GRICHUK, McGUIRE, AND BICHETTE HEADLINE BLUE JAYS WINTERFEST

RANDAL GRICHUK, REESE MCGUIRE, AND BO BICHETTE HEADLINE FIRST WAVE OF BLUE JAYS JOINING FANS AT WINTER FEST JANUARY 18 & 19– Fans can purchase tickets for the third-annual event, plus autograph sessions and guided tours, beginning Monday, Nov. 18 –– Blue Jays alumni Roberto Alomar, Pat Hentgen, and Cito Gaston also make their Toronto return for Winter Fest –– Winter Tour presented by TD heads west to Calgary on January 10 & 11 – The Toronto Blue Jays today announce the first wave of players and alumni that will be joining fans in Toronto on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19 at Winter Fest presented by TD: outfielder Randal Grichuk, catcher Reese McGuire, and shortstop Bo Bichette. In addition, the Blue Jays are thrilled to welcome back World Series Champions Roberto Alomar, Pat Hentgen, and Cito Gaston. Additional players and alumni attending Winter Fest will be announced in the coming weeks. Thanks to the overwhelming excitement from Blue Jays fans, Winter Fest is returning for its third straight year, featuring two full days of festivities on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rogers Centre. Blue Jays fans can look forward to a winter weekend of family-friendly fun, including player, rookie, and alumni appearances; SN personalities; guided ballpark tours; self-guided tours, including the Blue Jays Clubhouse; Jr. Jays activations; a skating rink; live entertainment; historic memorabilia; and much more. Plus, the first 12,000 fans each day at Winter Fest will receive a Blue Jays Toque presented by TDupon entry into Rogers Centre. Tickets to Winter Fest go on sale beginning Monday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. ET atbluejays.com/winterfest. Fans are encouraged to purchase early as, new this year, tickets for player and alumni autograph sessions and guided tours will also be available starting November 18 on a first-come, first-served basis, including the production, roof, and broadcast tours. There are a limited number of tickets available for autographs and tours, so be sure to reserve your spot before they sell out! In addition, fans who purchase tickets to Winter Fest will obtain access to a special presale for 2020 Blue Jays single game tickets. Admission prices (per day)·       Adults – $20·       Youth (Ages 2 to 14) and seniors (65 and over) – $5o   Free for children under the age of 2·       2020 Season Ticket Members – $10*·       2020 Ticket Pack Members – $15*·       Autograph Session Ticket – $5**·       Guided Tour Ticket – $5** *Limit of four (4) tickets at discounted rate**Limit of two (2) tickets for Autograph Sessions and four (4) tickets for Guided Tours; a portion of proceeds benefit Jays Care Foundation The Blue Jays today also announce the team is headed west to Calgary on Friday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 11 for the 10th-annual Winter Tour presented by TD. Featuring second baseman Cavan Biggio, first baseman Rowdy Tellez, pitcher Trent Thornton, and catcher Danny Jansen, the two-day event will have more opportunities for fans to connect with Canada’s baseball team, including an Ultimate Field Trip contest for local classes, a ticketed autograph session, a visit to Ronald McDonald House, and a ticketed Amateur Baseball Clinic. For more information on the team’s trip to Calgary, fans can visit bluejays.com/wintertour. Since 2011, Winter Tourpresented by TD has visited more than 20 Canadian cities across the country, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Halifax, and St. John’s. This will be the second time the Blue Jays have visited Calgary (2015). 

T

RAPTORS’ PLUCKY EFFORT COMES UP SHORT AGAINST CLIPPERS

The Raptors lost OG Anunoby early in the game when he was poked in the eye inadvertently by Kawhi Leonard. Anunoby left the game bleeding and did not return. Raptors coach Nick Nurse was hit with a technical foul when he argued for a foul call.

From the Los Angeles Daily News

-By MIRJAM SWANSON | mswanson@scng.com | Southern California News Group
PUBLISHED: November 11, 2019 at 10:37 pm | UPDATED: November 11, 2019 at 11:30 pm
https://www.dailynews.com/2019/11/11/kawhi-leonard-clippers-beat-raptors-but-lose-landry-shamet-to-injury/

LOS ANGELES — In a knock-down, drag-out defensive test of mettle, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers took a proud champion’s best shot and withstood it, defeating the Toronto Raptors 98-88 on Monday.

