The following letter from commissioner Mark Cohon was sent to CFL players on Wednesday. May 21, 2014 Dear CFL Players: On May 15, 2014, we presented your Executive Committee with a full and comprehensive offer that unfortunately was rejected. We believe that this offer is fair and reasonable, and we want to share its details with you. If ratified by the Players, the CFL offer would provide the following: Financial Terms - Increase the salary cap by 9% this season from $4,400,000 to $4,800,000 per team (and further increasing by $50,000 each year over the following five years to $5,050,000)- Effectively increase the average player salary up to 12% this season from $82,904 to $92,917 (and further increasing over the following five years)- Increase the minimum player salary by 11% this season from $45,000 to $50,000 (and further increasing to $55,000 over the following five years)- A further increase to the salary cap of $100,000 per team if the CFL receives more television revenue from TSN under a renegotiated broadcast agreement for each remaining year on the CBA- Maintain the $450,000 annual payment to the CFLPA for Player marketing and other rights This has been a long and difficult process for all involved. And when it comes right down to it, we just want to play. So, we have also offered to pay a ratification bonus of $3,000 to veteran Players and $1,000 to rookie Players (on a team roster as at June 22, 2014) if this agreement is ratified on or before June 2, 2014. Player Safety & Welfare - Immediately add two players to each teams Active Roster - Immediately restrict the number of contact practices during the regular season- Maintain 2013 CFL policy to restrict the number of contact practices during training camp- Maintain all current Player pension, medical plan and life insurance benefits- Maintain all CFL annual payments for Player counselling and rehabilitation support under the CFL-CFLPA Drug Policy On May 20, 2014 your Executive Committee provided us with their financial proposal in response to our offer. The CFLPAs financial proposal provides for a salary cap increase to $6.24 million in 2014, as well as approximately $240,000 per team per year in other monetary increases to pre and post-season compensation and pension plan contributions per year. From 2015 forward, significantly more would be added to salary cap based on a revenue sharing model. We advised the CFLPA in no uncertain terms that their proposal was not realistic, and would not form the basis for any financial settlement. In fact, it would threaten the very existence of the CFL. We have obviously rejected the CFLPA proposal today in negotiations, and we have told your Executive Committee that we are prepared to meet in bargaining at any time once they are prepared to discuss a fair and reasonable settlement that makes sense for both the Players and the League. Over the last five years, we have improved the foundation of our league. However, our work in this regard is not yet complete. Continued investment, focus and effort is required to achieve our vision of a strong, stable, and sustainable CFL. And while we remain mindful of the additional steps we must take, we also recognize the progress, together with the Players, that we have already made. And this progress is reflected in this offer. The CFL offer strikes an appropriate balance of, on the one hand, providing significant compensation increases and health & safety improvements to the Players while, on the other hand, creating an environment in which the League and its teams can continue to build for a strong and stable future. It provides a fair share to the Players, and helps us to effectively manage our businesses with a view to a strong future - for everyone. Over the last 25 years, with limited exceptions, CFL teams have either operated at a financial loss or struggled to generate even the slightest amount of profit. There are numerous factors that contributed to this, but central among them was the unbalanced relationship between revenues and all costs. Quite simply, the revenues being generated from the primary revenue streams of ticket sales, television, and sponsorships were insufficient to meet the essential operating requirements of the teams. Investments were needed in infrastructure (notably in stadiums and training facilities), and in modernizing our operations (i.e. developing our internet capabilities, and actively building competitive brands in our largest markets). However, without operating profits these investments were either insufficient, or not made at all, at both the League and team levels. A reasonable, fixed salary cap provides the foundation for a sensible business model. The League and teams have started to invest in their own futures. They have increased the skill and professionalism of their business leaders and staff, consistently and thoughtfully begun to strengthen their brands in their local markets, and have spent or committed $175 million in private money towards major stadium and infrastructure projects to create a modern CFL. Instead of reverting back to the days of old - limited investment, limited growth, significant instability, and a stagnant or declining business - we have a credible opportunity to boldly look to the future. In this new scenario, everybody ultimately wins. If you have any questions about this offer, please speak