Jays Are Ready To Fly

It's going to be a Blue Jays autumn. That is, unless the Rays keep the magic going. Speaking of magic, no one had more of it than the Orioles last summer, and they're beginning this season with plenty of confidence that the best is yet to come. The Red Sox also made significant changes in both personnel and environment this offseason, and they like their newfound underdog status.

Finally, there are the Yankees. Even after all the losses and injuries, the Yanks are still on everyone's radar. They've got a deep, talented pitching staff, and if Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez are healthy enough to contribute down the stretch, who knows how October will play out?

Welcome to the American League East, where there's a legitimate case to be made for all five teams. The Blue Jays begin the season as the favorite after an offseason talent infusion, but the Rays, Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees all believe they're good enough to make the postseason.

There are no perfect teams. Toronto's lineup and rotation could be tremendous. But the Blue Jays have lingering questions in their bullpen, especially whether Sergio Santos or Casey Janssen will close.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos added 627 innings to the rotation with the acquisitions of Josh Johnson, R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, and if they all stay healthy, Toronto's lack of depth in the bullpen may not be an issue.
Meanwhile, the Rays are attempting to move forward without James Shields, who was both a leader in the clubhouse and a 200-inning workhorse on the field. And Rays manager Joe Maddon will again platoon all over the field to attempt to piece enough offense together.
The O's rode a wave of close victories to their first postseason berth in 16 years last season, and believe they're positioned to move forward with manager Buck Showalter coming off perhaps his best season. Baltimore has a tremendous clubhouse with Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Co., and an assortment of young arms from which Showalter believes he can construct a solid pitching staff.
The Red Sox changed more than faces, although they did change faces, adding Ryan Dempster, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, David Ross, Mike Napoli and Joel Hanrahan. If Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey have solid seasons, the Red Sox are confident they'll be poised for a September run.
Far from the problems between the players and former manager Bobby Valentine last season, the Red Sox have embraced their new man, John Farrell, a former Boston pitching coach who is close with several current players.
The Yankees don't know what to expect. Nick Swisher, Russell Martin and others are gone. Teixeira, Granderson and A-Rod are injured. The Yanks didn't make a single splashy move in the offseason, and because the club seems too diminished, they might just be the most interesting team in baseball.
With that, the AL East might be the most interesting division in baseball. Toronto may be the favorite, but no one is conceding them a thing. Every team believes it's good enough to make the postseason.
BEST LINEUP:

Jose Reyes is a dynamic addition to the top of the lineup and could end up having a monster year with all that firepower lined up behind him. Melky Cabrera adds another impact bat to a lineup that already had Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus and Edwin Encarnacion.
Our selection: Blue Jays
BEST ROTATION:

James Shields is gone, but the assembly line rolls on. David Price steps into the No. 1 role after taking home the AL Cy Young Award last year, and Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and Alex Cobb line up nicely behind him. The Blue Jays added 600 innings to their rotation, but the Rays take a backseat to no one.
Our selection: Rays
BEST BULLPEN

Mariano Rivera is back for a final ride, and he sets up the Yankees' bullpen nicely. David Robertson has established himself as a first-rate setup man and Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain, David Aardsma and others give manager Joe Girardi plenty of options to get the bullpen into his hands.
Our selection: Yankees
BEST DEFENSE

Shortstop Yunel Escobar is being counted on to anchor the middle of a defense that the Rays believe will again be one of baseball's best, which it wasn't last season. Escobar's presence allows Ben Zobrist to get more playing time in right field, where he's one of the best.
Our selection: Rays
FAVORITE

Blue Jays. Yes, they're back. First-rate rotation. Powerful lineup. Popular manager back in the saddle. About the only question is the bullpen, but the Blue Jays are so good in every other area that the pieces seem likely to fit together. Manager John Gibbons has done a good imitation of the happiest man on Earth this spring.
CHALLENGER

Rays. The Rays will again boast a rotation and a defense as good as almost any in baseball, and that's the formula Maddon calls "The Ray Way." He'll mix and match his lineup, but if Evan Longoria stays healthy and Wil Myers is in the Major Leagues for the second half of the season, Tampa Bay is plenty good enough to win a championship.
DARK HORSE

