First off, I just want to say congratulations again to the U of R Cougars womens basketball team for getting the job done in Calgary this weekend and winning the Canada West conference championship. The Cougars are no stranger to being in the gold medal game, but they have lost that gold medal game for 5 straight years until Saturday’s win over Calgary. I can’t imagine the elation that head coach Dave Taylor had as the seconds counted down knowing he was finally going to have a gold medal placed around his neck and be involved in a trophy ceremony instead of watching it. Taylor and assistant coach Steve Burrows have done a great job with that team over the years and to see them finally reap the rewards of their hard labour Saturday night was a treat. They have three more wins to get and all of those games are on their home-court as they are at Nationals. As I said earlier, I can’t wait to introduce the team to what I’m hoping is a full CKHS on March 15 as the Canada West conference champs. It will even be sweeter announcing them as the Canadian champs, but a lot of basketball has to be played before then.
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You don’t get much better than the curling exhibition that Kevin Martin and Jeff Stoughton gave us in Draw 2 of the Brier Saturday night. Both rinks were on the top of their game and in the end, Martin made a mistake in the 11th end and Stoughton capitalized. Martin had an extremely toughin-off shot with his final stone to try and win the game. If he had made that shot, you could have ended the event right there and given the Brier Tankard to Martin and crew.
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It would seem as if through the first two days of the Brier, curlers are complaining about the rocks. Here’s an idea---throw them and play the game. I hate it when golfers say a course is too tough and I hate it when curlers complain about rocks. Just play the damn game and quit looking for an excuse.
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It seemed to me there was a lot of cussing going on that was caught by the TSN mikes. In the wake of the infamous Chris Schille ejection at the Sasktel Tankard for misbehaving, have any of the curlers including Kevin Martin been slapped on the wrist. Heather Nedohin was even doing it at the Scotties without any consequence it seemed.
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The crowds at Rexall Place in Edmonton for the Brier have been fantastic. Its so Canadian to pack 10-thousand if not more into a building to watch a game like curling. I knew the Scotties final would get a strong showing when it came to TV numbers, but I didn’t think more than a million Canadians would have tuned in to see Rachel Homan beat Jennifer Jones. If a million are watching the womens final, what will the numbers be for the mens final. What has it been in the past? I am guessing at least 3 million.
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My good friend Rob Vanstone had two very good columns on the state of the Regina Pats this week. Last Monday, Rob bemoaned the fact that the Pats haven’t been to a WHL conference final in 20 years and that their playoff record has been extremely dismal in that time and that includes the Memorial Cup year when they were bounced out of the playoffs early. Fast forward to Friday when Rob did a story on Pats president Brent Parker. He is just as frustrated as anyone that the team is once again going to be on the outside looking in come playoffs, and the fact that selling his hockey team is tough. With all due respect to Brent, who I sometimes think has more problems with me than I do with him; let’s do a course in Marketing 101. WIN SOME HOCKEY GAMES!! Do that and people will support this team. Give us a roster that is capable of winning some hockey games, a team that will compete for a division title and a team that will make the playoffs quite comfortably. A drought of this long is not just all bad luck. Y Its been one year after another of spinning the wheels and going nowhere. The Memorial Cup season even had disaster written all over it until the team emptied its depth by trading for the likes of Blake Evans, Paul Elliott and Garnet Exelby. If the Regina Pats were to show people that they mean business and can contend for a WHL conference championship or a league title this city would go off the rails. I don’t know if it would be like it is during a Riders playoff run, but I felt that excitement inside the Brandt Centre last year when the team made the playoffs in a series where they were the decided underdog. There was some electricity when you walked into the building. Regina hockey fans that had waited for playoffs were there to support their team. If this team was doing what Saskatoon is doing right now, I don’t know if you could fit another butt in the building. The city would be talking Pats. It would be great. It’s a powder-keg waiting to explode, but no one wants to light the fuse. Will they be competitive next year with the likes of Klimchuk. Stephenson, Sacher and a defensive group that definitely had some rough nights this year. I certainly hope so, but they need to add some talent to get them where they want to be and where Regina fans want them to be. Chad Lang did his best to try and keep this team competitive when they were ravaged by injury and he along with Cliff Mapes and the Pats marketing team deserve a purple heart for what they have done this year to try and get bodies into the building. You can do all the promotions you want like cheap beers or two for one hot dogs or whatever, but the best promotion is at the end of the night to have a “W” on the scoreboard. Is that too much to ask for next year? Its been proven that Regina fans will support the team when the opportunity is there. I don’t think I’m rocking the foundation with this “revelation” because its what many are thinking. Am I wrong? I realize the team picked up 5 of 6 points on the weekend, but its too late now. This team needs to be a quality team next year. I would hope the building blocks are there. If they are not and this team continues to lose more than win, only the hardcores will be showing up and the hardcores can’t pay the bills. Having this promotion and that promotion will only work for so long. The time to see a winner has long gone past. It must happen next year.
