CFL PoTW For Week 5

Bo Levi Mitchell, Kyries Hebert, Sean Whyte and Shea Emry were named the Gibson’s Finest Players of the Week for Week 5 of the 2013 Canadian Football League season.

The four players were chosen by a panel of judges including: former Canadian Football League players Matt Dunigan and Duane Forde of TSN, and Pierre Vercheval of RDS.

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was named the Offensive Player of the Week for Week 5. In Mitchell’s first career CFL start he threw for 376 yards, three touchdowns and completed 29 of his 33 pass attempts in Calgary’s 37-24 win over Winnipeg.

Mitchell, the 2011 Walter Payton Award recipient at Eastern Washington University, threw no interceptions and also ran for 12 yards on six attempts. His 376 passing yards was the third most yards by a quarterback in his debut since 2002.

Montreal Alouettes safety Kyries Hebert walks away with the Defensive Player of the Week for Week 5. Hebert led the Montreal Alouettes with 10 tackles, two sacks and a special teams tackle in Montreal’s nail-biting win over Edmonton.

Hebert, a former player at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, leads the CFL with seven sacks and has complied 31 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Alouettes through five weeks of the CFL season.

Alouettes kicker Sean Whyte was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. Whyte was a perfect six-for-six on field goals and added a pair of converts in the Alouettes 32-27 win over the Eskimos.

Whyte, a five year CFL veteran, kicked field goals from 32, 31, 24 (twice) 14 and 9 yards in the game.

Through five games, Whyte is currently third in the league in kicking points with 53 and has made 14 of his 15 field-goal attempts.

The Canadian Player of the Week is Als linebacker Shea Emry.
Emry had two interceptions including a 21-yard interception return off a Mike Reilly pass in the first quarter. The former University of British Columbia standout and native of Richmond, BC is tied for first in the league with two interceptions this season.

Something To "Mitch" About

I knew Drew Willy couldn't do what Darian Durant has done. With Willy behind center, the Riders had a season low 32 points scored. PFFFFFTT!!!  OK, sarcasm off!

Marketing idea: The Riders should find a way to turn this shot of Kory Sheets into prints or posters or whatever and give the proceeds to some deserving charity. What a great shot. The only thing missing is the Bonburgers truck!

What can you say about the Riders that you haven't been able to say before after their 12 point win over Hamilton on Saturday night. I guess the only thing is that Willy can run the offence pretty well also as he shook off what I thought was a slow start to help the Riders to victory.  Just some other thoughts on what transpired on the University Stadium at Guelph turf.

--While its been said before, the kudos have to keep going to the offensive line and Weyburn's Brendon Labatte in particular. He has been phenomenal and he perhaps had his best game in Guelph protecting Willy and opening holes for Sheets.

--I know we are only five weeks in and I know I might be highly biased, but is there any reason to think that if they handed out awards in July that Sheets would be the MOP, Rey Williams would be the top defensive player and Labatte the best lineman? Who has been better?

--Kent Austin looks like a frustrated man only five weeks in. One needs only to see his press conference after the game to see that.

--Who said Geroy Simon was done? I bet he brought a very calming influence into the huddle with a young quarterback who was struggling and he also brought that quarterback some confidence by saying throw the ball to me.

--Michael Ball brought it up on "Roughrider Gameday" and he was 100 percent correct. Taj Smith is an outstanding blocker. He made a couple of key blocks on some of Sheets' runs and he also threw a nice block on Chris Getzlaf's TD.

--What was thought to be a major weakness going into training camp is now a huge strength as there can't be any complaints about the play of the defensive line. Foley, Chick. George and Shologan with McElveen and an impressive looking Hilee Taylor are an impressive and formidable group.

--I'm sure a lot of you saw this on the weekend, but if not. Its absolute gold from the TiCats. Just remember where you heard "GOPHERNADO" first though...



Other little tidbits

 --Someone needs to explain to me how the worst team in baseball --the Houston Astros--can attract 113-thousand people to Rogers Centre for a four game series against the highly disappointing Blue Jays, yet the Argos struggle to get 20-thousand and they are the defending champs of their league. Is the Toronto sports fan that spoiled when it comes to the CFL? Are they that focussed on the pipe dream of the NFL coming? The Toronto football fan needs to change his or her thought process.

