Category: Sports

Nash earns all-star nod
NEW YORK (CP) – Canadian Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns was one of seven reserves named Thursday night to the Western Conference team that will play in the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas.
The Victoria born player, who will be making his fifth all-star appearance, is averaging 19.6 points and 12 assists per game through 43 games, while shooting 49.6 per cent from three-point range and 87.6 per cent from the free-throw line. Phoenix faced San Antonio at home later Friday.
One bad night may have overshadowed all the good Carmelo Anthony has done this season.
The NBA’s leading scorer was not among the seven reserves announced.
Denver teammate Allen Iverson was chosen, extending his streak of consecutive all-star appearances to eight. He started the last seven games, while playing for Philadelphia. Anthony, who is averaging 31.3 points, but missed 15 games, while suspended for his role in the brawl at Madison Square Garden, was the most obvious omission.
Earlier Thursday, Anthony said that he hoped his suspension wouldn’t prevent him from earning his first all-star spot.
“I hope no one holds that over my head over anything,” he said. “Things happen. One incident like that is held over one person’s head, life ain’t fair.”
“I did my punishment. I could’ve easily kept my name out there by appealing it and doing other stuff about it, but I just did my 15 games suspension and hopefully put that behind us.”
Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were all chosen from the Phoenix Suns, the league’s highest scoring team. Suns coach Mike D’Antoni will lead the West.
“It will be great to be able to go with our coaches and teammates,” said Nash, the two-time NBA MVP. “It will be great to have them there and have them be recognized, too.”
Stoudemire, averaging 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, made it after sitting out most of last season because of knee surgery.
“It was a goal of mine,” he said. “I told you guys that before the season started, back in training camp, that I was planning on making it. So I was really striving for it.”
“The past two years have been tough for me and it’s definitely paid off. There may be people who doubt you, but you can never doubt yourself.”
Dirk Nowitzki was the only player picked from the Dallas Mavericks, who have the league’s best record. The Mavericks had been hoping Josh Howard would be selected as well.
“I think Dallas having the best record and only one guy, I thought that was surprising,” D’Antoni said.
Detroit and New Jersey had multiple reserves picked for the Feb. 18 game. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, who both made their first appearances last season, are going back for Detroit, while Jason Kidd and former Toronto Raptor Vince Carter will represent the Nets in the game at University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.
“I’m happy that Rip made it, too, because he’s having a career year,” Billups said. “If I only made it, a piece of me would’ve been disappointed. I’ve always felt like we’re a package deal.”
Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal and first-timers Dwight Howard of Orlando and Caron Butler of Washington round out the East reserves.
The seven reserves were voted on by the head coaches in their respective conferences. Coaches couldn’t vote for their own players, and had to select two forwards, two guards, a centre and two players regardless of their position.
The remainder of the West reserves were San Antonio guard Tony Parker and Utah forward Carlos Boozer.
The starters were announced last Thursday.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas were picked in the East. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant were voted in by fans to start for the West.
Anthony still has a chance to play in Las Vegas. NBA commissioner David Stern will choose a replacement for Yao, who is still recovering from a broken bone under his knee, and Boozer also could be unavailable because of a hairline fracture in his left leg.
He’s expected to miss a few weeks, but said Thursday he hopes to return in time for all-star weekend. He doesn’t know when he would need to resume running for that to happen.
“Hopefully if everything works out, it will be right on time,” he said. “I’ll put it like that.”
Anthony and Josh Howard are the most likely replacement choices, but could face competition for those spots from Seattle’s Ray Allen, Portland’s Zach Randolph, the Clippers’ Elton Brand and another Denver player, Marcus Camby.
Stern said that he expected to make his decision in the next few days, and that when doing so he wouldn’t consider the suspension he gave Anthony for the punch the Denver star hit the Knicks’ Mardy Collins with on Dec. 16.
D’Antoni will lead the West squad, because Dallas coach Avery Johnson is ineligible after coaching last season. The same three Suns were chosen as reserves to the 2005 game.
“I’m sure they’ll be out there at some time, but I haven’t thought about it,” D’Antoni said. “I’m thinking about San Antonio and Utah and everyone else in between.”
Washington’s Eddie Jordan is close to clinching the East coaching spot, largely because of the play of Butler. The forward is averaging 20.6 points and 8.0 rebounds, both career highs.
“Coach Jordan gave me more and more freedom and I really thought I had a chance,” Butler said. “I dedicated my time last summer and look what came out of it. I couldn’t be happier with this, but I know there is still work to be done.”
Toronto forwards Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa will take part in the rookie challenge on Feb. 16.

Prince headlines Super halftime show
MIAMI – Prince barely spoke, and still stole the show. It was billed as a news conference about the Super Bowl entertainment lineup, featuring pregame performers Cirque du Soleil, national anthem singer Billy Joel and Prince, the halftime-show headliner.
Typically, these events have been question-and-answer sessions.
Then again, there’s little that’s typical about Prince, the enigmatic six-time Grammy winner who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and was best-known for racy lyrics and gyrations before toning his act down considerably in recent years.