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Jay Feaster is getting raked over the coals and well he should for just about becoming the laughing-stock of the NHL for the Ryan O’Reilly offer sheet, but while roasting Feaster, lets roast Colorado GM Greg Sherman for screwing up. Why match the offer sheet? Is O’Reilly that important? If you let Calgary have him, which we later found out they wouldn’t, it would have cost Calgary a first and third round draft choice. The Flames have a chance at picking in the top 3 this year. Colorado could have had a Seth Jones, Nathan McKinnon or Jonathan Drouin. Sherman feels O’Reilly is more important than a guy that could be a franchise player? That’s not smart hockey boys and girls. At least not in my mind!
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This, ladies and gentlemen, is the original Harlem Shake!!
Am I wrong?! I also don't know if I'm more sick of that or the Gangnam guy. Who is responsible for these things starting anyway?
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If there is a better sports information officer at a Canadian university than the U of R's Braden Konschuh, I'd like to know who it is.
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This, ladies and gentlemen, is the original Harlem Shake!!
Am I wrong?! I also don't know if I'm more sick of that or the Gangnam guy. Who is responsible for these things starting anyway?
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If there is a better sports information officer at a Canadian university than the U of R's Braden Konschuh, I'd like to know who it is.
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Two bad holes cost Graham DeLaet at the Honda Classic, but the Weyburn native is showing the PGA Tour that he belongs and that he is on the verge of winning his first tournament. He takes home 156-thousand dollars and finishes in the top 10. Nice job!
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I wonder if John Hufnagel saw Rory McIlroy’s tooth pain excuse for pulling out of the Honda Classic and went “DAMN, why didn’t I pull that excuse out of the bag.”
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Why can’t the CFL congress be held in Regina every year? Why does it have to be in the same place as the Grey Cup? If the event is basically going to be ignored in other cities like it apparently has been, lets put it in a place where it won’t be. The CFL surely wouldn’t mind the added publicity would they?
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The signing of Ricky Foley has certainly brought a myriad of opinions from Rider fans and people across the league. Is he a bad egg? Is he a great signing? Is he going to fit in? A lot of people have weighed in publicly and privately.
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Word around the campfire is the CFL has lost RONA as a sponsor. They are struggling as a company from what I understand. I'm sure there are other companies lining up to take RONA's spot. I guess this means so much for Carlo and whatever it was he was building. SIGHHH!!
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Word around the campfire is the CFL has lost RONA as a sponsor. They are struggling as a company from what I understand. I'm sure there are other companies lining up to take RONA's spot. I guess this means so much for Carlo and whatever it was he was building. SIGHHH!!
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Regina product Jon Ryan joined Pete Paczko and I on Locker-Talk last week. This city and this province should be so proud of this guy and what he has accomplished. He has never forgotten about home and he has never forgotten the people that had a big or small hand to getting him to where he is today. Barb and Bob raised a good one. Its too bad Bob wasn't around to see Jon turn into one of the top punters in the NFL. Some out there believe that Jon is the reason why I have such allegiance to the Seahawks. Those people would be wrong seeing I've been cheering for the Seahawks since the days of Jim Zorn and Steve Largent, but it is nice having a homegrown product on my favourite team.
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Regina product Jon Ryan joined Pete Paczko and I on Locker-Talk last week. This city and this province should be so proud of this guy and what he has accomplished. He has never forgotten about home and he has never forgotten the people that had a big or small hand to getting him to where he is today. Barb and Bob raised a good one. Its too bad Bob wasn't around to see Jon turn into one of the top punters in the NFL. Some out there believe that Jon is the reason why I have such allegiance to the Seahawks. Those people would be wrong seeing I've been cheering for the Seahawks since the days of Jim Zorn and Steve Largent, but it is nice having a homegrown product on my favourite team.
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Word is Dan O’Toole could instantly go into the world of comedy if his gig at TSN doesn’t work out. Was he that funny at the Rams dinner Saturday night. I hear he had the place in stitches.
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Saskatchewan residents just continue to astound me with the generosity they show on Telemiracle weekend. Another 5.5 million is raised for those who have special needs. Take a bow Saskatchewan and thanks for ringing those phones.
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Monday is a terrible way to spend 1/7th of your life is it not? That being said, have a good one!
