DARIAN DURANT:
DWAYNE JARRETT:
COREY CHAMBLIN:
I've got to get over to the in-laws for supper. The full report will come in the Monday column.
RP
Sunday, June 3, 2012
DAY 1 COMPLETE
DARIAN DURANT:
DWAYNE JARRETT:
COREY CHAMBLIN:
I've got to get over to the in-laws for supper. The full report will come in the Monday column.
RP
ESKS SIGN CHAMBERS
Chambers played his college football at Wilfrid Laurier University for the Golden Hawks. He received OUS Men's football Second Team All-Star honours in 2008, 2010, and 2011. In 37 career games with the Golden Hawks he recorded 151 receptions for 2068 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five tackles. He spent time on the return game as well, returning 26 kick-offs for 587 yards and one touchdown; as well as 27 punt returns for 237 yards.
Shamawd Chambers says, "I am extremely happy to be in the city of champions and I am excited to play for General Manager Eric Tillman and Head Coach Kavis Reed. I want to thank them for all of their support throughout the entire process. I look forward to getting on the field and earning my stripes."
ESKS SIGN TWO PICKS
Capicciotti was selected 14th overall in the 2012 CFL Draft. Last year he was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Co-Defensive player of the year, after finishing third in the GNAC conference with 10 sacks and was among the top-10 in total tackles with 66. Capicciotti is the first Simon Fraser University player taken by the Eskimos, since James Gardner in 1991 and Sean Millington in 1990.
King was selected 53rd overall in the 2012 CFL Draft. He played his college football at Saint Mary's University (08-10) where he was a CIS All-Conference. The St. Mary's product was born in Edmonton and played for the Edmonton Wildcats (2004-2007) and was a 2007 Defensive Player All-Canadian.
TICAT TRANSACTIONS
The Ticats also announced that the following players have been released:
IMP DB Shawn Abuhoff
IMP DB Justin Boddie
IMP QB Sedrick Harris
The following players have been placed on the suspended list:
IMP OL Branndon Braxton
IMP RB Alex Henderson
The Ticats also announced that import running back Terry Grant has been added to the nine-game injured list.
SUNDAY SPORTS
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Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant put on a show to pull his team even in the NBA Western Conference finals against San Antonio. Durant scored 18 of his 36 points in the final seven minutes as the Thunder beat the Spurs 109-103 to tie the best-of-seven at two games apiece. Game 5 is Monday.
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The Saskatchewan Roughriders open 2012 training camp Sunday at the U of R. The workout is slated for 1:30 pm.
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The Regina Red Sox are 4-0 to start the WMBL season. The league champs won 2-1 at the Yorkton Cardinals Saturday night. The Red Sox return home Sunday at 2:05 against the Weyburn Beavers at Currie Field.
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A 7-4 loss to the Red Sox dropped the Toronto Blue Jays behind Boston into last place in the AL East. The Blue Jays are still just three games behind first place Tampa Bay and Baltimore, who are tied at 30-23. It was Toronto's seventh loss in 10 games.
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In the National League, Hanley Ramirez hit two homers and drove in three runs to help the Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4. Elsewhere, Matt Cain pitched into the ninth inning on the way to winning his fifth straight start and San Francisco beat Chicago 2-1. The Cubs have lost nine straight road games.
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Spencer Levin is the leader by a shot after three rounds of the PGA's Memorial. A 3-under-par 69 drops him to 8-under through 54 holes. Tiger Woods stumbled to a 1-over 73 and begins Sunday play four shots back in fourth place. Canada's David Hearn is seven shots back.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is proposing that athletes found guilty of serious doping offences could be banned from the next Olympics. A revised draft of the WADA code could suspend drug cheats for one Olympic cycle even if their original ban has been served before the games. The rule change comes after the British Olympic Association lost its bid to keep a lifetime ban for doping offenders ahead of the London Games.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ESKIMOS RELEASE THREE
As a rookie in 2011, Ward dressed for 18 regular season and two playoff games as the Esks' third string quarterback and holder on field goals.
SATURDAY SPORTS
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New York Mets manager Terry Collins said before last night's game that he planned to limit Johan Santana to about 110 pitches a game. But he couldn't take him out while working on a no-hitter. Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history, helped by an umpire's missed call and an outstanding catch in left field in an 8-nothing victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The lefty finished with 134 pitches on the night.
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For the second game in a row, a Toronto Blue Jays starter avoided serious injury after being struck by a hard-bit ball. Brandon Morrow left Wednesday's game after taking a liner to the right leg. Henderson Alvarez was able to continue last night, but was unable to the tame the Red Sox bats in Boston's 7-2 win over the Blue Jays. Clay Buchholz got the win, his sixth straight in Toronto.
