Today's column was delayed because of travel arrangements coming back from Calgary, and the need to come to grips with Saskatchewan's 28-27 Grey Cup loss to Montreal at McMahon Stadium.
Nobody's over it yet. Nobody's sure how to deal with it. And there's a good chance we never, ever will.
Those who were around in 1976 tell me this is the same feeling as that Grey Cup loss to Ottawa. Some say it's worse.
I don't know, but it sucks!
It's so bad that those who hate us are even emailing in offering their condolences. It was THAT painful of a loss for this franchise.
Here are some thoughts on the Monday after:
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Sunday's Riders-Alouettes Grey Cup was the most-watched show on TSN ever. Details of the ratings numbers are in the post below.
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It was loud at McMahon on Sunday, but not as loud as Regina.
I don't know if it was because of stadium configuration or what, but Mosaic Stadium is louder with 16,000 less people than were there Sunday.
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Said the cab driver as he was racing me around the McMahon Stadium parking lot three hours before game time:
"Everywhere you look is green, green, green!"
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The Alouettes estimated they had 1,000 of their own fans at the game.
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The Riders know who's the guilty party for being the illegal 13th man on the field on Montreal's first game-winning field goal attempt.
But they're not saying.
And they tell me it's not Jason Armstead.
Does someone lose their job over this? In the NFL they would. I don't know about here.
Maybe the Regina media will be able to dig it out of them Tuesday morning at the team's final get-together.
**UPDATE -- you'll see in the Comments section below that TSN's Dave Naylor has "outed" the player he feels is responsible for the penalty.
I'm not entirely certain he's correct.
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Sorry I couldn't post photos from the welcome home at Mosaic Stadium.
Our plane landed at Regina Airport just before 3:00 and I had to get to school for a pickup so I missed it all together.
I'm sure it was a somber affair.
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In THOUSANDS of game broadcasts over the years, I have NEVER seen a team so devastated after a game.
Never. It's to the point where I hope I never see it again.
Today, the look on the players' faces was completely blank. They looked like zombies wandering around the Calgary Airport. The usual jokes, kibitzing and chat wasn't there.
Everybody just stared straight ahead.
Ken Miller's right; they'll be forever scarred over this loss.
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BUT, it's also a learning lesson. It's an obstacle on the way to get back to the top of the mountain.
Hey, the Alouettes have suffered many of these over the years but they overcame and are quite rightfully are on top.
The Riders will be back in the dance many times in this new decade which begins in 2010.
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Once the 46,020 fans filled McMahon Stadium on Sunday, everybody's cell phone crapped out.
So after calling the first half on the Corus Radio Network across Canada, I wandered down to the Riders' sidelines. It's a place I haven't been for 11 years and I forgot how chaotic it is. Maybe too chaotic.
Anyways, it turns out Carm Carteri texted me late in the game saying "we've discussed it in the booth and we want you to call the final 3:00 since the Riders will win."
I never got that text till after the game.
Can you imagine? CAN YOU IMAGINE??
I don't know what I would've said, but I might've sworn. But I'm definitely GLAD I didn't get that text in time.
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Montreal Alouettes broadcaster Rick Moffatt is also the Voice of the Montreal Canadiens so he took heat from the Habs for missing their Saturday night game.
"You're saying this football game is more important than ours?" the hockey team poked at Rick.
He's in a constant tug-of-war just like me and it's brutal.
Heading down to the USA for a couple Pats broadcasts Friday and Saturday was stressful but it afforded me the chance to get some much-needed rest rather than doing God-knows-what at Grey Cup.
But I don't think I'll do it again. All the stress hit a breaking point Sunday night when I got hit with a nasty sleepwalking episode.
I'm not 25 anymore. I don't know how long I can continue to do this.
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I'd like to personally thank four people who went out of their way to make sure I could get from Spokane to Calgary Sunday in time for the game:
- Travel agent Tom Bellamy of Carlson Wagonlit Travel
- Pats coach Curtis Hunt, who was afraid I'd get stalled in the U.S. on the biggest travel day of the year, so he was figuring out alternate plans and arrangements for me.
- Sportscaster Peter Watts of CHQR Radio in Calgary, who offered to be waiting for me at the Calgary Airport once I arrived in order to get me to the stadium as quickly as possible.
