It's finally here!
The week of Labour Day Classic XLIII!
Ever since Winnipeg Blue Bomber coach Mike Kelly called Saskatchewan "the crotch of Canada" just before training camps, I couldn't wait to see what the reaction of Rider fans would be at the L.D.C.
Now, we only have to wait six more days! The 4-4 Roughriders line up against the 3-5 Blue Bombers this Sunday afternoon at 2:00 at Mosaic Stadium and the game was sold out before the tickets were even printed.
Honestly, I was with many Rider fans who thought the Bombers' slow start (and the coach's quirky behaviour) would cost Kelly his job and he may not have even made it to Labour Day. Although CJOB Radio Winnipeg's Geoff Currier assured me Kelly would in fact be on the eastside sidelines, for two reasons:
1) He has a multi-year contract and the Bombers can't afford to fire him, and ...
2) He's buddies with Bomber President Lyle Bauer, who's giving him a long leash.
So, let's turn it loose on Sunday! If you have tickets over there, let me know some of the beaks you have for the Bomber coach down below in the comments section!
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The other tremendous thing about Labour Day Classic weekend is that it's like a mini-Grey Cup atmosphere. Fans from both teams start pouring into Regina Friday afternoon and it's a weekend-long party that lasts until Monday.
I remember last year, I got reports that a Bomber fan was weaving in and out of cars (while walking) at the corner of Victoria Ave and Broad St offering drivers a sip of his beer for 25 cents!
The hotels, bars and restaurants are packed and it's like a huge Saskatchewan homecoming for Rider fans and the ultimate road trip for Bomber fans.
In honour of this, what say we paint the town GREEN for the week? What I mean is, adorn your business in Rider Green & White and send the photos to me at sportsline@harvardbroadcasting.com. It'll be free advertising for your business, appearing here on the blog.
Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:
The Rider display in the Molson/Coors Light sales office in Regina....
Brent Kaminski's Southland Mall Safeway.....Let's get 'er done!
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There is an update on the contract talks between the Riders and Andy Fantuz and Reggie Hunt in a Sunday post (scroll down).
It appears Fantuz has given no indication which way he's leaning towards (signing the extension here or waiting for free agency).
What will be your reaction if he signs elsewhere?
It seems to be just a matter of time. Sounds like a good topic for Sportsline tonight.
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B.C. Lions boss Wally Buono says he is "angered" and "embarrassed" by the actions of some of his players prior to their last game. It was against the Bombers a week ago Friday night at B.C. Place. The Vancouver Province's Llowell Ulrich wrote about it Sunday. Llowell is originally from Young, SK.
The story surfaced when Bomber DT Doug Brown wrote about it in his Winnipeg Free Press column.
"We were issued what is commonly seen as the finishing-move salute by some wrestlers formerly known as De-generation X," Brown wrote. "What this consisted of was a large number of Lions players raising their arms simultaneously in a judo chop-like pose and with great group precision, bringing them quickly down in a V-shape manner ending and pointing at their groin region.
"It's essentially how you moon somebody from the front and it is intended to show great disrespect and disdain for your opponent."
This went down prior to the opening kickoff that night.
Lions players were told not to comment on the incident after practice Saturday.
"We're talking and dealing with it as a team," said Angus Reid, who was designated by the club to speak on behalf of the players.
Buono, however, did not hold back.
"This is not a conduct that is becoming of anybody, never mind a professional athlete," he said. "The damage that it does to our fans and anybody that is involved with the game has been discussed. It was misguided leadership that shows irresponsibility and lack of common sense."
Buono said no disciplinary club action would be taken, though it remains to be seen if the league will act in a similar manner.
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Congrats to the Regina Thunder. They upped their PFC record to 3-1 with a 38-7 thrashing of the Edmonton Huskies Sunday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium.
It would be great to see some junior playoff football at M.S. this fall.
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The Regina Pats were winless in three games at the Edmonton WHL preseason tourney including Sunday's 8-7 shootout loss to Swift Current. All the recaps are in the posts below.
I wasn't on the trip, but I'll post the Pats brass's reaction shortly.
It's too early to be concerned about three straight losses, especially in the preseason. But you know they would've liked to have won at least one.
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For Twitter enthusiasts, you'll enjoy the tweets from Chad Ocho Cino (the Bengals receiver) at:
http://twitter.com/OGOchoCinco
He promises to be the ultimate NFL Insider, beating Chris Mortenson and Adam Shefter of ESPN to the punch. He's already broken a story about Tom Brady's injured shoulder.