Leonard stepped on the court with Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet and crew for the first time since June 13, when they won an NBA title together.

This time, of course, Leonard was working against the guys with Raptors across their chest, having departed in free agency, ending months of speculation by choosing to come home to Southern California and play for the Clippers rather than run it back with Toronto.

Leonard told the Staples Center crowd, split in its allegiances Monday, that it meant something to face his former teammates: “Definitely. Got to know the guys inside and out, on and off the court. We had fun, it was fun to compete against them tonight.”

His presence in L.A. made the Clippers immediate favorites among oddsmakers and league general managers – but Monday it was the Raptors who played, fittingly, like champions the past two days, splitting a tough Staples Center back to back despite two of their starters being sidelined by injury.

On Sunday, Toronto (7-3) stormed past the Lakers 113-104, disrupting their seven-game winning streak and shutting out former Raptor Danny Green.

On Monday, the Raptors took it to Leonard and his new company, playing swarming, relentless defense and making L.A. work for the win before an enthusiastic crowd split in its allegiances.

Toronto trailed by only four points on Chris Boucher’s putback with 1:42 left, but then Leonard’s ninth assist set up a flying Montrezl Harrell dunk followed by a pair of Leonard makes at the line with 43 seconds to go effectively closed the door.

“They’re a confident team,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game. “I call it the championship rub. You win the title, you can lose five guys … and guys believe they can win because they have won. They know how to win together, so you see them playing that way as a group, you can’t break that.”

The victory was costly for the Clippers (7-3), who lost starting shooting guard Landry Shamet in the third quarter, when the team said he sprained his left ankle while defending Fred VanVleet, his former college teammate, on a drive to the hoop. Shamet, who did not put any weight on his left foot while he was helped to the locker room, left the locker room on crutches after the game and will undergo an MRI in the morning.

Toronto led 78-73 entering the fourth quarter, when Leonard had been hot this season, averaging a league-best 13.5 points per game entering Monday.

TEPERA BECOMES FREE AGENT

TEPERA CLEARS RELEASE WAIVERS
 The TORONTO BLUE JAYS announced that RHP RYAN TEPERA has cleared release waivers and is now a free agent. TEPERA, 32, put together a 0-2 record with a 4.98 ERA across 22 relief appearances and one start last season. He started the season on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation and made his season debut on April 18. The righty made 12 appearances before returning to the injured list on May 21 with a right elbow impingement. He was selected by the Blue Jays in the 19th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. The Houston, TX, native has a career record of 12-11 with a 3.64 ERA across five seasons with Toronto. He was previously designated for assignment on November 4. Player Profile: Ryan Teperahttps://www.mlb.com/player/ryan-tepera-572193   


MLB will stop awarding prize belt to team that best suppresses salaries in arbitration — HardballTalk

The league had been awarding a belt as a prize to the team that, essentially, suppressed salaries the most in arbitration. It will no longer award that tasteless prize.

MLB will stop awarding prize belt to team that best suppresses salaries in arbitration — HardballTalk

DON CHERRY FIRED

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canahttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-don-cherry-fired-sportsnet-cuts-ties-comments-coachs-corner/da/article-don-cherry-fired-sportsnet-cuts-ties-comments-coachs-corner/

By The Canadian Press

Brash, outspoken, opinionated – longtime hockey broadcaster Don Cherry was never afraid to ruffle feathers during his “Coach’s Corner” segment on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

His latest outburst cost him his job.

In a two-paragraph statement Monday afternoon, Sportsnet confirmed that it was cutting ties with Cherry.

“Sports brings people together – it unites us, not divides us. Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night’s broadcast, it has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down,” said Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley. “During the broadcast, he made divisive remarks that do not represent our values or what we stand for.

“Don is synonymous with hockey and has played an integral role in growing the game over the past 40 years. We would like to thank Don for his contributions to hockey and sports broadcasting in Canada.”

Cherry’s ouster came after a segment that sparked a swift backlash from inside and outside the hockey world. The network apologized Sunday for Cherry’s comments about his belief that new immigrants don’t wear poppies, and in turn, don’t support veterans.

