VANCOUVER - After more than two decades in the CFL, Paul McCallum has finally become a specialist. McCallum, entering his 22nd CFL season, will focus on field goals in 2014 with the B.C. Lions, who signed him to a two-year contract Thursday. He has previously held all three kicking duties - kickoffs, punts and three-point efforts. But the reduction in responsibilities will not necessarily translate into a sign of his impending retirement at the conclusion of the season. "Im not looking at it like this is my last year, because I really dont understand how people do that," said McCallum. "For me, just looking at this year, this season, is what Im going to concentrate on, and then Ill look at it. Im not saying this is my last year. Im saying this is the year that Im going to concentrate on." McCallum, a 44-year-old Surrey, B.C., product, signed on for a 10th season with the Lions. He has also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Rough Riders. The Lions also announced the signing of kicker Ricky Schmitt, who was a member of Saskatchewans Grey Cup-champion team in 2013. Schmitt, a 28-year-old Virginia Beach, Va., native, who is entering his second full CFL season, will take over McCallums former punting and kick-off duties. "The reduced role, I think, is a positive thing for the club, especially with the fact that (Schmitt) is here," said McCallum. "Schmitt has got, probably, the strongest leg in the league for punting and kickoffs. So, for me, I think thats a benefit for the club. So I only look at it as a positive, not a negative." B.C. coach Mike Benevides attempted to limit McCallums duties, and the wear and tear on his right leg last season by placing the since-departed Hugh ONeill on the active roster at the start of the campaign. ONeill, who had spent the previous two years on the Lions practice roster without getting into a regular-season game, handled all three duties in the pre-season and early in the regular season while McCallum was sidelined with a groin injury. Once McCallum returned, ONeill was assigned kickoff responsibilities, but it was difficult for the Lions to balance two Canadian kickers on the active roster with the ratio of imports and non-imports. ONeill fell out of favour and was released in mid-season because he would not agree to a contract extension. General manager Wally Buono was also not satisfied with his progress after three seasons in the organization. ONeill quickly signed with Edmonton and remains with the Eskimos. Upon releasing ONeill, the Lions brought back Steven Shott after cutting him in the pre-season. Shott, a 24-year-old Vancouver native, remains on the B.C. roster as a long-term prospect. But its anyones guess on when he or Schmitt will challenge McCallum for the full-time position booting field goals. "I think last year was a bit of a different situation," said McCallum. "I could understand the direction the club wanted to take last year, and I was willing to (accept) that last year. But last year, my thought process was that I wanted to compete for the job still. Now? No, I dont want to compete for that job. There is no real competition as far as leg strength goes." McCallum is a two-time CFL All-Star (2010, 2011) and took home the leagues most outstanding special teams player in 2011, when he connected on 50 of 53 field-goal attempts. He is one of just five players in the CFL or NFL to play in 20 or more seasons, and ranks as the only CFL kicker to record 10 or more consecutive seasons with a field goal success rate of 80 per cent or better. "I have, believe it or not, as a kicker, looked after my body," said McCallum. "Kicking is a mental game. So the whole aspect of going out and competing, I still have it there. Its not what it was when I first started playing, but I still believe that I still have enough leg strength to kick the important field goals at 50-yard-line." McCallum kicked 28 field goals on 33 attempts in 2013, with the longest coming from 47 yards. But Schmitt holds a distinct advantage in the punting department. He posted a 45-yard net average last season with the Roughriders on 136 attempts, and his punts are known for their long hang time. McCallums career average net punting yardage is 41.4. McCallum pledged to mentor Schmitt and Shott if they seek his advice. "I think Ive proven over the years that Im a team guy," said McCallum. "So if whoevers there is going to need some help, then Im willing to do that." Schmitt said he hopes to learn as much as he can from the veteran while helping both lead the league in every kicking statistical category. The former Roughrider attributed his departure from Saskatchewan to the CFLs import and non-import ratio after the first phase of free agency. "They lost a bunch of good Americans (at other positions)," said Schmitt, who played collegiately for NCAA Division II squad Shepherd in West Virginia and had could not stick with five NFL clubs. "We were in contract discussions but, ultimately, it just came down to the nature of the business." When asked if he wants to kick field goals for B.C. eventually, Schmitt, who handled all of his teams kicking duties in college, said he is willing to do whatever team asks. "I know that (McCallum) is going to be doing the field goals for as long as he can," said Schmitt. .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena. . Carreno Busta broke his opponent five times in the match, but also lost his serve three times in the second set before prevailing in the tiebreaker. Both players struggled with their first serve, as Carreno Busta landed just 51 per cent of his to 47 per cent for Kukushkin.