Orioles, Red Sox. The Red Sox are a completely different team, with a better clubhouse and a better manager. If Lackey and Lester have big seasons and David Ortiz stays healthy, Boston is good enough to make the postseason. The Orioles believe they'll need less of the magic that propelled them in 2012 because they've got terrific young pitching depth and a bunch of veterans who'll lead the way.
NEVER SAY NEVER

Yankees. OK, everything has to go right. Granderson and Teixeira must return from the disabled list and be productive. Ichiro Suzuki and Kevin Youkilis must contribute. And all those older players have to stay on the field. This core group has won so much, it's impossible to completely discount them.

(Courtesy MLB.com)

Preston Axed In Lethbridge

The Lethbridge Hurricanes announced today the club has relieved General Manager and Head Coach Rich Preston of his duties effective immediately.

Last July, the Hurricanes Board of Directors unanimously agreed to exercise the 2013-2014 season option for Preston; however Board President Brian McNaughton says it was time to move in a new direction. “Rich has done what we have asked him by rebuilding the team through the draft and we appreciate all the work he has done. We are; however, not satisfied with the direction we headed in the last 30 games of the season and believe that making a change today is in the best interest of the franchise.”

Preston did start building the team by selecting players including Sam McKechnie, Adam Henry, Macoy Erkamps, Reid Duke and Ryan Pilon however during his four year tenure with the club, Preston failed to guide the Hurricanes to the playoffs finishing with a record of 100-156-13-19.



WHL Season: Record:Conference Standing:

2009-2010 20-44-5-3 (48 pts.) 11th in East

2010-2011 23-36-5-8 (59 pts.) 9th in East

2011-2012 29-42-0-1 (59 pts.) 11th in East

2012-2013 28-34-3-7 (66 pts.) 9th in East



In relieving Preston of his duties, the club also announced Assistant General Manager, Brad Robson has been promoted to the position of General Manager. Robson has been with the club since 2007 and brings vast experience and knowledge to the club.

Riders Make Williams Signing/Lobendahn Release Official

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today they have signed free agent import linebacker Renauld Williams. Financial details of the signing were not released.

Williams (6'0 - 228) re-joins the Green and White after spending the previous two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Last season the 32-year-old recorded 94 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, three quarterback sacks and one interception in 18 regular season games. He was named a 2012 East Division All-Star.  

The native of Westbury, New York had previously spent three seasons (2007-09) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he recorded 98 defensive tackles, 29 special teams tackles, six quarterback sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception in 31 regular season games.  

The Hofstra product missed the entire 2010 season after suffering an injury while attending training camp with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. The nine year pro has also suited up with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.  

·         The Riders also announced they have released import linebacker Joe Lobendahn. Last season, the 30-year-old played nine regular season games after joining the team in August.  

Something To "Mitch" About

It really is the dead time around these parts. The hockey season is done and we are waiting on football. Until then, there isn’t a lot to talk about around here. 

Thankfully, there are a lot of things to talk about so in no particular order, here goes.

 --Saskatoon Blades fans were crowing when their team won 18 straight. They should have been crowing, but how much does that streak mean now as their team is down two games to none to the Medicine Hat Tigers?  We all know goaltending can take a team a long way in the playoffs and Tiger puckstopper Cam Lanigan has certainly been the difference.

--How depressing is it again for Saskatchewan WHL fans knowing that the Eastern Conference playoffs could be short in our province. Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Swift Current are all down two games to none in their respective series. Why can’t a Saskatchewan based WHL team compete with the Alberta teams come playoff time? I refuse to believe that all of the organizations in Alberta, and Brandon are better than all of the collective organizations in Saskatchewan, yet it happens year after year after year it would seem. Other than Moose Jaw getting to the WHL final one year and getting to the East final last year,  there is a huge drought in our province when it comes to teams getting to round 3.  I would love to see two Saskatchewan based teams play one another in an East final, but that prospect doesn’t look good anytime soon.

