, Coghlan singled and went to third on Justin Ruggianos single. Bruc

Theres a reason there hasnt been a meaningful work stoppage in pro football for almost 27 years, and its not because this is a sport where the players have nothing to complain about. The very nature of the sport makes it difficult - some might say near impossible - to keep players united during a work stoppage because work stoppages are always about making sacrifices in the short term to benefit in the long. And for a great number of players in a sport with short careers and non-guaranteed contracts, there is no long term. But perhaps even more difficult to overcome is the fact that in football a small number of players on every team are paid far more than the rest, especially the large number of players on every team who will earn at or near the league minimum. And it is those star players, who already enjoy the biggest paydays and the most job security, wholl gain the most as the result of a successful work action. Look at any roster in either the CFL or NFL and youll probably be surprised to earn how many players are earning at or near the league minimum, which this NFL season will ranges between $420,000 and $645,00 for players from zero to three years of service in the league. In the CFL, that figure will go from $45,000 to $50,000 for this season based on what the parties have agreed to so far during current CBA negotiations. Since payrolls for CFL teams arent public, lets use an NFL team as an example to illustrate the payroll dynamics in pro football, which are similar in both leagues, albeit on a different scale. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers enters this season with an average salary of $22 million, nearly double that of anyone else on the team. Among Packers currently under contract, there are only four with an average salary of more than $7 million season, and another four at more than $4 million. There are eight players listed at between $2 million and $4 million, and 67 whose average salary is less than $1 million, 49 of whom are due to earn less than $600,000. The numbers in the CFL are obviously smaller but the manner in which they compare to one another is similar, with star quarterbacks earning roughly $500,000 per season while a large portion of each roster earns less than $60,000 per season. The truth is that whatever gains are made for the players in either league usually mean the rich will get richer. For example, the NFL will operate this season with a salary cap of $133 million dollars. But if that figure was suddenly increased to $200 million, the primary beneficiaries would be the Peyton Mannings, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Bradys and Richard Shermans of the world, while the leagues rank and file would essentially remain un affected. Same thing in the Canadian Football League - where if the CFLPA were to get its wish and have the salary cap jump immediately from $4.4 million to $5.8, the benefits would go to players such Ricky Ray, Darian Durant and the rest of the players whom fans pay to see. Of course theres another dynamic in the CFL game that doesnt exist south of the border. And thats that starting Canadian players - the ones mandated by the leagues quota system - also stand to benefit handsomely from any increase because of the laws of supply and demand. But the question becomes how do you convince the great number of players earning at or near the league minimum - young American players or backup Canadians - to commit to a work stoppage when theres little or no chance many of them will benefit from it? Standing up for a much higher minimum salary might help boost support among the rank and file, but that never seems to be the priority in either league. And therein lies the challenge of trying to keep a union full of professional football players all on the same page during a negotiating process. Consider that, despite having the leverage of being able to shut down the most profitable sport in North America, NFL players werent much interested in testing the resolve of their membership by missing paycheques when the league locked out its players during the off-season three years ago. They settled before that could happen. In Canada, the CFLPA has made a lot of noise about being disappointed in the leagues various offers this spring. But it hasnt said anything about having all of its membership on side, or being unbreakable, or being willing to miss game cheques in order to reach their goals in negotiation. The truth is that if the CFLPA were to strike a portion of the season, a great number of players will never get that money back - even if the owners were to capitulate completely. Many would simply be out of the league before they could benefit or would be left to watch the windfalls go to star players while they continue to earn similar amounts. All of these dynamics play to the owners advantage. And in the CFL, where were talking about players needing money to simply pay for the cost of living, the advantage is even greater. Will we see a CFL players strike later this month? Perhaps while its just training camp being missed, when no one has to make a true financial sacrifice to benefit the group for the long term. But in a sport where the rewards of such an action are likely to wind up in the hands of a select few, expecting anything more may be asking too much. Jesse Lingard Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Steve Mason, Philadelphia (4) - Mason was brilliant all night long with save after big save on Benoit Pouliot, Carl Hagelin and Derick Brassard. 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Andreas Pereira Jersey .S. - Nova Scotias Mary Fay guaranteed at least one more match and a shot at the Canadian junior curling championships final on home ice.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- An error that let in a run, a two-run homer that turned things around. Jay Bruces introduction to first base ended up being a big hit. Bruce played first base for the first time since high school and committed an error that let in an unearned run Monday night, but later homered to help the Cincinnati Reds rally for a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a five-game series. "I ended up falling back on being a baseball player," Bruce said. "In the end, I drove in more than I let in. It was definitely fun. I felt bad about missing that ball. That was a tough play, but its a play I expect to make and should make." Billy Hamilton drove in a career-high four runs with a single and a bases-loaded triple. The Reds have won 11 of their last 16 games despite getting little production from injured first baseman Joey Votto, who had another test on his troublesome left thigh on Monday. The Reds were awaiting results before deciding whether to put him back on the disabled list. Mike Leake (7-7) gave up a two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo and an unearned run off Bruces error during seven innings. Leake is 8-2 in his career against Chicago, including 4-0 in his last four starts with a 1.71 ERA. After Bruces error let in a run that tied it 1-all in the fifth, he singled and scored on Devin Mesoracos double off Edwin Jackson (5-9). Bruce hit a two-run homer off left-hander James Russell in the seventh. Hamilton tripled home the three runs in the eighth. Chris Coghlan had four hits for the Cubs, who stranded six runners in scoring position. They had a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth when Skip Schumaker -- filling Bruces spot in right field -- nailed Welington Castillo as he tagged from third on a fly ball. Votto, the NLs MVP in 2010, has missed the last two games with a strained muscle above his left knee, an injury that sidelined him for 23 games starting in May. Hes batting only .250 with no homerss since his return.dddddddddddd. Bruce volunteered to move to first base to help the short-handed Reds, who have no experienced backup at the position. He was on the field four hours before the game taking grounders and getting tips on how to cover the base in various situations. "It was an experience, but one I hope I dont have to prolong," said Bruce, who expects to play first base occasionally. Bruce made a couple of nice plays on ground balls and plucked a low pickoff throw out of the dirt. His first error in the infield helped the Cubs tie it 1-all in the fifth. "I thought he did a good job," Leake said. "Its not easy for an outfielder to come in and play the infield like that." With two outs, Coghlan singled and went to third on Justin Ruggianos single. Bruce reacted slowly to Rizzos grounder toward the line, and it tipped off his glove for an error. "I thought he did a terrific job," manager Bryan Price said. "There was that one tough play that I didnt think was an error. I dont know if it was an error or not, but thats how they scored it. In the end, he just played the position and just did a terrific job." Bruces homer was his second in two days and his 49th off a lefty in the last five seasons, the most by any batter in the majors. NOTES: The game was delayed by rain for 21 minutes in the middle of the third inning. ... The teams play a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday, the first game making up for a rainout on April 28. The Cubs will go with LHP Travis Wood (7-6) and LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (0-0). Cincinnati will use Johnny Cueto (8-6) and LHP David Holmberg (0-0). ... Its the first time the Cubs and Reds have played a five-game series since 1999. ... Former Nasty Boys relievers Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers threw ceremonial pitches. Dibble had some history with the Cubs, plunking Doug Dascenzo in the back of the legs after his squeeze bunt during a game at Wrigley Field in 1991. ' ' '