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VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Lions made a tough decision to part ways with Geroy Simon prior to last season. When the 38-year-old retired earlier this month, it was an easy call to honour the CFLs all-time leading receiver as soon as possible. The Lions announced before Fridays 37-13 pre-season victory over the Calgary Stampeders that Simon will have his No. 81 added to B.C. Place Stadiums Ring of Honour this summer. "Its something thats very special and I appreciate it," said Simon. "This was home for a long time and its a place where I feel real comfortable so Im really happy and really honoured for the recognition." But while Simon is more than deserving, the speed at which it has come about is a bit of a surprise. B.C. traded Simon to the Saskatchewan Roughriders when it was decided his role would change with the Lions for the 2013 season. He went on to have modest numbers during the regular season with the Riders, but scored two touchdowns in the clubs Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Simon had indicated that he wanted to play one more season with either the Lions or Riders in 2014, but wasnt able to agree to terms with either club. "That was the plan but it just didnt work out," said Simon, who won the Grey Cup with the Lions in 2006 and 2011. "I wanted to play but I also didnt want to play anywhere else other than B.C. or Saskatchewan. I made that quite clear. When the decision was made that I wasnt going to come here I just said Im going to retire and move on." The Johnstown, Pa., native added that he doesnt hold any animosity towards the Lions for what transpired the last two off-seasons. "I think that takes more effort to be mad and hold a grudge," said Simon. "I move on. Im looking forward to my next career and Im happy with my decision and whatever else happens." Lions general manager and vice-president of football operations Wally Buono -- who made the call not to bring Simon back as a player -- said honouring him was "a no brainer." "I want to thank Geroy for making this happen because he could have been difficult to deal with," said Buono. "He was, as he always is, a great pro, a great human being." Now working as a scout for Saskatchewan, Simon was taken aback that his former club would reach out so quickly and honour him on July 25 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, coincidentally the team that gave him his start in the CFL. "It was totally unexpected. I didnt expect it," he said. "I was shocked but happy and pleased with the organization." On the field Friday, Lions quarterback Kevin Glenn finished 17 of 21 for 173 yards and a touchdown as he continues to look like the favourite to start the clubs opener on June 28 against the Edmonton Eskimos. No. 1 quarterback Travis Lulay did not take a snap in the pre-season as he continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery. Stefan Logan returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter as B.C. jumped out to an 18-0 lead after just 15 minutes, but Calgary quarterback Drew Tate led his team back in the second quarter to trail 21-13 at the break Lions rookie defensive back T.J. Lee had two interceptions -- including one that he returned 15 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the game out of reach at 31-13 -- while linebacker Solomon Elimimian added two interceptions of his own. In a battle to make the team, Lee made quite an impression in his final audition. "I just appreciate the opportunity of playing this game," said Lee, who could have had four interceptions on the night. "Im grateful." Lions head coach Mike Benevides, whose team will host this years Grey Cup game, definitely took notice. "I know theres going to be tough decisions," he said. "The process today was really good for us. Fast, aggressive defence." Tate -- who threw a TD -- and fellow Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell were both picked off twice, while reigning CFL most outstanding player Jon Cornish rushed for 33 yards on five carries early on before spending the rest of the night as a spectator. Prior to the game, Buono said there was nothing awkward when the Lions approached Simon about honouring his number, even though they dealt him prior to last season and declined to bring him back in 2014. "Its business. Nothing was done on a personal level. When you ask me who one of my all-time favourite players is, Im going to say Geroy," said Buono. "He was a tremendous warrior for us, a tremendous ambassador in the community. "It was tough last year. It was tough to cross that bridge that we had to separate with Geroy. It was tough to know that we were going to line up without Geroy." Simon had 1,029 career catches for 16,352 yards and 103 touchdowns with Winnipeg (1999-2000), B.C. (2001-2012) and Saskatchewan (2013). He was the CFLs most outstanding player in 2006 with 105 catches for 1,856 yards and 15 touchdowns, capping that campaign with his first of three Grey Cup titles. Buono, who coached Simon with B.C. during his prime, said he never changed who he was on or off the field. "He responded well to the challenges. The thing about players is you want them to be able to withstand the expectation and the pressure," he said. "When youre the No. 1 receiver year in and year out, theres a tremendous price to pay because everybodys on you, everybodys after you, defences are made to stop you but Geroy overcame all that. "He was always a guy that worked hard, was very humble, was great in the locker-room and was a superstar in the community." Simon said he now wants to build his front-office resume in hopes of one day running a CFL team. "In 10 years I see myself as being a GM or an president of an organization," he said. "I want to be running the show somewhere. "Im not done (winning Grey Cups). Im going to win a few more." Notes: Fridays attendance at B.C. Place was 26,445. ... The Stampeders open the regular season June 28 at home against the Montreal Alouettes. ... Tate finished 6 of 12 passing for 86 yards, while Mitchell completed 10 of 20 passes for 100 yards. Air Force 1 Green Sale . Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major. Sf Af1 Outlet .L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/fake-air-force-1-grey-outlet.html . They never thought it would take some blood, too. Kevin Love grabbed his 4,000th career rebound as part of a 19-point, 13-board effort to lead the Timberwolves over the Utah Jazz 112-97 on Tuesday night. Cheap Air Force 270 . 1. Did the Senators trade the wrong goalie? Lets make one thing clear: The Ottawa Senators acquired Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues for one reason and one reason alone. Air Force 1 Off White Cheap . Campbell, playing on loan with Greek club Olympiacos, found the net with a left-footed shot in the 44th minute off a pass from second-half substitute Jorge Rojas to open the scoring at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.(SportsNetwork.com) - Having lost consecutive starts for the first time this season, Toronto hurler Mark Buehrle watched on Tuesday as New York rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka passed him for the major league lead in victories. Buehrle will now try to join Tanaka in the 11-win club on Wednesday and even the Blue Jays three-game series with the AL East-rival Yankees. The resurgent Buehrle picked up his 10th win of the season on June 1, but followed up with a tough-luck 5-0 setback to St. Louis six days later as he was charged with just one run over seven innings. The lefty then struggled a bit in a 4-2 setback to Baltimore on Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk in 6 1/3 frames. The loss dropped Buehrle to 10-3 on the year with a 2.28 earned run average. "There were times I made a lot of mistakes, and they made me pay for them," Buehrle told Torontos official website, "and then I made a few good pitches, and they put the ball in play and got some base hits." Buehrle will need to avoid the mistakes tonight given his history with the Yankees. The 35-year-old has made 16 prior starts against them, going a mere 1-10 with a 6.02 ERA. Tanaka secured his major league-leading 11th victory with last nights 3-1 victory, settling down from allowing a solo homer to Jose Reyes on the games first pitch to shut down the Blue Jays for the rest of his six-inning performance. Tanaka struck out 10 batters and moved in line for the victory following Brett Gardners two-run homer off Toronto hurler Marcus Stroman in the third inning. Tanaka lowered his ERA to an AL-best 1.99 and he is second in the league with 113 strikeouts. "What hes done is remarkable," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi of Tanaka. "He has been a big part of our success this year and continues to grind out starts, make adjustments and give us distance. He wins." Derek Jetter and Kelly Johnson each had two hits and a run scored to help New York halt a two-game skid with its fifth victory in seven games.dddddddddddd The Yankees also moved to within 3 1/2 games of the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. With Tanaka leading the charge, Toronto hitters fanned a total of 15 times on the evening en route to their 14th consecutive defeat at Yankee Stadium, the longest active streak by one team at a particular venue. Stroman allowed just two runs, but lasted only 3 2/3 innings while throwing 98 pitches in Torontos seventh loss in 10 games. "We had some good at-bats, we hit some balls hard early on, and then it just disappeared," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons remarked. "(Tanaka) pretty much shut us down. But hes good. Theres a reason hes doing what hes doing." New Yorks 14-game home winning streak over the Jays is the longest by one team over another since Toronto topped Baltimore 16 straight times at Rogers Centre from 2009-11. The Yankees hope to extend that run tonight behind Chase Whitley, who takes the mound four days after his 25th birthday. Whitley opened his major league career with four straight no-decisions, failing to pitch longer than five innings in any of those outings. However, the righty has improved on that in back-to-back wins, logging seven frames to beat Kansas City on June 6 before pitching 7 2/3 innings in a 6-3 win over Seattle on Thursday. Whitley held the Mariners to a pair of runs on five hits while striking out six to zero walks, giving him a 2.41 ERA heading into his first ever meeting with the Blue Jays. Toronto is expected to have center fielder Colby Rasmus back in the lineup tonight for the first time since May 12 as he returns from a strained right hamstring. Rasmus, hitting .222 with nine homers and 19 RBI in 37 games, made his sixth and final rehab appearance on Tuesday with Triple-A Buffalo. ' ' '