On Monday – Remembrance Day – the network took it one step further.

Cherry, 85, had singled out new immigrants in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., where he lives, for not honouring Canada’s veterans and dead soldiers.

“You people … you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that,” Cherry said Saturday night. “These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price.”

“Coach’s Corner” and HNIC are broadcast on CBC in a sub-licensing deal with Rogers Media, which owns Sportsnet.

Cherry did not respond to multiple phone calls seeking comment. He has yet to publicly apologize.

Budweiser, the sponsor of “Coach’s Corner”, put out a statement condemning Cherry’s comments after Sportsnet’s decision.

“The comments made Saturday on Coach’s Corner were clearly inappropriate and divisive, and in no way reflect Budweiser’s views,” says the statement from Todd Allen, vice-president of marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada, which has Budweiser as one of its brands.

“As a sponsor of the broadcast, we immediately expressed our concerns and respect the decision which was made by Sportsnet today.”

Outrage over Cherry’s words mounted over the weekend and into Remembrance Day until the broadcaster’s dismissal was announced Monday afternoon.

Shakir Mousa, who came to Canada from Iraq roughly 30 years ago, said earlier Monday he was hurt and disgusted by Cherry’s words and worried they could ignite hatred and discrimination.

Though he wears a poppy to mark Remembrance Day, Mousa said there are many ways to honour those who serve their country – like his son, who served in Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq and just returned to Ottawa from his most recent deployment.

“I come from a dictatorship country,” the Montreal resident said. “There is a real appreciation for Canada and what Canada represents … I appreciate what democracy is and what liberty is and the freedom that we enjoy.”

“I don’t need somebody like Don Cherry to tell me about it because he doesn’t represent the good side of Canada with comments like these,” he added.

Others noted many newcomers have relatives who fought and lost their lives in various conflicts, including the world wars, something Cherry overlooked in his comments.

“Canada is my country as much as it is yours, both of us are settlers on this land,” Pardeep Singh Nagra, executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada in Mississauga, said in an open letter to Cherry posted over the weekend.

“When you are talking about ‘our way of life’, people who look like me have ‘built’ your way of life. It isn’t something exclusive, the sacrifices were made for us. Shame on you. You don’t deserve to wear the poppy.”

The Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council said it was so overloaded with complaints about the segment that it exceeded the organization’s technical processing capacity. The CBSC said it was dealing with the broadcast under its normal process, but was not able to accept any further complaints.

Segment co-host Ron MacLean apologized Sunday evening.

“Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory, which were flat out wrong … I owe you an apology, too. I sat there, did not catch it, did not respond,” MacLean said. “Last night was a really great lesson to Don and me. We were wrong, and I sincerely apologize. I wanted to thank you for calling me and Don on that last night.”

Criticism of Cherry’s comments poured in quickly as video clips of the segment circulated online. A consistently polarizing figure throughout his long broadcasting career, Cherry also had his share of supporters weigh in on social media over the last couple days.

A hard-nosed career minor-leaguer who won coach of the year honours with the NHL’s Boston Bruins in 1976, Cherry moved in front of the camera in 1980.

Known for his outlandish suits and thumbs-up gesture, Cherry was liable to say anything during the popular first-intermission segment on Saturday nights. Over the years, he occasionally weighed in with thoughts on European players, francophones, and politics – to name only a few subjects – which often landed him in hot water.

“Hockey Night in Canada” was a longtime CBC Saturday night staple, but the show and its games moved to Sportsnet when Rogers landed a $5.2-billion, 12-year national broadcast rights deal with the NHL that began in 2014.

There was no immediate word on who might replace Cherry on “Coach’s Corner” or if the segment would continue in its current form.

– With files from Paola Loriggio in Toronto.

BACK INJURY FORCES RAONIC FROM DAVIS CUP

MILOS RAONIC FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM THE DAVIS CUP FINALS BY RAKUTEN: BRAYDEN SCHNUR TAKES HIS PLACE

November 11, 2019 – On Monday, Tennis Canada announced that Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) would not be representing Canada at the Davis Cup Finals by Rakuten in Madrid on account of a back injury. In his place, Brayden Schnur (Pickering, ON) will team up with Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill, ON), Félix Auger-Aliassime (Montréal, QC) and Vasek Pospisil (Vernon, BC). Held at Caja Magica stadium, the Davis Cup Finals will run from November 18 to 24.

