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From John Ferguson Jr. Clearance Basketball Shoes Online . to Cliff Fletcher (part II) to Brian Burke to Dave Nonis, the annual free agent frenzy has been nothing short of a recurring nightmare for Maple Leaf general managers (recent) past and present. Each and every July 1st signing has brought with it excitement and all too large expectations only to fizzle into one pricey disappointment after another. Now helming another rebuild in Calgary, Burke often described the day in disastrous terms for the NHLs management community, decrying the slew of exorbitant contracts with "unrealistic values and unrealistic term…that bite you right in the butt at some point". Value, all too important under the confines of a cap system and best found in homegrown products, is never harder to find than on July 1st – a day that sees the contracts get larger and sillier with each passing year. It began in earnest for the Leafs shortly after the outset of the cap era in the summer of 2006. John Ferguson Jr., fighting for a job that would soon run its course, plugged two holes on the Toronto defence that July with a pair of expensive free agent additions. Formerly a member of Tampas Cup winning squad in 2004, Pavel Kubina was inked for four years and $20 million and Hal Gill, once a towering defender in Boston but far less effective under the free-flowing rules of the league post-lockout, raked in more than $6 million for three years. Both were overpaid from the outset – especially in the case of Kubina, one of many to struggle under the weight of an onerous contract – and both were eventually traded. 2007 Jason Blake came next. Scoring more frequently as an Islander in 2006 than at any other point in a 13-year career, Blake – age 33 – signed with the Leafs for five years and $20 million in the last significant move of the Ferguson Jr. era. Blake, predictably, could not live up to the expectations of such a large contract, never coming close to 40 goals again; he was dealt to Anaheim alongside Vesa Toskala for J.S. Giguere in 2010. 2008 Mostly forgotten now, but of considerable damage to the organization during a brief 10-month tenure, Fletcher continued the free agent plight in 2008. Maybe even more stunning now than it was then, Fletcher handed former Avalanche defender Jeff Finger, he of 94 games of NHL experience, four years and $14 million. Finger played 62 forgettable games in a Leaf uniform, was eventually buried in the minors, never to be heard from again. Joining Finger in the free agent trot that day was Niklas Hagman, a Finnish winger who scored 27 goals the year prior in Dallas. Hagman also cashed in under Fletcher, lured for four years at a bloated $12 million. Though he scored 42 goals in two seasons with the Leafs, Hagman was consistently inconsistent, soon to be dealt to Calgary in the famed Dion Phaneuf trade. 2009 Still months from pulling the trigger on the noisiest (and most controversial) move of his busy Toronto tenure – the hotly debated Phil Kessel trade – Burke sought a big and ultimately failed splash in his first summer as the Leafs front man. It was all about truculence then and truculence he got. There were the four years and $4 million pitched to former Rangers heavyweight, Colton Orr; five long years and $22.5 million to Mike Komisarek; three years at just over $11 million for Francois Beauchemin. Orr lingered as a mostly unused tough guy for Ron Wilson before being briefly banished to the minors (he eventually returned to the NHL). Komisarek, a step or two slow for the speedier new game, tumbled quickly under the burden of a deal he could never live up to and was bought out by the organization last summer. Beauchemin eventually found his game, but not in Toronto. He returned to the Ducks in the Jake Gardiner-Joffrey Lupul swap, finishing fourth in the 2013 Norris Trophy voting. 2010 Still trying to fill various holes through free agency, Burke added the veteran grinder Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh the following summer (three years, $9 million). Armstrong never found much health as a Leaf though and preceded fellow free agent signee, Komisarek, on the buyout line. 2011 Tim Connolly recorded just 42 points in his final go-around in Buffalo, but still landed $9 million for two years in the summer of 2011. Connolly never hit the desired mark of No. 1 centre for the Leafs (he had 36 points in 70 games), was demoted to the Marlies after a year and is now out of the NHL. 2013 And then last summer there was David Clarkson, the first signee of Nonis as Leafs GM. In perhaps the worst deal of the aforementioned bunch, Clarkson landed in his hometown for seven years and more than $36 million on July 1st, 2013. Year 1 was an all-out nightmare and while theres every chance of a bounce-back of some kind in Year 2, his talents are unlikely to ever match the value of an incredibly burdensome contract. Clarkson was just the latest in a line of July 1st blunders. The fundamental flaw in continually swinging big in free agency is the lacking value the process ensures – players are almost always overvalued on Day 1 of the