, tackle-breaking best again when they move indoors at B.C. Plac

VANCOUVER -- For the underdog Winnipeg Blue Bombers to end their 21-year Grey Cup drought, the club is likely going to need Chris Garrett, a running back they didnt want until they found out how much they needed him. Linval Joseph Jersey . The 24-year-old, who was cut in training camp and then brought back into the fold, has been all the Blue Bombers could hope for after starter Fred Reid suffered a season-ending knee injury in September. Garrett dazzled in the Bombers 19-3 victory in the freezing cold in the East Division final against Hamilton, where he picked up 190 yards on 29 carries. The Blue Bombers will want him at his crashing, tackle-breaking best again when they move indoors at B.C. Place Stadium for the CFLs championship game Sunday against the B.C. Lions. "You always want the ball in your hands in any situation," Garrett said Wednesday as the Bombers practised for the first time in the refurbished domed stadium. "We have a great offensive line and they did a great job of putting people in places so I could find a hole." "I wasnt surprised. I thought I actually had a little more than was jotted down. But 190 yards, I guess thats a good performance." Garrett played five games for Winnipeg last season but was cut before the 2011 campaign even began. The Bombers brought him back even before Reid was hurt to provide depth at tailback and kick returner. He went home to Utica, N.Y., confident that someone, somewhere would want to sign him. He was glad it was the Bombers "I was at home working out and waiting for my opportunity," Garrett said. "It just happened that Winnipeg called. "I prepared myself and kept a positive attitude, and Im here now. It started with mother and father and immediate family. They always believed in me and said Keep your goals in mind and keep working toward them and thats what i did. I just kept a positive attitude and Im in the Grey Cup now." The five-foot-nine, 190-pound Reid blew out a knee against Toronto but still ended up sixth in the CFL in rushing with 759 yards. The Bombers didnt miss a beat with five-foot-eight 185-pound Garrett, who carried 92 times for 576 yards. His 6.3 yards per carry average was second only to Calgarys Jon Cornish (7.3 yards per carry) among regular running backs. "Theyre pretty similar in stature, but Chris maybe runs downhill a bit harder," quarterback Buck Pierce said of comparisons of the two stocky running backs. "Maybe Chris has a chip on his shoulder. "They released him. Hes a guy we brought in and let go and brought back. He plays with a passion right now that I think is great for our offence." Pierce said Garrett seems to get better the more work hes given. "The offensive line love him -- he never gets tackled by the first guy," he said. "Hes always going north-south." The Bombers ran the ball 40 times against Hamilton in the East final. The arctic weather had something to do with that, but in a league that feeds off the pass, the Bombers are one club thats happy on the ground. They will be up against a B.C. defence that allowed opponents a league-low 4.9 yards per carry. Winnipeg posted two wins over B.C., but they came early in the season when the Lions staggered out to a 1-6 start before finding their game. Both games were before Garrett rejoined the Bombers. "They have film on me and Ive seen film on them, so its an even field until we play on Sunday," said Garrett. Pierce knows about bouncing back from being cut. He was the Lions quarterback until he was let go after the 2009 season and then signed with Winnipeg. The injury-plagued quarterback played only three games before he was struck with a season-ending elbow injury, but he bounced back and managed to get through the 2011 campaign with only a few minor ailments. Lions coach Wally Buono said he was looking at consistency at the most important position on the field when he let go of Pierce, who he liked but felt was injury-prone. It was probably the right choice because since then yet another Buono-developed quarterback in Travis Lulay has emerged as an outstanding player candidate. Pierce has no hard feelings. "Nobody likes to be let go, but I understood the circumstances," he said. "My thing was just getting another shot. "I understood the B.C. Lions situation. They wanted consistency at that position. Thats what you need in this league. I wasnt happy about it, but I decided to go out and get a job, to earn what I knew I could get back. I landed in a perfect situation in Winnipeg." Pierce said he will not be seeking revenge against his former team in the Grey Cup game. "It doesnt matter who I play against," he said. "Im excited for our guys who have a chance to play in this game and win a Grey Cup." Kyle Rudolph Vikings Jersey . Now Samardzija has his second win in three starts for a team trying to turn around its season. Samardzija tossed seven solid innings, Junior Lake hit two home runs and Emilio Bonifacio added a two-run shot as the Cubs extended their winning streak to five with a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. Everson Griffen Jersey . Justin Dowling, Travis Morin and Francis Wathier also scored for the Stars (22-10-5), who bypassed Abbotsford for top spot in the West Division, and Mike Hedden tacked on two assists. Defenceman John Ramage was a team-worst minus-4 for the Heat (23-13-2), who dropped their fourth game in a row.TORONTO - The Raptors and Nets dont like each other, even after