They’re battered and bruised, and tied for last in the East Division standings. But Michael Fletcher said the Toronto Argonauts can’t afford to look past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Ticats (1-5), who’ve lost four-straight, will be without starting quarterback Casey Printers (thumb) and rushing leader Jesse Lumsden (ankle) when they face Toronto (3-3) at Ivor Wynne Stadium tonight.

Gio Gonzalez shook off a rude welcome to the major leagues and showed why he’s considered Oakland’s top pitching prospect.
But it still wasn’t enough to give the slumping Athletics a win, thanks to a stellar—and much-needed—performance from Toronto’s Shawn Marcum.
Rod Barajas hit a three-run homer, and Marcum pitched seven strong innings, as the host Blue Jays beat Oakland 5-1 last night to extend the Athletics’ season-long losing streak to nine games.

Jeff Karstens is showing the Pittsburgh Pirates he’s worth the player of the week they traded to get him.
The recently-acquired right-hander set down his first 23 batters and finished with a two-hitter yesterday afternoon in a 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since being traded to the Pirates, he’s thrown 15 scoreless innings against two first-place teams.
This masterpiece followed his debut—a 3-0 victory Friday over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“We knew what he was capable of doing,” Pirates’ manager John Russell said. “We had very good reports on him.

The Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship puts just as much stock in the live release of tournament fish as anglers do in catching them.
To ensure smallmouth bass are returned to the lake with the best possible care, an intricate system backstage at the annual tournament is carried out by dedicated volunteers headed by the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club.
This year saw only 23 bass die (out of 1,510) prior to release, whereas last year saw 83 deaths (out of 1,928 caught).

Aspiring players hoping to crack the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres’ roster will be looking to make a lasting impression this weekend.
Registration for the Sabres’ rookie camp, which costs $50, begins Friday at 1 p.m. Those interested are asked to bring work-out clothes as off-ice testing will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Then later that evening, Team #1 will practice at 6:15 p.m., followed by Team #2 at 7:15 and Team #3 at 8:15.
Full scrimmages will follow Saturday, with Game 1 at 9:15 a.m., Game 2 at 2:15 p.m., and Game 3 at 7:15 p.m.

FORT FRANCES—A message of hope and survival rode into town last Thursday afternoon when Dee Miller arrived in Fort Frances on the 52nd day of her 100-day biking tour around Ontario.
It’s a trek Miller is doing to reach people with information about “Renewed Strength,” a charitable organization that helps cancer survivors get physically mobile and active again after treatment.

All that’s missing now is the trophy that matters most.
Tyler Miller capped a stellar sophomore season in the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League by capturing the MVP award for his Port Hope Predators, but the trophy most on his mind now is the Dudley Hewitt Cup (awarded to the top Junior ‘A’ team in central Canada).
Miller tied for the team lead in points with 63 (though he did it in three less games than teammate Chad Dunlop). And along with Dunlop, he also led the OPJHL’s East division in scoring during the regular season.

Joanne Johnston has had her share of slips along the way, but she now can see the top of the mountain and would like nothing better than to take that last step and stay there.
The breast cancer survivor and local darts enthusiast has a new challenge in her life, which begins with her participation in the Professional Darts Corp.’s North American Pro Tour event on Aug. 17.

The Sight & Sound Wolves dropped a hard-fought 9-8 decision in Stratton on Tuesday night in Rainy River District Fastball League action.
“It was 6-6 going into the top of seven and Derek [McKinnon] hit a two-run homer to put us up 8-6 going to the last half-inning, but they put three runs through and that was it,” said pitcher Marcel Pagee, who suffered his first loss of the season.
“Just one of those games, I guess. My first loss,” he added.

Droves of people flocked to the big tent over three nights last week during the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship to see the bands.
This year’s numbers more than doubled last year’s night crowds, said FFCBC entertainment director Adam Armit.
“In 2007, the numbers were way down, and we really worked hard to get them back up this year,” he remarked.
Armit said he expects the difference in numbers to be upwards of 500 people or more by the time the final tallies are completed.