TORONTO - Masai Ujiri and Tim Leiweke envision a training facility that will be both the talk of the NBA and a home to young Canadian players — a "Field of Dreams" facility that they say will help bring basketballs best to Toronto. Marcus Sherels Jersey . Ujiri and Leiweke unveiled plans on Friday for the $30-million practice facility that will be built on the grounds of Exhibition Place, pending a city council vote on Wednesday. The deal for the 65,000 square-foot facility, which is set to open in time for the 2016 NBA all-star game in Toronto, was approved unanimously by the citys executive committee on Wednesday. "One of the major reasons were building this is to keep our guys, so for a guy like Kyle Lowry (who signed a multi-year deal in July), he knows exactly what were doing here and that was important to his thinking about the commitment that this ownership group has made toward our basketball team," said Leiweke, the outgoing CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. MLSEs soccer club Toronto FC practises at the KIA Training Ground just north of downtown Toronto, while the MasterCard Centre just west of downtown is the training home of hockeys Maple Leafs and Marlies. The Raptors practise and play at the ACC, where players have the added off-day hassle of concert crowds or hockey games, and the training room is so small that Ujiri said three players getting treatment is a crowd. Ujiri and his staff took a peek in top facilities across North America to gather ideas. "We took ideas from everybody," said the Raptors GM. "Masai turned out to be a really good thief," Leiweke added. "We visited the best facilities in football and basketball, pro and college, and I think I went to maybe five or six of them. I know combined, my whole staff, we probably went to 12 or 13 of them, which is awesome," Ujiri said. "We get to see the University of Oregon, its spectacular, you cant even believe thats a college. You go to some of these facilities, you go to the Clevelands (the Cavaliers training ground), you go to the University of Virginias. . . theres some really good new high-performance centres that you can really take a lot out of." The two-storey facility will be available for groups such as the Ontario Basketball Association and Canada Basketball, and its been a long time coming, said Leiweke and Ujiri, for a basketball-mad city that has boasted the last two NBA No. 1 draft picks in Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins. Leiweke arrived in Toronto from Los Angeles, where "you have all these great meccas" of basketball such as the Lakers Toyota Training Centre and USCs Pauley Pavilion. "Now name me what people think of when they talk about the great breeding grounds, the great facilities when you think about Bennett and Wiggins and all those kids playing," Leiweke said. "And Canada Basketball has no home," he added. "They are vagabonds. This gives us a place ultimately to make a statement about what kids can aspire to be and where they want to play. I think this will have as big an impact on amateur basketball as it will on what (Ujiri) is trying to do with the Raptors." Opening its doors in time for the all-star game was key. "For the guys (Ujiri) wants to get here, whoever that might be, theyre all going to be here during all-star week. It is great we get to showcase this to an entire league in 2016, and that bodes very well in making people understand the kind of organization we aspire to be now," Leiweke said. "Its huge to keep players and to get players." Leiweke met with the media a day after he confirmed he was leaving his job as CEO of MLSE as of next June at the latest, but said he didnt regret the timing of the announcement. "I think the reason were doing this today is to prove that this is business as usual, we plow straight ahead, and anyone that has been in this organization for the past 16 months and has seen what were doing here, what they understand very clearly is that ripple caused more of a ripple in the media and the public," Leiweke said. "But internally here, we plow straight ahead and we are as damned and determined as every to finish our mission statement here. "So there will be not one change in our attitude and that wont change in our commitment and our dedication to getting our projects done, and this is one of my highest priorities." Sheldon Richardson Jersey . - Mike Zimmer has brought a demanding style to the Minnesota Vikings. Chuck Foreman Jersey . And by all indications, the team is expected to select phenom Connor McDavid with their selection. The Buffalo Sabres, who were knocked down to the second overall pick after finishing with the worst regular season record, are expected to take the other generational player in Jack Eichel.NEW YORK -- Palace Malice, last years Belmont Stakes winner, won the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park. The $1.5 million Belmont Stakes topped the richest day in New York racing. Total purses for the 13-race card were $8 million, including four stakes worth at least $1 million. Palace Malice, a 4-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher, drove through an opening on the rail to beat a determined Goldencents, last years Breeders Cup Dirt Mile winner, by a length. John Velazquez was aboard as Palace Malice continued his emergence as a leader in the older horse division. "Its pretty extraordinary to have a horse win the Belmont and come back a year later to win the Met Mile," Pletcher said. Palace Malice is 4 for 4 on the season and the latest victory was his sternest test so far. The race, the premier event on the undercard, attracted a deep and talented field of 12. Palace Malice paid $4.70 to win. The time was 1:33.56. The $1 million Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares drew only six runners yet it produced a thrilling finish as Close Hatches held off Princess of Sylmar by a head. It was the fifth win in the last six races for the 4-year-old trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Joel Rosario. The lone loss in that span was a second-place finish to Beholder in the Breeders Cup Distaff in November. Beholder ran fourth in the Phipps. Close Hatches paid $7.80 to win. The time was 1:40.55 for 1 1/16 miles. Real Solution beat Kaigun by 1 1/4 lengths in the $1 million Manhattan on the turf. The winner of last years Arlington Million on a disqualification, Real Solution improved to 5 for 13. Javier Castellano rode for trainer Chad Brown as Real Solution paid $13 to win. The time was 1:59.27 for 1 1/4 miles. Sweet Reason pulled a 9-1 upset in the $750,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies, beating Sweet Whiskey pay a half-length with Irad Ortiz Jr. riding for Leah Gyarmati. She paid $20.80 to win. TThe time was 1:34. Riley Reiff Jersey. 98 for a mile. My Miss Sophia, the 4-5 favourite, finished seventh. Coffee Clique edged Starthnaver by a nose in the $750,000 Just a Game Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf. The 4-year-old is unbeaten in three races this year for trainer Brian Lynch. Javier Castellano guided her through the mile in 1:32.52. Bayern rebounded from a ninth-place finish in the Preakness to romp by 7 1/2 lengths in the $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-olds. He obviously appreciated the reduction in distance from the 1 3/16 miles in the Preakness to seven furlongs for the Hall of Fame team of trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens. He paid $20.40 for his first stakes victory. Bayern did finish first in the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs, but was disqualified and placed second. The time was a dazzling 1:20.75. Top Fortitude was a distant second with Social Inclusion getting third to replicate his finish in the Preakness. Norumbega got up in the final strides for a 10-1 upset in the $500,000 Brooklyn Invitational run at the same 1 1/2 mile distance as the Belmont. The grey 4-year-old trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Joel Rosario edged Micromanage by a neck for his fourth victory in 13 starts Norumbega paid $22.40 for the upset score. The time was 2:27.13. Undrafted, owned by NFL star Wes Welker, roared through the lane to take the $300,000 Jaipur Invitational for grass sprinters. Undrafted beat Marchman by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:07.24 for the team of jockey Velazquez and trainer Wesley Ward. He paid $11.80 to win, the fourth victory in 14 starts for the 4-year-old gelding. Kid Cruz, once under consideration for the Belmont, found an easier and a shorter spot in the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes for 3-year-olds. The colt trained by Linda Rice rallied from last for his fourth win in seven starts. He paid $8.90 to win with Ortiz aboard. The time was 1:41.12 for 1 1/16 miles. 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