Should be interesting to watch!
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Can I forfeit my CFL picks for the rest of the year? What a joke!
The Ticats led for 50 minutes only to blow it in Edmonton Saturday night in the last minute. Crazy! I needed that one.
And how can you have any faith in the Argos anymore? Remember rookie coach Bart Andrus had a big mess to clean up when he tookover, unlike Marc Trestman in Montreal who walked into a great situation.
However the Argos have already completely overhauled their offensive scheme once, and they don't appear to be getting any better.
It should be panic time in Toronto; they've lost 10 straight at home and have forgotten how to win.
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Last week's coverage of Canada's mens Olympic hockey team camp in Calgary was fascinating. The Olympics in Vancouver are certainly going to be an exciting time.
It got me to-wondering: Will the Detroit Red Wings suffer this year because their coach Mike Babcock is pre-occupied with his Team Canada duties for the Olympics?
I bet they do.
Kevin Lowe said since Babcock was hired as head coach of Team Canada, it's been like the Stanley Cup Playoffs for him every day since, in terms of dealing with the monstrous pressure and mammoth expectations from Canada.
It would be human nature to lose focus on your club team.
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We found out the reason for the Hamilton TigerCat-Edmonton Eskimo game at Commonwealth Stadium being moved from Thursday to Sunday last week.
The answer: AC/DC.
Man those guys have power!
Speaking of, check out this cool panoramic 360 look at Mosaic Stadium from the concert, and see if you can pick out my brother leaning on the stage:
http://www.leaderpost.com/panoramas/acdcregina_082509/index.html
One thing about those old rockers like AC/DC and the Rolling Stones; they always start their concerts on time, which I appreciate. Obviously, they need to get to bed early. Didn't Flo-Rida make fans wait TWO HOURS when he was here in the spring?
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One more reason to look forward to the upcoming Regina Pats season....
Wireless internet on the bus!! That will make those eight, sixteen and twenty hour marathon road trips go by a little quicker.
Seriously though, I'm getting pretty keyed up for the 2009-2010 campaign.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will host the Memorial Cup tournament this spring, and prognosticators are already handing the Wheaties the East Division pennant, if not the Conference flag too.
Hey why not? They're loaded. But I think the Pats will be on their heels.
Hotshot Pats sophomore Jordan Weal said in an interview this week they have automatic respect for coach Curtis Hunt because he coached in the NHL.
There's no question the return of Hunt has had a calming influence on his charges.
Let's see if it translates to the ice....
Their season opens September 18 at Saskatoon, the same night as the Riders Plaza of Honour Dinner.
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Sheesh -- we're getting old. 16-year-old forward John Odgers, 5-11 and 178 pounds, is in camp with the WHL's Prince George Cougars.
John is the son of former NHL tough guy Jeff Odgers, who also happens to be a member of the Cougars' scouting staff.
Odgey was a veteran in camp with Brandon when I had a sip of coffee with the Wheat Kings as a 16-year old goaltender twenty years ago.
Man time flies. And I'll NEVER forget the dressing room tricks Odgey could do with a skate-lace.
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Thanks to the owners/managers of Habano's for having me in to judge the first round of the Malibu Rum Best Regina Beach Bod contest Thursday night.
For some reason, the competition was barely advertised however we still ended up with a decent crowd.
Let's pack it this Thursday night for the FINALS! The winner gets $1,000 plus a prize package from Habano's and lots of good stuff.
I chose this nice young lady to win. I'm not sure who the guy is:
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Sooooo, Swift Current is overrun by a rat infestation?
Nope. Too easy.
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Sure enough, just as I say the blog fad is dying, three new blogs spring up. Check 'em out:
Our friend Ernie Waldner in Swift Current blogs about the Broncos and Legionnaires at http://www.erniewaldner.com/.
Pats goalie coach Ryan Cyr has a blog for his goaltending consultant company at http://www.gdiprairies.blogspot.com/.
And my friend Chris Pollock has started a new blog as well. I lost the link but perhaps Chris can post the link in the comments section.
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ESPN has hit a home-run with former Tampa and Oakland coach John Gruden on their Monday Night Football telecasts.
He's EXACTLY what was needed on those broadcasts, and Chucky could end up as the next John Madden if he wants to.
