Sports Canadian Olympians to get Cash for Medals By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor Ty Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has started a “cash for medals” program designed to add_ extra motivation for winning among Canada’s Olympic athletes. Gold medalists will get $20,000, silver medal winners will receive $15,000, and those who capture the bronze medal will pick up $10,000. Winning athletes will be rewarded financially for every medal they win; so multiple winners will receive multiple cash payments. Canada’s successful Olympic athletes will receive their financial benefits through the Canadian Excellence Fund, as Canada joins nations such as Australia, Japan, China, the US, and Lithuania in paying their stars. The United States pay their athletes $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for a silver, and $10,000 for a bronze. At the last Olympic games in Italy, Italian athletes who brought home a gold medal were paid a whopping $108,000. The new program works on a four- year period. In the first two years before an Olympics, an athlete who finishes in the top five at a premier event for his or her sport, such as a World Championship track meet, will be given $5,000. In the year directly preceding the games, athletes must place in the top four to get the $5,000. All winning athletes from all sports are eligible for the new payment plan, but the new deal is especially lucrative for swimmers. In addition to the money they will receive from the COC Excellence Fund, successful Canadian swimmers will get extra money after it was announced that Swimming Canada had partnered with Speedo. Speedo will award gold medal winning swimmers an additional $50,000, while silver medal winners will get an extra $10,000, and bronze medalist swimmers will be awarded $5,000. All of the money will be provided entirely by Speedo. Many athletes met the new program with wild and enthusiastic support. Some of the critics of the new plan were dismayed that the monetary awards would take away the desire to win solely for the purpose of winning. Others have stated that by giving money to winners detracts from funding that would otherwise be devoted to team sports. A-Rod Wins MVP By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor Ax Rodriguez, without a doubt the greatest baseball player in the world today, won his third American League Most Valuable Player award on November 19, receiving 28 of the 30 possible first-place votes. A-Rod had a spectacular season with the New York Yankees. He set a Yankees record for home runs while leading the American League with 54. He also led the AL in RBIs (156), slugging percentage (.645), total bases (376), and times on base (299). This past season, Rodriguez became the youngest player in history to hit 500 home runs, finishing this year with 518. A-Rod set another important record when he became the first player in history to have 10 consecutive seasons with 35 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBI’s. He also became just the fifth baseball player in MLB history to have a season where he had 50 home runs, 150 RBI’s, and a grand slam. Aside from the MVP trophy, A-Rod capped off the year with a 2007 Silver Slugger award, his ninth. Rodriguez becomes just the fifth player to win three AL MVP awards. The AL batting title winner, Detroit’s Maggilo Ordonez, came a distant second in the MVP vote, getting the two first place ballots that Rodriguez missed. The right-fielder led the American League with a .363 batting average. In the National League, Philadelphia Philies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was named AL MVP. The 28- year-old leadoff man beat out Colorado Rockie’s left-fielder Matt Holiday in a close vote. Rollins also won the Golden Glove award in a season that included 30 home runs, 94 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. Throughout his future Hall-of-Fame career, Rodriguez has amassed numerous accolades and accomplishments. Aside from being a three-time AL MVP and a nine-time Silver Slugger winner at multiple positions, he has also won the Sporting News outstanding player award this year, the same award he won in 2002. Rodriguez is a_ ten-time American League all-star, and was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 1994 entry draft. He won the AL home run title five times, and the AL RBI title twice. Rodriguez not only had a tremendous statistical season, but he proved to be a true Yankee. Reports had surfaced that Rodriguez had become disillusioned with New York and craved a way out of the city. These rumors were further compounded after Rodriguez opted out of the final three years of his deal, forfeiting $92 million. However, soon after the MLB free agency period began, Rodriguez went to Yankees management without his agent Scott Boras. Yankees management has now blacklisted Boras. Rodriguez has recently completed a new ten-year contract with New York worth $272 million. Boras had aggressively sought a ten-year pact for his superstar client that would pay Rodriguez $350 million. However, A-Rod admitted that was too much for any team to afford and still be successful, so he signed for $68 million less. In other baseball news, The Boston Red Sox resigned World Series MVP Mike Lowell, 33, to a three-year contract for $37 million. Lowell decided to remain with the World Series Champions despite being offered a four-year, $50 million from the Philadelphia Phillies. The New York Yankees have agreed to terms with star closer Mariano Rivera, who has accepted a three year deal for $45 million, making him the highest paid closer in baseball. Rivera, 37, is debatably the best closer in baseball playoff history, and is famous for his trademark “cutter” pitch. The Chicago White Sox traded John Garland to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Golden Glove winning shortstop Orlando Cabrera. The Atlanta Braves have inked pitcher Tom Glavine to a one-year, $8 million deal. Glavine is a ten-time all- star, who returns to the Braves at 41 years old after five seasons with the New York Mets. In a major free agent signing, The LA Angels of Anaheim have inked centerfielder Torii Hunter to a five-year, $90 million deal. Hunter leaves the Minnesota Twins after 11 seasons. At the end of this past season, Hunter was awarded his seventh consecutive Golden Glove decoration. Hunter hit three grand slams and made the 2007 all-star game, also winning the 2007 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.