I went to get my paper yesterday and saw there was something in a plain brown envelope in the box already. I opened up the envelope to find a copy of "The Greatest Grey Cup Ever". That is the book on the 89 Riders written by Rob Vanstone. Its more than just the 89 Riders though. It basically goes through the trials and the tribulations of Canada's team from that emotional 1976 Grey Cup loss at the hands of Tony Gabriel to the equally emotional--albeit for entirely different reasons--2007 Grey Cup victory.
The reason why Rob had dropped off one of the first copies to me was the fact that I helped Rob out in making this book a reality. In January of 08, Rob invited me for lunch at Houston Pizza saying he had a proposition for me. He then proceeded to tell me how much of the work on the book he had done on the 66 Riders was spent transcribing the many lengthy interviews he had conducted. He wanted to know if I would help him out on those interviews and transcribe them so that he had the files right there ready to go when he needed them. After chowing down on some pizza and asking about a thousand questions, we were ready to go. Rob gave me a list of players and contact numbers and away I went. It then got to the point where I asked him about this player or that player that he didn't have. One of them was Brian Walling. Rob had no idea where he was, but after a night of searching I found him and had a great interview with him. I was watching my daughter play softball one Saturday when my cell-phone went off. It was Al Bruno! He was returning a message I had left with his alma-mater down south.
Being a Rider fan, it was great talking to guys of that 89 team like Eddie Lowe ( I could have talked to him forever), Dave Albright and Bobby Jurasin just to name a few. I also had the chance to speak to members of the 1976 team to get their thoughts on that heart-breaking afternoon. Guys like Tom Campana, Steve Mazurak and John Payne. To get their thoughts and memories of that game was quite surreal. I still remember being a 10 year old boy seeing that play and realizing that my dream of seeing the Riders win the Grey Cup had been snuffed out. I had not been born until a week after the 66 game so I had never experienced a Rider Grey Cup win. It was also interesting speaking with members of the 89 Eskimos team that the Riders upset to get there. They had some great quotes and stories. I won't ruin it for you because I want you to read the book, but Tom Richards--the former Edmonton receiver, had what may be one of the funniest lines of all when he was asked how long that loss lingered in his mind.
I thumbed through the book yesterday and it was funny reading it and seeing the quotes and people that I had delivered to Rob who could only then turn it into the magic that only he can.
I can honestly say that this project was one of the most fun things I have done in my broadcasting career and something that was very enriching....it was also very therapeutic for reasons I won't get into.
If Rob's name is on it, I don't have to tell you that the book is a very good one because even though he is one of my best friends out there, he is also what I consider to be one of the top sports-writers in Canada. Regina is lucky to have someone that is so creative and dedicated to his craft. Many others would have been swallowed up by Toronto or a bigger market, but Rob is staying right here. Its one of the reasons why I think the LP has the best sports department in all of Canada.
If you are a Rider fan, you will want this book and you will want to get extras for friends and family not living in Saskatchewan. It will make for a great Christmas present. I know a few books will be under trees courtesy of me this year. I just wonder if Rob is going to make me pay for those books or if he will just give them to me. I'm sure we'll strike up some kind of deal.
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Belated congratulations to Amber Holland. She made it two in a row at the Schmirler Curling Classic on Monday. Amber had a great winter last year and was oh so close to representing Canada in Vancouver. Don't be surprised if she is Saskatchewan's rep at the Scotties again this year and perhaps Team Canada for the 2012 event. Yes, I think the Jennifer Jones train is about to reach a screeching halt this winter after the upheaval that the rink went through in the off-season.
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I heard a great discussion on ESPN Radio the other day about the oh so small gap between winning and losing and how it can affect a team. Two examples---the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers. The Falcons are 2-1, but they could easily be 3-0having lost an overtime game in Pittsburgh to start the season. They could also be 1-2 after escaping with an overtime win in New Orleans this past Sunday. Their record of 2-1 doesn't indicate how good of a football team that they are until you start to peel back the layers. The same goes for San Diego. The Chargers are 1-2. They lost in the last seconds to Kansas City when they couldn't punch it over from inside the 5 and they lost to Seattle because they can't cover kicks and even then lost on the game's last play when Phillip Rivers threw an endzone pick. The Chargers should perhaps be 3-0, but two offensive series have them at 1-2 and as a result, they don't feel very good about themselves.
When I translate that to the Riders, I say the record of 8-4 is pretty accurate, but I do wonder if they could have won in Montreal had it not been for that terrible start. Nothing can sugar-coat the losses in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
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The Pats are home to Swift Current tonight. I guess I will go check out the Pats and see first-hand how they are looking. I had someone at Sunday's home opener tell me that the improvement in guys like Myles Bell and Brandon Davidson is very noticable. Assistant coach Shaun Sutter was with Pete Paczko and myself on Access 7's "Locker Talk" Tuesday night. He says Bell, if he continues on his pace, has a chance to be a very high draft pick and an elite NHL defenceman. No kidding! I was impressed with Bell last year and can only imagine how good he will be come draft time. One thing you can't argue about is the great defencemen that this team has trotted out during the Parker era. Derek Morris, Barret Jackman, Brad Stuart are just three that come to mind right off the bat. Logan Pyett, Colten Teubert and Filip Novak were no slouches either. Where is Novak these days anyhow??
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Would this latest story about the Riders and the too many too many men on the field penalties be getting this much exposure if it weren't for how the Grey Cup ended. I have seen a lot of teams get too many men penalties this year----albeit I'm sure the Riders do lead in that category. Just a thought to consider.
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