contract. As demonstrated yet again by the L.A. Kings earlier this summer, team building (and sustained success) is best accomplished through successful draft and development, not pricey spending on a mistake-laden day. And so while impending UFAs like Paul Statsny may appear to solve long-standing needs, Nonis (and Brendan Shanahan) would be wise to approach with caution. The answer, especially in Toronto, is almost never found on July 1st. Player Contract End Result Pavel Kubina 4 years, $20M Traded Hal Gill 3 years, $6.25M Traded Jason Blake 5 years, $20M Traded Jeff Finger 4 years, $14M Demoted Niklas Hagman 4 years, $12M Traded Colton Orr 4 years, $4M Demoted * Mike Komisarek 5 years, $22.5M Bought Out Francois Beauchemin 3 years, $11.4M Traded Colby Armstrong 3 years, $9M Bought Out Tim Connolly 2 years, $9M Demoted David Clarkson 7 years, $36.75M N/A Wholesale Basketball Shoes Online . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Wholesale Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. http://www.basketballshoeswholesale.com/ . The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee. "I dont want to say it was a surprise," team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts needed a linebacker. DQwell Jackson just wanted to play for a winner. On Thursday, everybody got their wish. Jackson, who spent his entire career with Cleveland until being released last week, signed a four-year, $22 million contract to play with Indianapolis. "It wasnt a financial decision, it was a decision to be around a good group of guys first and foremost and the chance to get to a Super Bowl," Jackson said. "It wasnt about money." A chance to learn from one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in football made the decision easy, too. The 6-foot, 240-pound, eight-year veteran who had watched Robert Mathis for years will now be paired with the perennial Pro Bowler, who set a franchise single season record with 19 1/2 sacks and won his first league sacks title in 2013 at the age of 32. Jackson has been productive since Cleveland drafted took him in the second round of the 2006 draft. He started 96 games, had 891 career tackles, 11 1/2 sacks, eight interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and one touchdown. Last season, at age 30, he still led the Browns in tackles (143), posting his sixth 100-tackle season. He also had 1 1/2 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. But hes hoping Mathis can teach him something else. "I want to know how he found the youth somewhere. Im excited to pick his brain. Ive watched him throughout his glory days and hes still having his glory days," Jackson said. "Ive just got a good feeling in this situation." Hes not the only one excited about the move, which comes five days before the full free-agent market opens. "The Colts defence needs new members to turn up the bluheat.....maybe we should take a ride down 5200 Jackson Street," Mathis wrote Wednesday on Twitter, before the official announcement was made. It didnt take long for Jackson to figure out this would be a good match. He visited Tennessee, Denver and Miami before signing with the Colts, who guarranteed him $11 million in the deal. Basketball Shoes Wholesale. In Indy, he is reunited with running back Trent Richardson and new Colts assistant Rob Chudzinski. A year ago, Jackson and Richardson were projected to be starters under Chudzinski, then the Browns first-year head coach. Richardson was traded to the Colts in September for a first-round draft pick. Chudzinski was hired as a special assistant to coach Chuck Pagano last month. Jackson now gets a chance to play for a team coming off two straight playoff appearances and with an organization that has reached the post-season in 11 of the last 12 seasons. After reaching the divisional round last season, Paganos second in Indy, the Colts are hoping Jackson can help them take an even bigger step. "The tempo, energy and determination he plays with are right up there with the best in this league," Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said in a statement released by the team. "He brings a welcomed element of experience and natural leadership to our team." With roughly $42 million to spend in free agency, the Colts were expected to continue improving the defence. At times last season, the Colts defence played well. At others, it really struggled. Adding Jackson may not give Indy the big pass-rushing presence to complement Mathis, but it should help shore up a position where four players could leave in free agency -- Pat Angerer, Kavell Conner, Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Sidbury. Angerer, Lutrus and Sidbury all finished last season on injured reserve. But Jackson came to Indy for one reason: To win. "The last few years this team has been productive and the success has been building for years," Jackson said, acknowledging he was willing to restructure his contract in Cleveland and left with no ill feelings toward his former team. "But this is a business. It didnt work out and I have a ton of respect for what theyre doing in Cleveland, but now Im an Indianapolis Colt." ' ' '