There are any number of reasons Mike Kiselak would consider Baltimore as a place of new employment once his Canadian Football League contract with the Sacramento Gold Miners expires at midnight tonight.
There is proximity to family in upstate New York, not to mention his old stomping grounds at the University of Maryland.
There is opportunity to relocate his investment company, Kiselak and Associates, to the East Coast.
And there is the ring.
"You could almost guarantee going to the Grey Cup," Kiselak said. "How many athletes are trying to get to a championship game?"
Kiselak, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound center, is among a group of more than 100 CFL veterans who will be free to sign with the team of their choice after midnight tonight. Many of those who aren't already on teams in the United States will look across the border to Birmingham, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn., where there are expansion rosters to be stocked.
But to those discerning players who want location and a chance at the Grey Cup, Baltimore might have the most to offer. And Don Matthews, director of football operations and coach, will use that as a selling point.
"We're dealing from a position of strength," Matthews said. "If we don't get anybody, we're still only three points from the Grey Cup. Other teams lost people; we don't. There's no revamping here."
Matthews, whose expansion team lost last year's Grey Cup to the B.C. Lions on a last-second field goal, is looking for some finishing touches. Although league rules prohibit him from talking about specific players before the signing date, he said he was looking to upgrade the defensive and offensive lines and the receiving corps.
Perhaps the best defensive player in the free-agent pool this winter is rush end Tim Cofield, who was tied for second in the league with 16 sacks for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Voted the Eastern Division's Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year, Cofield had four fumble recoveries last season and returned three for touchdowns.
However, Cofield, 31, could be headed to the NFL, where he spent five seasons, mostly with the Kansas City Chiefs. Matthews said he has recommended Cofield to Arizona Cardinals personnel director Bob Ackles as a third-down pass rusher.
Still, if Cofield opts for Baltimore and the CFL, it would send transplanted rush end O. J. Brigance back to linebacker, where he collected 20 sacks in 1993 for B.C.
"I'm always going to look to be better at rushing the passer," Matthews said. "Defense will always be my first priority."
Baltimore also may try to sign a defensive tackle to challenge Robert Presbury. Two of the bigger names on the free-agent list are Rodney Harding and Jeff Fields of the Toronto Argonauts.
On offense, Kiselak and Sacramento's David Diaz-Infante rate as two of the more attractive linemen available. Both play inside, where Baltimore is looking to improve.
Baltimore isn't Kiselak's only option. He has lived in San Antonio since playing for that city's Riders in the World League in 1991 and 1992. This week, the Gold Miners are expected to close a deal to move to San Antonio. "This town is itching for something to support," said Kiselak, who played at Maryland from 1986 to 1989.
The top four receivers available are Will Moore and Brian Wiggins of the Calgary Stampeders, Rod Harris of Sacramento and Eddie Brown of the Edmonton Eskimos. Moore and Wiggins are expected to sign either in the NFL or with Birmingham. Harris lives in Dallas and might be inclined to join the Miners in San Antonio. Brown has said he wants to play in Ottawa, where he lives in the off-season.
Matthews said he already may have the players to upgrade at receiver. He will move running back Robert Drummond to slotback opposite Chris Armstrong, for one. And he will look at Joe Washington at Robert Clark's wide-out spot. And he has Shannon Culver, a standout in camp last year, returning.
Uncertain is the status of slotback B. K. Williams, who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles' tendon. Williams also had major knee surgery in the off-season, and, at 34, may have lost too much ground.
A year ago, Baltimore filled seven spots on defense from the veteran free-agent pool. Four signees -- Jearld Baylis, Brigance, Ken Benson and Elfrid Payton -- had been the best defensive players on their respective teams. The defense played a crucial role in Baltimore's reaching the Grey Cup.
Jim Popp, assistant general manager, doesn't see that kind of defensive talent available this year. "I see a lot more offensive players than defensive," he said.
Matthews isn't looking for a lot. He only wants some finishing touches.
"Ninety percent of [our] guys will be back," he said. "If there's 10 percent change, that will be a lot."
NOTE: Baltimore's renovated Stadium Store at Memorial Stadium will have its grand opening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Players will sign autographs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.