--I love the Western Major Baseball League, but they need to go out and find themselves a communications person. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the play, but its sometimes a little tough to find things out. For instance, who is playing who in the playoffs? Some teams get the importance of their website while others depend on a league website to get all the information out, It reminds me a lot of the SJHL and the attitudes of some teams when it comes to the website and maintaining it properly. In this day and age, you need to have a successful website to be successful and you need a social media aspect to your club or league as well. If you don't have that, you have problems and the WMBL has some.

 --Working the morning shift in July threw a real monkeywrench into plans to go to Currie Field for Red Sox games. I had planned to get out to a lot more. Here's hoping the playoffs mean a few home dates.

 --I have no problem with Hunter Mahan pulling out of the Canadian Open to be with his wife as she gave birth. I had wondered why Mahan would play the event so close to his wife's due day, but I found out she went into labor a month early so that would explain that. The question has been brought up though---and its a good one. Would Mahan have done the same thing if he was in a major? Would he give up the chance at wearing a green jacket and immortalizing himself?

 --Nice job by Global's Derek Meyers in hosting the network's coverage of the RBC Canadian Open as well.

--I'd like to see the Canadian Open play Banff Springs or Kananaskis or perhaps Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge. I'm sure there are courses in B-C as well that could host the event.

 --Very sad stories coming out of Lloydminster and Winnipeg. It would appear as if emotional issues were the root of the Winnipeg tragedy, but questions will be asked for a long time what six kids between 13 and 17 are doing driving on the road at 415 in the morning. I hope there was a good reason and that we don't find out these kids were doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. That would make what already is a tragic story ever more tragic.

 --Josh Johnson has basically come what Ricky Romero was last year.

 --The NFL fantasy magazines out there are all out of whack this year because of the Aaron Hernandez situation. A lot of these books should be trashed and made over again. They lose some credibility when discussing the former New England tight end who has caught his last pass in the NFL by the sounds of it.

Lastly, the CFL simply embarrasses themselves by allowing the Rene Paredes record for consecutive field goals. The record of consecutive field goals was snapped when Montreal's John Bowman blocked an attempt during their game in Calgary. It was an attempt and you can't tell me otherwise. Let me ask you this. If a quarterback drops back to pass and his throw is batted down by a defensive player, his statline still counts the throw as an attempt. How does that differ from a kicker who kicks the ball only to have it blocked. There is no difference. Put an asterisk besides it or something. That's a record I'm not recognizing. Agree or disagree and if its the latter, please explain.

That is all! Enjoy the day!

Harding Officially Announces Charity

MINNESOTA (July 26, 2013) – Awareness and support are the two driving forces behind the launch of Harding’s Hope, a public charity established by Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild goaltender, in support of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Diagnosed with MS in October 2012, Harding initially struggled to find important and necessary information about the disease, while he was exposed to some of the negative perceptions surrounding something that affects more than 2.1 million people worldwide. A lack of education and understanding are something that Josh hopes he is able to help change through work with his new organization.

“There is a poor perception of people diagnosed with MS. People immediately think wheelchair and death,” said Josh Harding, who is grateful for the extraordinary help and support he has received from his doctor and medical team. “I want to be a role model for others diagnosed with MS by showing that this will not come between me and my goals.”

Harding, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, played in only five regular season games for the Wild during the 2012-13 season after missing three months due to complications with his medication. Despite that setback, he returned to play in all five of the Wild’s playoff games and ultimately was named the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

In the United States, Harding’s Hope will work with existing agencies to help support people faced with the expensive treatment costs. In Canada, the charity will support organizations that provide community services to people living with MS.

Although Josh considers the sport of hockey his gift, he believes that Harding’s Hope represents his passion to make a difference and he is committed to making the charity his legacy.

For more information, or to make a donation, please visit: www.hardingshope.org

Thoughts of Dressler/Shologan Before Saturday's Game

This And That

Just a weekly assortment of thoughts running through my muddled brain.


--CFL quarterbacks haven't exactly stayed healthy this year. Edmonton lost Matt Nichols in the pre-season, we all know that Darian Durant could (but likely won't) miss a game, Drew Tate is out in Calgary, Justin Goltz is in for Buck Pierce in Winnipeg and Ricky Ray may give way to Zach Collaros in Toronto this week. This gives Ottawa a great chance to see these guys in game situations.

