Before I even begin to express my thoughts of this off-season and the coming season, my congratulations and praise to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for winning the 101st Grey Cup and to the province of Saskatchewan and city of Regina for putting on an excellent show and experience. Cheap Bucks Jerseys . One of the best aspects of my job, maybe the best, is the experiences; the interactions with people you never forget. Whether it is meeting Tom Hanks briefly (class act) or the genuine enthusiasm and interaction of Riders and Ticats fans, I am confident I can speak for all that covered the game in saying you made us feel much more important and appreciated than we deserve. I sincerely hope the moment the new stadium is ready to roll the “Big Game" goes back to Regina with no hesitation. Overall this off-season has been a good and productive one. With new stadiums in Ottawa and Hamilton, future stadiums in Regina and Toronto, the most important aspects of the game – in-stadium fan experience and attendance – are progressing, not regressing. Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton is taking shape. The season ticket base is just about maxed out and the luxury boxes are all sold. I have yet to visit the stadium in Ottawa but I have a high level of confidence in the people running the Redblacks and what they are doing to make this organization viable. Its very important to have a CFL team in Ottawa for one big reason: it is our nations capital and will continue to enhance pride and patriotism in ourselves and our country. With Toronto, at the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, BMO Field would be perfect. I have walked around the stadium three or four times and the sight lines, angles, and proximity to the field are exceptional. Its basically on the same location as the old Exhibition Stadium and that location is excellent; not as congested as the Rogers Centre location and probably not as expensive. I dont dislike the Rogers Centre, at one time it was one of the most unique structures in North America, but BMO fits what is needed: more intimacy and less immensity. Trust me when I say this, its perfect! In on-field related issues, I like the challenge system as it relates to pass interference; the NFL will watch closely how it is executed and learn. But I also have concerns with flow of the game. Too many stops and starts in football make the game boring; I hate to say that but it is the truth. This is a pretty bold, precedent-setting move by the league. May I suggest one more? Eliminate the huddle from football with the exception of the beginning of a drive. Football players are pretty bright, they can run an entire offence without talking about it in detail after each play. Between TV timeouts, injuries, and challenges, the game is too long, especially NCAA football, which now runs anywhere from 3.5 hours to four. That is too much. How do you create a rule to keep the game flowing? Easy. Once a play is over, the offence must go back to the original position they began the play from, then the quarterback directs the play and players. Time constraints stay the same and every player that needs an ear piece can use one to offset the noise. The quarterback becomes a true quarterback, not an order taker. Realistic? I believe so. The entertainment value of the game would explode as there would be constant focus from the fans due to constant motion and action. It may be a difficult sell but as a viewer, anytime a team goes no huddle I regain and intensify my interest. Again the league could set a new standard of entertainment for the benefit of the paying public. They are, after all the most important revenue generators. Speaking of revenue, the Players Association wants a new, bigger and better deal. As a former player, I want the present players to earn more. CFL players are the most underpaid athletes in a combat sport I know. The league is not at a point where an increase can be so significant that it satisfies the desires of all. It is still a lean business that has developed stability, but not prosperity. There will be an increase for players, the amount is unknown. May I suggest this though, as a life lesson learned? It is not so much how much you make as it is how much you have and what you do with it. With an increase in revenue, the best thing the league and Players Association can do is get it out of the hands of the players to control spontaneous purchases. We have all heard the mind-numbing stories of athletes that make a lot yet have very little. And the truth is they have no one to blame but themselves. Hard pill to swallow. There will be more money, but making the money truly work so you can satisfy both your desires for security and adventure in life is critical. There is nothing more important in the CFL than the quality of the play and the player. And there should be nothing more important to that player than when his playing days are over he has physical, financial evidence he played. I dont know about you, but this was the most brutal winter I have encountered in a long time. I heard it was the coldest in Manitoba in 100 years. I am looking forward to watching a game without seeing my breath. Fall will come soon enough, but spring football sounds good to me! Alex English Jersey . LOUIS -- St. Ray Allen Jersey . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday.RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Luis Suarez exits the World Cup with one of the longest bans in tournament history, and his reputation once again in tatters. The Uruguay forward, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, was banned by FIFA from all football for four months on Thursday for biting an Italian opponent in an incident that marred the teams victory and progression to the second round. Its the third time hes served a suspension for biting an opponent -- after similar incidents at both Ajax in the Dutch league and Liverpool in England -- and the second straight World Cup where Suarez exits in disgrace. The four-month ban will sideline Suarez for the first two months of Liverpools season. He was also suspended for Uruguays next nine matches, which extends beyond the four months and rules him out of next years Copa America, where his team is the defending champion. The Uruguayan football federation said it would appeal. Aside from Diego Maradonas 15-month suspension for a failed drug test at the 1994 tournament, its the longest ban handed out to a player at the World Cup. FIFA also fined Suarez 100,000 Swiss francs ($112,000). Suarez bit the left shoulder of defender Giorgio Chiellini on Tuesday in Natal during Uruguays 1-0 win over Italy, an incident that went unpunished by the referee but was witnessed by fans around the world on TV. Given Suarezs previous biting incidents, the images went viral immediately. "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup, when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, said in a statement. The Uruguayan federation was preparing an urgent appeal, as Suarez headed home. FIFA even barred him staying with teammates ahead of their round-of-16 game against Colombia on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. "Luis in the next few hours will travel to Montevideo to be with the rest of his family to recover," federation president Wilmar Valdez told reporters. Suarez scored both goals in Uruguays 2-1 win over England, a performance that further enhanced a reputation that had gradually been rebuilt following a 10-game suspension for biting a Premier League opponent last May, and an eight-game ban for racially abusing an opponent in 2011. Suarez was voted the English leagues best player last season after a campaign void of any disciplinary issues. But now, the 27-year-old Suarez is the main actor in the World Cups most damaging episode for a second time. In the quarterfinalss in 2010 in South Africa, his deliberate handball on the goal-line in the final minute of extra time denied Ghana an almost certain winning goal that would have made it the first ever African semifinalist. Milwaukee Bucks Gear. Suarez was sent off, and then refused to apologize for his celebratory dance near the players tunnel where he stayed to watch Ghana miss the resulting penalty. He also shrugged off criticism Tuesday of his bite. As usual, Uruguay officials and players defended their star player Thursday. "It feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup," Valdez said, denouncing "a severe punishment." Veteran defender Diego Lugano wrote on his Facebook page that Suarezs family should be "proud of him, he deserves it." "A hug to Luis, who, as always, will rise," Lugano, captain on the 2010 team, wrote. "Outrage, impotence, I think thats what all of us feel. We all would like a fairer world, but that world simply doesnt exist." Even Uruguay fans who agreed Suarezs action was "stupid" did not agree with the sanction. "Uruguay is a small country that eliminated two big nations like Italy and England and its not for FIFAs benefit to let Uruguay continue playing," supporter Juan Jose Monzillo said in Montevideo. Suarezs ban extends one game more than Italy defender Mauro Tassottis eight-match international sanction for elbowing a Spanish opponent in a 1994 World Cup quarterfinal. That incident was also missed by match officials. By also banning Suarez from all football activities, FIFA also prohibited Suarez from entering a World Cup stadium. He cannot train with Liverpool until the ban ends in late October. "Hopefully he will realize now that behaviour of this type will not be tolerated under any circumstances," said FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce of Northern Ireland. The ban includes Liverpools first three Champions League games in the five-time European champions return after a five-year absence. Suarez will also miss the first nine Premier League matches. Suarez would still be allowed transfer to a different club during the ban, Fischer said. He has been linked to a move to Barcelona. Sports manufacturer adidas, which sponsors both Suarez and the World Cup, said it agreed with the ruling. The company said it will not use Suarez for "additional marketing" during the World Cup but would not immediately drop him as a client. "We will again be reminding him of the high standards we expect from our players," adidas said in a statement. ' ' '