“We are not taking questions at the end,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told a room packed with reporters and photographers, trying to give fair warning about a minute before Prince arrived, “but we think the trade-off will be pretty good.”
The trade-off was a 10-minute concert with Prince and his 10-person entourage using that as their taste of what’s coming at halftime on Sunday night.
His jacket, shirt, pants and shoes were orange ó surprising since he is, after all, known as “The Purple One.” Shielded from view moments before taking the stage, Prince came out, took a deep breath, grabbed his guitar and sauntered to the microphone.
“Thank you,” he said, after finishing the quick set. “See you at the Super Bowl. Peace.”
Then he was gone.
“I think he’s brilliant,” Joel said. “He’s one of the most talented people in the industry today.”
A six-time Grammy winner, Joel will become the first two-time performer of the national anthem in Super Bowl history. He also sang it before the 1989 game in Miami.
Sunday’s game entertainment opens with Cirque du Soleil ó touted as “a high-energy extravaganza of music, dance, gymnastics and circus arts” ó pairing with well-known Miami artist, Romero Britto, for a pregame show. Grammy winner Louie Vega will provide an original musical score for the show.
Some Cirque performers were present. They were dressed as football referees and sat atop eight-foot flamingo puppets who pranced around the room.

Toronto Maple Leafs Of 1967 To Be Saluted
(TORONTO) — The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Friday that the 1967 Stanley Cup Championship team will be reunited and recognized in a pre-game ceremony when the Edmonton Oilers visit Air Canada Centre on February 17.
The game also marks the 80th anniversary of the Toronto Maple Leafs first game in 1927. Several players have confirmed their participation for the game next month including; George Armstrong, Bobby Baun, Johnny Bower, Brian Conacher, Ron Ellis, Aut Erickson, Larry Hillman, Larry Jeffrey, Red Kelly, Dave Keon, Jim Pappin, Marcel Pronovost, Eddie Shack, Allan Stanley, Pete Stemkowski, and Mike Walton.
ìThis is a terrific opportunity for our organization and our loyal fans to celebrate the achievement of a great team,î said John Ferguson, general manager of the Maple Leafs. ìItís really about saluting the last club of that Leafsí era just before NHL expansion on a milestone anniversary of 40 years. Itís an occasion for them to enjoy their company once again and it also gives our fans the chance to cheer them as a group one more time.î
The 1966-67 edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs captured the franchiseís 11th Stanley Cup and fourth of the decade. The team defeated the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in the sixth game on May 2, 1967 as Canada was celebrating its centennial.
Ten members of the 1967 Maple Leafs would later be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. A total of 11 players from the 1967 team played on the three other Stanley Cup winning teams in 1962, 1963, 1964. They are: Johnny Bower, Larry Hillman, Bob Baun, Allan Stanley, Red Kelly, George Armstrong, Dave Keon, Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack, Frank Mahovlich and the late Tim Horton. Terry Sawchuk, Bruce Gamble, Horton, and coach and general manager Punch Imlach are the only gentlemen from the 1967 team that are deceased.
The Maple Leafs compiled a record of 32 wins, 27 losses, and 11 ties in 70 games in the 1966-67 regular season. The teamís 75 points placed them third in the standings behind Chicago (94 points), and Montreal (77). The Maple Leafs eliminated the first-place Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the opening round before completing the same feat in the Stanley Cup Final against the Canadiens.
Dave Keon led the team in regular season scoring with 52 points (19g, 33a) and he finished 12th among all NHL players in points that season. He earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as ëthe most valuable player for his team in the playoffsí that year. Jim Pappin scored the Stanley Cup winning goal and he led all NHL players with seven goals and 15 points during the 12 games of the 1967 post-season. Forty years ago, the team was bolstered in the nets for the third and final season by two of hockeyís greatest goalies; Johnny Bower at age 42 and Terry Sawchuk at age 37. The unlikely playoff run came on the heels of a regular season in which the team needed three other goalies (Gamble, Gary Smith and the late Al Smith) at various points of the season. In addition, King Clancy spelled an ill Punch Imlach for a 10 game stretch behind the bench and led them to a 7-1-2 record.
Interestingly enough, the team had a 10-game losing streak from January 15 to February 8 scoring just 15 goals before regrouping to capture the Stanley Cup over their national rival. The hallmark of the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs was their experience. They sported the oldest lineup to ever win the Stanley Cup, with an average age of 31. Seven players were over 35 and 12 members were over age 30. Bower and Stanley (age 41) were the oldest members of the team in the last year of the Original Six.

Cooperstown bound?
NEW YORK (AP) – Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. will fall short of becoming the first unanimous Hall of Fame picks while Mark McGwire doesn’t figure to be anywhere close to the necessary 75 per cent when 2007 voting is released Tuesday.
Paul Ladewski of the Daily Southtown in suburban Chicago wrote in a column Monday that he submitted a blank ballot because of doubts he had over performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
“At this point, I don’t have nearly enough information to make a value judgment of this magnitude. In particular, that concerns any player in the Steroids Era, which I consider to be the 1993-2004 period, give or a take a season,” Ladewski wrote. “This isn’t to suggest that Gwynn or Ripken or the majority of the other eligible candidates padded his statistics with performance-enhancers and cheated the game, their predecessors and the fans in the process.
