205th Bulldogs & La Familia
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ing to expect from the Yankees. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscott
TORONTO -- In Arland Bruce IIIs mind, theres no such thing as a bad win. Bruces 37-yard TD catch with 2:47 remaining rallied the Montreal Alouettes to a 23-20 win over a short-handed Toronto Argonauts squad Friday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. "Any time you can go home at night and know youve won as a pro athlete, its a great feeling," Bruce said. "If we had been sitting here saying it didnt mean anything, thats a co pout and I dont think any of these guys are looking for a way out. "I know Im not and I dont want anyone around me thinking like that. This is a good win." The game had no bearing on the East Division standings as Toronto (11-7) had cemented top spot to secure home-field advantage for the conference final Nov. 17. Montreal (8-10) was already assured of finishing third and will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in semifinal action next weekend in Guelph, Ont. So both teams took vastly different approaches to the contest. Montreal, looking to establish much-needed momentum heading into the playoffs, went with all of its starters while Toronto sat 17 regulars, including quarterback Ricky Ray, as backups Zach Collaros, Trevor Harris and Mitchell Gale all played. But it was Toronto that consistently won the field-position battle and led 19-15 on a conceded safety to start the fourth. Harris erased a 15-11 half-time deficit with an 11-yard TD strike to Darvin Adams at 7:18 of the third but the convert was blocked. "This is pro football, we get paid to play," Bruce said. "Whoever is out there, second string or third string theyre not thinking, Im going to let him do whatever. "Were not even looking who is out there. Theres an opponent out there with a different coloured jersey on. We cant get caught up in that. Now we have to get prepared to go out on the road -- again." Montreal quarterback Troy Smith finished 15-of-28 passing for 197 yards with three TDs and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. For the second straight week the former Heisman Trophy winner struggled in the second half -- completing 7-of-12 passes for 87 yards -- but found an open Bruce to cap a three-play, 71-yard scoring drive, then ran in for two-point convert to give the Als a three-point lead before a Rogers Centre gathering of 22,589. Toronto was poised to get the ball back with just over a minute remaining but Argo Hugo Lopez was penalized for hitting Montreal punter Burke Dales, allowing the Alouettes to maintain possession and run out the clock. "As a quarterback you have to have a short memory," Smith said. "I dont like throwing interceptions, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. "Even though we got a win, I harp on things like that and I need not do that next time." Montreal interim coach Jim Popp admitted his club played poorly but was buoyed by its ability to erase an early 10-point deficit, then rally late for the victory. "We"ve won here twice this year no matter how people want to look at it," Popp said. "I keep saying it, you need to score 30 points and youre fortunate when you dont and still win. "Bottom line is we won. Two, we came back. Three, we held on to a lead. Those are all positives." So is Montreal playoff ready? "Every game is different," Popp said. "The way our season has gone, who knows next week? "We may be playing great, I have no idea." Toronto was looking for 12 regular-season wins for the first time since 97. A bright spot was running back Jerious Norwood, who ran for 102 yards on eight carries and added four catches for 62 yards despite still adjusting to Canadian football. "The hardest thing for me is the extra defender," Norwood said. "You get into the secondary and you have to beat that extra man." Harris was Torontos most productive quarterback, completing 6-of-9 passes for 110 yards and the TD. John Chiles had four catches for 79 yards. "It was a hard-played game by both teams," Argos coach Scott Milanovich said. "Obviously they made more plays at the end to get the win. "Now we have to focus on being ready for Nov. 17." Matt Black had Torontos other touchdown. Rookie Quinn Sharp had a tough CFL debut, hitting one-of-two converts and one-of-three field goals with two singles. Duron Carter and Bo Bowling scored Montreals touchdowns. Sean Whyte booted two converts and a single. Smiths two second-quarter TD strikes rallied Montreal to a 15-11 half-time advantage. Smith hit Carter, the son of Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter, on a 71-yard touchdown pass at 2:07 to cut Torontos lead to 10-7 at 2:07 before Nicolas Boulay recovered Torontos fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Smith then found Bowling from two yards out at 5:19 to put Montreal ahead 14-10. Whyte, whose miss from 42 yards out was returned 107 yards for the winning TD in last weekends 27-24 loss to Hamilton, missed from 39 yards at 12:25 for the single. Toronto opened the scoring with Black returning a Smith interception 62 yards for the TD at 4:26 of the first. After plunking his first attempt from 28 yards out off the upright, Sharp connected from 42 yards out at 13:18 to put the Argos ahead 10-0. Montreal lost linebacker Juries Hebert, defensive backs Geoff Tisdale and Byron Parker and running back Terrell Sutton all to injury. Popp said he didnt think any of the players would