This And That

We made it!!! Football is back! If you're not ready for it, maybe this will help you...



As the Riders get set to head to Saskatoon for training camp, the big question is John Chick and whether or not he will return to the CFL as a Rider or as a member of some other team. There is no doubt John would help the Riders, but I can't help but think that some are putting too high an expectation on him. This will not be the same John Chick that was the dominant defensive end we saw in 2009. He is older and he is coming off a major knee injury. I'm guessing NFL teams don't have a lot of interest in Chick when they can pay someone who is younger the same salary. If he signs with the NFL great and I hope he does because that is the league guys want to play in for a variety of reason$$$.

Rider GM Brendan Taman said Thursday he won't get into a bidding war for Chick and I agree. The Riders have made him an offer and if someone wants to beat that thinking he will be an impact player as well, so be it. John is free to go wherever he wants to go and make the money that he feels he is worth. He is no different than any other player. He is definitely a fan favourite here, but that guarantees nothing. I just hope that if Chick does sign here and doesn't perform to the high expectations that fans have that they don't turn on him. I had someone ask me on Twitter if Rider fans would turn on John the way they did with Henry Burris. I can't see that either, but with some Rider fans, who knows. Someone also needs to explain to me why it is so many people want Chick back at a high salary, yet those same people think we paid too much to get an aging Geroy Simon. You can't have it both ways!

At the end of the day, I think Chick ends up a Rider, but I don't think we see him until just before the regular season starts. That's my guess. It would be great to have him for Sunday's first practice, but I don't see that happening.

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With that pitch from Ryne Drummonds to John Cotter, the 2013 Western Major Baseball League season is underway as the Regina Red Sox look for the threepeat. I have been told by many people that a lot of teams don't like the fact Regina won two in a row and are determined that it won't happen three straight years. I say bring it on! It just makes the quality of baseball better and I know the Red Sox aren't taking their foot off the gas. They won the rain-shortened opener by a score of 6-1. Get out to Currie Field and cheer these guys on.

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Congrats to Trent Fraser. The littlest big man in town is the new president of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. A well deserved honor for someone who knows how rich the heritage of sports is in our province.

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Who in Toronto voted to have Rob Ford as their mayor and why? It makes me wonder if Chad Novak would have had better luck in the Big Smoke. What a greasefire that situation is.

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Who in their right mind would try to dry out a leaky eavestrough with a blowtorch? That's what someone in Regina tried to do this week and it ended up with the fire department coming to his duplex condo to put out the flames. The damage is said to be more than 200-thousand dollars. OOPS!!!
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Is it safe to say that the R-A Dickey signing by the Blue Jays was a mistake!
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I truly do love Charissa Thompson. Beautiful, intelligent and a Seahawks fan. A winning combination for this blogger.
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The Tim Hortons at Park and Dewdney is now open. What type of traffic congestion will there be? Guess I'll find out soon and likely making many stops in on the way to work. DAMN YOU AND YOUR ADDICTIVE COFFEE AT EVERY STOP TIMS!!!
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I still think Boston can beat Pittsburgh because the Penguins won't have the goaltending and the Bruins defence can neutralize Sid.
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Stephen Walkom should thank his lucky stars that Chicago won Game 7 in overtime after his atrocious call to take away a Hawks goal late in the 3rd.
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I would love to see John Tortorella end up in Vancouver!
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I do laugh whenever I see the Houston Astros play and see a player by the name of Matt Dominguez at third base.
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I have not heard one good review of "Hangover 3".
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I saw the Jackie Robinson movie "42". What a great movie! How he didn't kill someone with a baseball bat or something else is beyond me. Did that incident with the Phillies manager really happen? Can you imagine what it would be like if that happened today?
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They aren't really going to name the CFL team in Ottawa "Redblacks" are they? If they do, there is a new candidate for worst team nickname ever. I personally think the worst two nicknames are the Utah Jazz Z(is there any Jazz in Salt Lake City) and the L-A Lakers (where are the lakes in Los Angeles). What's your worst sports team nickname?
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Its great following legendary wrestler "The Iron Sheik" on Twitter.

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Did you hear about the fire at the circus? It was in-tents!!!
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On that note, its time to wrap it up. Have a good weekend!!!