“But tell me, except for the players themselves, who can say what they put into their bodies over the years with any degree of certainty?”
Gwynn and Ripken likely will vie for the highest percentages ever in Hall voting. McGwire, also on the ballot for the first time, probably will draw only one in four votes, according to a November survey of about 20 per cent of eligible voters taken by The Associated Press.
McGwire finished with 583 home runs, seventh on the career list, and hit 70 homers in 1998 to set the season record, a mark Barry Bonds broke three years later.
But many voters have said they won’t select McGwire for baseball’s highest honour until he answers questions about steroids use. McGwire’s refusal to address his past during a 2005 congressional hearing damaged his reputation among many of the 10-year members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who cast ballots.
“I think I would vote for him,” Gwynn said. “I think I would vote for a lot of those guys who are considered to have done it.”
Tom Seaver holds the record percentage at 98.84, set when he was selected on 425 of 430 ballots in 1992.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News was among three writers who submitted blank ballots that year, joined by Bob Hertzel of The Pittsburgh Press and freelance writer Bob Hunter. Retired writers Deane McGowen and Bud Tucker did not vote for Seaver.
“That was the first year that baseball intervened with Pete Rose and kept his name off the ballot,” Hagen said Monday. “I just felt like that was a way of protesting.
“It had nothing to do with Tom Seaver.”
Ty Cobb was left off four ballots, Nolan Ryan wasn’t on six, Hank Aaron on nine, Babe Ruth on 11 and Willie Mays on 23. Joe DiMaggio needed to appear on the ballot three times to get in, receiving 44 per cent and 69 per cent in his first two tries.
“I’ll admit I sort of felt that sooner or later it might come my way,” DiMaggio was quoted as saying by The New York Times after he was elected in 1955. “But after failing to make it during the first two elections for which I was eligible – well, I just wasn’t too sure.”
Past elections also were cited by Ladewski as reasons for submitting a blank ballot.
“What makes Gwynn and Ripken so special that they deserve to be unanimous selections?” he wrote. “Walter Johnson, Cy Young and Honus Wagner didn’t receive such Hall passes.
“Neither did Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. In fact, nobody has in the history of the game. Based on the standards set by the Hall of Fame voters decades ago, is there a neutral observer out there who can honestly say Gwynn and Ripken should be afforded an unprecedented honour?”
Reliever Bruce Sutter made it last year on the 13th try, when Jim Rice fell 53 votes short and Goose Gossage was 54 shy. Rice is on the ballot for the 13th time this year, and he may have a better chance at gaining election next year, when Tim Raines and David Justice are the top first-time eligibles. Rickey Henderson goes on the 2009 ballot.
Gwynn and Ripken are baseball dinosaurs who spent their entire major league careers with one team.
In a 20-year career with the San Diego Padres that began in 1982, Gwynn won eight NL batting titles to tie Honus Wagner’s NL record and was a member of 15 all-star teams. He finished with a .338 career average and won five Gold Gloves as an outfielder.
Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive games, breaking Lou Gehrig’s ironman record of 2,130. Ripken spent 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, hitting .276 with 431 home runs. A 19-time all-star, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1982, the AL MVP award in 1983 and 1991 and was a two-time Gold Glove shortstop.
Jose Canseco also is on the ballot for the first time. The former Toronto Blue Jay said he used steroids along with McGwire when they were teammates. Two-time Cy Young award winner Bret Saberhagen, former NL MVP Ken Caminiti and Harold Baines also are on the ballot for the first time.
A player remains on the ballot for up to 15 elections as long as he gets five per cent of the votes every year.
Any players elected will be inducted during ceremonies held July 29 at the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with anyone elected from the Veterans Committee vote, which will be announced Feb. 27.

Golden Troika – Canada wins third-straight gold!
LEKSAND, Sweden (CP) – Canada won a third straight world junior hockey championship and its first in Europe in a decade with a 4-2 win over Russia on Friday.
After taking the title in Vancouver last year and in Grand Forks, N.D., in 2005, the challenge for this Canadian squad was to win it outside North America. The country hadn’t done so since 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland.
“It’s unbelievable, a great feeling,” Canadian forward Jonathan Toews said. “Tonight was a battle from start to finish. The Russians are a great team but we came out hard and finished hard, too.”
Canadian defenceman Marc Staal also won gold in Vancouver but said this year’s victory is a “totally different feeling.”
“Winning in Europe is unbelievable,” he said. “From the start (of the tournament) we just kept it simple. We clogged up the middle, teams got frustrated and turned it over.”
Defenceman Kris Russell also won his second straight gold.
“Both are special and both are unique but to win it over here where Canada hasn’t won in 10 years is quite a feat,” he said.
Canada rode its excellent goaltending, defencemen and special teams to the final and the only question mark then was whether the team could produce enough goals at even-strength against the skilled and speedy Russians.
“The guys that we knew could score came through for us tonight,” said Canadian coach Craig Hartsburg.
