Gästebereich » seconds back, and Nibali was third,

TORONTO -- Time has done little to cure what ails Toronto Argonauts slotback Andre Durie. Durie signed a contract extension with Toronto on Monday that will keep him with the Argos through the 2016 season. The 2013 campaign was a banner one for Durie but it ended bitterly Nov. 17 in the East Division final at Rogers Centre at the hands of the arch-rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And visions of Hamilton players celebrating a Grey Cup berth on Torontos home field remains a bitter pill for Durie to swallow. "Any losses are always bitter against Hamilton," Durie said. "Losing in the East final was tough because we worked so hard throughout the year. "We faced a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries, a lot of ups and downs and some tough road games and to end that way just left a bad taste in your mouth. It sticks in my mind just to motivate me to continue to strive for perfection, to take away the little mental errors and to be better and more functional for my team and to produce for my team." After winning the 12 Grey Cup at Rogers Centre, Toronto finished atop the East Division standings with an 11-7 record. But Hamilton dashed the Argos hopes of repeating at CFL champions with a 36-24 road victory in the conference final. Unfortunately for Hamilton, its season ended with a 45-23 Grey Cup loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium. Durie, wholl reportedly earn around $140,000 annually under terms of his new deal, enjoyed a standout 2013 campaign. The five-foot-10, 199-pound Durie led the CFL with a career-high 92 catches for 986 yards (also a career best) and three touchdowns. Durie signed with Toronto as an undrafted free agent in 2007. "We believe Andre Durie is one of the most talented players in our league, and hes Canadian," Argos GM Jim Barker said in a statement. "He has been a very productive member of our offence and a strong contributor on special teams. "Andre has proven to be a valuable member of the Toronto community and were excited to keep him at home to continue his work on and off the field." Durie, who played running back during his university career at York, has registered 272 catches for 3,150 yards and 13 TDs with Toronto. His seamless transition from tailback to slotback is even more remarkable considering Durie suffered a horrific leg injury in 05 with the Lions that not only threatened his football career but had many questioning whether hed walk normally again. "Im not going to sit here and lie, there was definitely a lot of doubt," Durie said. "It was the people around me who supported me and believed in me and gave me the strength to continue and believe different. "Without them I wouldnt have the mindset to keep going. Im so glad and fortunate to have all my loved ones around me. I never wouldve imagined to be in this position back in 05 when the injury happened. Its remarkable and I cant thank the organization enough for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream to be a professional football player and to have made it this far." Durie says hes especially grateful to Barker, who returned to Toronto as the clubs head coach in 2010 before adding the GM duties prior to the 2011 campaign. In 2012, Barker hired Scott Milanovich as Argos head coach to concentrate full-time on his duties as general manager. "Coach Barker has literally taken me under his wing since he got here," Durie said. "Hes been able to provide me with so much guidance and knowledge to get better as a player and person." Durie said there was no question in his mind that he wanted to remain in Toronto. Should he see his current deal through -- after all, CFL contracts arent guaranteed -- Durie will be 35 and have achieved the rare distinction of spending his entire 10-year career with his home-town team. However, Durie isnt about to say he has signed his final CFL contract. "You never know," he said. "My body feels great, I still feel at the top of my game and Im playing good football. "I dont really like to look that far ahead into the future, I just take things as they come. Ill see how it is year to year." Cheap Buffalo Bills Gear .J. - New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara left Monday nights game against the Indianapolis Colts with a torn biceps. Authentic Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Doug Martin broke the news that hes cleared for full activity moving forward. http://www.cheapbills.us/ ., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979. Discount Buffalo Bills Jerseys . 