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Two days ago our Farhan Lalji reported that one of the greatest receivers in CFL history, Geroy Simon was calling it a career. Since Farhans tweet, there have been all kinds of speculation as to why Simon would hang them up now, when as recently as a month and a half ago he indicated that he felt like he could play at least one more year. The rumour getting the most traction is that he wasnt offered enough money by Saskatchewan GM Brendan Taman to make another year worth his while. However, sources very close to the situation said on Sunday night that this decision had nothing to do with money. The recent talks between the Rider GM and Simon went fine and did not factor into his decision. Information which makes sense because in all my discussions with the CFLs yardage leader throughout the years he has never made decisions based on money, and there is no reason to think he would start now. Simon was trending on Twitter shortly after it was known that he was retiring, including tweets from many fans wondering why he wouldnt sign a one day contract with the Lions and hold the press conference in BC, since he played there the majority of his career there and racked up 14,756 of his 16,352 career yards as a Lion. Retiring with the team youve played for the bulk of your career with has become ordinary practice for most athletes in all sports. However, since entering the league with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Simon has been anything but ordinary, and has followed his own path. Last year he played for the Roughriders, and his best game of the season was the most important game of the season, when he had two touchdown catches in the Grey Cup against Hamilton, so he will retire a Rider.As for whether or not he could end up on another roster and play one more year in a different city, a source said as of Sunday night Simon had not heard from any other team in the league. While it seems shocking that teams wouldnt at least contact him to gauge his interest in playing somewhere else, we shouldnt read into the lack of interest too much. First, Simon hasnt made it official, and until papers are filed to the league he is still a Roughrider. Also dont be surprised to hear that No. 81 may be hanging up his jersey, but isnt going to leave football, and that information may have already leaked to the other teams in the league. He still has gas in the tank and could help a young team like Ottawa for instance, and I consider myself one of many who think he could play at least one more year. However, it sounds like hes decided its time to make the transition into the next phase of his life, and once you have retired in your mind you are not going back, so it will be interesting to see what his new role in the game will be. As initially reported, the official press conference will be held sometime this week in Regina, and will mark the end of the playing career of the most productive receiver in CFL history. But as good as Simon was as a player he is even a better person, and will be successful in anything he does in the future. As I mentioned, it sounds like he will stay in football for now, but I know from previous conversations with him that he would be interested in exploring TV and I for one would welcome him with open arms to our team at TSN, if that opportunity ever presented itself. He also has other interests and business partners away from the game, and you can bet there will be lots of open doors in the corporate world for Simon if he chooses to go that route. I mean, who wouldnt want to hire Superman. Air Max Plus Free Shipping . Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3. Cheap Air Max Plus Ireland . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. http://www.airmaxplusireland.com/. The Mavericks were not going to let San Antonio beat them with 3-pointers, and they did not want Tony Parker using the lane as his personal playground. Air Max Plus Ireland .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week. Air Max Plus Outlet Ireland . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video.With the Toronto Raptors celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15, Josh Lewenberg and TSN.ca take a look back at the franchises first two decades with weekly Top Five lists, counting down the standout and signature players and moments in team history. Today, we look back at the best trades and the general managers who made them. 1. Acquired the draft rights to Vince Carter and cash from Golden State for the draft rights to Antawn Jamison - June 24, 1998 (Glen Grunwald) The most important trade in Raptors history was merely a formality. Yes, Toronto selected Jamison, who would switch hats with his college teammate on draft night, but it was Carter the Raptors had targeted all along. Of the two, Jamison actually had the better body of work at UNC and was known to be the Warriors preference, selecting fifth overall. So Grunwald, drafting for the first time as general manager, nabbed the forward with the fourth pick, immediately swapping him for some cash. Sold after watching his pre-draft workouts, Grunwald saw something in Carter and his instincts didnt deceive him. While Jamison would go on to have a very good 16-year career, Carter was the franchise-altering star the Raptors desperately needed coming off a horrendous season. 