“It is very hard and disapointing for me that I will not be able to represent my country at Davis Cup. My health has continued to let me down through this entire year and now once again. I will take the appropriate time to get healthy and I look forward to being back on court next season” said Raonic. “I believe in my teammates, and I know they’ll give everything to secure Canada’s first Davis Cup title. I’ll be following them very closely and I wish them the best.”

Currently ranked World No.94, Brayden Schnur has climbed 100 places in the rankings since the start of the season. The 24-year-old took the tennis world by surprise when he appeared in the final of the New York Open ATP 250 event last February. In his most recent final appearance, he fell to Vasek Pospisil at the Charlottesville Tennis Challenger in Virginia. Schnur will be competing in Davis Cup for the second time in his career. In 2017, he joined the national squad in its World Group play-off tie against India. Despite his two singles losses, Canada managed to secure a 3-2 win. 

“I’m very happy to be able to play in the Davis Cup Finals but, of course, I first want to wish Milos a speedy recovery,” affirmed Schnur. “It’s an honour for me to represent Canada in this team competition. We know every win will be hard-won but I’m ready to support my teammates and go all the way.”

The 18 countries that qualified for the Finals are divided into six groups of three nations. Canada is in Group F along with the United States and Italy and will face both in a round robin. It will cross paths with Italy on November 18 and the United States on the following day. The Davis Cup Finals will be played on an indoor hard court surface.

The winners of the six groups and two runners-up based on the number of wins and percentage of sets and games won/lost will qualify for the quarterfinals, which get underway on Thursday, November 21. If Canada finishes first in its group, the team will face the winner of Group D. The semifinals will be played on Saturday and the final on Sunday, November 24. Each matchup will consist of two singles matches and a doubles match in a best-of-three format.

The Canadian Davis Cup team qualified for the Finals when it overpowered Slovakia by a score of 3-2 on February 1 and 2, 2019. Shapovalov won both of his singles battles and Auger-Aliassime notched an important win in the decisive match.

For more details, please visit: http://www.tenniscanada.com/team-canada/davis-cup/about-the-davis-cup/.

About Davis Cup
Davis Cup by Rakuten is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 133 nations entered in 2019. The competition is 119 years old, having been founded in 1900. In 2019, the all-new Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals will be hosted at the iconic La Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. Twenty-four nations will contest the Qualifiers on 1-2 February, competing in 12 locations around the world on a home-and-away basis. The 12 winning teams will join the 2018 semifinalists plus two wild card teams in an 18-nation Davis Cup season finale.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events and one professional ITF sanctioned event. Tennis Canada also owns and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebookand Twitter.

SIAKAM EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF WEEK, AVERAGING 30.3 POINTS AND 11.3 REBOUNDS

SIAKAM NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The National Basketball Association announced Monday that Pascal Siakam has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Nov. 4-10. Siakam earns the honour for the second time in his career and becomes the sixth player in franchise history win the award multiple times joining DeMar DeRozan (10), Vince Carter (7), Chris Bosh (7), Kyle Lowry (4) and Kawhi Leonard (2).

Siakam averaged team highs of 30.3 points and 11.3 rebounds as the Raptors finished the week with a perfect 3-0 record. He also shot .515 (34-for-66) from the field, .286 (6-for-21) from three-point range and .810 (17-for-21) at the free throw line. Siakam began the week by posting 23 points and 13 rebounds Nov. 6 vs. Sacramento, helping the Raptors improve to an Eastern Conference-best 4-0 at home. He then tied his career high with 44 points Nov. 8 at New Orleans, marking the second time he has recorded a 40-point game and the first time on the road. Siakam finished the week by leading the Raptors with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 113-104 comeback victory Nov. 10 against the Los Angeles Lakers, snapping the Lakers’ seven game winning streak.

A native of Cameroon, Siakam was selected 27th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft following two seasons at New Mexico State. He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player during the 2018-19 campaign and the MVP of the 2017 NBA G League Finals. 

-RAPTORS-