1 » ters. Tonight was different. I made a consc

Ive been telling anyone who will listen that Henry Burris is playing the best football of his career the last two years. I think its only fitting to reflect on what has transpired over the last couple of seasons and why hes now at the top of his game. It was only two years ago, about this time of the season, when things started going south and unraveling in a hurry for the likable quarterback. Burris was in a Calgary uniform for seven productive seasons guiding the Stampeders offence but that privilege ended abruptly, as he was replaced by the young and promising quarterback, Drew Tate. You could tell that Henry had lost his edge and that something was missing. What that missing ingredient may have been, we may never know. But a change of environment is often times exactly what a player needs in order to regain his form and focus. In the case of one Henry Burris, his move to Hamilton and his history with then head coach and offensive coordinator George Cortez proved to be extremely important. The magic was back once again. The two were together in 1998 and 1999 when Cortez taught Burris the ropes in the CFL, and established a trust factor and relationship. It just so happened that 1999 was the year I had the good fortune to join my new team, TSN. I found myself in the press box in Montreal doing color for the very first time and who was making his first career start in the CFL? “Smilin Hank.” I can assure you on that day “Smilin Hank” was much better in his first start than I was. He lit it up that day and gave an entire country their first glimpse of his special skill set and style of play. He had a cannon for an arm and tremendous ability to run with the football; he was elusive and could make something out of nothing. He was a magician Back then, Cortez established the line of scrimmage with a solid run game and then utilized Burris bazooka with play-action passes. This allowed the strong-armed gun slinger to pump the ball deep down field when the defence overcommitted to stopping the run. He looked crazy comfortable that day. His numbers that day: 19-28 for 269 yards and two TDs to no interceptions, and six carries for 45 yards for a QB efficiency rating of 122.5. Safe to say, Burris certainly set the table for a storied career. From cutting his teeth in Calgary for two seasons, taking over as the Rider Nations quarterback in 2000, chasing an NFL career in 2001-2002, back to Saskatchewan for two more seasons, to his special seven-year run in Calgary, Burris consistently made the impossible look possible, and endeared himself to all. But something had gone terribly missing those last few weeks in Calgary and his second go-round with Cortez in Hamilton would produce the player I first saw way back in that Montreal press box. The combination was once again explosive as Burris established career highs with 43 touchdown passes to only 18 interceptions to go along with his never-ending ability to hurt opposing defences with his legs (45 carries for 343 yards). You could almost see the chip on his shoulder every time he took the field in 2012. The fire and focus was back and the magic returned. I know that the only statistic that matters to Burris is the number of team wins at the end of the season, and in 2012 six was not enough! Ultimately, six wins was not good enough for Cortez to keep his job either as he was replaced by another offensive guru, Kent Austin this past off-season. Ooooooohhh, the anticipation of having these two exceptional football talents together in Hamilton was almost too much for Ticat faithful to handle. Well the “Super Pairing” has not disappointed! Austin continues to challenge the 14-year veteran quarterback to hone his skillset even more; get his blade even sharper. Watching these two work together this season has been extremely gratifying and a lesson in the importance of the little things/ Details, details, details. Its all in the details. Why? Because when you concentrate on fundamentals, pay attention to the smallest aspects of your technique, put in unprecedented effort towards excellence, good things will happen. The magic will return. I know what its like to be learning in years 13 and 14 of your career. I had to learn the “Run and Shoot” offence in my 13th year playing professional football. Its a beast and yet an exhilarating experience. It was my fifth offensive scheme to digest as a pro quarterback, so no big deal there – I knew the game inside and out, offensively and defensively – so it was just a matter of going back to the basics and burying myself in the fundamentals once again. Subjecting yourself to the learning and teaching process is an extremely important aspect of it all. It can be very humbling! A huge motivator in all of this is you are with new teammates. You want to produce as anticipated and deliver on expectations from an established reputation. You have a unique chance to work with a clean slate and continue to reinvent and write the next chapter in your career. Like I said, its a huge motivator! Ive seen it all year and the outcome of this renewed focus has been special. Enjoy the brilliant show folks, because I know for fact every time Burris takes the field hes giving his team a chance to win and it could be his last. For all the CFL, Ticats, and Burris fans out there, I hope not, because the MAGIC is back! Ready Break!!! Juan Fernando Quintero Colombia Jersey . Manager Ryan Nelsen has confirmed Brazilian No. 1 Julio Cesar will be rested for Wednesdays first leg of the semifinal. That opens the door for Bendik, who started 33 games for Toronto last season. Mateus Uribe Colombia Jersey . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. http://www.nationalcolombiafootball.com/carlos-sanchez-moreno-colombia-jersey/ . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend. Abel Aguilar Jersey .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005. Luis Muriel Jersey . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. SAN ANTONIO -- After nearly falling on their face in the opening round of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs found their footing Tuesday night and ran the Portland Trail Blazers off the court. Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. "Hes been doing that for a lot of years," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Its nothing different. Hes the guy thats our attack guy. (He) creates for everybody and starts the offence. Hes also played very good defence this year and most people dont really see that." Parker, who had 32 points in Game 7 against Dallas, scored 13 points in the first quarter on a series of drives and capped it with a corner 3 as San Antonio built a 10-point lead 8 minutes into the game. The Spurs never led by less than 20 in the second half. "They did what championship teams do," Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said. "They came out and set the tone early. Most of the guys on (Portlands) team havent even been in the second round and theyve won championships. Theyve been here. I think they definitely came out and they let us know how its going to be." Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and Tim Duncan added 12 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. More importantly for the Spurs, their bench contributed mightily after being virtually nonexistent in the series against Dallas. Marco Belinelli had 19 points and the Australian connection of Aron Baynes and Patty Mills had 10 points apiece. "We came out swinging, caught them with a few early punches and they were on their back heel at that point," Baynes said. "It was good for us that we came out like that but now we have to maintain it." The Spurs had their most complete game of the post-season, playing with the flair and fluidity that resulted in the leagues best regular-season record. "I think Game 7 (against Dallas) gave us a lot of confidence for our team," Parker said. "I think team wise we played our best game in Game 7. I think tonight was a little bit of the same thing. Defensively, it was one of our best games because Portland has a lot of shooters, a lot of scorers." Portland, meanwhile, didnt come close to resembling the confident and sharp-shooting group that upset Houston in the opening round. Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds and Damian Lillard had 17 points for Portland, but the All-Star duo combined for just 17 points in the first half as San Antonio built a 26-point lead. "They knew where we were going to do (plays)," Aldridge said. "They tried to deny guys on certain sets. They tried to force guys to their weak hand. They did what good teams do. I think guys are going to learn from it." Lillard was pushed out of the paint by 6-foot-7 Leonard early in the game and was nearly knocked off his feet defensively by a series of blistering picks. It wasnt any easier physically for Aldridge, who opeened the game shooting 1 for 5 against Tiago Splitter and Baynes.dddddddddddd "The first half was not what we were looking for," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "San Antonio really came out with a lot of energy and aggressiveness. They were the more aggressive team at both ends of the floor for the whole half." Splitter had an early steal on a pass to Aldridge and nearly had a second when he poked a dribble away as the 6-11 forward attempted to push his way into the block. Splitter hit the court in a failed attempt to keep the ball from going out of bounds, but it mattered little as the tone had been set for a long night for Aldridge and the Trail Blazers. Duncan left the game with 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls, but the Spurs increased their lead in his absence thanks to big contributions from reserves. Baynes had an immediate impact after playing only the final 6 minutes of San Antonios Game 7 victory over Dallas. He scored four points quickly and continued the physical defence against Aldridge that Splitter established. "He was awesome," Duncan said. "He gave us some great minutes. He came in there with his big body, made some plays for us, made some shots, cleaned up the glass. He did everything he was asked to do. It was great." Belinelli finished 3 for 5 from 3-point range, leading the Spurs bench to leap to their feet in loud celebration after the Italian guards struggles in the opening series. After going just 4 for 7 on 3-pointers against Dallas, Belinelli opened the game by hitting his first three attempts from long range. "Ball movement was good," Parker said. "Dallas made a conscious effort to stay on our shooters. Tonight was different. I made a conscious effort to find Marco. I talked to Pop. We wanted Marco to be back in the series, be back in the playoffs. I was trying to call his number and look for him a lot. Tonight I think half my assists were to Marco." The Spurs scored the opening eight points from close range as Portland missed its first six attempts from a variety of spots on the court. NOTES: San Antonio and Portland had not met in the playoffs since the Western Conference finals in 1999, when Sean Elliott made a dramatic 3-pointer with 9 seconds remaining to win Game 2 and spark a series victory. Dubbed the "Memorial Day Miracle," Elliott made the game-winning shot after catching a pass, turning with his heels hovering above the out-of-bounds line and firing a high-arcing shot over a hard-charging Rasheed Wallace. The Spurs would go on to win their first NBA title that season. ... Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was in attendance as was NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein, who was dressed in his trademark leather outfit and hat. ... Ginobili was issued a technical foul by Tony Brothers after slamming the ball to the court following a travelling violation with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter. ... Entering the series opener, Duncan had played as many post-season games (218) as the entire Portland roster. ' ' '