across his face. "Im not taking this for grante

TORONTO - On the eve of his memorable exit interview, Greivis Vasquez sat down for dinner with the leagues most famed and influential global ambassador, carrying on his mission to secure a new contract with the team that gave him new life in the NBA. In Vasquez time, the meal may have lasted six hours. What did he and Drake discuss? Perhaps a certain 2013-14 MVP came up in conversation. Thunder forward and four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant has been on the minds of Raptors fans for the better part of the last year. Could Drake help lure Durant from Oklahoma City when he becomes a free agent following the 2015-16 season? He may have found a partner in crime. "Hopefully I get to play with him one day in the NBA," Vasquez said of Durant, his high school teammate and old friend, guesting on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor on Monday. "Hopefully its here in Toronto." He wasnt done. "Imagine if we get KD, Kevin Durant in 2016 and he leads us to a championship," the Raptors point guard added, unprompted in an interview with Bryan Hayes on TSN 1050 the following day. "I think hed have statues right outside the ACC." Well played, sir. Vasquez, the quote that keeps on quoting, is angling for a new deal and with the offseason barely a week old, he has positioned himself favourably. In case you havent heard, Vasquez is quite fond of being in Toronto. A week ago, on a day in which Kyle Lowrys impending free agency took centre stage, it was his backup, Vasquez, that stole the show delivering an emotional 19-minute soliloquy, with the occasional question sprinkled in. He thanked the city, its fans, his teammates, coaches and general manager. He thanked the Toronto school board. "My son cannot wake up at 8:00 in the morning, he wakes up at six because hes excited to go to school." He thanked his waiter at the local all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house. So, he was thorough. It was exit interview meets academy award acceptance speech, only no one had the heart to play him off with music. "Thats Greivis," GM Masai Ujiri said a day later. The 27-year-old point guard rarely holds back on the court, playing the game with a refreshing passion that helped spark Torontos remarkable turnaround in 2014. The same could be said about his approach away from basketball. "Id use the word passionate for Greivis," said newly extended head coach Dwane Casey. "He has stones. Hes probably, truth be told, probably the most confident player on the team. He feels like he can score on LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in his prime, which is great and you need that." "If you tell him, Greivis, run through that window right there, hes going to do it. Now he may look at you a little bit, but hell do it." Vasquez, a restricted free agent this summer, is sincere in his sentiments, he truly hopes to remain a Raptor and the way hes gone about publicizing it could go a long way in ensuring hes back with the team next season. "It would be heartbreaking if I dont come back," Vasquez exclaimed on a Monday afternoon in the bowels of the Air Canada Centre. "Im an emotional guy, so I really embrace, Im really committed to the team, to the city, to this franchise." Seven days later, there was Vasquez, on stage shaking hands with Torontos Deputy Mayor and representing the organization as May 12 was proclaimed "Raptors Day". After arriving in an early-season trade from Sacramento - where he says he lost his passion for the game - Vasquez averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists in 61 games for the Raptors, his fourth NBA stop in four years. He has not wasted the opportunity. Hes gone all in. The Venezuelan-native has established himself as an emotional leader on the team and an ambassador in the city. For good measure hes also offering up his services in recruiting one of the NBAs premier talents, should he still be around in 2016. But will he be around? Ujiri will not be pressured, not by elaborate speeches or the promise of an endorsement in two years from now. Vasquez will be retained if Ujiri determines it makes sense in basketball terms, and it may. Still, the extracurricular incentives cant hurt, especially if the Raptors GM values continuity and chemistry as much as he has indicated. "We hope to get something done," Ujiri told TSN.ca, in reference to Vasquezs contract status. "Hes one of those pieces on the team where you know that hes always going to be a great teammates and hes going to go out and compete." As Vasquez walked off the podium, an audience of assembled media brimming after he captivated them with a season-ending speech for the ages, he left the room the same way he entered it 20 minutes earlier. The "loveable underdog" - as he once referred to himself - wore a black cap decorated with the words "We The North" on his head and a big smile across his face. "Im not taking this for granted," he told the city and its acting mayor on Raptors Day. "Im saying it because I mean it." And he does, but he knows exactly what hes doing. Buy Sacony Shoes Online . Span, Danny Espinosa and Adam LaRoche had two hits apiece as Washington won the final two games of the series. The Nationals improved to 3-7 against Atlanta. They increased their division lead over the Braves to 1 1/2 games. Saucony Clearance Outlet . The Sioux Falls Canaries scored two in the seventh and three more in the eighth to come back from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 5-3 in front of 6,769 at Shaw Park on Sunday afternoon. http://www.discountsaucony.com/. Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. Discount Saucony Shoes . -- Hal Steinbrenner says Alex Rodriguez is "a great player" and "obviously an asset," but the New York Yankees managing general partner wouldnt discuss the third basemans possible return to the team following a season-long suspension. Saucony Outlet Online . Now he has a complete game. Scherzer tossed a three-hitter in his 179th career start for his first complete game and Victor Martinez hit his 16th homer to lead the Detroit Tigers a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New Jersey Devils began a three-game tour of California with a victory and will try to build off the win Friday when they visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. The Devils beat the defending Stanley Cup champions to kick off the West Coast swing, taking a 5-3 decision Wednesday night in Los Angeles despite playing without leading scorer Jaromir Jagr. New Jersey used four second-period goals to down the Kings at the Staples Center. Steve Bernier had two power-play goals and Cory Schneider made 23 saves for the Devils, who snapped a two-game losing streak. We had a couple of days off so we had some good jump tonight and thats always helpful, Schneider said. Mike Cammalleri, Martin Havlat and Michael Ryder also tallied for New Jersey, which is 3-1-1 over its last four games. The Devils are just 9-14-2 as the road team this season and still 12 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The club will complete this trip Monday in San Jose before returning East for a five-game homestand. Jagr and fellow forward Tuomo Ruutu were not with the team at the start of this road trip due to illness and both players are expected to be out again tonight. Jagr leads the Devils with 25 points off nine goals and 16 assists. Defenseman Eric Gelinas could play tonight for New Jersey. He also was out with an illness, but could return to the ice for the first time since Dec. 31 in Deetroit.dddddddddddd Gelinas could draw into the lineup Friday in place of defenseman Mark Fraser, who is expected to miss tonight with an injured pinky finger. Schneider is expected to start for the Devils on Friday. He is 4-2-1 with a 2.53 goals against average in nine career games (6 starts) versus the Ducks. Anaheim, which is tied with Nashville for the most points in the NHL with 62, is off to a 4-1-0 start to January and enter Fridays clash on a two-game winning streak. The Pacific Division leaders also played their most recent game on Wednesday when they cruised past visiting Toronto, 4-0. Frederik Andersen stopped all 28 shots he faced to post his second shutout of the season, while Corey Perry contributed his third hat trick of the campaign for the Ducks. Just trying to get back in the swing of things, Perry said. Tonight I feel like I was a lot better than I have been. Perry is leading the Ducks with 18 goals despite missing 15 games this season due to illness and injury. Kyle Palmieri also lit the lamp and Ryan Getzlaf added a pair of assists for the Ducks, who are 5-2-0 on an eight-game homestand that ends tonight. Anaheim is 16-5-3 as the host this season. The Ducks had lost four straight in the series with the Devils before posting a 3-2 overtime win in New Jersey on Dec. 20 of last season. Anaheim hopes to halt a two-game slide on home ice against the Devils tonight. ' ' '