The Canadians were snakebitten in their semifinal against the U.S. and won that game 2-1 via a shootout.
But University of Michigan forward Andrew Cogliano, Bryan Little of the Barrie Colts and North Dakota forward Toews all scored in a five-minute span starting at 15:35 of the first period, with power-play goals by Little and Toews.
“We got that quick start and it made it easier for me to play,” Canadian goaltender Carey Price said.
Brad Marchand of the Val-d’Or Foreurs gave Canada a 4-0 lead six minutes into the second period, but Pavel Valentenko and Gennadi Churilov scored power-play goals for Russia to cut Canada’s lead in half heading into the third.
Both sides had power-play opportunities in the third period they couldn’t convert. Russia pressed for a goal, but couldn’t solve Price in the third period. Canada also withstood being two men down late in the third after Staal took a penalty for tripping and the Russians pulled their goaltender.
Price was named tournament MVP by the media and chosen best goaltender of the tournament by the International Ice Hockey Federation directorate.
He was the difference in Canada even getting to the final with his outstanding performance in overtime and in the shootout of the semifinal.
The Montreal Canadiens’ draft pick stopped 25 of 27 shots against Russia and made a key stop on Anton Krysanov, who was breaking in alone short-handed early in the third period.
Russian counterpart Sergei Varlamov, a Washington Capitals draft pick, also made 25 saves.
Canadian captain and defenceman Kristopher Letang and Toews were named to the all-star team.
Hartsburg switched centres heading into the game, putting Toews between Steve Downie and Marchand and moving Cogliano to the second line with Tom Pyatt and Ryan O’Marra.
Cogliano and Little scored their first goals in regulation time in the tournament, after scoring in the shootout against the U.S. in the semifinal.
Andrei Kiryukhin dropped the puck down to Churilov at the face-off circle and his sharp-angled shot beat Price with 36 left in the second period.
Valentenko scored Russia’s first goal at 11:27 of the second period. Price couldn’t see the puck behind a couple of Russian bodies and Price was beaten stick-side by Valentenko’s shot from the blue-line.
After helping kill off a second Russian power-play, Toews drove down the left wing and fed a charging Marchand, who shovelled the puck past Varlamov at the six-minute mark of the second period to make it 4-0 for Canada.
Russia opened the second period with a man advantage, during which Andrei Kiryukhin’s blast from the blue-line squeaked between Price’s pads and slid towards the goal-line. Russell stepped in to clear the puck.
Downie of the Peterborough Petes collected a rebound and sent the puck over to Toews at the hashmarks, where Toews whipped the puck high over Varlamov’s stick to make it 3-0 with a power-play goal at 18:02 of the first period.
Little backhanded a rebound on a Letang shot over Varlamov’s stick at 17:29.
Ryan O’Marra of the Saginaw Spirit cruised through the slot and dished the puck to an unchecked Cogliano, who fired the puck past Varlamov’s glove at 15:35.
James Neal of the Plymouth Whalers dealt Igor Musatov a hard check at centre ice early in the first period.
Price dropped his pads and stopped a streaking Igor Makarov coming down the middle just less than three minutes into the game.
About 300 fans were among the announced crowd of 5,223 at Ejendals Arena to cheer on the defending champions.
A large group of them in the standing section of rink began chanting “We want gold” 10 minutes before the puck dropped and “You’ve got nothing” when Canada took a 4-0 lead.
They were joined by several Swedes, including a Swedish drummer, because the Canadians had cheered for their country in a 2-1 loss to the U.S. in the bronze-medal game earlier.
Following the game, the arena announcer specifically thanked the Canadian fans who were in Sweden for their enthusiasm throughout the tournament.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper watched the game from Ottawa. During a brief phone with Hartsburg carried live on TSN, he said the team had made all of Canada proud.
“You had the whole country cheering for you,” said Harper. “I think everybody has taken an early weekend to watch the game.”
Notes: The 2008 world junior hockey championship will be held in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic … Canada will have five players eligible to return for the 2008 tournament: defenceman Karl Alzner, goaltender Leland Irving and forwards Sam Gagner, Brad Marchand and Jonathan Toews … Belarus and Germany were relegated back down to the B world championship, while Denmark and Kazakhstan earned promotion to the A tournament in the Czech Republic.
GAME SUMMARY
LEKSAND, Sweden (CP) — World junior hockey championship gold-medal game Friday:
First Period
1. Canada, Cogliano 1 (O’Marra, Pyatt) 15:35
2. Canada, Little 1 (Letang) 17:29 (pp)
3. Canada, Toews 4 (Downie, Franson) 18:02 (pp)
Penalties — Churilov Rus (slashing) 7:00, Anisimov Rus (holding) 16:47, Valetenko Rus (high-sticking) 17:47, Helm Cda (boarding) 19:02.
