousands of people turned out Monday to pay tribute to Portuguese football star Eusebio after his coffin was put on public display and taken in a funeral cortege through the streets of Lisbon. People filed out of offices and cafes on a rainy afternoon and applauded as the hearse with a police motorcycle escort passed by. Traffic was halted on the capitals main roads, and the cortege stopped for a ceremony at city hall. Earlier in the day, dozens of dignitaries and hundreds of fans, some weeping, filed past the coffin at the Lisbon stadium of Benfica, Eusebios longtime club. Some 10,000 fans at the Stadium of Light cheered and sang when the coffin was placed in the centre of the pitch. The government decreed three days of national mourning after Eusebios death Sunday fromm heart failure.dddddddddddd He was 71. Eusebio was an international star and national hero whose heyday was in the 1960s with Benfica and the Portuguese national team. He became one of the worlds top goalscorers and was widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. He was affectionately known as the Black Panther for his athletic physique and agility. The funeral was attended by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho and many football players, including former world player of the year and retired Portugal captain Luis Figo, as well as Eusebios surviving family. Eusebio was to be buried in a cemetery near Benficas stadium. Authorities said they would consider moving him later to Lisbons National Pantheon, which contains the tombs of illustrious figures from Portuguese history. ' ' '