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WINNIPEG - The bar was set pretty high for Drew Willy when it came to excelling at sports, but the competitive fire that burns inside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback didnt come from his male role models. "My mom is definitely where I get my competitiveness from," Willy said this week during an interview with The Canadian Press. "She never lost a game of basketball throughout her high school career. Shes in the Nebraska sports hall of fame for high school for three sports: basketball, track and volleyball." While his mother, Diane Minihane, supported her children in their sports endeavours, shed also occasionally rib them about her winning streak. "Whenever we lost a game in high school, she was quick to point it out — but in a loving way," Willy said with a grin. He was also a three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball and baseball in Randolph, N.J. It was football, though, where he stood out, setting Randolph High records for career passing yards and touchdowns. His accomplishments grew when he went to university, and soon hell have his own hall-of-fame induction on his sports resume. The 27-year-old is being inducted into the University at Buffalo Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 11, although he cant attend as the Bombers have a game two days later in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions. Willy started all four years at the state university of New York and graduated in 2009 with 15 school passing records. He led the U at Buffalo Bulls to a 2008 Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in a game against undefeated Ball State. The victory was the Bulls first in program history over a Top 25 team. "It definitely means a lot to me," Willy said of the induction. "Where we were as a program when I first got there, we werent winning too many games." That scenario is familiar to Bomber fans, who watched their team plummet to a league-worst 3-15 record last season. But all that started changing when the six-foot-three, 215-pound Willy was acquired from Saskatchewan in the off-season in exchange for receiver Jade Etienne. Willy, whod spent two seasons and made four starts for the Riders, was set to become a free agent, but the Bombers signed him to a deal and then named him the starter. He returned that vote of confidence by helping the team open with a 5-1 mark, sparking overjoyed fans to call their home city "Willypeg." Willy gives an embarrassed smile when the unofficial name change is brought up, but he understands fans are starved for a team to cheer about. If Willy can engineer a victory for the Bombers (6-3) on Sunday against his former team, who knows, fans might start calling the province Drewtoba. The defending Grey Cup-champion Roughriders (6-2) have won the past nine Labour Day Classic games. Willys connection to the CFL began years before the Riders signed him. One of his mentors at U at Buffalo was Danny Barrett, Saskatchewans former head coach and long-time CFL quarterback. Barrett was the Bulls quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach during some of Willys time there and they still text each other. Barrett had talked to Bombers assistant general manager and director of U.S. scouting Danny McManus about Willys work ethic and his intangibles. "He just says, What Drew has is what every quarterback needs to have, he has a short memory. He doesnt think about what just happened, hes always thinking about whats going to happen," McManus recalled in a phone call from Florida. "That really got me because thats one of the things that me and Danny Barrett talked about back when we were playing. Once the plays over, youve got to forget about it and go to the next one." It was that kind of info McManus, a CFL pivot for 17 seasons, passed along when Winnipegs football brass was brainstorming about acquiring a quarterback in the off-season. Willy has been cool under pressure, guiding the Bombers to four fourth-quarter comebacks this season. He said he learned patience from his stepdad and his father, both who played sports. His mother and father, Steve Willy, divorced when he was two years old and his mom remarried Chris Minihane three years later. His father also remarried and the blended family includes Willy, three brothers and two sisters. His stepdad, a property manager, took Willy to high-level sports camps. His father, a former high school quarterback, is a golf pro and manages golf courses in Atlanta. Despite his parents breakup, Willy said theyve watched him play two home and three away games this season. "Theyve done a great job of supporting me," he said. "Even when they come to games, theyre able to sit together, able to go to dinner afterwards. Theyve done a good job being able to co-exist as parents. They just want the best for their kids." Willy also has another strong supporter in fiancée Hillary Turkovitz, whom he met in college and will marry this coming April. A registered dietitian, Turkovitz tries to keep the balance in their lives. "Shes always telling me to kind