http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Bronc ... y/.Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents. . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. . DArnaud hit one of three doubles for the Mets as they took a 4-0 lead in the first. Then the catchers seventh home run of the season broke the game open in the fifth. The 41-year-old Colon (10-8) retired the first 20 batters in his last outing Wednesday against Seattle, eventually allowing two runs on three hits in 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 win.TORONTO – With TSNs newly expanded lineup of five national feeds debuting on the opening day of the 2014 U.S. OPEN, the network hits the hard-court of New York City for the final tennis Grand Slam of the season. Canadas Sports Leader delivers double the amount of exclusive live coverage of the tournament than it has ever aired before – nearly 300 hours of live coverage of the biggest stars in tennis. Throughout the tournaments opening rounds, fans can choose from four different matches featured across TSN feeds. TSNs daily live coverage of the U.S. OPEN begins on Monday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. ET, just in time for the highly-anticipated debut of the networks five national feeds branded TSN1, TSN2, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5, and includes the mens and womens early round and round of 16 matches, along with the quarter-finals, semifinals and finals (see broadcast schedule below for more information). Just before the U.S. OPEN gets underway on Monday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. ET across TSN feeds, Rod Smith hosts a 30-minute U.S. OPEN preview show at 10:30 a.m. ET on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5. Smith breaks down how TSNs new feeds give fans the choice of four different U.S. OPEN matches airing at the same time. "TSNs new lineup of five national feeds offers our viewers more coverage of the U.S. OPEN than theyve ever had before," said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President, Programming and Marketing, TSN. "Todays launch gives fans expanded access to watch Milos, Genie, and all the biggest stars in tennis. With such a wealth of matches to choose from, its a big win for tennis fans." Throughout the tournament, TSNs U.S. OPEN studio host Kara Wagland directs fans on where to watch upcoming matches featuring the biggest stars in tennis, as well as wall-to-wall coverage including breaking news, highlights, post-match interviews, and press conferences. TSNs Mark Masters is on-site in New York City to follow Bouchard, Raonic, and Pospisil and deliver reports from the tournament for SPORTSCENTRE, Canadas most-watched sports news program. Masters will also contribute written features and web-exclusive one-on-one interviews for TSN.ca. On the heels of their unprecedented results at WIMBLEDON, Canadian stars Bouchard, Raonic, and Pospisil will take on the top tennis players in the game at the U.S. OPEN. Raonic and Pospisil take the court against a world-class mens field that features #1-seed Novak Djokovic, former U.S. OPEN champion Andy Murray, and five-time U.S. OPEN champion Roger Federer. Bouchard squares off against a womens field led by #1-seed and five-time U.S. OPEN champion Serena Williams, 2014 AUSTRALIAN OPEN champion Li Na, and 2014 FRENCH OPEN champion Maria Sharapova. As the undisputed Canadian home of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, TSN continues its exclusive coverage of Grand Slam tennis followiing record ratings from the biggest WIMBLEDON in Canadian history – during which more than 10 million Canadians watched some part of the tournament on TSN and RDS.dddddddddddd. Opening Week Schedule See below for the opening week broadcast schedule or visit TSN.ca for a complete broadcast schedule from the 2014 U.S. OPEN.* Monday, Aug. 25• U.S. OPEN Preview Show – 10:30 a.m. ET on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 11 a.m. ET on TSN1• Court-to-court coverage Feed B – 11 a.m. ET on TSN3• Designated court coverage Feed C – 11 a.m. ET on TSN4 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 7 p.m. ET on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) Tuesday, Aug. 26• Court-to-court coverage Feed B – 11 a.m. ET on TSN3• Designated court coverage Feed C – 11 a.m. ET on TSN4 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 1 p.m. ET on TSN1• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 7 p.m. ET on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) Wednesday, Aug. 27• Court-to-court coverage Feed B – 11 a.m. ET on TSN3• Designated court coverage Feed C – 11 a.m. ET on TSN4 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 1 p.m. ET on TSN1• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 7 p.m. ET on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) Thursday, Aug. 28• Court-to-court coverage Feed B – 11 a.m. ET on TSN3• Designated court coverage Feed C – 11 a.m. ET on TSN4 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 1 p.m. ET on TSN1• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 7 p.m. ET on TSN1, TSN4, TSN5 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) Friday, Aug. 29• Court-to-court coverage Feed B – 11 a.m. ET on TSN3• Designated court coverage Feed C – 11 a.m. ET on TSN4 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 1 p.m. ET on TSN1• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 6 p.m. ET on TSN2 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) Saturday, Aug. 30 • Designated court coverage Feed D – 11 a.m. ET on TSN5• Court-to-court coverage Feed A – 12 noon ET on TSN1• Designated court coverage Feed C – 12:30 p.m. ET on TSN4• U.S. OPEN PRIMETIME – 7 p.m. ET on TSN1, TSN4, TSN5 (featured court feed plus Matches of the Day) *Schedule subject to change ' ' '