-- In the wake of the new TSN/CFL agreement, there is a lot of talk about the salary cap and how much it should go up. It certainly should go up, but it is a good question as to how much it should be raised by.  I believe the salary cap for this year is 4.4 million dollars. Do I see that cap going as high as 10 million per season…..no! Do I see it going to 6 or 7…yes.  Lets gradually increase it and lets gradually try to retain our marquee players. The CFL still won’t be able to compete with the NFL when it comes to salaries and if a CFL player wants to try his luck down south, he is still more than allowed to. However, give that player a little more money to have in his pocket up here so that the decision of being a regular here and getting a good cheque or not playing regularly is something to think about. 

--I can only imagine the uproar in this province if Weston Dressler said he was going to compete in an MMA event and that his team knew nothing about it. That is happening in Toronto where the league’s MOP Chad Owens surprised the Argos and everyone by saying he was competing in an MMA fight. I don’t have to tell you how dangerous and barbaric an MMA fight can be. If Owens was to get hurt, it would be disastrous for himself, the Argos and the CFL as a whole as the league’s marquee player would be M-I-A. Owens has some explaining to do and the Argos have to sit him down to say they need to be included in any talks involving extra-curricular activities like this.  I know other sports have clauses in contracts saying guys can’t do anything in the off-season that would result in injury. Does the CFL? They might now!

--Its too bad to see Joe Lobendahn’s time in Riderville come to an end. I thought his arrival really solidified the Rider defense. Here’s hoping Rey Williams if the rumour is true about his impending return is the player he was when he was here before.

--Gonzaga’s loss to Wichita State on Saturday night blew up my bracket! Then again, I don't have Florida Gulf Coast, Oregon or Lasalle either. I have 10 of the 16 teams going to the Sweet 16 though and I've only lost one team from my final four which was Gonzaga. Go Michigan!

--The pictures following this past week’s storm were unbelievable. Its hard to think that major highways were not passable because of snowdrifts. I’ve never seen that before.  It makes me wonder what it was like years ago when a thing like a cellphone or a Highways Hotline was not applicable. Did people just risk it and what happened if they became stuck or in the ditch? I don’t know if I want to think about that scenario. Then again I do remember spending four hours in a ditch many years ago where I couldn’t get out of one side of the car upon returning to Peace River, Alberta after doing a hockey game. That wasn’t fun and is probably one of the reasons why I’m not a big fan of driving highways in the winter time anymore.

--The TSN ad featuring Mike Richards and manscaping. DUMB DUMB DUMB STUPID STUPID STUPID!!

--Tiger Woods appears to be back at the top of his game. Thank god for Lindsey Vonn! I’m guessing that a ski-pole might hurt a little more than a 5 iron though so behave Tiger!

--I’m guessing the snow will be on the ground still when opening day hits next week. Will it still be on the ground when the Masters starts? That would be highly depressing.

--Isn’t it somewhat fitting that Martin Brodeur has 666 wins as a Devil? While on the topic of Brodeur, some are talking about his “goal” the other night and if it should be awarded to him. Why not? The rule states the last one to touch the puck gets credit for it. The debate is now on if the NHL should go the way of soccer and award “own goals” when a member of the team scores on his own net. I say no! Let soccer have their rule and hockey have theirs.

--Why won’t the NHL players association adopt hybrid icing?

--I thought this was the year the Oilers would turn the corner and make the playoffs. That doesn’t appear to be happening. I think their inability and their tire-spinning is one reason why I haven’t truly come back to the game yet.

--Can I go back to my mid 20’s for just two weeks?

--What happened to Ricky Romero?

--Those that think the Blue Jays can go to the World Series need to look at the L-A Angels of Anaheim and see the batting order of Mike Trout. Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo staring them in the face. If the Angels don’t win the American League, there is something wrong.

--Memo to Chuck E Cheese. If Saturday afternoon is your busiest time of the week, which I’m thinking it is, then have your games working. You have a nine year old that was not impressed. That being said, if skee-ball becomes an Olympic sport, we may have a medal contender. The girl can play.

 

 

 

Carlyle's Morrow Heads To Penguins

Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow has decided to waive his no-trade clause and agreed to join the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade, a source told ESPN.com.