miss the conference semifinal. NOTES: Prior to the game, former CFL star quarterback Russ Jackson helped swear in approximately 100 new Canadians . . . . Montreals Chip Cox registered his club-record 111th tackle of the season with a sack on Torontos opening possession . . . Among the Argos who didnt dress were slotback Andre Durie and linebacker Robert McCune. Durie will finish 14 yards shy of his first career 1,000-yard season while McCune ended up one tackle short of 100 . . . The Alouettes have qualified for the CFL playoffs in 18 straight years, the leagues longest current streak. Toronto is in the post-season for the third time in four seasons . . . Ray is just two completions short of becoming the most accurate passer in CFL history. Calgary offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson holds that distinction at 67.534 per cent while Ray is at 67.524 per cent. Vinny Curry Jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings take aim at an eighth straight victory on Monday night as they wrap up a road trip versus the Calgary Flames. Alex Cappa Jersey . A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U. http://www.shopbuccaneersauthentic.com/Y...s-Elite-Jersey/. The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Vinny Curry Buccaneers Jersey .C. -- Lucy Li made two double bogeys, a triple bogey and finished her historic round at the U. Chandler Catanzaro Buccaneers Jersey . The kind he has every so often. The kind he has when Dwyane Wade sits. James scored 43 points -- 25 in a bewildering first-quarter shooting display -- and Chris Bosh added 21, leading the Miami Heat to a 100-96 win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played their first game without injured All-Star guard Kyrie Irving.For once, the New York Yankees lost out on the bidding for one of their high-priced free agents. Numbers Game looks at the Mariners landing Robinson Cano. The Mariners Get: 2B Robinson Cano. Cano, 31, has been an elite second baseman, leading the offensive parade at the position. Sicne 2006, his 190 home runs ranks second, as does his .868 OPS and 36.9 fWAR. Clearly, hes been a top tier performer, so its no surprise that he was able to command a lucrative contract as a free agent. In addition to having a pretty sweet swing, Cano has been incredibly durable, missing a total -- total -- of 14 games in the last seven seasons, with more than 650 plate appearances in six of the last seven seasons. Naturally, Cano wont remain this productive as he heads into his late thirties, but the more immediate concern ought to be about park effects, moving from a lefthanded-hitters haven, Yankee Stadium, to cavernous Safeco Field. Over the course of his career, Cano has hit .309 with an .837 OPS in 40 games at Safeco, about the same as his career marks (.309/.860), but four home runs in those 40 games is below Canos career home-run rate (which is one every 6.7 games). While offence is his calling card, Cano has become an asset in the field as well. Since 2009, his 38 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth at the position and his Ultimate Zone Rating is above average for that span. The issue, of course, is that Cano is 31 and doesnt figure to be increasing his range as he gets olders so, at some point over the life of this deal, hes pretty much assured to be a liability at second base and then it could be a matter of finding him another position. Where all of this leads is to a certain point of inevitability, that by the time Cano is 37, 38-years-old, on a contract that pays him through age 41, hes not going to be productive enough to warrant $24-million per season. Since 1960, among second basemen that were at lleast 37-years-old, there are a total of four (Joe Morgan, Davey Lopes, Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio) that recorded a fWAR of at least 5.dddddddddddd0, total, after that point in their careers, so its asking a lot for Cano, even if he is going to be a Hall of Famer, to be overly productive through that age. That leaves the potential for 3-5 years of marginal production at the end of the deal. Given the annual cost, thats a pretty steep premium for the Mariners to pay. With Cano in the fold, the Mariners have more moves coming. Nick Franklin, their 2009 first-round pick, showed some promise last season, hitting a dozen home runs with a .225 batting average and .686 OPS in 102 games. Hes just 22 and hit .287 with an .819 OPS in five minor-league seasons, an indication that he should be able to hit at the major league level. Now that Cano is blocking Franklin at second base and Brad Miller is at shortstop, it seems likely that Franklin will be part of another transaction for Seattle, possibly to improve the pitching staff. From the Yankees perspective, they have signed Kelly Johnson, who offers respectable power -- his 79 home runs since 20010 ranks fourth among second basemen -- to a one-year deal and hes a fine stopgap solution. If there is a benefit to be gained by losing the leagues best second basemen, its in the financial flexibility that is gained and how the Yankees might spend money they had earmarked for Cano. If thats merely the Jacoby Ellsbury signing, then its hard to see this as a net gain, but if the Yankees turn around and add more pieces because they have room in the budget to do so, then it becomes easier to justify a fiscally-responsible decision, even if thats the last thing to expect from the Yankees. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '