Ricky Ray possesses the most prized arm in the CFL.

The Toronto Argonaut quarterback last year threw for the most yards and touchdowns in the league at age 35.

The golden arm has delivered three Grey Cup championships and guided him to back-to-back nominations as the most outstanding player in the league.

Yet his arm, or more accurately his shoulder, remains tightly under wraps, creating a mystery worthy of a spy novel.

When reporters showed up at York University to see Ray throw for the first time since rotator cuff surgery last November, they came away disappointed.

When Ray jogged onto the field for the afternoon workout of rookies and quarterbacks, signs were not promising. Ray wore a jersey and shorts, but no helmet.

He didn’t even pick up a ball.

When the quarterbacks did their dropbacks, he pantomimed the drill as if there was a ball in his hands.

Then he stood by himself mostly for the two hours watching the other quarterbacks take their reps.

As he told reporters later, he did throw the football a little in the morning. But as it turns out, this was only in front of the coaches. This meant the media or fans were not able to pick up any sense of his recovery or throwing motion.

In addressing reporters after the workout, Ray admitted that the shoulder is still sore and he is still getting treatment. All we know is that this doesn’t look good for the short term, although he and head coach Scott Milanovich are trying to stay positive.

“I saw the doctor yesterday,” Ray said, “and was able to get the go-ahead to start throwing a football. I was able to throw a little bit today. I still have a ways to go. It’s still a little weak and it’s got to get in shape.”

The team will be put through medicals on Saturday and the whole squad will begin full back-to-back practices on Sunday.

This means the team can pretty much rule him out for the two pre-season games, June 9 at Varsity Stadium against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and June 18 in Montreal against the Alouettes.

A more reasonable target is June 27 when the Argos open the season with a “home” game in Fort McMurray, Alta., against the Edmonton Eskimos.

For now, Trevor Harris is the No. 1 quarterback and head coach Scott Milanovich admitted as much.

“As of right now, Trevor’s the guy,” Milanovich said, then added: “I’m never going to rule Ricky out.”

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Harris, a native of Waldo, Ohio, who attended Edinboro University, is not green as a quarterback. He’s 29 and going in his fourth year with the Argos. However, he’s green as a starter and leader.

When Ray suffered a concussion in Montreal and sat out the final game, Harris got his first CFL start.

Harris was impressive, throwing for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 23-5 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks.

Harris is still critical of an interception he threw and said his father, who was in attendance, pointed out some of his flaws, too.

“He told me the same thing, ‘Oh, you’ve got a lot to work on,’ ” Harris said of his dad, laughing. “My dad’s a hard worker. He’s a blue-collar guy.”

It’s far too early to start whispering the “retirement” word in relation to Ray, but the fact is he has barely thrown anything other than a baseball or tennis ball in the past few weeks.

Ray turns 36 on Oct. 22 and is entering his 13th CFL season. His legacy is sealed and he doesn’t need to risk another serious injury at this stage in his career.

The good news is that he hasn’t experienced any setbacks and his recovery is apparently going according to plan. However, as a precaution, Ray will throw only every second day for now. That means he won’t return to light tossing until Friday.

Not all is gloom, however, in Ray’s world.

The veteran quarterback recently welcomed a new daughter into his life. His wife, Allyson, gave birth to Olivia on April 2. Their other daughter, Chloe, is 4. The family lives in Redding, Calif.