- And Spokane Chiefs G.M. Tim Speltz who came by my booth Saturday night and offered whatever tips he could since he's made that milkrun from Spokane to Calgary, through Seattle, a million times.
It's great to have friends like this.
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Some guy wrote in yesterday saying the 2009 Roughriders pulled the province together and I couldn't agree more.
And the popularity of this team across Canada is positively staggering. It's a lot of fun being a part of it and I've learned it's not just Saskatchewan's team anymore.
On my layover in Seattle Sunday morning, there was a young couple sitting across from me. She had a black Rider bunny-hug on.
I asked them where they're from and she said Edmonton. I said "so why are you a Rider fan?"
She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
Later I got up to go to the washroom and asked them if they'd mind watching my stuff.
He said, "you trust us?"
I said "that /=S=/ logo is the international sign of good people. Yes I trust you."
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Have a great week and thanks for reading.
RP
29 comments:
Kick ass job you did this past week Roddie. I hope you get some time to spend with your family. You have more than earned some time to yourself.
j
It is a shame that people especially the media < Dave Naylor in particular ,who pointed out the Sask player on TSN tonight. Iam not worried about who it is Nor should anyone else, Dave Naylor is a joke and a typical toronto media junkie. Bring back the players and coaches that took us to the dance except this time lets leave with our girlfriend and not let her go home with your enemy !!!!
Always proud to be a fan of the Green and White.
One more thing , Coach Miller if you are reading this , keep your head up , You just earned the respect of an entire nation. We all know you will be back on top cause the best never stay down , and you are truly the BEST we could ask for .
Dave Naylor on TSN pointed it out tonight that is was in fact Sean Lucas...........
Dave Naylor is a long, long way from being a joke.
Still, the identity of the player (Sean Lucas or whomever) just doesn't matter to me. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I no longer have a need to know who the extra player was. It happened. It was horrible. It's over.
TSN watched the film and saw Lucas came off after the first attempt. That doesn't mean he was the guilty one. Crappy thing to do to single him out.
RP
I'm still trying to figure out how to get over this loss. I went from jumping around in the stands to bawling my eyes out in the span of less than one minute. At Riderville last night I sat in a corner of the lobby by the buffet calling people just to hear somebody say that its going to be alright.
It's not fair. It really isn't fair.
But I'll tell you what. Unlike 76, where afterwards we began a streak of futility that lasted thirty years, this team will indeed bounce back. The sting of this loss will disappear after we host that cup in E-town next year. Durant is only going to get better, Fantuz will be back and Dressler will have a full season to wreak havoc with defences.
However, like I said, it just isn't fair...
I don't care how the "too many men" happened. It happened and it's done. I just feel so bad for the coaches and players. They worked so hard and were so close. But, things happen for a reason.
Can't wait to get going next season. We have a good team here and we can be back at the GC next year. Just need to get some of those free agents signed!
Bev J
Hey Rod,
I agree, that you cant do everything anymore. It was very ambitious, but in the end it will kill you.
As for the 13th player....lets let it lie..... The media should let it lie.....It doesnt matter and in the end all the Riders did was try to win it for us.
It was a great year and a great game...and we win as a team and we loose as a team....LET IT LIE
I'm sure we'd all agree that our Rider's mean more to us than just football. But if we look at it as just football, then it is just one loss. We win games or we lose games. Players get traded, signed, hurt, retire, but the football keeps going, win a game, lose a game. Obviously this was a BIG game, but like Durant said so many times, he just has to go out and play the game of football.
Now there are days like today when we look past football and realize what our Rider's mean to us. We all know how being members of the Rider Nation brings us together and gives us all an unspoken bond, wherever we go. I have a 'gasp' Stampeder fan who told me today he finally understands us Rider fans after witnessing what we went through. The Rider Nation is the envy of the country and this country is going to watch how we respond to this. If we respond by throwing a few under the bus and calling for changes, well, it is hard to be envious of that. But if we respond like it appears we are responding, by embracing our team, standing behind them, and standing proud (like we did when we whipped the Stamps for the final), we will show the country that the Riders are WAY more than just football. It is not a game for us... you win and lose games... This is something that can never be lost.
Long live the Green Machine!
Brendan Syches
Schultz said on the panel after the game that it is not fair to publicly humiliate the "extra" player. I COMPLETELY agree.Naylor is an idiot who is just fishing for a story and try to stir the pot. What if it was Lucas? Are we going to blame him for the loss and run him out of town? The Riders win and lose as a team. Period.
