125 major league contracts this year by average annual

Once again, Ricky Foley is chasing a hometown Grey Cup. The eight-year veteran defensive end is preparing for his first season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders some five months before Regina hosts the 2013 CFL championship game. Foley is very familiar with the challenges associated with winning the trophy at home, accomplishing the feat last year with the Toronto Argonauts. Toronto became the second straight CFL team to win the title as the host city after B.C. did so in 2011. The historic 100th Grey Cup was also special for Foley because family members from nearby Courtice, Ont., were on hand at Rogers Centre. He was named the games top Canadian. "Its really tough to beat because it was the 100th Grey Cup, there wont be another 100th Grey Cup, it was in my hometown with the hometown team and my family and friends were all there," Foley said Monday from the Riders camp in Saskatoon. "And while Im not looking in the past and this is a new chapter, the best thing I could do is add to it and win the Cup here. "That would be on par, for sure." Riders GM Brendan Taman has been busy this off-season, adding free agents Foley, linebacker Renauld Williams, defensive back Dwight Anderson and most recently defensive lineman John Chick. Taman has also acquired kicker Brody McKnight and hired former Hamilton coach George Cortez as offensive co-ordinator. But Tamans biggest move was landing slotback Geroy Simon from B.C. The 14-year veteran, already the leagues all-time receiving yards leader, needs just 29 catches to break Ben Cahoons career mark of 1,017. Hamstring issues limited Simon, 37, to just 54 catches for 700 yards and two TDs last season, the first time in 10 years he didnt crack the 1,000-yard plateau. A healthy Simon would certainly complement a solid receiving corps led by veteran slotback Weston Dressler, who had career highs of 94 catches, 1,206 yards and 13 TDs in 2012. But Foley, currently nursing an injured right oblique muscle, says talk now about Saskatchewan winning the Grey Cup is just that -- talk. "Theres definitely a sense of excitement around here with all the additions that have been made," Foley said. "As a veteran, I know you dont win the Grey Cup on paper and every team made moves in the off-season to put themselves in a position to win it. "But I think its known around the league what this team has done, the guys theyve brought in and what theyre trying to do and theyre making that push for the hometown Cup." Saskatchewan finished third in the West Division last season with an 8-10 record before dropping a 36-30 decision to Calgary in the conference semifinal. Defensively, the Riders were second overall in fewest points and yards allowed before the off-season addition of veterans Foley, Chick, Williams and Anderson. The six-foot-three, 258-pound Foley is chasing a third Grey Cup, earning his first with B.C. in 2006. Foley had a career-best 12 sacks with the Lions in 09 when he was named the CFLs top Canadian. Over three seasons in Toronto, Foley recorded a combined 10 sacks. Last year, he had 35 tackles and three sacks before adding four tackles and a sack in the Grey Cup. But in Toronto defensive co-ordinator Chris Joness scheme, Foley did more than just rush the passer. He was also required to sometimes drop back into pass coverage like an outside linebacker. "It ended up working and we won the Grey Cup so you cant argue with what we were asked to do," Foley said. "But at times it got frustrating because you felt you werent playing as well at linebacker as you were at defensive end. "Im coming here to do what I do best and thats get after the quarterback and be on the line of scrimmage. Thats not to say I wont be dropping back into coverage if its the gameplan for that week because there will be wrinkles in like that. But I think its going to be significantly different to what I did last year." Another difference, too, is the rabid support the Riders receive in Saskatchewan. The franchise averaged more than 32,000 fans per game last year, second only to Edmonton (34,378) while Torontos attendance was under 24,000 per game, second-worst in the CFL. "Argos fans are diehard fans, I think theyre on the same level as diehard Regina fans and can compete with them," Foley said. "The thing here, though, is there are so many diehard fans. I mean, were in Saskatoon and the stands are almost full for every practice ... it has a real NFL feel to it. "To Saskatchewan, this is the NFL whereas in Toronto the people there continue to search for the biggest, best thing. You look at the Blue Jays, they did a great marketing job, they had great off-season signings and there was a lot of hype and big crowds out there and now theyre not doing so well and it falls off and its on to the next hottest thing, whatever is in town." Custom Jim Palmer Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Custom Earl Weaver Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.customoriolesjersey.com/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Orioles Jerseys China . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Custom Brooks Robinson Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. NEW YORK -- The price of qualifying offers for Major League Baseball free agents will be $17.2 million this year.The figure, announced Thursday, is up 8.9 percent from $15.8 million last year. It was determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year by average annual value.Among the potential free agents are outfielders Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Bautista, Mark Trumbo, Josh Reddick and Ian Desmond; first baseman Edwin Encarnacion; catcher Matt Wieters; and closers Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon.A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the June amateur draft, hhis former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round.ddddddddddddhe club signing the player loses its first-round pick in the amateur draft, unless that pick is among the top 10, in which case the club doing the signing loses its next-highest pick.None of the 34 qualifying offers was accepted in the first three years of baseballs current collective bargaining agreement, but Colby Rasmus (Houston), Wieters (Baltimore) and Brett Anderson (Los Angeles Dodgers) accepted among the 20 players who received offers last year.The qualifying offer figure was $15.3 million in 2014, $14.1 million in 2013 and $13.3 million in 2012. ' ' '