1 and reigning champion Caroline Wozniacki was among Thursdays third-round winners, while second- seeded Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the draw at the $4. Custom Bills Jerseys .com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak.PLA DADET, France -- On the last of four Pyrenees ascents, Rafal Majka winked at a French TV camera and tugged playfully at a motorcycles antenna. Even this late in the Tour de France, the Polish rider made winning look easy as he took Stage 17 on Wednesday. For Vincenzo Nibali, the second ride in the mountains on Frances border with Spain was more serious. "The Shark" nibbled yet more seconds away from several of his closest challengers, and the yellow jersey that he has worn for all but two days of the race seemed to fit just a little more tightly ahead of the finish Sunday in Paris. Nibali was even businesslike with his own prime minister, imploring him not to get too ahead of himself in celebration. "Its true that I received a text message from Matteo Renzi, who invited me to Chigi Palace to celebrate my victory," the cautious Sicilian said about the premiers official residence. "I replied that only after winning -- if I do so -- Ill be able to say that Ill be present." The 124.5-kilometre (77-mile) trek Wednesday was the shortest stage in this years Tour. It covered three hard Category 1 ascents from Saint-Gaudens and a final push up to Pla dAdet ski station above the town of Saint-Lary-Soulan. Majka, who also won Stage 14 in the Alps, again showed hes the best climber in this Tour and tightened his grip on the polka dot jersey awarded to the races King of the Mountains. Giovanni Visconti got the action going on the last climb with a solo breakaway with about nine kilometres (5 1/2 miles) left, but could not hold off Majka. Visconti, who also is Sicilian, was second, 29 seconds back, and Nibali was third, 46 seconds behind. With a last Pyrenean day ahead Thursday, Majka could ensure that he takes the red-dot jersey home. His closest rival for it when the stage started was Spains Joaquim Rodriguez, who swatted the air in frustration at Majka when the Pole broke away on the last climb. Majka said he felt "comfort" in the last five kilometres in part because hed been saving up energy a day earlier by riding easier. He finished in a bunch 24 1/2 minutes behind Australian teammate Michael Rogers, who won Stage 16. By Wednesday, "I felt really, really good in the last climb," Majka said, after tapping his chest, thrusting his arms skyward and shouting in joy at the victory. "For me, when there are a lot of climbs, its the best." There was a time when seemingly effortless victories smacked of something more sinister at the Tour: the use of performance-enhancers. Few know the scars of cyclings doping past more than Majkas own manager at the Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team, Bjarne Riis. Once a national hero in Denmarkk after winning the 1996 Tour, he admitted to using blood-booster EPO more than a decade later -- and was vilified for it.dddddddddddd He laid low for a while, but then returned to the pro cycling world. "I promised Bjarne today that I would win the stage," said Majka. The echoes of doping resonated Wednesday on the grassy Pyrenean mountainside: The last times that Saint-Lary-Soulan hosted Tour stage finishes were in 2001 and 2005 -- won by Lance Armstrong and teammate George Hincapie. Those wins were later stripped because of doping. Their names have been crossed out in the official Tour history book. Cycling has made great strides in fighting doping with enhanced blood and urine testing, along with the biological passport program, but few experts would claim that the peloton today is entirely clean. Nibali, who has called himself a "flag-bearer of anti-doping", made his latest case to become the first Italian to win cyclings showcase race in 16 years -- since Marco Pantani, who was once convicted for doping. Nibali gained just under a minute on four of his closest rivals. Second-placed Alejandro Valverde of Spain, who made a valiant recovery on the last ascent to avoid even more damage, now trails by 5 minute, 26 seconds. The exception was Jean-Christophe Peraud of France, who hugged closely on the leaders back wheel and finished fourth. With his performance, the 37-year-old Frenchman made it an even closer race for the podium spots. He is fourth overall, 6:08 behind Nibali, but just eight seconds slower than fellow Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, in third. American Tejay van Garderen, in sixth, also lost about a minute to Nibali and trails by 10:19. It came a day after his hopes for a podium spot were dealt a big blow when he lost several minutes to the other aspirants for a top-three finish in Paris. "Yesterday was a pity, it was an off day," the BMC leader said. A podium spot is still possible, he added, "but it will be hard." Stage 18s finale in the Pyrenees takes the pack on a 145.5-kilometre (90-mile) loop from Pau to Hautacam, featuring two ascents that are so hard that they defy cyclings ranking system -- one of them an uphill finish. Then its a flat stage heading northward Friday before an individual time-trial a day later, and then whats likely to be the largely ceremonial ride for the yellow jersey in Stage 21 on Sunday to the Champs-Elysees in Paris for the finish of the races 101st edition. While well-positioned to be in yellow then, Nibali was still attacking Wednesday. "I preferred to go and gain a few more seconds and to be even more serene, just in case something could happen," he said. 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