This and That

Welcome to Friday! Here are the usual weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always they come in no particular order.


--You know I am starting with what happened in Cleveland Wednesday night.






That slow chopper to Kris Bryant that ended Game 7 of the World Series sending myself and every other Cubs fan that had been  through an emotional wringer into a state of delirium. It simply left me numb.  If you have seen your team win, you know what I'm talking about. What a stomach-churning contest Game 7 was. I thought Game 7 of the 1991 World Series between the Braves and Twins was maybe the best game I had ever seen, and I had no horse in that race. I did in this one. It simply had it all.

What a roller-coaster of emotions Game 7 provided. It was reality television at its best. It was drama at its highest level.  I talked to many a person on Thursday who had no horse in the race and were compelled to see how this would end.  It was incredible.  The 20 minute rain delay made it so surreal.  It was if the baseball gods had to have a meeting to decide what team's fanbase they were going to rip the soul from.  It made me think if Bud Selig had still been the commissioner of the game, he would have called it a tie.

Many also wondered aloud on social media if I was alright. The answer was barely! When Rajai Davis hit his 8th inning homerun, I had a feeling I hadn't felt since the 2009 Grey Cup. Luckily, the game wasn't over like it was in that game that still devours Rider Nation.

The curse is over! While the Cubs may win a 2nd World Series and maybe more over the next few years, there is nothing like that first one and yes, dammit I will soak it all in and savour the moments. I can't wait for Opening Day next year.  I need to schedule that day off pronto.

--The Riders finish things off on Saturday in Vancouver. At the end of the day, they will have a 5 or 6 win season. They could very well be the worst team in the CFL when everything wraps up this week. I think it is safe to say this has not been the way Chris Jones thought it would be, but that is what happens when you basically discard the entire roster from a year ago.  The jury is, and likely, will always be out over what was done in the off-season. At the end of the day, while John Chick, Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf meant a lot to Rider Nation, would they have turned this team into a playoff contender. We know the answer to that. Those guys meant a lot to this franchise and the fan-base, and you love them as much now as you did when they were wearing green, but guys have come in who are younger and cheaper and will lead this team moving forward.

I am surprised to see Darian Durant get the start Saturday night. Why? The season is over so why play your franchise quarterback. Is there a contractual reason behind that? If there is fine, but as soon as you can, pull him and don't risk an injury.  After the lockers get cleaned out next week, get Darian into a room, negotiate a 2 or 3 year deal with him and end the constant chatter about his future. I'm sure he must be getting tired of it everytime he speaks. He wants to be here, the team wants him here. Get it done!

For what it's worth, the signing of Naaman Roosevelt to a contract extension on Thursday is huge. We knew he would have a breakthrough season, and he didn't disappoint. If he could have stayed healthy for all 18 games, there is no telling what his season numbers would look like.

--The Argos and Eskimos will play Sunday in Edmonton and even though they don't like it, Jason Maas and Mike Reilly will be mic'ed up.  I have just two words for the Edmonton coach....GROW UP! Hey, I think the whole mic'ed up idea for a live game is dumb too, but what makes you think you are immune to this when the other eight coaches had to do it.  As I said on the Cage Thursday night, Maas is acting like the petulant little child sitting at the dinner table who doesn't want to eat his vegetables even though everyone else has to. He hopes if he whines, cries and bitches enough, that he won't have to. It doesn't work that way. Whether the idea is a dumb one or not, when everyone has to take part, you follow suit. Yeah, you can sit there and hold an entertaining scrum with some quote-worthy answers, but at the end of the day, you aren't above any head coach in this league----especially in your first year so just zip it, strap on the mic and do what you have to do. Quit acting as if you are above your counterparts because you're not.

--Is Ricky Ray playing his last CFL game this weekend?


--The Regina Pats are the number one junior hockey team in Canada. They deserve to be. The record indicates that. The calendar also shows its early November. There is a long ways to go before we start crowning anyone with anything. I think John Paddock and many others in that organization will say its great to be number one right now, but being number one in May is what matters and not November. That being said, you have to like what you are seeing from the Queen City Kids and they don't show any sign of slowing down anytime soon.

--Speaking of number 1 ranked teams, the U of R womens basketball team starts the conference portion of their schedule at home Friday against Victoria with the mens game to follow. A trip to nationals should be in the cards for Dave Taylor's squad again this year and the mens team under Steve Burrows should be much improved and ready to contend for a playoff spot.  I'll have the best seat in the house again this year for Cougar basketball doing the in-house P-A.  Looking forward to it! 

--The weather will be fantastic on Saturday afternoon, and I hope that translates into a good crowd for the Rams-UBC game. The Rams want to try and delay the official closing of Mosaic Stadium for a while yet. The T-Birds will be no pushover. Canada West has had a lot of great games this season, and I don't expect this to be any different.  Game time is 3:30 on Saturday afternoon. Is it too much to ask for a crowd of 5-grand. I'll have the p x p of the game on CKRM's online channel Sportscage dot c-a.

--The situation in Saskatoon involving three Hilltops players and an incident in their clubhouse a little disturbing, Someone has to fall on the sword. If the team wants to wait until after the Canadian Bowl that is fine, but a "We're sorry" letter from the board of directors doesn't suffice here.  Someone has to pay the piper for what happened especially if staff were aware of what happened when police were called.  If this is swept under the carpet, I'll be shocked because the Toppers are way to classy for that to happen. I think there are a lot of people interested to see what happens on this one. If this had happened in a WHL, SJHL, Midget or Junior B environment, there would be you know what to pay. The same applies here if you ask me.

--March 2018 should be fun as the Tim Hortons Brier comes to  town,  The Brier is a party and if you're a fan of curling, it makes it even better,

--Week 9 NFL Lock of the Week --- Dallas over Cleveland (really going out on a limb there)
   Week 9 NFL Upset of the Week --- Rams over Carolina


--That's all I got. Remember Leafs fans, if the Cubs can do it, your team can too. If it means 108 years from the last one though, I'm OK with it.