ekansekans's blog: "df"

NEW YORK -- The Jets have paid all lost wages to business-side employees who took unpaid furloughs during the NFL lockout and coaches who took pay cuts. Owner Woody Johnson made the announcement at an organization-wide gathering at the teams headquarters in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday morning. According to a person familiar with the meeting, Johnson told employees: "When you walk out of this room, the money should already be in your accounts." The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was a private meeting. About 96 business-side employees each had to take one weeks unpaid furlough every month since the lockout began in March, while coaches salaries were slashed by 25 per cent. "At the beginning, we realized that asking people to take 25 per cent pay cuts at this time would be a tremendous hardship. It was a shared sacrifice in a period where we had unknown financial conditions," Johnson said, according to the teams website. "I dont think anybody was happy about it. I wasnt happy that I had to ask people to do this. But now that the agreement is in place, were living up to our end of the bargain, and were all moving forward." Coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum also spoke to the employees, who included business and football support staffs, assistant coaches and front office personnel, about the organizations goals for this season. The team also sent an e-mail from Johnson and a 35-second video from Ryan to all Jets season ticket holders, suite holders, fans and corporate partners announcing that the owners and players had come to terms on an agreement. "It all starts now," Johnson said in the email. "The players are returning, Mike and Rex have never been more ready, and Jets football is officially back. I hope youre ready for what Im confident will be a memorable 2011 season." A 40-second recorded voicemail from Ryan was left for all Jets season ticket holders, with the brash coach telling fans: "I need you in those seats, and lets have at it. Lets make this a super season. Lets get it on!" Ryan said he plans to let quarterback Mark Sanchez "fly a little more than we have in the past," and told fans in the voice mail to "get ready to have an unbelievable season." The Jets, who have made it to the AFC championship game the last two years, are scheduled to open the preseason at Houston on Aug. 15. They begin their regular-season schedule in front of a national television audience on Sept. 11 against Dallas. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . The Anchorage native won a new, US$50,000 Acura MD X Thursday when he hit a hole-in-one at his own Scotty Gomez Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament. Cheap NFL Jerseys From China . The 23-year-old put on an impressive display in the decathlon, coming up just short of the podium with a fifth overall finish with 8,442 points in his first Olympic Games appearance. http://www.bwjerseys.com/ . Del Moral, who needed just 20 putts in his third round, completed 54 holes at 17-under-par 199. "It was incredible. I putted beautifully and it gives me a lot of confidence.MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact will play friendly matches against Serie-A clubs Bologna and Fiorentino on a post-season tour of Italy, the Major League Soccer club announced Friday. The Nov. 5-17 trip will see Impact designated player Marco Di Vaio face his former team Bologna on Nov. 8. The club will travel to Florence to play Fiorentino on Nov. 15. "This trip will give us the opportunity to extend our season by three weeks and cut down on the down time prior to the opening of training camp for the 2013 season," Impact sporting director Nick De Santis said in a statement. "We would like to thank the two clubs for giving us the opportunity to organize these games, despite the fact that they are in mid-season of their championships. This trip will also help us forge a stronger relationship with two prestigious organizations and could open doors for pplayers wishing to play in North America one day.dddddddddddd." Di Vaio scored 65 goals in 143 matches with Bologna FC from 2008 to 2012. "It will be an honour and a pleasure to see Marco once again and meet his new teammates," said Bologna president Albano Guaraldi. "For everything Marco Di Vaio meant to Bologna, the city and its team, we are very pleased to be able to spend an afternoon celebrating with him." The Impact have a strong Italian presence, including former national team defenders Alessandro Nesta and Matteo Ferrari. Defender Nelson Rivas, midfielder Felipe Martins and striker Bernardo Corradi also played in Italy, although all three are out with long-term injuries. The Impact, who are eliminated from the MLS playoffs, visit Toronto FC on Saturday and end the regular season Oct. 27 at home against New England. ' ' '