Second Period
4. Canada, Marchand 2 (Toews) 6:00
5. Russia, Valentenko 2 11:27 (pp)
6. Russia, Churilov 2 (Loginov) 19:24 (pp)
Penalties — Downie Cda (roughing) Anikeyenko Rus (charging) 2:42, Staal Cda (high-sticking) 3:43, Alzner Cda (holding) 11:21, Toews Cda (hooking) Kucheryavenko Rus (unsportsmanlike conduct) 12:11, Toews Cda (hooking) 15:09, Letang Cda (roughing) Glovatsky Rus (roughing) 15:09, O’Marra Cda (high-sticking) 19:03.
Third Period
No scoring.
Penalties — Ryasensky Rus (interference) 2:33, Bumagin Rus (hooking) 2:50, Helm Cda (hooking) 7:34, Little Cda (checking to the head, misconduct, minor served by Marchand) 11:23, Staal Cda (tripping) 18:12.
Shots on goal by
Canada 15 11 3–29
Russia 7 10 10–27
Goal (shots-saves) — Canada, Price (W, 6-0); Russia, Varlamov (L, 5-1)
Power plays (goals-chances) — Canada 2-5; Russia 2-8.
Referee — Danny Kurmann (Switzerland); Linesmen — Milan Novak (Slovakia), Fredrik Ulriksson (Sweden).
Attendance — 5,223 (7,650).

Toronto Blue Jays move into future with Vernon Wells at centre of franchise
TORONTO (CP) – The “sticker shock” was intense. But the Blue Jays came to feel the US$126-million, seven-year contract extension for Vernon Wells is market value for a franchise player.
And despite the jaw-dropping size of the deal, the Jays believe they still have payroll room to manoeuvre elsewhere while locking up a player some believe, is just starting to become the superstar he can be. The 28-year-old batted .303 with 32 home runs and 106 RBIs last season and won his third straight Gold Glove Award. He’s the rare breed of ball player who can win games with both his bat and glove.
He’s also a reserved but highly respected clubhouse leader, someone who maintains an even keel in all situations and commands respect from his peers.
Underlining that leadership is the way he structured his contract, which starts in 2008 and gives the Blue Jays the fiscal wiggle room to keep adding more talent.
Wells’ deal is the sixth-richest in baseball history. And it’s believed to be the biggest ever handed out by a sports team in Canada.
He gets a $25.5-million signing bonus payable in three equal instalments on March 1 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. His salary is just $500,000 in 2008 and $1.5 million in 2009 before climbing to $12.5 million in 2010 and $23 million in 2011. The final three seasons are worth $21 million apiece.
That leaves the Blue Jays with a pricey but manageable core of six players – Wells, Halladay, A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus – that will cost them about $60 million in 2007, $61 million in 2008, $57 million in 2009 and $58 million in 2010.
“I think this will be Roy (Halladay) and Vernon’s team as long as they’re here,” said general manager J.P. Ricciardi. “Roy will always be the guy the pitchers look up to and I think Vernon will be the guy the everyday players look up to.”
And he’s the player expected to lead them back to the post-season for the first time since 1993.
“The biggest thing was leaving flexibility for this team to get better over the next few years,” said Wells. “By no means did I want to sign here and hinder this team from getting better.”
The Jays are expected to have a payroll in the neighbourhood of $100 million over that span – the team doesn’t plan to publicly announce a figure this season, it was about $76 million last year – so Ricciardi should have enough room to build a solid roster around them.
Wells’ salary won’t jump until 2011, when he becomes the only Blue Jay under contract.
“We can work around that, which is what we wanted to do,” said Ricciardi.
The new deal also contains a no-trade clause and an opt-out provision after the 2011 season.
Wells is under contract in 2007 for $5.6 million – part of the $14.7 million, five-year deal he signed before the 2003 season – and would have been eligible for free agency after the season. He could have commanded even more money on the open market but instead Wells, with the help of his agent Greg Genske, settled on a number and an accepted when offered to him.
“I’m not going out there to try and make a name for myself in that way,” Wells said of trying to break the bank next fall.
“For me to be selfish, to be greedy and want more and more, this is plenty. My kids can’t spend all this money, this is enough to set my family up for the rest of their lives.”
Team president Paul Godfrey said he needed “smelling salts and someone to prop me up to give them to me,” when Vernon Wells’ representatives first floated the idea of an extension some three months ago.
“We know the contract was going to be high,” he said Monday “But it’s like going to buy a house or a car, the sticker shock always takes you back. That’s why deals aren’t made overnight.”
It wasn’t until this fall’s frenzied off-season spending began around the majors that the Blue Jays realized the numbers were simply reflective of an industry awash in cash. The $136-million, eight-year contract the Chicago Cubs gave Alfonso Soriano and the $100-million, six-year deal between Carlos Lee and the Houston Astros were among the key eye-openers.
Once the Blue Jays examined all the facts it became clear that Wells was asking for a fair market price (staggering as it is) and that they’d have to meet it to retain the all-star centre-fielder.
“Soriano and Lee are both great ball players,” said Godfrey. “But when you compare their stats to his stats offensively and defensively, Wells is the type of player we thought fit in long-term with this organization.”
On Dec. 8, Wells’ 28th birthday, the Blue Jays called their marquee man and told him they would meet his contract demands. Talks gained momentum last week, with an agreement in principle reached late Thursday and the contract completed Friday, tying him to the franchise through 2014.