2. Acquired Kyle Lowry from Houston for Gary Forbes and a first-round pick - July 11, 2012 (Bryan Colangelo) Although Lowry had been on Colangelos radar for some time - with this trade, or a variation of it on the table weeks before the trigger was ultimately pulled - the Rockets point guard was his consolation prize. To think what might have been if the Raptors courtship of the deteriorating Steve Nash had come to fruition? What condition would the organization be in now and where might Lowrys career have taken him? The trade that never was - a vetoed deal to send him to the Knicks 17 months later - also deserves mention here. In the end, Lowrys move to Toronto worked out better than anyone could have imagined and with the Rockets retooling at the time, the price was minimal. Houston would end up repackaging Torontos pick to Oklahoma City in the James Harden deal and the Thunder selected centre Steven Adams 12th overall in a weak 2013 draft. 3. Acquired Antonio Davis from Indiana for the draft rights to Jonathan Bender - Aug. 1, 1999 (Grunwald) Giving up a first-round pick, let alone a lottery selection, is always a calculated risk but Toronto was playing with found money in 1999. In a three-team trade youll find further down on this list, the Raptors gave up a young Chauncey Billups and acquired a future first-round pick from Denver, a pick that turned out to be the fifth overall selection. Coming off their best season to date, Carters rookie year, the Raptors needed immediate help and Pacers veteran Antonio Davis fit the bill. Davis would become an all-star in Toronto and help lead the team to three straight playoff appearances, while the oft-injured Bender - a high schooler chosen by Indiana with the traded pick - never came close to reaching his potential before his career was cut short. 4. Acquired Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems from Milwaukee for Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukic - Aug. 18, 2009 (Colangelo) Contending for championships with a veteran roster, particularly in the frontcourt, the Pistons gave up on a young Amir Johnson, the NBAs last player to be drafted straight out of high school. In the summer of 2009, they dumped him on the Bucks, another team with playoff aspirations, who repackaged him a couple months later hoping to get some immediate help in veteran Carlos Delfino. The Raptors had retained Delfinos rights when he left the league to play in Russia but he was not likely to suit up for them again. For basically nothing, Colangelo was happy to scoop up a 22-year-old Johnson, with very little milage on his tires despite four years in the association. Weems became a serviceable rotation player but the prize was Johnson, who has been a fixture in Torontos lineup for six seasons and counting. 5. Acquired Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons from Sacramento for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Dec. 9, 2013 (Masai Ujiri) There was no wizardry at work here. As Ujiri likes to say, he and his staff had no idea how this leap of faith would pan out. They certainly had no idea it would produce the type of results it has. Some believe it was a first step in the tank-job that never was. Regardless, Rudy Gay had to go if the Raptors were going to break out of no mans land and head in either direction. With Gay gone, the team - up until recently - came together in a way that cant be quantified, Lowry and DeMar DeRozan blossomed into stars and the loot they got back in return proved valuable, primarily Vasquez and Patterson, who inked new deals this summer. The Raptors have a regular season record of 69-36 since the trade. Best of the rest: 6. Acquired Charles Oakley and Sean Marks from New York for Marcus Camby - June 25, 1998 (Grunwald) Just barely missed the top five. Oak arrived at the perfect time, bringing the veteran leadership and toughness Grunwald was looking to add to his young core. Camby become a defensive staple for New York and helped lead them to a Finals appearance. Mutually beneficiial deal.dddddddddddd 7. Acquired Michael Williams, Zeljko Rebraca and two first-round picks in a three-team trade with Denver and Minnesota for Chauncey Billups and the rights to Tyson Wheeler - Jan. 21, 1999 (Grunwald) Why is this so high? Well, Billups - coming off a rough rookie season - wasnt exactly Mr. Big Shot yet and those first-rounders the Raptors got in return turned out to be pretty useful. The Nuggets pick - fifth overall in 1999 - was swapped for Antonio Davis, while Minnesotas produced Morris Peterson 21st overall in 2000. 