looking forward to having his former protege back in the fo | Forum
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Feb 24 '19
VANCOUVER -- Alex Anthopoulos was a busy man last off-season. Rickey Henderson Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign. The lead-up to the 2014 season has been relatively quiet in comparison, with the Blue Jays biggest splash coming when they cut ties with catcher J.P Arencibia and replaced him with free-agent Dioner Navarro. While that deal wasnt not on the same level as the headline-grabbing acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey, Anthopoulos says he wont be adding any pieces through trade or free agency unless it fits into the teams model. "We made a lot of big moves early last off-season. It wasnt by design, it just worked out that way," Anthopoulos said Friday. "Weve had a lot of dialogue. Theres still a lot of players out there, just havent been able to line up with respect to a price, whether its trade or free-agent cost. "We do have the ability on some trade fronts to just say Yes. We know what the asking prices are -- just not willing to pay that price. From a free-agent standpoint ... we have been given a price and we just dont necessarily see the value right now." The starting rotation continues to be a point of emphasis after a miserable 2013 that saw Toronto finish last in the American League East after starting the season as World Series favourites. Free agent starters Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez are still on the open market, but Anthopoulos said theres a chance that the rotation could be filled out from within. "We have a lot of candidates and a lot of options. Someone like Brandon Morrow coming back (from injury) is a huge boost for us, some of our young kids that are coming back are certainly going help," he said. "We still have dialogue and try to upgrade but we do have some upside to some of the guys that are coming back." Anthopoulos, who was in town for a luncheon with the single-A Vancouver Canadians, also touched on the New York Yankees signing of Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka earlier this week. The 25-year-old right-hander inked a seven-year deal worth $155 million dollars with Torontos AL East rivals that also includes a $20-million dollar payment to his club team. The Blue Jays, who have an internal policy of not signing player contracts longer than five years, were rumoured to be in the running for Tanakas services early on in the process. "Obviously hes a great starter and there was a lot speculation on where the dollars would go just based on the previous two Japanese starters (Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish)," said Anthopoulos. "I think it was expected that he would go north of (their price tags) -- $175 million, I dont know if anybody predicted that. "Hes very talented and the Yankees certainly got better." Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays use the five-year limit on contracts as "a guideline" but tend to shy away from longer-term deals because they offer clubs very little wiggle room. "Weve held firm on our five-year policy in terms of contracts. When free agents are signing for seven, eight years, then normally thats where we tap out," he said. "We definitely have the resources financially in terms of annual value and salaries and things like that. I think weve proven that with some of the players we have acquired. But just the length of term -- very rarely do those seven-, eight-year deals work out." Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons will be feeling the heat if the Blue Jays stumble out of the gate as the they did in 2013. Fans flocked to Rogers Centre with dreams of a return to the teams glory years of the early 1990s that included two World Series titles, but were instead bitterly disappointed with the product on the field. With pitchers and catchers set to report for spring training on Feb. 17, a repeat in 2014 surely wont fly. "Youre always anxious to try to improve the club and to add to it, but you dont necessarily have to guard against it when you know theres a deal that just doesnt make any sense," said Anthopoulos. "We just dont want to force a deal and do it for the sake of doing it. "We want to make moves that we think are going to help the club. If we have to go more years and dollars than we believe in, people might get excited now but a few months into it we may be regretting that deal and be hamstrung with a contract that we dont want." Tyson Ross Jersey . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. Freddy Galvis Jersey . The first of the three games will be played in Week 4, when the Oakland Raiders will take on the Miami Dolphins on Sept.VANCOUVER - Jeff Tedford has returned to the CFL. Tedford, who played six seasons as a quarterback from 1983-88 with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, was named head coach of the B.C. Lions Friday. He replaces Mike Benevides in the position. Benevides was fired following B.C.s 50-17 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal. Tedford, 53, previously worked as an assistant under Lions general manager Wally Buono in Calgary from 1989-91. Ive always had fond memories and a soft spot in my heart for the CFL, both as a player and a coach, said Tedford during a late afternoon news conference at the Lions practice facility. I had great times doing both. Tedford helped the Stampeders reach the Grey Cup in 1991. The next season, he was hired as an offensive assistant at Fresno State where, as a quarterback for two seasons, he had set records for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdowns (35). He was later promoted to offensive co-ordinator at Fresno State (1993-97) and held the same position at Oregon (1998-2001) before he became the head coach at the University of California. He was named the Pac-10s top coach twice and led the Golden Bears to a conference title in 2006. Earlier this year, Tedford was hired to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive co-ordinator but left the team during the pre-season to undergo a heart procedure. That ultimately resulted in the two sides mutually agreeing to end his NFL deal, making Tedford available to join the Lions. While at Cal, Tedford tutored future NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller. Tedford says he is looking forward to developing a stable of young quarterbacks in B.C., which includes Rodgers younger brother Jordan and holdover Travis Partridge as well as veteran Travis Lulay, who sat out most of the 2014 season with a shoulder injury. The Lions finished last season 9-9, making the playoffs as the cross-over team in the East Division. Tedford says he came away very impressed from a meeting with Lulay this week and plans to work with him closely as he continues his recovery, which the coach views as critical to the teams success. Im very anxious to work with him closer, said Tedford. Thankfully, hes close enough to get here on a consistent basis, where we can visit. Tedford says he is also eager to organize his coaching staff and get to know veteran players. He was non-committal on the future of assistants, saying he had to discuss their goals with them and consider others with whom he has worked. But he wants to ensure that thee Lions coaching staff has a considerable amount of CFL experience. Carlos Asuaje Jersey. . After more than two decades away from the CFL, he does not believe it will be too difficult to reacquaint himself with three-down football. While I havent been following it that closely to understand all of the nuances of whats going on, I will get back into that very quickly, Tedford said. Ill watch a lot of tape. The Lions came under criticism last season for an inconsistent offence led by 14-year veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn, who has since been released. While Tedford is known for tutoring quarterbacks and offensive expertise, he wants to make sure the Lions excel on offence, defence and special teams. I believe its important to be solid in all three phases, he said. Im not going to be so worried about the past, Im really not. Im just focused on the future. Tedford has been spending the week in the Vancouver area getting familiar with the city. The late afternoon press conference was designed to accommodate his wife Donna, a Calgary native, who was eager to attend but had to fly in from Tampa Bay earlier in the day. The Tedfords, whose two sons were born in Calgary, are looking forward to resuming their life in Canada and having the chance to spend more time with Donnas family. This is a great opportunity because of where it is, he said. My wife can come back to Canada. My kids can come back to Canada. The new Lions coach called the move a lifestyle decision after he had two stents installed in his heart. He has been good to go for a couple of months. I have as much energy now as Ive ever had, Tedford said, adding he is focusing on exercising regularly and eating right. He and Buono took part in an official contract signing during the news conference. Tedford says the deal is only for two years, because the Lions did not offer a longer term. Insurance is one thing, but I wouldnt have moved my family 3,000 miles if I didnt feel pretty good about (the opportunity), he said. Tedford says he took the job because of his relationship with Buono and respect for the Lions franchise, which he always felt was difficult to play against. Buono, who kept in contact with Tedford over the years, says he is looking forward to having his former protege back in the fold and pleased with having someone who has built a solid career as a good advertisement for the CFL. But both Buono and Tedford dismissed the idea that the hiring was about helping the Lions rebuild. This is professional football and professional football is, and always will be, about winning, said Buono. ' ' '
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