Saskatchewan

Baseball Brewers: Agreed to one-year contracts with P Ray King, P Kyle Peterson, P Rafael Roque and OF Lou Collier. Devil Rays: Signed P Ryan Rupe, P Dan Wheeler, OF Alex Sanchez and OF Randy Winn to one-year contracts. Indians: Agreed to one-year contracts with P Tim Drew, P Ryan Drese and IF-OF Jolbert Cabrera. Basketball Hornets: Activated F Lee Nailon. Magic: Signed G Cory Alexander for remainder of season. Pistons: Activated F Billy Owens and F Brian Cardinal. Placed F Kornel David on injured list with back spasms.

They have oral agreements, contracts in the mail and a roster in waiting.The Baltimore CFL Colts are assembling a team the hard way: piecemeal. An NFL castoff here, a Canadian Football League free agent there, a former college hero in between.Three weeks into the task of creating a 37-man roster that will compete in the CFL's Eastern Division, Don Matthews says there's plenty of talent to go around."We've got 64 commitments, and we'll bring in over 80 [for training camp in June]," the coach and director of football operations said yesterday.

The B.C. Lions lead the CFL in defense and distractions.Yesterday they mixed some intrigue into the simmering pot as well.Although coach Dave Ritchie said Kent Austin would start at quarterback this afternoon against Baltimore at Memorial Stadium, indications are that he will go with Danny McManus instead.On the subject of starting, Austin launched into his best backpedal."I'm a player," the eight-year veteran said after a walk-through at the stadium. "It's not my position to speak about personnel changes."

Jearld Baylis says experience is his greatest asset as a football player. In that case, it's not hard to understand why he is one of the Canadian Football League's best.The 6-foot, 245-pound nose tackle has played on a team (New Orleans Breakers) that relocated, in a league (USFL) that folded. He has retired and been traded and released in the CFL in a two-year span. And he developed gangrene when his appendicitis went undetected three years ago.Experience? There isn't much he hasn't seen as a pro, on or off the field.

To the folks out there who really believe that Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke had something to do with HTS' decision not to run Sunday's Baltimore-Saskatchewan CFL game out of a desire to eliminate 4 p.m. television competition, we offer a three-word, eight-letter proposal:Get a life!Mike Gathagan, media and public relations director for the CFLs, said the team and HTS had agreed on a seven-game telecast plan, but the regional pay-cable channel picked up an Aug. 10 contest against Hamilton that was not originally on the schedule.

REGINA, Saskatchewan -- Chris Wright consistently has let his actions speak loudly this year for the Baltimore Stallions.One of the reasons Baltimore has won 17 of 20 games and is headed to tomorrow's Grey Cup is the outstanding play of its special teams. Great field position has taken pressure off Baltimore's offense, thanks largely to Wright's kick-returning ability.All year, Wright has responded humbly to praise from coaches, teammates and reporters. But he had to speak up after he was denied Rookie of the Year honors at the CFL awards banquet Thursday night.

REGINA, Saskatchewan -- When he was young, Mike Pringle didn't dream of playing professional football, but he quickly found out how much he loved the contact that came with the game.So what if he was breaking the rules by hitting people. He couldn't help it, even at the age of 8."The first football trophy I ever got was in 1975, in a flag football league," said Pringle, 28. "I used to tackle people all of the time, and after that one year, they didn't want me to play anymore. I guess I was a little too physical."

REGINA, Saskatchewan -- Here on a prairie of Saskatchewan, in a mirrored hall hung with regimental streamers, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and a huge stuffed buffalo head, a young man in formation has just blotted his copybook. Badly. He has bent his elbows."Dixon, you lazy bum!" comes the bawl of an all-seeing drill instructor. "Go down and do 10. Nice and slow. Stay down and enjoy this."Thirty-two men drop headlong to the glassy gymnasium floor for a set of push-ups, while the hapless Mr. Dixon, whose mistake has led to the whole group's punishment, is left to wonder why he ever sought admission to Canada's top police training school, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy.

REGINA, Saskatchewan -- Jim Speros can't read.He thought his agreement with the CFL gave him the territorial rights to Hampton Roads, Va. Now he thinks his lease at Memorial Stadium gives him scheduling priority over an NFL team.He's wrong, on both counts.Perhaps Gov. Parris Glendening should present him with a pair of eyeglasses when they meet Tuesday, the better to help Speros discern fine print. That's about all the Stallions owner will get out of the state.Speros being Speros, he will not go quietly.

REGINA, Saskatchewan -- Stallions wide receiver Robert Clark greeted offensive tackle Shar Pourdanesh in the cramped, jubilant, champagne-soaked locker room of the Grey Cup champions."