The agreement dwarfs the Blue Jays’ previous largest contract, a $68-million, four-year pact with Carlos Delgado in the fall of 2000, and more than doubles the richest deal ever handed out by Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, the $55 million over five years given to pitcher A.J. Burnett last winter.
Among contracts in Canada, it eclipses the $94-million, six-year deal the Toronto Raptors gave Vince Carter in the summer of 2001, which at the time was believed to be the biggest deal north of the border.
Compared to his peers in the majors, Wells’ deal ranks behind only those given to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million for 10 years), Derek Jeter ($189 million for 10 years), Manny Ramirez ($160 million for eight years), Todd Helton ($141.5 million for 11 years) and Soriano.
He’s the 13th player to get a nine-figure contract.
Wells’ first reaction was shock when the Blue Jays called him and told him they were willing to meet his price and hanging up the phone, it hit Wells that he was on the verge of becoming a very, very rich man.
“I got emotional just because this was actually happening, you’re actually sitting back and thinking about the situation and what they’re committing to you, it’s a lot of money,” Wells said. “You start thinking about your kids you start thinking about everything else.”
Wells is unconcerned with the added expectations his new-found wealth will bring.
“Once I get on the field, money doesn’t matter,” said Wells. “I go out and play the game no matter if I’m making the minimum or making whatever I’m going to be making. I take pride in this game. I’m going to struggle and I’ll be the first to tell you if I’m doing poorly …
“I’ll take the good with the bad and hopefully everybody will do the same. If not, I can deal with it. I’m a big man and I can take the criticism.”
Aside from buying a house in suburban Toronto, Wells has no big expenditures planned. He will make a $1-million donation to the team-run Jays Care Foundation over the duration of the deal and plans to deepen his involvement in other charitable causes.
Other than that, he’s just glad he’s another step closer to finishing his career in Toronto.
“This gives me the possibility of doing that,” he said. “It would be great to be a Blue Jay for life and hopefully to win some championships and to maybe don a Blue Jay hat one day in the Hall of Fame.”

Toronto courts Wells
Is Wells worth the money?
TORONTO (CP) – The talk in Toronto all off-season has been on how the Blue Jays seemed to be paving the way for Vernon Wells’ exit by removing him from their marketing campaigns and Christmas cards.
The contract offer they’ve made to the all-star centre-fielder would suggest otherwise. Wells is pondering a proposed seven-year deal believed to be worth US$126 million, a package that would by far be the richest deal in franchise history.
It would also be among the largest contracts ever handed out in baseball, ranking behind those given to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million for 10 years), Derek Jeter ($189 million for 10 years), Manny Ramirez ($160 million for eight years), Todd Helton ($141.5 million for 11 years) and Alfonso Soriano ($136 million, eight years).
Soriano’s contract was signed this off-season and likely helped push the bar up for Wells, whose current contract expires after the 2007 campaign.
“We have made an offer and that’s where it’s at,” Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said in an interview. “We’re not going to negotiate through the press, I’m not going to say where it sits.”
Greg Genske, Wells’ agent, didn’t immediately return a message.
The offer is the biggest ever made by Ricciardi, dwarfing the $55 million for five years he gave starter A.J. Burnett as a free agent last winter, and would be the club’s largest financial commitment to a player since Carlos Delgado signed a $68-million, four-year deal after the 2000 season.
Wells is due to make $5.6 million next year and should he hit the open market next fall, he’d likely fetch even more money than what’s on the table now from an industry awash in cash. But the offer is the first clear indication of how far the Blue Jays are willing to go to lock up their marquee player.
“We will not talk about contract negotiations,” an unusually terse Paul Godfrey, the team president, said Wednesday. “We’re not going to make any comments.”
On Friday, Godfrey said the Blue Jays had set a flexible deadline of about a month to get an extension done with Wells in order to not have the issue serve as a distraction from other matters of business.
If the Blue Jays don’t get Wells’ signature on a new deal, they can either play him this season and take two draft picks as compensation should he leave as a free agent, or try to trade him now.
There are already thought to be a handful of potential trade partners with their eyes on Wells, including the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox.
Wells’ future has been a hot topic among Blue Jays fans since last spring, when he and the club agreed to revisit the possibility of an extension this fall. Debates over the sincerity of the team’s desire to keep him have been commonplace, with some wondering if another big deal could potentially become an albatross on the franchise the way Delgado’s contract did.
Delgado’s deal came at another hopeful time for the franchise but when the team crashed and burned on the field in 2001 and suffered staggering financial losses, the payroll was eventually cut to around $50 million with some 34 per cent of that devoted to the first baseman.
Although the annual average value of the proposed Wells deal is similar at $18 million, the Blue Jays have more to spend these days and his salary would represent about 18-19 per cent of a payroll expected to be in the neighbourhood of $95-100 million.
Still, news that Wells was no longer being used in the club’s marketing campaigns triggered speculation that he would soon be trade bait. That turned up another notch at the winter meetings when the team’s Christmas cards began arriving in mailboxes minus the franchise player.
