MLB
The Blue Jays played a rare Friday afternoon game, as they opened up a 3-game series against the Yankees in New York. The Yankees won the game 7-3, their 7th win in a row. Curtis Granderson drove in 3 runs with a pair of doubles for New York. Brandon Morrow took the loss, dropping his record to 10-7. It was Morrow’s last start of the season, as he’s reached a pre-set pitch count. There was only one home run in the game, and that came off the bat of the Jays Travis Snider, who hit his 9th homer of the season. The 2 teams will go at it again on Saturday afternoon, with Marc Rzepczynski (1-3, ERA 6.03) starting for Toronto. New York counters with Javier Vasquez (10-9, ERA 4.86). For the time being, New York is 2 games up on the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. The Rays are kicking off a 3-game, weekend series against the last place Orioles in Baltimore. The Boston Red Sox, who’re now 8.5 games out of top spot in the division, were scheduled to host Manny Ramirez and the Chicago White Sox, but Friday night’s game has been postponed due to bad weather.
CFL
The CFL’s Labour Day weekend kicks off Friday night, with the BC Lions taking on the Alouettes in Montreal. The Lions have the league’s worst record at 1-7, while the Alouettes are in first place in the East, at 6-2. On Sunday, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders home to the Winnipeg Bluebombers. Then on the holiday Monday, it’s the Toronto Argonauts taking on the Tigercats in the Labour Day Classic in Hamilton and the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Edmonton Eskimos.
The Alouettes continue to lead the East standings at 6-2, followed by the Argos at 5-3, the Ticats at 4-4 and the Bluebombers at 2-6. In the West, it’s the Stampeders in first place at 7-1, with the Roughriders in 2nd at 5-3, the Eskimos in 3rd at 2-6 and the Lions in last place at 1-7.
NFL – PRESEASON
A lot of NFL teams rested their starters as the pre-season schedule came to an end. Brett Favre wore a hat, T-shirt, shorts and sneakers as the Minnesota Vikings held out 20 of their 22 starters during a 31-24 win over Denver. Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t play, while most of the Colts starters also took the night off in a 30-28 loss to Cincinnati. Buffalo’s prized rookie running back C-J Spiller didn’t also didn’t play, in the Bills’ 28-23 loss at Detroit. The regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 9th. Buffalo begins its season a week from Sunday at home against the arch rival Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
MLS
Toronto FC is coming off a scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake last Saturday at BMO Field, and is gearing up for a road game this week, as they play in Dallas on Saturday night. Toronto is still in 3rd place in the East, 10 points back of 2nd place New York and just 1 point ahead of 4th place Kansas City.
GOLF
The 2nd of 4 Fed-Ex Cup playoff events goes this week. On Friday, it’s round 1 of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. American Matt Kuchar won the opening event, The Barclays, this past weekend, and now leads the Fed-Ex Cup points standings, followed by Steve Stricker, Martin Laird, Justin Rose and Ernie Els. Tiger Woods moved from 112th spot to 65th, while Calgary’s Stephen Ames improved from 76th place to 69th.
On the Nationwide Tour, it’s the Mylan Classic, in Pennsylvania. Oshawa’s Jon Mills shot a 1 under par round on Thursday and that left him 5 shots off the lead. He has serious work to earn his PGA Tour card for next season. Mills is currently in 35th place in the standings, with the top-25 at the end of the season, getting their cards for next year.
HOCKEY
The Toronto Maple Leafs came to terms on a one year contract with restricted free agent Christian Hanson. He had 7 points in 31 games with the Maple Leafs last season and also registered 31 points in 38 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has been sentenced to 30 days in jail stemming from his Arizona drunk-driving conviction. The 4-time all-star was pulled over in his Ferrari on February 8th after he was clocked going 110 kilometres an hour in a 70-kilometre per hour zone.
MLB
FRIDAY
NY Yankees 7 Toronto 3
Chicago at Boston
(Postponed)
Tampa Bay at Baltimore
SATURDAY
Toronto at NY Yankees
Chicago at Boston
Tampa Bay at Baltimore
SUNDAY
Toronto at NY Yankees
Chicago at Boston
Tampa Bay at Baltimore
CFL
FRIDAY
BC at Montreal
SUNDAY
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan
MONDAY
Toronto at Hamilton
Edmonton at Calgary
NFL
THURSDAY, SEPT. 9
Minnesota at New Orleans
(First game of regular season)
SOCCER
SATURDAY
Toronto at Dallas
PGA
The Deutsche Bank
Championship
at TPC Boston
Round 1 Friday
NATIONWIDE
Mylan Classic
in Pennsylvania
Round 2 Friday