SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Giants have signed right-hander Josh Johnson to a minor league contract with the hopes he can perform after three Tommy John elbow surgeries. Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey .General manager Bobby Evans said Thursday its still undetermined whether Johnson will be invited to big league camp at spring training -- and Johnson must show hes healthy and can be effective again. The 6-foot-7 pitcher was last in the majors with Toronto in 2013, having undergone a trio of reconstructive elbow surgeries. He had tried to come back with the Padres in 2015 before having a setback in the minors and needing the third procedure.The 32-year-old Johnson has a 58-45 career record and 3.40 ERA over parts of nine big league seasons, all but one of those years with the Marlins. Matt Stover Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Ben Powers Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom...arge-1793d.html . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- As a high school player in Peoria, big games and big runs were normal for Kendrick Foster. Thirteen times he topped 200 yards at Richwoods High School and 14 times he scored on runs of at least 50 yards.But after last Novembers season-ending loss to Northwestern, Foster was barely playing at Illinois and wanted out .Ten months later, Foster is still at Illinois, and hes the owner of a day like no other Illini running back has ever had.The redshirt junior touched the ball just four times in Saturdays 52-3 win over Murray State. But two of those runs were 56-yard touchdowns and he finished with 118 yards. Thats an average of 29.5 a carry, a school record.I felt like I was in high school again, I felt natural, having fun with my teammates, said Foster, who briefly took a knee and offered thanks after the second touchdown, before his offensive teammates surrounded him to celebrate.That moment was a long way from Nov. 30, the Monday after Illinois loss to Northwestern. Foster was a week removed from his best game at Illinois, an 11-carry, 57-yard performance in a loss to Minnesota. The primary back, KeShawn Vaughn, was out with an injury. But when Vaughn returned against Northwestern, Foster didnt touch the ball.So Foster announced on his Twitter account he planned to transfer. He says his family, and particularly his father, persuaded him to stay.James Foster was a high school running back in Peoria in the 1990s, and after playing in junior college transferred to Illinois but never saw the field because of an injury.I had a lot of choices in front of me on the table and I chose to stay, Kendrick Foster said. My dad had a big say in it.First-year Illinois coach Lovie Smith says he knew little about that history. But he said Foster has been a steady presence since Smith was hired in March.My first day here, he was one of the bright-eyedd guys looking at me. Patrick Ricard Jersey. . Hes done everything weve asked him to do, Smith said.That included losing weight, about 10 pounds, according to Foster. At just 5-9 and 195 pounds, Foster still is not the top back at Illinois. Most of those teammates who swarmed him to celebrate late in the second quarter Saturday were at least a full head taller.The top job belongs to Vaughn, the 5-10, 210-pound sophomore whom both Smith and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee have made clear will get most of the carries in an Illinois offense that stresses the run.But the lighter Foster is the first back off the bench. Against Murray State, he was a faster, more elusive change of pace from Vaughn.On Fosters first touchdown, he burst through a huge hole and was too fast to be caught by the Racers. The second score required a little more finesse, with Foster heading right, then weaving left and right again before breaking up field. But again, once he hit his stride, there was no catching him.Smith called the pair of touchdowns dream runs, particularly for someone in Fosters position.All running backs dream of scoring, longer runs, you know, breaking it and not getting caught from behind, he said. And youre a backup running back, at that. And youre going to have limited reps. You need to make the most of it.After wanting to leave Illinois, Foster now says he is just happy he stayed and has earned a chance to play with North Carolina coming to Champaign this Saturday.I was just so thankful. Im just finally getting the opportunity to display my talent and show what Peoria, Illinois, produces, he said.---Follow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP---Online: Associated Press college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org/ ' ' '