He's not as high-energy, but his analysis is superb.
I wouldnt be surprised though, if Gruden would rather be on the sidelines and will likely jump at the next coaching opportunity.
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The start of the NFL season sure is exciting.
I've been to just one NFL game, and it was back in 1995 when Pats GM Brent Parker bought the whole team tickets to watch the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks in the old Kingdome.
Boomer Esiason was the Jets QB, but I can't remember who was calling signals for the Seahawks. If I'm not mistaken, former Rider Andrew Greene was on the Seahawks roster for that one.
The Pats players and I spent much of the game running around the Kingdome trying to see as much of the stadium as we could. That group included Rhett Gordon, Chad Mercier, Dion Zukiwsky and Ross Parsons.
Have you ever been to an NFL game? Let's hear your stories in the comments section...
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Former Rider WR Matt Dominguez is on the payroll of CTV Regina, working as an analyst. His insights are tremendous, but he's dying to get back on the football field.
In the meantime, he's volunteering as the offensive coordinator of the RIFL's Riffel Royals. Matt says his offence is SO smooth that they've even need to HUDDLE this season.
I'll have to get out to watch some of their games to see if this is in fact the case.
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Jessica Simpson has put a hex on Tony Romo for dumping her a day shy of her 29th birthday.
And people can't figure out why he dumped her. That family appears to be crazy.
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George Strait's new album Twang is #1 on CMT's chart of country albums.
I picked it up as soon as I saw it on sale in HMV but I must admit, and it pains me to say it, it's not his greatest effort.
Maybe I jinxed him when we met at Craven!
That first song, Twang, is pretty good though. But that's about it...
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I have a new favourite Blizzard from DQ. It's likely not new, but I tried one of the kids' Reese's peanut butter cup Blizzard. IT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD!
What's your favourite? I've been reluctant to sway from the Oreo or Crispy Crunch ever since the Blizzard debuted 20 years ago.
We were all amazed at the south Albert DQ when the girl behind the counter turned it over and it never fell out. Amazing!
Has anyone ever seen a Blizzard slide out when turned upside down and shaken?
I've never seen it.
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Okay that's it for today on the MMG.
HAVE A GREEN WEEK!
RP
28 comments:
Hey Rod,
I have been to plenty of NFL games. Some pretty spectacular finishes and some will be remembered for other reasons.
Here are some of the highlights
- Cowboys vs Vikings -
Sunday night football in Minn.
It took the Cowboys OT to beat the Vikings. My first game (around 1995)
- Cowboys vs Cardinals -
120F at kick off in Phoenix.
They ran out of bottled water in the stadium. Sunday night game again. Cardinals (Cards were bad at the time and the 'Boys were in their dynasty) beat the Cowboys in OT and the University section swarmed the field.
- Chargers vs Dolphins -
Nothing super exciting but Tomlinson vs Ricky Williams
- Eagles vs Seahawks -
I am a huge Eagles fan and they spanked the 'Hawks at the U of W stadium before they moved into the new digs.
- 49ers vs Seahawks -
Monday night. A couple weeks after 9/11. Had a hell of a time crossing the border. THEN... Terrell Owens scored a TD and whipped out the sharpie.
A bunch of others but honestly NCAA football is 100x better bang for your buck. Rider game atmosphere. Some crazy stories about those games. I love tailgating for college games.
Anyways, sorry for the super long post
Luke
Early start, Rod...insomnia. EARLY Monday morning goalie for me. My favourite blizzard? The Banana Cream Pie. It rocks...plus, I did see a blizzard fall out. It was at the DQ on College Drive, about a block away from Griffiths Stadium, and I must have been no more than 10. They made it, brought it over, flipped it over, told me to give it a shake, so I did, and the whole thing glopped out on the counter. Everyone, and I mean everyone in that restaurant looked shocked. I, however, had that blizzard replaced and got another one for free because of it. Good deal.
Was there sports going on recently? Without the Riders, it was tough to pay attention...Blue Jays are cooked birds...NFL still in the pre-season...little bit of golf, I guess...and hockey's starting...it's about to get real busy! Enjoy it!
Tarcy
My favourite blizzard is new this year. The Tin Roof Brownie blizzard with chocolate covered peanuts and chunks of brownie. yeah. They usually don't give me my blizzards upside down because they are made so poorly these days.
My first and last NFL game was a season opener in Buffalo, they played the Vikings. It was the day Princess Diana died, and my wife just could not wait for the game to finish so she can go home and watch CNN. It was sold out game, amazing tailgate huge parties that I've never seen in my life, great seats in the lowerbowl 35 yd. line for $60 a pop. Of course, Buffalo lost, they almost ran out of beer. Never bothered to watch NFL in TO last year, I'm too big supporter of CFL.
As for DQ, my favorite blizzard is Hawaiian, but I swear if the girl did the flip here it would slip out, I hate it when I order blizzard at drive-tru they put a lid on it, Hello! I did not order a freakin' shake, what am I supposed to do with a lid after I start eating it?
ET get your act now and don't hesitate, SIGN Fantuz and Hunt, there's nobody else out there now besides unproven NFL castoffs who don't know CFL yet.
RDS
I have only been to 1 NFL game. It was game 3 of the 2002 pre-season between the Chiefs and the Texans. It was a game that had 2 former Riders, R-Kal Truluk (with the Chiefs) and Derrick Armstrong (for the Texans). Put it to you this way, when Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil called the 2nd 1/2 as exciting as watching grass grow, tells you enough on how the game went. IMO If you want to feel the atmosphere of an NFL game, go the game. If you want to watch the game, watch it on TV.
Is Reid posing for another photo in that panoramic view? It looks like the pose for a graduation shot. Was he on security duty while in his dress shirt? The dude is a Bad Ass!
Been to one NFL game and a whole slew of TCs. Game was the Bears & Vikes at the Metrodome back in '99 I believe. Brad Johnson completely picked apart the Bears defense and went on to win by a big margin.
Best TC memory: Watching a bunch of the Packer players riding kids' bikes (with most of the young bike owners on the handlebars or footpegs on the back) back and forth from Lambeau across the street to the practice field. Also spent some time at the Vikes TC (including the day Korey Stringer was carted off the field for the last time) and watching the Saints in Lacrosse, WI.
Hoping to make it to another game this year when the Pack play the Cards in January in Arizona! It will be a sporting week as the Coyotes also play 4 games while we're there, too.
Terry
In 2005 I went to the Raider Bronco game in Oakland. It was a blast! We think our fans are wild... Thank god the Riders wore black at that time. I would hate to go into that stadium with anything but black on...
Colin
Favourite blizzard is definately the Banana Split Blizzard, wont stay if you turn it upside down but its fantastic.
I'd have to say if Fantuz left i'd be extremely sad as a fan. Always said i hate putting numbers on but i'd toss the 83 on the back if he re-signs.
Went to a Seahawks, Colts game at U of W while Quest was being built.
The game was a bit of a dud and there was zero fun going on. One thing though from talking to foks at the UW campus. Huskie fans are a different crew from the Seahawks and both sides like to take potshots at each other.
Hopefully Fantuz has taken the time to see how many #83 jerseys are walking around Regina. It would be tough to see him go, considering our love affair with Canadian Slotbacks, especially the good ones. It's also nice to see that he is not a cocky showboat unlike a few other players on other teams (including most of Calgary...)
On another note Rod, perhaps you can answer this...I may have missed something living in Alberta, but whatever happened to D.J. Flick and Josh Ranek? They both lit it up in 07 (Ranek for just the short time he was here) and then disappeared. I know Flick was hurt for most of 08, but where is he now? Not that I think we need another receiver or back though... cause Fantuz is STAYING!
Swift has Rats. Your city is infested with crime and bats.
Tit for Tat I guess.
Went to Minny last year to see the colts/vikings. Tailgaiting was awesome, and all the strip clubs give you free beer and a "VIP" card to get in. All the people are friendly. One of our buddies ate everything on the menu almost...and topped it off with this horrendous looking hotdog! But it was inhaled.
This year on the list is in New Orleans to see the Lions roll in, which you can find deals for if you really look. Flights, hotel, tickets, ghost house tour, swamp boating...all for only $625 a person, and we are staying on fremont street with a balcony overlooking. As well as going back to minny to see favre play the packers on monday night football!
Is there seriously something wrong with these nutjobs like Jessica? But you have to wonder, good looks only go a certain way...you definitely need brains. Same thing with Jennifer Aniston...what is wrong with her? As she must be screwed in the head...cause she is still super hot!!