The rumour mill heated up again after the winter meetings when the Blue Jays came up empty on pitchers Ted Lilly and Gil Meche. Wells’ name began surfacing in trade rumours for pitching.
Ricciardi said the Blue Jays have lukewarm interest in the remaining pitchers on the free-agent market and are doing their best to find an arm for their rotation via trade. Wells is not on offer.
“We’re scouring the (trade) market, just trying to do some things,” he said. “I think the (free-agent) market is a little thin for us.”
The Blue Jays also took care of some housekeeping Wednesday, signing backup infielder John McDonald to a $750,000, one-year contract.
McDonald, 32, batted .223 with three home runs and 23 RBIs in 104 games last season. He began the year as a backup but took over as the starting shortstop when Russ Adams faltered.
He’ll share time at shortstop this season with the recently signed Royce Clayton.

Prince to perform at Super Bowl halftime
NEW YORK – McCartney, Jagger and now Prince.
For the third year in a row, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act will headline the Super Bowl halftime entertainment. This time it’s Prince.
The Purple One, winner of six Grammy Awards and nominated for five more this year, will play at the game in Miami on Feb. 4.
The Super Bowl, which will be televised by CBS, is annually television’s highest rated show. An estimated 141 million people watched last year’s game between Pittsburgh and Seattle.
The Rolling Stones headlined the halftime show for that Super Bowl, and two years ago it was Paul McCartney.
The NFL has tended to take a more cautious approach since Janet Jackson’s widely criticized “wardrobe malfunction” at halftime of the 2004 game. That game also was televised by CBS.
Last year, Mick Jagger’s microphone was silenced as he sang sexually suggestive lyrics in a couple of songs the Stones performed.
Prince gained attention early his career with raunchy lyrics and racy performances, but has toned down his act somewhat in recent years.

Story One – Stairs climbs north
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (CP) – Unlike their courtship of other players this off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays had little trouble getting a deal done with Matt Stairs.
“It didn’t take very long for me to say yes,” the Fredericton outfielder, speaking from Bangor, Maine, said Wednesday of his preliminary agreement on a one-year deal. “It took about 10 minutes to get done. I was extremely happy, I’m really looking forward to coming back to Canada.”
The contract is expected to be finalized and announced later this week, allowing the Blue Jays to keep an extra spot open on their 40-man roster for Thursday’s Rule 5 draft.
Stairs joins the Blue Jays as a fourth outfielder and left-handed bat off the bench, brigning with him a .358 average plus nine home runs and 23 RBIs in 106 career at-bats at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto will be the 38-year-old’s 10th stop in a nomadic yet solid career that will leave him among the greatest Canadian batters to ever play the game. In 1,416 games over 14 seasons, Stairs has 220 homers (second only among Canadians to Larry Walker’s 383) and 751 RBIs.
He also reunites with general manager J.P. Ricciardi, who helped sign Stairs as a free agent Dec. 1, 1995 with the Oakland Athletics, where he enjoyed his finest seasons.
“I didn’t think we’d be apart 15 years,” Stairs said in his trademark deadpan. “J.P. is a good guy, we go way back, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a good GM.”
Ricciardi wouldn’t confirm the deal but said he had spoken with Stairs’ representatives. On Tuesday, he admitted the club’s interest in him.
“I’ve always liked Matt,” said Ricciardi. “I helped bring him over to Oakland so I’ve known him a long time.”
Stairs batted .247 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs last season for Kansas City, Texas and Detroit. The Royals did Stairs a favour by moving him to a contender in a deadline deal but when the Rangers faded they put him on waivers and the Tigers claimed him.
He played 14 September games with Detroit, hitting two homers with eight RBIs in helping the Tigers reach the post-season. Ineligible for the playoffs because he wasn’t on the roster before Sept. 1, Stairs went home while his teammates reached the World Series.
In coming to Toronto, he sees a chance in getting back to the post-season.
“That’s the biggest thing for me now,” he said. “The last few years in Kansas City I was mainly in a rebuilding situation helping out in a leadership role as the older guy in a younger clubhouse. Now I’m coming back to Canada on a team with that has a chance to get to the post-season.
“It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
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Story Two – Lilly signs with Cubs
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (CP) — Spurned by Ted Lilly, the Toronto Blue Jays shifted gears at the baseball winter meetings Wednesday by zeroing in on Gil Meche and reaching a preliminary agreement on a one-year deal with Canadian outfielder Matt Stairs.
Larry OBrien, the agent for Lilly, told general manager J.P. Ricciardi and his staff during a morning meeting that they were out of the running for the left-hander. Later that night, OBrien said Lilly had agreed to a four-year, US$40-million deal with the Chicago Cubs, pending a physical.
“At the end of the day, Ted decided he wanted a change of scenery,” OBrien said in an interview outside the Disney Dolphin Hotel. “The decision had nothing to do with length of contract or money. The offers are all about the same.”
Lillys departure means Meche becomes the Blue Jays main target to bolster their starting rotation. Meche is also being pursued by the Cubs while the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers are also said to have jumped hard into the chase.