8. Acquired Doug Christie and Herb Williams from New York for Willie Anderson and Victor Alexandar - Feb. 18, 1996 (Isiah Thomas) Christie, a Raptor for almost five seasons, helped bridge the gap between the Stoudamire (Thomas) and Carter (Grunwald) eras. An under-the-radar acquisition that produced one of the franchises most reliable, all-around performers. 9. Acquired Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter from Chicago for Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and Chris Jefferies - Dec. 1, 2003 (Grunwald) Grunwald had hoped the addition of Rose and Marshall could rejuvenate his sinking team and keep Carter happy in Toronto. Although things turned out differently, the two vets had productive, albeit brief Raptor tenures while Davis and JYD were expendable nearing the end of their careers. 10. Acquired Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a first and two second-round picks from New York for Andrea Bargnani - July 10, 2013 (Ujiri) The inevitable divorce. Still hard to believe Ujiri was able to snag three picks for the disgruntled Bargnani. Will be years before we know the value of them and can truly evaluate this deal. But, for now, getting basically anything for the former first-overall pick is cause for celebration. 11. Acquired Lou Williams and Lucas Nogueira from Atlanta for John Salmons and a second-round pick - June 20, 2014 (Ujiri) Still early but so far so good. Williams is in pre-injury form once again and should contend for a Sixth Man of the Year award before hitting free agency while the Hawks cut Salmons immediately to save some cash. 12. Acquired T.J. Ford from Milwaukee for Charlie Villanueva - June 30, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelo got the point guard he coveted in Ford, an important piece in Torontos first division title, while selling high on Charlie-Vs rookie season. 13. Acquired Kevin Willis from Houston for Roy Rogers and two first-round picks - June 9, 1998 (Grunwald) Like Oakley, Willis helped change the culture of a team on the rise, mentoring Carter and McGrady in their early years. Nothing came of the picks they gave up on the deal - Rockets selected Bryce Drew and Mirsad Turkcan. 14. Acquired Keon Clark, Tracy Murray and Mamadou Ndiaye from Denver for Kevin Willis, Garth Joseph, Alexandar Radojevic and a second-round pick - Jan. 12, 2001 (Grunwald) With the 38-year-old Willis serving his purpose, Grunwald exchanged him for a dynamic centre 13 years younger in Clark and two-time Raptor Tracy Murray. 15. Acquired Antonio Davis from New York for Jalen Rose and a first-round pick - Feb. 3, 2006 (Wayne Embry) Taking over for the recently dismissed Rob Babcock, Wayne Embry pulled the trigger on a move that would free up significant cap space for soon-to-be new GM Bryan Colangelo. Rose still had a full year on his deal while Davis contract - originally given to him by the Raptors - was set to expire. 16. Acquired Rasho Nesterovic from San Antonio for Eric Williams, Matt Bonner and a second-round pick - June 21, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelos second trade turned out to be a big step in his express rebuild. Nesterovic started 73 games for the division-winning Raptors club that year. Doubt anyone was sorry to see Eric Williams go. 17. Acquired Alvin Williams, Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, two firsts and one second-round pick from Portland for Damon Stoudamire, Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers - Feb. 13, 1998 (Grunwald) Inheriting the GM gig from Thomas, Grunwald made the best of a tricky situation after Stoudamire forced his hand in demanding a trade. Although Anderson refused to wear a Raptors jersey, he was immediately exchanged for an asset in Billups, while Alvin Williams blossomed into one of the franchises most important players. 18. Acquired Mike James from Houston for Rafer Alston - Oct. 4, 2005 (Rob Babcock) Babcocks only appearance on this list. Although it was mostly for naught - aside from earning him a big contract with Minnesota - James lone campaign in Toronto was one of the best single season performances in team history. 19. Acquired Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones from Phoenix for Hedo Turkoglu - July 14, 2010 (Colangelo) Ball. 20. Acquired Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley from Utah for Rafael Araujo - June 8, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelos first trade. He could have dumped Hoffa for Kim Kardashian and it would have made this list. Jack Armstrongs picks: 1. Vince Carter for Antawn Jamison 2. Kyle Lowry for Gary Forbes and a first-rounder 3. Antonio Davis for Jonathan Bender 4. Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray 5. Charles Oakley and Sean Marks for Marcus Camby ' ' '