counselling and working on some of the issues they have," Diamondstei

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. Jordan China . This week, they discuss Chad Johnson signing in Montreal, RA Dickeys excuses, Marc Bergevins dance moves, and the NCAAs decision to provide meals to athletes. Dave Naylor, TSN 1050 My thumb is up to the Montreal Alouettes who this week signed former NFL star Chad Johnson - aka Ochocino - despite the fact he is 36 and hasnt played in the NFL since 2011. Why is my thumb up when so few ex-NFL stars ever succeed in Canada? Well, because theres really no down side to it. If Chad Johnson is truly as motivated and well-conditioned as he claims ... then hell be a welcomed addition to the Als and the CFL. And if hes not, well, hell be gone. Montreal has proven no one makes its team based on whats on the back of the jersey - just ask Ahman Green, Dominic Rhodes and others the Als signed - and then cut, when they couldnt cut it against CFL competition. Will Chad Johnson be the exception to the rule? At least it should be fun finding out. Huit-cinq anyone? Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is down to RA Dickey, the erstwhile Blue Jays ace, the former Cy Young award winner who seems to lead the Major Leagues in just one category - excuses. With RA, theres always something. Something wrong. Its either too cold or its too hot. The roof at Rogers Centre is either open or closed. The wind is blowing in or its blowing out. Its day or its night. Everything, it seems, affects the knuckleball. He would be one of the three bears of pitching but with him, its not often just right. Dickey has made four starts for the Jays in this young season, and he already owns a 6.26 earned run average. Im sure he has a plausible explanation for that: I just dont want to hear one. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is up to Marc Bergevin, Canadiens general manager and dancin fool. After Montreals Game 1 overtime win in Tampa, cameras caught Bergevin doing a shimmy and a shake, touching off a dance craze now known as the Marcarena. Somehow I cant imagine Bergevins predecessors, Pierre "go go" Gauthier and disco Bob Gainey, men who were neither hip nor hop, busting moves in a luxury box. But thats Bergevin, who has been blessed with a sense of fun. When he played, he would often check into hotels as Denis Lemieux, the goalie from Slap Shot. Maybe Bergevin should switch aliases - to Mikhail Baryshnikov. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is down to NCAA President Mark Emmert, who congratulated himself and his organization for changing a dumb rule that used to prevent schools from providing meals to athletes, but allowed snacks. As Emmert pointed out, a bagel was considered a snack unless it had cream cheese on it, and then it was considered a meal. Well, maybe my thumb should be up to Emmert and the NCAA for giving their heads a shake, but no, its down for looking at what they can and cant provide to the athletes and thinking that the term "meal-ticket" actually and only refers to food. Never mind cream cheese, they should spread some money around, too. Air Jordan Discount . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Cheap Air Jordan Free Shipping . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process.MAYS LANDING, N.J. -- Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice pleaded not guilty Thursday to assault charges stemming from an incident with his then-girlfriend in an Atlantic City casino elevator. His lawyer said Rice is "ashamed" and "sorry" about his conduct but would not specify exactly what Rice did. After the five-minute court hearing, Rice applied for New Jerseys pretrial intervention program, which allows for charges to be dismissed against first-time offenders who participate in the program and meet certain conditions. The county prosecutor will decide whether Rice is allowed to enter the program. If not, prosecutors have offered Rice a plea bargain that would spare him jail time if he participates in anger management counselling. "Hes ashamed of his conduct and hes sorry for what he did," attorney Michael Diamondstein told reporters outside the courthouse. "There was a disagreement between him and his wife," Diamondstein said. "He made a mistake. He loves Janay and wants to move forward. This was a momentary lapse of reason." Security video obtained by TMZ Sports shows Rice removing the motionless body of Janay Palmer from an elevator at Revel Hotel Casino on Feb. 15. She did not comment as the two walked into the courthouse. The couple married a day after Rice was indicted. If convicted, Rice could face three to five years in prison. The former Rutgers star walked to the courthouse holding hands with Palmer. He said he is a "happy father and a happy husband.&quuot; When asked by reporters what he hoped would happen, Rice responded, "for you all to have a blessed day. Clearance Air Jordan Store. quot; Originally, Palmer and Rice were charged with simple assault, but the Atlantic County prosecutors office reviewed the case and dropped the charge against Palmer. A grand jury lodged the more serious charge of aggravated assault against Rice. Through her lawyer, Palmer has indicated she does not want the case to proceed. But prosecutor Diane Ruberton said Palmers co-operation is not crucial to it. "Im confident with the evidence we have that I could secure a conviction at trial, with or without her," Ruberton said. She said prosecutors have additional video evidence beyond what was published by the website, but she would not describe its contents. Ruberton said Rices celebrity played no role in the case, adding that plea deals are routinely offered to defendants charged with third-degree crimes, as is the case with Rice. Diamondstein said he expects a decision on whether Rice will be allowed into pretrial intervention within the next few weeks. "Hes an excellent candidate for it," he said. "Hes just a high-character individual. Hes a good guy." The conditions of pretrial intervention would include staying out of trouble for a year, as well as undergoing counselling and remaining gainfully employed, the attorney said. "Theyve been going to counselling and working on some of the issues they have," Diamondstein said. "Theyre very happy." ' ' '