P.S. As fans the best thing we can do is stay positive and let these guys know we support them threw thick and thin.I want this team intact for next year. They will be hurting from this for a while but I believe they can slay the dragon. Go Riders!
Rod,
That was a tough one and it still has not sunk in but after the game I couldn't help but think if they can keep this team together then we might have witnessed the passing of the torch in the CFL.
It's a tough loss on so many levels but just like the players, staff, etc... put their time in for 6 months so do we. We plan holidays around the Rider schedule, we plan parties and social functions around games, we buy merchandise by the boat load for significant others, kids, babies, dogs & cats, we travel thousands of miles to get to games to support the green machine, we cheer & scream until we can no longer speak, we convert friends, neighbours & in-laws from stamps, eskie & lion fans and we spend time migrating towards likeminded friends and family (and others who just happen to be there) and sit around at campfires, birthdays, holidays, ball games, school functions, dressing rooms, malls and parking lots passionately dissecting, analyzing and dreaming of the next big Rider win. To see the players after the game, some doubled over in agony, helmets getting smashed against the ground, to watch Omarr Morgan quickly and quietly sprint off that field with his head hung at his feet tugged at our hearts because a piece of all our hearts was right there with them. I guess I find some comfort knowing we are all in this together.
It's hard to look back now but 2009 was another special year in Rider Nation and there is a sense, a belief that this is only the beginning. We will be back.
Lastly kudos to you and all the great info you supplied us on your blog. Keep up the great work and thank you. See you in 2010.
One of a million /=S=/trong.
The fact remains that for 60 minutes, we had the #1 all-time TSN audience stunned in their seats thinking: "H-O-L-Y C-R-A-P" these Riders are for real!!
This is true for all those Bombers, Argos, Ti-Cats, Stamps, Esks, and especially Lions fans out there. Our guys did what nobody else ever thought was possible, and that was to slay the dragon.
600+ points, leaders in 21 of 25 defensive categories, blah, blah, blah....put up our Riders against ANYONE in the league for the championship, and I like our chances.
Great job guys!
Montreal came back from losing in the big game last year. The Riders can do the same.
I hope this negative crap goes away. Look at what this team accomplished this year. All the "experts" thought we were going to finish fourth in the west. Durant gets the starting job and leads the team to a first place finish in the toughest division in the CFL. We get our first home playoff game in 33 years and the team does not disappoint. Obviously we came up JUST short in the Cup, but we lost to a 15-3 football team whose QB is probably what ...top 5 in CFL history (statistically speaking). Montreal has been a dominant team for the past decade. What an awesome season overall! We will be back.
so now you want sean lucas to lose his job over this? or if naylor was wrong again whoever the extra player was? how about the players on offence who couldn't get a crucial first down in the final minutes or the players on defence who couldn't stop the als from driving into field goal position and overcoming a 27-11 lead???
if duval makes that 43 yarder like he usually does about 8.5 times out of ten this conversation never takes place...it's over...quit picking at the bones...nothing left to see here...
I don't want to know who it was.
I like that the Riders are keeping mum on that. Whomever it is feels awful as it is I'm sure - he doesn't need to be vilified by the whole country (excluding montreal fans)
I have a lot of respect for Brent Parker but I was a little bit upset when I read that he requested that you do the two Washington games on the same weekend as the Grey Cup. For all you do for the Pats I thought it would have been nice to allow you to enjoy the Grey Cup festivties first hand. Plaster does an excellent job as well so it is not like the games would not have been well broadcasted. Well keep your head up and hopefully we can all rebound from this. I still feel sick today because of the loss and that picture of Ken Miller in the paper this morning is the most heart breaking thing I have seen in a long long time. Take care...
GREAT COMMENT BRENDAN......THAT IS THE RIDER PRIDE WE LOVE
Yes, it still hurts today...but would've it hurt more if Calgary beats us in the West Final....probably. I believe that we were by far the better prepared team on Sunday with the exception of a 7 minute lapse...great coaching nonetheless.
I am still very impressed with our season, and look forward to 2010...
Rod - Thanks for the blog all season long and the great broadcasts on the radio, guess it's time to head out to a few Pats games!!