19 comments:
Full kudos to you for pointing out the shortcomings of the Regina Pats franchise. A guy running an organization can be as upset as he wants and feel just like a fan does, but at the end of the day he's in charge. 20 years and it was previous to this regime they made a league final. That isn't coincidence.
Saskatchewan should be very proud of itself for what they do yearly with Telemiracle. We are a very generous group!
BOOM!!!! Could you have said it any better about the Pats? Well done Mitch!
Ken
Mitch, I have had season tickets for the Pats since 2003. I won't be renewing this year. The reasons you have stated is why. The Blades, Raiders, Warriors and Broncos and Brandon have all been at the bottom and gone to the top while we just spin our wheels and become a joke. Chad Lang is trying to do his job, marketing is trying to do their job but its not working. Wins are what needed and this team doesn't seem interested in finding them. How many players have left here over the years for whatever reason or just decided not to come? This franchise needs to be cleansed from top to bottom. The sooner it happens, the better off the Regina hockey fan will be.
Murray
Congratulations Mitch. It's about time that someone spoke the truth about the Pats! Players, scouts, office staff and coaches have changed non-stop during the past 20years. What is the common demoninator? Leadership and accountability start at the top and if doesn't work year after year, a smart person would look in the mirror and wonder what they could or should be doing differently.
X 2 on the curling with the rocks and behaviour.
Over 4 grand on a terrible night to watch two teams that aren't going to the playoffs. Once again you are wrong with your thoughts Blair, but keep peddling them out there for our laughter.
You are right on about the pats. Only the smart ones in this town me you and a handful of diehard fans in this town see the problem with the pats. I think its time for change at the top to take place. Im tired of being the laughing stock of the league. To the last Anon, You are wrong. winning is the name of game my friend. You can have all the promotions you want to get fans out but if you are not winning, its going to turn people off. I think thank god the year is almost over because I cant take much more of this hockey. Something needs to change. Maybe brent will realize and do something or step away.
LOL @ Harlem Shake comment
Darren
I'd say Mitchell has the support of the majority of the readers of the blog, mister 4 grand. Uh, it's Regina vs MJ...talk to us when they draw well for Regina vs anyone else without a 2 for 1 special on. I haven't went to a game in 5 years and I watch NHL every night - I'd go if the team at all interested me. I checked out of the current regime years ago.
As someone who was there, I can tell you that O'Toole was that funny as a host. He was better than Onrait the year before.
Rick
To the anon above Mike's comments.
Would you please arrange a place and a time for us to meet so I can get some of the medication or whatever it is you are taking. Thank you!
Aaron
to Aaron... you need help my friend . thats all I can say. Are you from Moose jaw? I don't know what hockey you are watching. You must be a leafs fan. Go ahead spend your money watching crappy hockey because some of us have had enough of the excuses. I go to watch the pats win. No making the playoffs year after year is not good enough.I can except not making 1 year every three or four years but not every year. I guess you were not around in the early eighties when they were winning. Guess you get dropped off by the short bus every game.
to Aaron.... I got better things to do
Aaron... I would like to know what type of medication you are on.....
WHOA WHOA WHOA!! My comments are directed at the guy above Mike's comments that think Mitch is wrong with his statements. Relax guys, I'm with you. Look at the post again.
Aaron
What team has been worse over the past 20 years? The Regina Pats or the Toronto Raptors. We all know what a joke the Raptors are and now put their performance up there with the Pats. End of story!
Well put Mitch! The reason there are four grand in the barn is as follows; free 2 for 1 tickets, cheaper beer, 2 for one dogs, foot long dogs, school promotion nights. There you have over 1000 people.
Organizations fail from the top down. Lat year Lang had Davidson and Bidlevski. He got Underwood and Jobke. All of a sudden we had a formidable defence. Along with Jordan Weal we had enough to get to the playoffs. We also lost our 1st round Bantam pick and other picks which hampered Lang's ability to make trades. A lot of people say he wasn't the architect of the Marincin deal. At any rate we lost our first round pick two of the last four drafts. Combine that with kids who didn't come or left and there is a huge hole. The problems have to lay at or near the top.
We don't want the cameo playoff appearances. Look at Kootenay; 15 seasons in a row in the Playoffs. Quality teams that are never down for more than a year or two. I want a dynasty type organization, not an occasional playoff team. Some organizations are always at the top and they have to build through the draft like us. The only difference is our never ending cycles last continually.
I agree with the last comment. It all comes down to drafting and not trading away draft picks for a quick fix. Thats why there is a never ending cycle of losing here rather than drafting young kids and giving them enough patience to develop and shipping them off to other teams before they actually mature. The teams that are successful like the brandons, medicine hats , edmontons ,is they draft smart and let their kids develop and let them play together for 3-4 years.
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