one playoff game that has been made abundantly clear. If youre looking to trace back that animosity, start with Torontos one-point victory at Barclays Center in late January. There was a playoff-type buzz in the building that night. DeMar DeRozan sat out with an ankle injury, Kyle Lowry and Paul Pierce both turned in playoff-type performances. There were 18 lead changes, nine ties and three technical fouls - on Lowry, Piece and Kevin Garnett - later, the Raptors stole the game, literally, as Patrick Patterson picked off a Deron Williams pass and hit the winner. "This is a team we could see in the playoffs," uttered multiple voices in both locker rooms and at that point we knew, somehow, some way it was bound to become a reality. Terrence Ross continued to foreshadow a couple days later, listing the Nets as a preferred playoff opponent. Andray Blatche was not amused. Meanwhile, the Nets also had Toronto on their wish list as they rested players and lost games to maximize the odds of this matchup coming to fruition. The Raptors were not amused, at least they shouldnt have been. Then the war of words started. "[Expletive] Brooklyn," yelled Raptors president, general manager and hype man Masai Ujiri as he addressed thousands of fans outside the Air Canada Centre prior to Saturdays Game 1. Reluctantly, he delivered a halftime apology, more for the choice of phrasing than the message itself. Hes not alone in that sentiment. "That should represent how we all feel," Dwane Casey said after his team fell victim to the veteran savvy of Brooklyn in the series opener. "I feel the same way and Ive got his back," added Greivis Vasquez. "We dont like any of them either. Thats how we all feel. All of us." Nets coach Jason Kidd said he didnt know who the Raptors GM was and on Sunday the barbs continued to fly. "Im shocked that Bryan Colangelo would say that," Pierce said to the New York Post, informed of what the opposing GM had to say the day before. Reminded that Ujiri replaced Colangelo in the Raptors front office last summer, as if he were somehow unaware, Pierce responded, "I dont know what youre talking about." Theres genuine hostility here. Its not manufactured, though the media has helped fan the flames. "Raptors vs. Dinosaurs," read the Toronto Sun cover on game day, poking fun at the age of Pierce and Garnett. "Dont F*** With Bklyn," the New York Daily News shot back 24 hours later. This has the makings of a competitive, heated series, but rivalry? "I dont think its a rivalry at all," Kyle Lowry said following a Sunday afternoon practice session outside of the Raptors gym on the third level of the ACC. Hes right. Neither team will call this a rivalry and neitheer should.Captain Munnerlyn Vikings Jersey. Territorially, the Nets and the Knicks are natural adversaries, while the Nets - especially with former Celtics Pierce and Garnett on board - have their sites set on throwing down with the Heat, who they defeated four times this season. The Raptors? They dont have a rival. Thats the unfortunate reality of qualifying for the playoffs six times in 19 seasons. For the bulk of their existence, and especially during a recent five-year postseason layoff, theyve been their own worst enemy. "I dont know," said Casey, "rivalry?" "I think the whole Atlantic Divisions a rivalry, the Eastern Conference. We havent got to the spot yet where we can say, Hey, theyre a rival. New Jerseys been to the Finals before, we havent. A lot of teams in our division have been there, where were trying to get to. Weve got to earn that." Thats their focus right now, as it should be. Earning it. The Raptors lost Game 1, not because of Ujiri, not because of anything that was said or done off the floor. They lost because they were outplayed by a team that was not fazed by the moment, by their surroundings. The ACC was electric on Saturday and the sellout crowd did their part, and then some. The building looked and sounded like the "living hell" that Ujiri has called for over and over again. Chants of "Nets suck" and "KG sucks" rang down from the stands throughout the afternoon. Is Toronto a basketball town? It sure seemed like it for three hours but one thing is for certain, its a sports city and as such, it craves that rivalry. It still boos Vince Carter, it still shows up to jeer the Knicks, a former playoff foe from the Raptors "glory days". It would like nothing more than to believe that Brooklyn is the enemy, and for at least three more games they will be. Then what? It depends on what happens here. Rivalries are made in the playoffs and a long, emotional, drawn-out series, almost regardless of the result, would go a long way in prolonging the underlying hatred between these two clubs. For now its being put to the side, at least in the Raptors locker room, where bouncing back and evening the series is now a top priority. Aside from a brief quip to lead off his media scrum - "I promise you I wont have any profanity" - Casey wanted no part in discussing Ujiris controversial speech from the day before. Neither did his players. A war of words may not lose them this series, but it wont win it either. On Sunday the message was clear; a little less conversation, a little more action, please. "This is about basketball," said the Raptors coach. "All that stuff has happened." "All the other stuff, what was said, its about basketball. Its about screening. Its about finishing plays. Its about executing defensively. I dont want to get off on another tangent." ' ' '