The Coffee Crisp blizzard is good (well was...diet doesn't allow it anymore!!) Dieting sucks by the way...just so you know! LOL
The Malibu girl looks like the ripper we had saturday night!! My a$$ still hurts from the whipping!
And better than a blog
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-ocho-cinco-show
Haha! Weel played S.C.! Right you are..
RP
Only once have I ever since a blizzard go plop - back in Yorkton when the person making it didn't really know what they were doing. When it fell, it sounded like a greased pig sliding between someone's arms.
I love the crunch of the Skor blizzard.
And I hate to say it, but the reason the Ti-Cats lost Saturday wasn't so much that the Eskimos played well as much as Kevin Glenn played like Kevin Glenn has been known to in the past.
The Esks couldn't stop the Hamilton run game at all in the first half and you could feel the angst, anger and frustration on the Esk bench.
But in the second half, the Ti-Cats got away from that in favour a pass game and it looked to zap all their energy. Heck, two-thirds of the Ti-Cats on the sideline were actually sitting on the bench and the only emotion being shown was at the officials - barely a mention was being made toward motivating their own club. Was really weird.
Oh, and one more thing - the field was HORRIBLE. People got drenched at the AC/DC concert, which didn't help the field at all and it showed. They had to replace numerous spots, but the worst was the entire patch between the goal line and the five-yard-line in the south end - - it looked like some kid with mud, clay, some grass and green spray paint had come along and decided it needed fixing.
Maybe a concert so close to a game isn't such a good idea on grass. And while I love the game on grass - this is just one more thing to give the 'turf' people a reason for change at Commonwealth.
My wife and I drove down to Green Bay in August 2004 and caught a Packers/Seahawks pre season tilt. What an atmosphere at Lambeau Field. Thought I would get to see Favre before he retired because apparently he was winding down his career. Little did I know he would retire and un-retire twice. Toured the Packer Hall of Fame, saw some top notch tail gate parties, 50 yard line seats. I tell you, Packer fans are just Rider fans twins, only American. The passion a small market fan base has for their team is second to none.
Any word on how Maranda is doing?
SCMC
Where is Chris Pollock's Blog. I can't find it on the internet
Speaking of the BC Lions and their DX crotch chop....
When Hamilton was here two weeks ago, Otis Floyd was walking along the east sidelines. He just happened to walk pretty far down the sidelines until he was in front of section 27. The only reason players come down to us is to cause problems. Sure enough, the first thing he does is the DX crotch chop to all of sections 27 and 28. Well, needless to say, that did not go over very well. It's kinda obvious that Otis still has that classiness that so many players pick up in BC.
Why can't they just do the Ric Flair "Wooooooo" I'm sure that would be much more intimidating. Alternatively the Big John Studd raising of his hand in the air for a "test of strength" might do the trick too.
Obama
Matt Dominguez is tearing up the touch football league in the city as well.
Can't wait for the game on Sunday!
Reid is a rock star!
Where is Big Rog?
http://chrispollock-paco.blogspot.com/
Later
Never been to an NFL game, hopefully will make it to one sometime in the near future. Maybe there'll be time for that stuff once harvest is over.
Favorite blizzard is Reeces Pieces, although I havent had one in a long time.
Here's a suggestion for a location for a group function. This weekend I was in town for an event on Willow Island. Its a great experience and has some awesome views of the legislature. No booze allowed though, apparently there were a couple drowning incidents.
See you all this weekend, my very first labour day as there's no combining going on yet. Can't wait!
2007 Dallas - Minnesota
2008 Houston - Minnesota plus Northwestern - University of Minnesota (homecoming game)
This year it will be Eastern Illinois State at North Dakota State (homecoming game) and then onto Minneapolis for Monday night football between the Packers and the Brett Favre led Vikings. Can't wait. The Dome will be rocking!!
Other question...
Why do the Riders wear the ugly corn logo thing for the '66 retro when we never wore that logo on a helmet. Should we not wear the alternate helmet from the previous two seasons?
C
Rod,
Excellent blog as usual. We are miles away, please give us your gut feeling on whether Fantuz is back next year. Thank you
Mike
Someone has reported on Riderville that Jason Armstead has signed with The Riders. Rod, you are our source, work it :)
Half Skor and half Reese Peanut Cup is my Fav blizzard at DQ. It will blow your mind Rod, its that good! Great summer treat!
Trina
Fantuz is as good as gone if his interview is anything to judge by.
"Hey Kelly, my suit is worth more than your car!"
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