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Jan 31 '18
VANCOUVER - Nik Lewis found himself in unfamiliar territory this season. Custom Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys .A key cog in the Calgary Stampeders offence for the last decade, the veteran slotback was mostly relegated to a supporting role in 2014 — one that he wasnt at all used to, but accepted for the good of the team.Its the first time in my life, not just professionally, its the first time in my life that its been like this, the 32-year-old said this week. But growing over the years and growing up and understanding the way things are, Im a leader of men.Im a leader of those receivers in there and I owe it them to show up every day with the best attitude, with the ability to try to make them better men, better football players, better receivers, and thats what I did.As the Stampeders continue their preparations for Sundays Grey Cup game at B.C. Place Stadium against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Lewis said his contributions go far beyond his mediocre 37 catches for 377 yards and no touchdowns in 12 games this season.I think what I do is valuable. Its not just stats and yards, its more about how I communicate with those guys, said the outspoken 11-year veteran out of Southern Arkansas University. Theres been a lot of different things this year that have allowed me to be a better person, but also to understand and relate to these guys. Its just an ultimate experience to be a leader on a team and not just be a player.A 1,000-yard receiver in each of his first nine CFL seasons, Lewis suffered a broken fibula in August 2013 and has totalled just 69 catches for 777 yards and three TDs over the last two years.His future with the Stampeders beyond this weekend is very much up in the air, but the native of Jacksboro, Tex., is clear hes far from finished.I plan on playing next year and the next year after that, he said. I feel good, I feel confident. My body is finally getting back to the place (it needs to be). I talked to the coaches at the beginning of the year and they were just like, We need you to be at your best at the end of the season.Its the end of the season and Im at my best and I can do what I used to do, I promise you that. Now its just the opportunity to go out and do it.Lewis — who had just one catch for five yards in Calgarys West Division victory over the Edmonton Eskimos — wouldnt speculate on his next step in the CFL, but its clear where his heart resides.My focus when I started my career was to play for one team my whole career, he said. I didnt know how long my career would last. Im blessed to be here 11 years later. I dont know whats going to happen next year. Im not really focused on next year.All I can really focus on is right now and this game. Ive always said, if I got out and play the way I can play I dont have to worry about anything else because its going to take care of itself.Lewiss teammates still look to him for guidance, with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell pointing to Calgarys stunning 40-27 comeback win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in October when the veteran receiver had nine catches for 98 yards.Nik has been in the league for a long time and for a very good reason, because hes done so many great things, said Mitchell, in his first year as Calgarys starter. He is absolutely a leader in our locker-room.Veteran running back Rob Cote added that the Stampeders often follow Lewiss lead on and off the field.Hes the heart and soul of this team and you see a difference when hes up, said Cote, who has played every one of his eight professional seasons alongside Lewis. Hes a great leader, a great guy and a great teammate.For all of Lewiss personal success with the Stampeders — 805 receptions for 11,250 yards and 65 TDs in his career — he conceded the team has often failed to meet expectations. A talented Calgary roster won the Grey Cup in 2008 but lost the big game in 2012, while falling in the West final in 2009, 2010 and again last year.Ive said in the past Ive always felt like we have been underachievers in my career here, said Lewis. Not talking about any one individual, but just as a team Ive felt like weve had the talent and ability to win more Grey Cups or at least play in more Grey Cup games.But he added the veteran core with the Stampeders, who finished the regular season 15-3, has learned valuable lessons heading into the 102nd Grey Cup against the Tiger-Cats (9-9).They say you learn when you lose. Now its time to go win it, said Lewis. We just learned to be patient, go enjoy ourselves and not press in the playoffs. Its still the same game. Weve just got to go out and execute.This year were coming in saying were going to play Hamilton the same way we played everybody else. Were not coming in expecting them to lay down and give it to us. We know its going to be a tough game. Theyre a good team.With all that in mind, a victory on Sunday will make all of Lewiss recent hurt fade away — at least for a little while.Once the games over and you win it, all the wrongs, all the mistakes, everything that happened during the year, during the past years, is all corrected for at least that night, he said. Then you just start working on doing it again. Kirk Gibson Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Kenta Maeda Jersey . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Michael Choice delivered the home run that gave Yu Darvish a win the Texas ace couldnt wrap up on his own. Choice hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning after Darvish blew a four-run lead and the Rangers snapped Clevelands six-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory over the Indians on Friday night. The decisive shot from Choice came after his RBI single in a four-run second. A night earlier, he homered to give the Rangers another big early lead they couldnt hold before going on to beat Baltimore. "I feel like I started out kind of passive at the plate, trying to feel guys out," said Choice, who is getting his first extensive time in the big leagues after an off-season trade brought him from Oakland. "And lately Ive tried to be more aggressive and be not so picky at the plate." Choice went the opposite way just over the right field wall against Marc Rzepczynski (0-2) with two outs for a solo homer. The shot made a winner of Darvish (6-2) after the Japanese ace gave up a season-high nine hits in seven innings. Texas reliever Jason Frasor got a nifty double play from Elvis Andrus in a scoreless eighth, and closer Joakim Soria had two strikeouts in the ninth for his 13th save. Lonnie Chisenhall and Asdrubal Cabrera homered off Darvish to wipe out a 4-0 deficit, but the Indians followed a 6-0 homestand by starting a 10-game trip with their fifth straight road loss. They have the worst record in the majors away from home at 9-20. Chisenhall hit the first three-run homer Darvish has allowed in his three big league seasons, a shot off the foul pole in right field in the third inning. The Indians pulled even an inning later on a solo shot to right by Cabrera, who had three hits. "When youre going against a guy like him who never gives in, his best stuff every night, the best stuff in the league, its a good feeling to answer back real quick and hhes not able to get comfortable," Chisenhall said. Clayton Kershaw Jersey. Trevor Bauer had retired 13 of the last 15 Rangers he faced without allowing a hit when Rzepczynski came on to face the left-handed Leonys Martin and struck him out. But Choice put the Rangers ahead on the next pitch. Rzepczynski "was just trying to get ahead like he does and sink it," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "It just caught too much of the plate." Cleveland had a good chance to take the lead in the sixth after singles from Yan Gomes, his third of the game, and Carlos Santana. But Darvish got Mike Aviles and Michael Bourn on called strikes and Cabrera on a weak grounder back to him. Darvish had eight strikeouts, and three of the four against Bourn. "I think the strike zone was a little bit smaller today so I had to be creative," Darvish said. "So I started throwing cut fastballs and sliders to throw the other hitters off." Bauer had all six of his strikeouts after giving up a two-run homer to Rougned Odor into the upper deck in right field in the second. "He pitched behind a lot in the count to a lot of dangerous hitters, but he still competed," Francona said. NOTES: An eighth-inning single gave Andrus a hit in all 38 games of his career against Cleveland. It ties the second-longest streak for a player against the same opponent going back to 1914, according to STATS. Vladimir Guerrero had a 44-game streak for the Los Angeles Angels against Texas from 2004 to 2006. Bostons Jacoby Ellsbury had a 38-game streak against Baltimore from 2009 to 2012. Andrus streak started with his major league debut on April 6, 2009. ... Clevelands David Murphy was 0 for 3 with a walk in his first game in Texas since leaving as a free agent. He spent six-plus seasons with the Rangers, including both of the franchises World Series years in 2010 and 2011. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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