A Weekend In Weyburn

Greetings from the scouts room at Crescent Point Place (formerly the Colosseum) in Weyburn. This place, if you haven't been here for a while, has gotten a good facelift. A lot of work was done to the facility for the 2005 RBC, but they are still working away on it and its one of the top venues in the SJHL as a result. Of course, they may slide down the ladder a little bit when the new facilities in Estevan and Melville open up, but the bottom line is the Wings and the people of Weyburn have a good rink they can call home.

Quite a few scouts are on hand for the SJHL showcase. For those that don't know what that is, all 12 teams are playing two games this weekend. It gives the scouts a chance to look at everyone in one gathering. You have some NHL scouts here like Bob Lowes, some WHL scouts here like the ageless and always entertaining Graham Tuer and some NCAA and CIS scouts as well. It also gives me a chance to talk to some players for the website and see some teams that I haven't had a chance to look at this year.

A quick thank you to all of those who posted wishes of Happy Birthday on my Facebook and Twitter page. Thank you very much. Another year older, but another year wiser.....I don't know if I can say that. I'm one year closer to 50--yeesh!

Just because I know Rob Vanstone reads this blog, I have to remind Rob that yesterday was the four year anniversary of what was a Seattle Seahawks trouncing over his Denver Broncos in a game that we both attended. I was given the opportunity that evening to watch both teams warm-up from the sideline. What an experience that was. My jaw simply hit the floor when I walked out onto Invesco Field. Let's just say its a little different than walking out into Mosaic Stadium. The sad thing was we were supposed to watch the game from the sidelines, but because the game was on NBC, they wouldn't allow anyone on the sidelines that wasn't supposed to be there---unless they were a corporate partner. Anyhow, the game which was Jay Cutler's debut went right down to the end when Josh Brown kicked a 52 yarder on the last play of the game to beat the Broncos, make me happy, make Rob mad (which made me happier) and end any chance of Denver going to the playoffs.

We walked to and from the game and about halfway back with me chirping at Rob as only I can, he finally turned around and light-heartedly let me have it. GOOD TIMES!!! That's a trip I won't forget for a long time. Rob and I are doing Yankees-Cubs (at least that's the plan) in June. I don't know if it will be as memorable as Denver, but we'll try and I'm sure we'll act like two men in our mid to late 40's (or should I say 20's).

Its not surprising, but I have had many people ask me in Weyburn who the new coach of the Riders will be. I don't know why I have this gut feeling that Mike Gibson is going to factor into this equation somehow. I also wonder how Darian Durant will factor into the equation. Quarterback and coach have to be on the same page so I wonder if the man who is driving the Rider bus will have any input as to who the new head man is.

Here's one for you. If Chris Jones is named the head coach of the Riders, and his name has been thrown out there. Would it mean the Riders taking a shot at either Dwight Anderson or Brandon Browner in free agency. I don't think the Riders need those two guys and it would represent a change in the culture that Ken Miller created. I just throw it out there though because Jones knows what those two guys can do.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love satellite radio-----especially when driving down the highway. If you are a sports fan, there is nothing like it. I'm guessing many sports fans read this blog.

I haven't seen all the home and road jerseys for the SJHL teams yet, but the home whites of the Kindersley Klippers might be the sharpest in the league---at least to me they are.

Gotta run! Talk to you later.