The Debate Is On!

As soon as I saw the pictures of the Riders 100th anniversary jersey, I knew the blogosphere would be buzzing and the fanboards would be humming. There is varying opinion today on the red and black sweaters that the "green and white" will wear July 17 when Edmonton is here. Some love them, some hate them. I don't mind them, but I'm not going to buy one. My Rider jerseys will be green and white. That in no way is to be taken as a slight towards the organization. I think paying tribute to the first Rider teams is a tremendous idea--one that is perhaps overdue. Those teams wore red and black. It will be for just one game.

What makes me laugh is that back in December when it was announced the Canadian junior hockey team would wear green to honor the Riders, the majority of the people loved it. It was great that "Canada's team" was being honored by Hockey Canada. That my good friends was an idea I absolutely hated. Hockey Canada could have saluted either the Pats or Blades by wearing uniforms similar to theirs. Instead, they chose a football team! That was wrong. Now, the same people that thought the green jersey was cool are against the 100th anniversary jersey because the green is gone. What's the difference? Canada is red and white, but many said it was OK to wear green once or twice. These same people now say you can't wear red and black because the Riders are green and white, You can't have it the same way.

The bottom line is this. If you like the jerseys, you will buy one. If you don't, you won't. I said that with the world junior jerseys and I say it with this. I will say this though. It will look a lot different at Mosaic July 17 when everyone shows up wearing green except for the hosts. Thank god they aren't playing Calgary that day.
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Time to get serious on a couple of fronts. The Mandi Schwartz story is starting to get more play around here. Mandi is the young Saskatchewan woman who is in a fight for her life. If you don't know her story and what she is praying for, read this story. I urge you to go to the website in this story. Saskatchewan has come through before for young people in need and Mandi needs your help.

Also in need of some help is a 3 1/2 year old boy whose father is a friend of mine. I could tell the story, but his mom and dad do a much better job of this with this letter.
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We are currently planning a fundraiser steak night and raffle draw in support of a 3 ½ year old boy named Taylor. Fred & Jennine Brooks are his parents and he is a brother to big sister Kierstyn and his twin sister Ashlynn.

Taylor, along with his twin sister, has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. And although Ashlynn’s CP is not as severe, Taylor has limited use of his limbs which means that he cannot stand up on his own as well as cannot walk. We, his parents, carry him everywhere. We would like to purchase some specialized medical equipment to help Taylor develop these skills at home as not all of the equipment they use at Wascana Rehabilitation is available for home loan use. Unfortunately this equipment costs approximately $5000 which, for a one income, five person family, is quite a lot.

So to help with fundraising a Steak Night with raffle draw and silent auction is being held this summer at the Elks Club Lodge on August 7 with the proceeds going to our family to help purchase the equipment.
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If you would like to go or if you have anything you would like to donate for the silent auction, you can get a hold of me if you want or you can contact Fred directly at fbrooks03@xplornet.com
As you know, any help would be appreciated. I had a picture of Taylor off of the letter that I thought I could transfer onto here, but for some reason I can't. If I can, I will post.
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The NBA final is going to Game 7. After the Lakers dominance in Game 6, is Game 7 academic.
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The weather network says another 50-60 mm of rain between Wednesday night and Saturday morning. ENOUGH!!!!
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Former Leader-Post sports editor Gregg Drinnan has some interesting WHL numbers. He has the wins for all teams over the past three seasons. Here they are.....

Calgary 158,
Tri-City 148,
Vancouver 147,
Spokane 144,
Brandon 140,
Saskatoon 124,
Kelowna 120,
Medicine Hat 120,
Swift Current 120,
Everett 112,
Kootenay 110,
Regina 101,
Lethbridge 100,
Seattle 96,
Kamloops 92,
Moose Jaw 89,
Prince Albert 89,
Red Deer 82,
Chilliwack 80,
Portland 74,
Edmonton 67,
Prince George 57

When I first look at these numbers, I'm surprised to see the Pats in the middle of the pack. I'm also surprised to see Tri-Cities ahead of Vancouver--albeit by one game.
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Speaking of the Pats, the LP's Greg Harder has a good story on how new GM Chad Lang is going to rebuild the hockey team. As most of Greg's stories are, its a good read so check it out when grabbing a paper today.
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I see the annual SJHL showcase is going to go in Weyburn this year. Why wouldn't they do this at the Co-Operators Centre. With all the rinks there, what better place to have it.
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I started with a Rider marketing idea that we saw today. I'm going to end it with one that I would like to see. I know there are some within the Rider organization that check out this blog, so I'm asking you to send this Steve Mazurak's way---unless of course Steve or Jim is reading for himself.
With the Rider receivers being dubbed the "Canadian Air Force", why don't those Rider receivers head out to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, get dressed up as pilots and pose besides another piece of Canadiana that is Saskatchewan bred---the Snowbirds. Make a poster of this and sell it with proceeds going to Kidsport or another well-deserving charity. I think that would be a big seller. What do you think?
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I'm stepping back into the Cage with Rod today (although really who needs me when he has Kelly Remple) at 4 o'clock. Hope you can tune in.