In the trade, Pittsburgh gets Morrow and a third-round pick in 2013, while Dallas gets prospect defenseman Joe Morrow and a fifth-round pick in 2013, the source said.

Joe Morrow was the 23rd overall pick by the Penguins in 2011.

Brenden Morrow, 34, is slated for unrestricted free agency in July. He's played his entire NHL career with the Stars since breaking into the league in 1999-2000.

The Bruins had also shown interest in Morrow, according to another source.

Morrow for years was one of the NHL's premier power forwards, putting up a career-high 33 goals just two years ago in 2010-11 when he also played for gold medal-winning Canada at the Vancouver Olympics.

But over the past two years he's been slowed down by injuries. He's got six goals and five assists in 23 games this season and while he's not quite the same player he was before, he remains a quality character player who would bring experience, skill and toughness to the Penguins' lineup, should he accept the move.

CFL Rule Changes

A proposal to allow coaches to request the video replay official to review and possibly overturn a ruling of a missed field goal or extra point has been approved by the Canadian Football League's rules committee.

"It's vitally important to ensure we get potential scoring plays right, and video review has proven to be a tremendous asset, especially in an age of high definition cameras in multiple locations," said Tom Higgins, the Canadian Football League's Director of Officiating.

The rules committee is also recommending that coaches be given more flexibility in how they use time outs.

It approved a proposal to allow coaches to use both of their time outs at any point during regulation time of a game, as long as they don't use more than one after the three minute warning has been sounded near the end of the game.

Currently, coaches are only allowed to use one time out per half.

The Rules Committee - made up of head coaches, general managers, team presidents, league officials and a representative of the CFL Players' Association - wrapped up its annual gathering here today.

Its' recommendations are now subject to approval by the CFL Board of Governors later this Spring.

The committee tabled a proposal to eliminate blocks below the waist, or "low blocks", unless they are executed between the tackles along the line of scrimmage by interior linemen or by other stationary players three yards on other side of the tackles.
Members requested more data on injuries and more study on the potential effect on the running game.

That proposal would have eliminated open field blocks below the waist on running plays and screen plays, after previous rule changes had effectively eliminated them for other types of plays.
In the meantime, the committee has instructed CFL officials to broaden the interpretation of what constitutes an illegal low block to better protect all players, by requiring that blocks be clearly delivered from in front of a defender.

It voted down a proposal to change the penalty for pass interference from possession at the point of the foul to a specific yardage penalty and an automatic first down.

Also rejected was a proposal to change a rule to allow a player who loses his helmet in the act of catching a pass or recovering a loose ball to participate in the immediate continuation of his attempt to gain possession of the football without penalty.

Richardson Signs New Deal With Als

The Alouettes announced on Friday the signing of import slotback Jamel Richardson to a new three-year deal with the club.

Richardson (6'3", 215 lbs.) reached the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for a fifth consecutive season with the Alouettes in 2012 after hauling in a team-high 63 passes and finishing the year as the team's second-leading receiver with 1,016 yards and five touchdowns in only 15 games.


The two-time CFL All-Star also tied his former teammate Kerry Watkins for third place on the Als' all-time career receiving touchdowns list when he caught No. 48 on October 14 against the Argonauts in Toronto on a spectacular 75-yard play. Richardson is now only 17 TDs shy of the club record held by Ben Cahoon.

"Jamel has obviously flourished in an Alouettes uniform. He has become one of the most identifiable players we have," admitted Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp. "When we play teams, he is a force to be reckoned with. Though he had an off-year last season (due to injuries), we expect Jamel to continue his climb as one of the best in the CFL."

The 31-year-old had his biggest game of 2012 in Week 17, amassing a season-high 161 yards on eight receptions against the Saskatchewan Roughriders en route to earning CFL offensive player of the week honours.

Richardson has led the team in receiving yards three out of the past five seasons and has reeled in 454 passes for 6,401 yards in his five seasons with Montreal. The Syracuse, NY native also set a league record for 100-yard games in a single season with 12 and tied the team record for most receptions in a season with 112 in 2011. That historic season also saw him rack up a league-high 1,777 receiving yards, good for second all-time in Alouettes history.