of just get away from football sometimes and put my mind on something else," Willy said. "Ill go home and watch the film right after the game and shes telling me to put the iPad down for a minute." Bombers receiver Nick Moore, who rooms with Willy on the road, said his teammate enjoys joking around, but hes really a "business-first guy." "He goes to sleep really early, around 9:30, 10, so I try to be as quiet as possible, keep the TV off, keep the noise down to a minimum," Moore said. "He wakes early, around eight, 8:30, goes gets breakfast, comes back, watches film all day and then around 15 minutes before its time to leave (to a game), he finally puts his iPad down." Brief stints with four NFL clubs helped hone Willys work ethic, especially while with the Indianapolis Colts and star QB Peyton Manning in 2009. "You watch from a distance, at walkthroughs, media sessions, in the meeting room. Just the way he looks at film, the way hes in meetings," Willy said. "Hes very well-spoken and at the same time he can relate to a lot of different people. He has that charisma about him that he can bring everyone together. I think thats what makes him such a great leader. Hes so well prepared, he knows everyones job. He knows what he wants to get accomplished, he has a plan and he sticks to it." Funny, those are some of the traits Willys Winnipeg teammates use to describe his development into a leader. "Hes like a robot," veteran Bombers offensive lineman Glenn January said. "The way that he leads is to be consistent. You cant tell if were up by 30 or down by 30 whenever he enters that huddle. That quiet confidence is the easiest way that hes found to motivate the offence." Its that type of belief in Willy that Winnipeg head coach Mike OShea was hoping to see ever since he made the bold move of anointing him the teams starter after his signing. "I didnt hesitate," OShea said. "I thought it was the only way to go in this marketplace. "Youve got a guy you believe in, you let everybody know that you believe in him so that now theres someone players can follow. Theres a starting point." Air Max 90 Homme Pas Cher Fausse .S. - Nova Scotias Mary Fay guaranteed at least one more match and a shot at the Canadian junior curling championships final on home ice. Air Max 97 Plus Femme Pas Cher .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/fausse-vapormax-noir.html. Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match. Air Max Pas Cher En Ligne . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Nike Air Max 97 Ultra Pas Cher a Vendre . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Red Sox celebrated their 2013 World Series title Saturday with a rolling rally that began at Fenway Park and continued through the city streets before ending in the Charles River. Festivities began at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox wrapped up their third World Series title in 10 seasons with a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 of the Fall Classic on Wednesday night. Fans heard from local politicians, Red Sox management and a host of players on a sunshine-filled fall day. "Its a magical day for us, the end of a remarkable season," said Red Sox owner Tom Werner. "Its been a fantastic year." The Red Sox werent considered contenders in spring training after finishing last in the American League East a year ago, but new manager John Farrell guided the club to the top of the division. Boston then became the first team since Minnesota in 1991 to go from last place to a World Series title in one year. "When we assembled in Fort Myers in February, it was clear that we had a special group of guys," Farrell told the crowd. "To see it come to light last Wednesday ... this is a group that was very special." Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia and World Series MVP David Ortiz were among the playerss that addressed the fans during the ceremony.dddddddddddd "We have to do this every year, right?" Pedroia asked. "Everyone counted us out in spring training. When we got together, we all believed that we could do this." The biggest cheers went to Ortiz, who has been part of each of the teams three World Series titles since 2004. "We stayed together as a family," Ortiz said. "This might be one of the teams Im most proud of all. We may not have the talent of the teams in 2004 and 2007, but we had guys who cared and guys that wanted to get it done." Players and team officials then boarded the citys famous duck boats for a parade through the city. It began on Boylston Street near Fenway Park and traveled toward Copley Square, near where the Boston Marathon bombings took place in April. At the spot of the marathon finish line, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia placed the World Series trophy and a pair of Red Sox jerseys with the 617 area code that read "Boston Strong" on the back. A rendition of "God Bless America" was also sung. The amphibious duck boats then continued toward the Boston Common, past City Hall through downtown and eventually into the Charles River between the city of Boston and Cambridge. ' ' '