with your teams Players Association representative or a member of your Executive Committee. I want to thank you for considering this offer. This is not an easy process. The business side of football is never as much fun as the game itself. But we all share a responsibility to ensure that our league is strong for this generation of CFL fans and those that follow. Thank you for your consideration and your dedication to our League. Mark CohonCommissionerCanadian Football League Cionel Perez Astros Jersey . -- Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied the last three holes and five of the final six Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with Mi Jung Hur in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. Rusty Staub Jersey . Didnt need any help this time. Wood beat Cincinnati for the first time in his career, repeatedly pitching out of threats for seven innings, and Chicago stalled the Reds week-long surge with a 2-0 victory Monday night. https://www.cheapastros.com/. Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. Cheap Astros Jerseys . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. Brian Hunter Astros Jersey .com) - The Los Angeles Kings werent playing their best hockey before the league went on break during the Winter Olympics. FORTALEZA, Brazil -- The Confederations Cup has got the final nearly everyone wanted. The World Cup holder against the five-time world champion. The two-time European winners against the tournament host. Spains passing wizards vs. Brazils new star, Neymar. Spain came through an exhausting scoreless 120 minutes and then a penalty-kick shootout 7-6 over Italy in the semifinal Thursday and will face Brazil in Rio de Janeiros Maracana Stadium on Sunday to cap the World Cup warm-up tournament. "I think everybody was waiting for this Confederations Cup final to be Spain vs. Brazil," Spain captain Iker Casillas said. "I think the two teams that deserve to play the final are actually playing it." Jesus Navas scored the decisive penalty kick after a draining match made more difficult by heat and thick humidity. Nobody missed in the shootout until Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci shot over the bar to give Navas an attempt at the winner. The recently signed Manchester City midfielder coolly beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to end a top-class battle and send Spain to another major final. While calling his squad "lucky" to win, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was not about to concede the final due to fatigue -- even though Spain has one less day of rest than Brazil, which beat Uruguay 2-1 Wednesday. "We have to now consider what we have to do in the three days to recover. And we will definitely stand up to Brazil in the Maracana," the manager said. "The players should feel just as happy as kids playing in the Maracana. They have won a lot, but they want to win in the Maracana. Italys Emanuele Giaccherini hit a post in the 93rd minute and Buffon deflected Xavi Hernandezs kick off a post in the 115th. Those were the best chances in extra time, and then came 12 perfect penalties before Bonucci missed. "We were lucky in the penalty shootout," Del Bosque said. "It was a very difficult match for us. ... It was a marvelous team effort by both teams. It was a clean and sporting match that was played under very difficult climatic conditions.dddddddddddd" Spain, winner of the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, went second in the shootout. The 35-year-old Buffon and 32-year-old Casillas, among the worlds elite goalkeepers for more than a decade, exchanged handshakes with English referee Howard Webb before the shootout and then hugged each other. Antonio Candreva, Alberto Aquilani, Daniele De Rossi, Sebastian Giovinco, Andrea Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo all converted their kicks for the Italians. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Juan Mata and Sergio Busquets made their kicks for Spain. After Bonucci failed, Buffon dived to his right and Navas sent the kick past his outstretched arm. Spain beat Italy 4-0 in last years Euro final and defeated the Azzurri 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in the 2008 Euro quarterfinals. "We played a great match. We created and we conceded, but we were always in the match," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. "Theyre still ahead of us, but were improving. "In these conditions, between absences and fatigue, its nearly impossible to go all the way, but the guys really moved me." Italy, missing injured Mario Balotelli, dominated the first half. Spain, without injured Cesc Fabregas and Roberto Soldado, settled down and bolstered by the second-half insertion of Navas and Mata, wound up with 54 per cent possession and a 19-13 advantage in shots. Italy will face Uruguay in the third-place match in Salvador, also Sunday. Before kickoff, about 5,000 anti-government protesters battled police about 1 mile from the stadium. These were the latest in a series of nationwide protests that have hit Brazil since June 17. Demonstrators, expected to turn out again Sunday, are angered about corruption and poor public services despite a heavy tax burden. Protesters also are denouncing the billions of dollars spent to host the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio. ' ' '