Devo
Brendan, Doug, Chad, Kelly, Bill, Rod (of course), et. al., it is most excellent that some sort of level headed-ness is going on amidst the totally lousy soul-sucking feeling all around. One other angle - my wife said to me that I was giving all sorts of standard answers to her 'how are you doing?' questions after the game (I'm the bigger fan in our home), and when I started replying, comparing to 2007, I realized that, for the first time in MY lifetime (and I remember my dad hitting the ceiling in '76) I could talk about recent Grey Cup appearanceS, PLURAL! When was the last time anyone born after the first Grey Cup victory in '66 could say that? Much to be proud of; grateful for the amount of positive perspective in these comments.
Finally, Rod, you are a god - thanks for the blog, and the opportunity to share.....
Hey Anon,
Just because you don't want or need to know the identity of the extra player doesn't make Dave Naylor an "idiot".
Chances are he knows the difference between threw and through.
Rod,
I have a CFL rule question that hopefully you or one of your regular commenters can answer.
We needed Armstead back there did we not? Let's say we loaded up 12 at the line, with no kick returner. Duval misses the field goal but it bounces in the end zone and stays there so its a live call.
Is it the same rule as the punt where someone who was onside when the field goal was attempted (The kicker and holder) can recover the ball?
With 12 guys from the Riders running the wrong direction, would that not put them at a bit of a disadvantage to recover thefootball?
I think it is a live football...that's why Armstead was back there. Why does Dave Naylor feel the need to single somebody out? We should start a petition or something.
So should we start pointing fingers at Congi for missing that field goal or Durant for throwing that interception that led Montreal down field, or the D for not stopping them when we were leading by 16 points with 8 mins left?
Come on people we win as a team, and lose as a team. Yeah it still sucks A** we lost and it was the worst possible way to lose a game, but it's over and we need to look ahead to 2010.
Think about how bad that 13th player feels right now, and better yet the whole team, coaching staff etc.
Nobody even gave us a chance in that game, ask anyone. The Riders played great it came down to one play, and that's that. We can't get it back but we can still move forward and hope to be in Edmonton in 2010.
The only thing I couldn't understand at the game in Calgary was how every other team's fans cheered for the AL's. Do people hate the Riders that much? I think it's more of an envy!
Trina
Hey Kelly Markwart, the Als actually were beat 3 times this year so never think for a second that they couldn't be beat. 13 is my new favourite number!!
Overall I'm just happy and appreciate the 2009 team regardless of result. Every game was so good, and it was fun watching them week to week.
I stated this before. Yes this "hurts", but in the grand scheme it's just a game. I came to that understanding later in life so that's how I got over it quickly. Regardless of the result I think collectively we all can't wait for the 2010 season to begin. If the management structure remains this team has a chance to go on for years as an elite group that will contend every year for the Grey Cup.
Anyway thanks for the daily/weekly debates about the team, and sports in general.
THanks
Obama
Guys, it is in Dave Naylor's *opinion* that it was SL. Doesn't mean he was in fact the guy.
Keep in mind, had there not been a total collapse in the defense with 7 minutes left, it would have never come down to the last play of the game.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. The game was over two days ago. These are professional football players and their success for next year will be based on how well they overcome Sunday. I am sure in 2010, they will be hungrier than ever for the championship.
Let's move on. Talking about it is like beating a dead horse and won't change the result. By the way, how about those Pats? A pretty good road trip in my opinion! I hope the boys can build on the success of this road trip, play a couple of solid games at home before embarking on their Alberta trip. I am hoping to take in the Pats-Hitmen game (providing I can get some decent seats).
Great job overall Rod. And hope you enjoy this break before Saturday's game at the BC.
Rod, I watched the 1976 Grey Cup and it was very different. I'm still depressed when I think of that game. I'm already over this one. This is a great team and will be thrilling us again next year. The only thing I am thinking about now is signing our free agents as soon as possible. Also, we don't need a scapegoat ala Ted Provost.
Even if it is Sean, obviously he didn't know the assignment, so it is not entirely his fault. Chris Schultz said it best... "Human beings in emotional/stressful situations, do uncharacteristic things"... That is why we watch sports, you never know. Keep Reid, keep Sean, keep this team together. Why some of these "fans" always need a pound of flesh is beyond me. I guess they must have never made a mistake, right?
Anyway, I am more determined than ever for this team to come back and stick it up everyone's ass next year
GO RIDERS!
PS - I hope the Pats know how lucky they are to have a guy like Roddy.
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