The Blue Jays had hoped to leave Orlando with both Lilly and Meche. Their best offer, believed to be for slightly less than the one to Lilly, has been made and its up to Meche now.
“I think weve done everything we could possibly do,” said Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi. “Really the ball is in their court at this point.
“I dont think its going to be a long wait. I think well find something out in the next few days.”
Ricciardi said the goal now is to add one more pitcher, be it Meche or someone from their fallback list, which includes Jeff Suppan and Mark Redman. That pitcher would join ace Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and Gustavo Chacin with a host of internal options to compete for the final spot.
“If we walk out of here with one, well be in the same boat we were in last year with three good pitchers in the front,” said Ricciardi. “Our ultimate goal was to have two guys, we tried to get two, we didnt get one, well see if we get the other one.”
Josh Towers and Shaun Marcum are chief internal candidates to fill out the rotation.
The deal with Stairs is expected to be announced later this week, allowing the Blue Jays to keep a spot on the 40-man roster open for Thursdays Rule 5 draft. The Fredericton native and Ricciardi know each other from their days in Oakland and Stairs nearly signed with Toronto before the 2003 season.
“Im very excited,” Stairs said in an interview from Bangor, Maine. “We worked on it (Tuesday) night and it took about 10 minutes to get done. I was extremely happy, Im really looking forward to coming back to Canada.”
Stairs batted .247 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs last season for Kansas City, Texas and Detroit. The 38-year-old is a career .358 hitter with nine home runs and 23 RBIs in 106 at-bats at the Rogers Centre and is happy to be joining a team with post-season aspirations.
“Thats the biggest thing for me now,” he said. “The last few years in Kansas City I was mainly in a rebuilding situation helping out in a leadership role as the older guy in a younger clubhouse. Now Im coming back to Canada on a team with that has a chance to get to the post-season. Its something Im looking forward to.”
A deal with veteran infielder Chris Gomez, who spent 2004 with the Blue Jays, could also be completed in the next few days.
“We had Gomey here before and he did a great job for us, hes a great guy, a good veteran player,” said Ricciardi. “Hes a guy weve talked about.”
But Lillys loss was sure to sting, with the only solace being that he didnt end with the rival New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox took a major step forward Tuesday when they reached tentative deals with outfielder J.D. Drew and shortstop Julio Lugo, making the AL East as competitive as ever.
OBrien said Lillys decision to cut the Blue Jays had nothing to do with his altercation with manager John Gibbons in the tunnel after he was pulled from a Aug. 22 start in Toronto.
“None whatsoever,” said OBrien. “As a matter of fact, his relationship with Gibby got better after the altercation.
“He has a respect for John and the organization . . . Ted is happy to be a Cub and he wants to be part of bringing a pennant and World Series to Chicago.
Word of Lillys decision came shortly after new Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella kept up his teams pursuit of Lilly and Meche.
Piniella said he has been on the phone with both — he knows Meche from their days in Seattle where he also managed Pete OBrien, brother of Larry OBrien — and believes they would benefit from a move to Wrigley Field.
“Part of my job since Ive been here in Orlando has been a little bit like a college recruiter, calling these guys. I enjoy that,” Piniella said.
“I think theyve both been successful major-league pitchers but I think theres still some upside there for them. Weve got a good pitching coach in Chicago, Larry Rothschild, theyll benefit from that experience also. Hopefully things will fall our way.”

…Riders part ways with Barrett
Danny Barrett will not return as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders next season, the CFL club announced on Monday.
At a news conference at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, General Manager Eric Tillman said the team would not be renewing Barrett’s expiring contract, ending Barrett’s seven-year tenure with Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Danny Barrett will not be back behind the bench next season.
“The decision that was made Ö it’s one I’ve come to accept,” said Barrett, who owns a career coaching record of 57-68-1. “You don’t always have to agree with things but you have to accept things in life.”
Led by Barrett, the Roughriders endured a difficult season in 2006, culminating in a 45-18 loss to the B.C. Lions in the Western Division final.
It marked the third time in four years the Roughriders reached the Western Division championship. However, the team has posted only one winning season and has not held a home playoff game during Barrett’s time behind the bench.
After the Western final loss on Nov. 12, Barrett, whose contract expires at the end of December, pegged his chances of returning in 2007 at “50-50.”
Tillman wanted to move in new direction
Tillman said he did consider bringing back Barrett for one more season, but in the end felt that it was time to go in another direction.
“In the final analysis I had to take emotion out of the equation and look at the internal turmoil that this organization has faced the last couple of years Ö I realized as much as I have affection and respect for Danny, that we had to either make a multi-year commitment or stabilize the ship.”
It had been speculated that Tillman, who took over from the fired Roy Shivers in late August, had planned to make changes to the Roughriders coaching staff in the off-season.
At least publicly, Barrett had the support of his players, but many in the media had speculated that Tillman wanted to put a new stamp on the franchise.
Though Tillman did not name a replacement for Barrett at Monday’s news conference, it’s believed he’s interested in hiring Kent Austin. The former Saskatchewan quarterback spent three seasons as the offensive co-ordinator for the Toronto Argonauts before being fired last August.