CANTON, Ohio -- Jon Bon Jovi is hoping hes written a hit with Buffalo Bills fans in a bid to stem concerns of whether his prospective ownership group plans to buy and potentially relocate the franchise to Toronto. Michael Harris Womens Jersey . In a letter published by the Buffalo News on Sunday, Bon Jovi wrote that its his ownership groups objective "to make the Bills successful in Buffalo." The letter, titled "Why Were Bidding on the Buffalo Bills," marks the first time the New Jersey rocker has publicly discussed his plans regarding the franchise. The team is for sale after Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson died in March. "There has been a lot of conjecture, so we think its important to clarify our intentions to the fans of the team and people of Buffalo," Bon Jovi wrote. "I know how much the Bills mean to the people of this region. So I want you to hear this from me: Im not risking it all to let you down. If we are given the chance to be the next owners of the Buffalo Bills, I promise you that we will bring the same passion that you do every Sunday, every day." Calling it his intention to "carry on Ralph Wilsons legacy" in Buffalo, Bon Jovi said his group is committed to working with state and local officials and the business community to identify a new stadium site in the region. At no point in the seven-paragraph letter does Bon Jovi name his two partners or mention they are both from Toronto. His group is rounded out by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the Rogers family which controls Rogers Communications. The Toronto groups intentions have been met with skepticism in Buffalo. Two weeks ago, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told The Associated Press that he has no doubts regarding the groups long-term intentions to move the team to Toronto. Under their lease that runs through the 2022, the Bills are essentially locked into playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium through the 2019 season. There is a one-time exception that would allow them to break the agreement for just under $28.4 million in 2020. The deal also includes a strict non-relocation clause in which the Bills -- including Wilsons estate -- are not allowed to negotiate with anyone, who to their knowledge, has an intention of relocating the team during the term of the lease. The Bills Fan Alliance, a group of fans and business leaders, questioned Bon Jovis intentions in a statement released Sunday. "While we appreciate his sentiment, its worth noting that nowhere in his letter does he write or directly state that he will not move the Bills from Buffalo," wrote the Alliances directors, Matt Sabuda, Brian Cinelli and Steve Brady. The group urged Bon Jovi to back up his statements with actions by signing a binding pre-purchase agreement to waive the one-year buyout clause. "Anything short of formal action taken on their part will be viewed as nothing more than rhetoric," the Alliance directors wrote. Fans have also organized a ban on Bon Jovi music being played in Buffalo. The group has printed T-shirts and posters with the motto: "Bon Jovi Free Zone." Numerous fans were spotted wearing the shirts and carrying placards at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies on Saturday night, when former Bills receiver Andre Reed was among the seven inductees. Reed is a member of the Fan Alliance. He drew cheers during his induction speech by saying: "Oh yeah, and the Bills will stay in Buffalo, too." NHL Buffalo Sabres owner Terry and Kim Pegula and New York real estate mogul Donald Trump are also in the running to buy the Bills. Prospective groups are set to begin making formal bids to buy the team in the coming weeks. A potential owner could be identified by as early as Labor Day. The Bills most recently were valued by Forbes at $870 million but are expected to sell for at least $1 billion, partly because NFL teams rarely go on the market. In his letter, Bon Jovi noted his interest in buying an NFL franchise grew when he founded the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He sold his interests in the team a few years ago. "My family and I are prepared to make this life-changing commitment to be part of the Bills," Bon Jovi wrote. "This is not a hobby or an acquisition. Building a winner on and off the field will be job one, and I intend to spend as much time on the ground in Buffalo as needed to accomplish that goal." Shareece Wright Womens Jersey . The Nationals also swept the three-game series, their first sweep since June 8-10, 2010 when they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game set. Jerry Hairston Jr.Kavell Conner Womens Jersey . -- Chase Utley will miss the entire exhibition schedule for the second straight year and will not be in the Philadelphia Phillies opening-day lineup due to his injured knees.From John Ferguson Jr. 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 lingereed as a mostly unused tough guy for Ron Wilson before being briefly banished to the minors (he eventually returned to the NHL). Keenan Allen Chargers Jersey. . 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 ' ' '
