HAMILTON, Ont. Rya... Shazier Elite Womens Jersey . -- After four straight last-place finishes in the East Division, the Tiger-Cats served notice in 2009 that they were a CFL franchise on the rise. Hamilton made it to the division semifinal the last two years but came up short on both occasions. It was a bitter pill for football fans in Steeltown who have been clamouring for the Ticats to make a playoff run and return to the Grey Cup for the first time since their last title win in 1999. Tiger-Cats general manager Bob OBillovich is confident his team can get over the first-round hump this season. "I feel really good about this year," he said Wednesday on a conference call. "Honestly, there are just some special vibes that I think are going on." The Ticats made some big changes after dropping a 16-13 decision to the Toronto Argonauts in the East semifinal last fall at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton made a big splash early in the free agency season by signing star tailback Avon Cobourne, the MVP of Montreals Grey Cup victory in 2009. That made running back DeAndra Cobb expendable, and he was released after Cobournes arrival. The Tiger-Cats also added linebacker Renauld Williams, running back Daryl Stephenson and offensive lineman Wayne Smith and released veteran linebacker Otis Floyd and kicker Sandro DeAngelis. Several key players signed contract extensions, including linebacker Markeith Knowlton -- the leagues top defensive player last year -- along with receiver Arland Bruce III, linebacker Jamall Johnson and quarterback Quinton Porter. The Grey Cup champion Alouettes are still the team to beat in the East but the Tiger-Cats appear to have a solid foundation in place. Starting quarterback Kevin Glenn is coming off a big 5,000-yard season and leads a veteran cast that also includes centre Marwan Hage, slotback Dave Stala and defensive end Stevie Baggs. "I think Im more excited about this season than any of the seasons since Ive been here," said OBillovich, who became GM in 2007. "Ive got a sense about this team thats being developed. Weve had some good off-season signings with free agents. "Weve improved our roster in a lot of different areas." Marcel Bellefeuille returns as head coach and he has some new faces on his staff. Former Calgary Stampeders defensive backs coach Corey Chamblin is the new defensive co-ordinator and Khari Jones was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive co-ordinator. And after four seasons in Saskatchewan, Joe Womack was hired as assistant general manager and director of player personnel. "Its been a process," OBillovich said of all the changes. "I think weve continued to improve each season. Our ultimate goal is to win the Grey Cup. I feel this year that were getting closer to doing that." The Tiger-Cats open their season at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 1. Notes: Renovations to Ivor Wynne Stadium are expected to be completed by the 2014 season. Plans include the complete reconstruction of 15,000 seats in the south stands and a 10,000-seat renovation in the north stands. ... The CFL club has joined forces with UFC fighter Mark (The Machine) Hominick. The featherweight from Thamesford, Ont., wore a Ticats hat at UFC 129 last month in Toronto. Hominick will be featured at "MMA Night" on July 16 when the Ticats host Saskatchewan. ... Hamilton signed five import defensive backs on Wednesday. Francis Adjei, John Destin, Terrance Lee, Pierre Singfield and Marcell Young will join the team at rookie camp next week. . Valpo (22-10), the fourth seed in this years event, also saw Cory Johnson and Howard Little score in double figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively. The ninth-seeded Penguins (9-21) were paced by Damian Eargle with 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. [url=http://www.steelersproshop.us.com/Womens-Franco-Harris-Authentic-Jersey/]Fr... Harris Elite Womens Jersey . The Vancouver Canucks made themselves better this year by improving their defence and adding depth on their third line. h... . GTA Sports & Entertainmnent is the group looking to build an NHL-sized arena north of Toronto. In September, they proposed a new funding formula that would see no public money used towards the construction of the building. [url=http://www.chargersproshop.us.com/Womens-Brandon-Flowers-Authentic-Jersey/]... Flowers Womens Elite Jersey . Sacco inserted little-used Mark Olver into the lineup, and the forward had a goal and an assist to help spark Colorados rally in the third period that beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Wednesday night. Warren Moon Jersey . Hes also one win away from a trip to the Winter Games. The reigning Canadian champion remained undefeated at 6-0 with a 5-4 victory Thursday night over veteran Kevin Martin, clinching a spot in Sundays final of the Canadian Olympic curling trials.(Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles have had plenty of success in the past year at Yankee Stadium and on Sunday will try to win another series against their American League East foe. Watch the Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball on TSN2 starting at 8pm et/5pm pt. The Os, who have captured eight of their last 12 in the Bronx, will have Wei- Yin Chen on the mound Sunday when they try to capture a third consecutive series against a division rival. Baltimore has already won series against Tampa Bay and Boston this year. Chen is coming off a loss to the Red Sox on Monday. The left-hander allowed five hits and three runs over 6 1/3 innings. Hes 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees. The Yankees will counter with 38-year-old right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, who pitched 5 1/3 innings Monday in a win at Cleveland. Kuroda gave up five hits and three runs in the 11-6 triumph. Hes 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in two games against the Orioles. On Saturday, Ryan Flaherty, Nick Markakis and Nolan Reimold homered to fuel Baltimores 5-3 win. E. J. Manuel Jersey. J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones also each drove in a run for the Orioles, who dropped a 5-2 decision in Fridays opener. Nate McLouth finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored once. Jason Hammel (2-1) worked six innings for the win, allowing eight hits and three runs -- two earned -- with four strikeouts. Jim Johnson turned in a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. "He threw a lot of strikes, threw enough breaking balls, got some big outs," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner each went deep for the Yankees, while Phil Hughes (0-2) was charged in defeat for nine hits and five runs with two walks over three-plus frames. "I rely on the fastball and it rides up in the zone sometimes," Hughes said. "I just have to make sure I locate it. When I dont locate it the ball tends to go in the air instead of on the ground." Lyle Overbay added an RBI single in defeat. The teams split 18 meeting last regular season. ' ' '