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After opening the NBA Eastern Conference final with back-to-back losses in Miami, the Boston Celtics relished returning to their familiar parquet floor. The Celtics beat the Heat 101-91, to cut Miami's lead to two-games-to-one. Oklahoma City is in the same boat as Boston -- losing the first two on the road before regrouping at home. Oklahoma City is home to San Antonio tonight, with the Thunder looking to even the Western Conference final at two-games apiece.
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Both teams say they didn't play that well in Game One of the Stanley Cup final, and that they can do better. We'll find out tonight, when the New Jersey Devils host Los Angeles. The Kings are coming off a 2-1, overtime win on Wednesday, to improve to 9-and-oh away from home in the playoffs.
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Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini says he fielded some ``soft calls'' from teams interested in the Number-One draft pick. However, Tambellini sounds like a man intent on making the first selection at this month's draft. He says you can always listen, but to move the Number-One pick would require quite a significant proposal.
(The Canadian Press)
NHL SCOUTS WARY
Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrey Vasilevskiy kept getting it, too. Even Alex Galchenyuk _ an American despite his Russian-sounding last name _ was unable to get through an interview this week without being asked why he'd rather play pro hockey in North America than the Russian-based KHL.
``I told (my parents) that since I was a little kid my dream was to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup,'' said Galchenyuk, who was born in Milwaukee. ``It's not to play in the KHL and Gagarin Cup. I think I want to be a great player in the NHL and play against the best players. ...
``I just want to play in the NHL and I see myself in the NHL.''
It's become increasingly difficult for Russian teenagers to convince NHL teams of that fact. Consider that 47 Russians were selected in the 1992 draft alone, yet only 39 have been taken in the past five years combined.
The point will come into focus even more this month at the draft in Pittsburgh, where Yakupov is expected to be the No. 1 pick overall and Grigorenko and Vasilevskiy are potential first-round selections along with Galchenyuk.
However, even the top-ranked Russian players elicit concern from some NHL teams. It's a taboo subject for many _ general managers and scouts alike are loathe to speak publicly on the topic _ but the continued threat posed by the KHL is causing many to think twice before drafting teenagers from Russia.
``Part of the problem is you never get them to buy in,'' said Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney. ``There's always that little option that when you face some adversity, it's easier just to say 'nyet' and go in the other direction (to the KHL) instead of making it work. You have that out.
``I think I can speak to probably every manager in the game saying there's some hesitation there.''
That much was made clear to the current batch of Russian prospects as they were subjected to interviews from as many as 20 teams. Even Yakupov and Grigorenko, who both moved from their homeland to play in the Canadian Hockey League, found themselves repeatedly explaining their future intentions.
``All the teams asked me about this, about the KHL,'' Grigorenko said. ``I understand why they're concerned about this, but I told them I will not go there for sure.''
The 18-year-old managed to display a sense of humour about the topic. He went through interviews on Thursday wearing a polo shirt adorned with a large red Maple Leaf that he picked up at a local mall.
``Everyone was laughing,'' Grigorenko said. ``I came here last year to play in the NHL. It's my dream, I will wait for the chance. I just want to play in the NHL.''
However, there's no denying the strong allure of the KHL.
Both the Washington Capitals (Evgeny Kuznetsov) and St. Louis Blues (Vladimir Tarasenko) have had trouble luring recent first-round picks to North America. Players are able to earn a lot more money in Russia than they'd get on an entry-level deal in the NHL and they don't have to worry about the possibility of being sent to the American Hockey League, where they make considerably less.
The chilling effect it has had on the NHL is undeniable, with only eight Russians selected in the 2011 draft and just 30 players from that country having appeared in a game this season.
Edmonton holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and will have Yakupov visit the city this weekend for a follow-up interview. That organization hasn't selected a Russian-born player since 2006 and GM Steve Tambellini is anxious to become better acquainted with Yakupov.
``You have to get to know the player, you have to get to know the person,'' said Tambellini. ``You have to find out what really motivates them and why and what their goals are. And then maybe you get a sense of if there should be some hesitation or not.''
Yakupov sat down with 18 different teams this week and fielded several questions about his nationality.
The consensus No. 1 pick in this draft for the past year, there have been some whispers that it could end up working against Yakupov. If Edmonton were to pass on him, Columbus might do the same with the second pick given the trouble that organization had previously with top-ranked Russians Nikita Filatov and Nikolai Zherdev.
However, Yakupov says he's ``not worried'' about teams being unsure of him because of his homeland. He hails from Nizhnekamsk in the far east of Russia and insists that he's his own man.
``Every player has his way, you know?'' said Yakupov. ``I'm Muslim, I'm not Russian. If you say what happens with the Russian factor, it's his life. I have my life. I've got to work.
``It doesn't matter what team's going to (take me) in the draft. ... For me, it will be my team, my first favourite team in the NHL. I want to play and do everything for them.''
© 2012 The Canadian Press
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