--Jamel Richardson gets involved in the Montreal offence again and the Alouettes look like the team they used to be. Hmmmm......then again, they were playing Edmonton. I don't know about you, but I think the Eskimos are the worst team in the CFL as it stands right now. They have a lot of time to get better, but I am guessing new GM Ed Hervey is already on the hotseat in a place where 1-4 is unaccceptable at any time. By the way, nice play calling at the end. Either throw that into the flats or bring Kerry Joseph in to sneak it in from the 1. That was simply brutal, but it leaves Riders fans laughing so what the hell!!

--The question was asked to TSN's Dave Randorf on the Sportscage this week and I will ask it to you right now. Yes, we are only four weeks into the season, but would you say the front-runner for the MOP award is Darian Durant or Kory Sheets? I would lean towards Sheets because of the way he is assaulting the record book early on, but Darian wouldn't be far behind having thrown 12 TD's and zero picks.

--The three losses that the Jays suffered at the hands of the L-A Dodgers had to crush even the most passionate of Toronto baseball fans. Those games just had to suck any and all optimism away. Windows are small in the majors and I will always wonder why Alex Anthopoulos didn't pursue a guy like Terry Francona who has Cleveland in contention instead settling on John Gibbons. Why is Gibbons still there anyhow? He's been a disaster!

--Overheard at a local establishment this week. "Jose Reyes looks like a black Hutterite". I'm not sure how you respond to that.

--I don't think there is any doubt Jose Bautista is the most popular Blue Jay, but why doesn't Edwin Encarnacion get the love from Jays fans as he is putting up better numbers than Bautista. You don't hear people talking about Encarnacion the way they do about Bautista and you don't see as many Edwin jerseys in the stands at Rogers Centre as you do Jose ones.

--The injury suffered to Tim Hudson Wednesday night just makes you cringe. Ankles aren't supposed to do what his did.

--If Ernie Els could play the Canadian Open after winning the British Open last year, why couldn't Phil Mickleson. For that matter, why couldn't a lot of other top-tier players. I'm not saying the Canadian Open needs to have the game's best in it, but the field could certainly have some more marquee power to it.

--Thumbs up to Michael Fougere for doing the right thing. The group that wants the referendum on the wastewater treatment plant had more than enough signatures only to have them declared invalid because the year didn't accompany the signature. I think Fougere saw that was a little over the top and seeing almost 25-thousand signatures showed him this is an issue that should go to a vote so to a vote we will go. I know where my vote will stand on this, but I'll keep that to myself for now.

--Thumbs down to the armless driver in Saskatoon who had a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt revoked after it was learned he had a permit to do so. The guy is upset with the Saskatoon police officer who originally pulled him over and issued him the ticket. He wants an apology now. That's a little extreme and a little petty if you ask me. You got your ticket revoked which is what you wanted so just take your victory and move on. There is no need to try and rub anyone's face in it.

--You know I hate it when I see someone in their fancy vehicle decide to take up two or three parking spots in the lot. Imagine my thoughts when I saw this....

Cmon man!!!!

--There's been a big fuss raised over the fact Justin Bieber stepped all over the Chicago Blackhawks logo when looking at the Stanley Cup and how the Boston Bruins roped their logo off so that he couldn't stand on it while in Boston. Some have said is it really that big a deal and if it is, why do teams put their logo on the carpet which is made to be walked on. I can't answer that question, but I do know the Riders take the logo on their carpet very seriously. If you walk across the logo, you will hear it. It happened to me a couple of years ago and its happened to a few others since. They don't like it. In fact, when Geroy Simon was introduced, the area around the logo was roped off because I believe the locker-room sale was happening at that time. Its something you don't fool around with.

--How much money will the Queen City Ex cost me this year? I am sure my 9 year old will be looking to add to her Minions collection. How can you not love the Minions?



--People are complaining that its too cool this summer. I'm not one of them. I have absolutely no problem with the weather.

--Have a great weekend! GO RIDERS!!

The 411 on "Doubles"

Darian Durant faced the media today to talk about his sore foot and his thoughts on whether or not he will be able to go Saturday night in Hamilton. Listen in

Kelly McCrimmon Heads Back To The Bench

The Brandon Wheat Kings have announced that General Manager Kelly McCrimmon will be returning to the bench for the 2013-14 Western Hockey League season.

Following a disappointing season that saw Brandon finish last in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 24-40-4-4, McCrimmon has elected to relieve Dwayne Gylywoychuk and assume the head coaching duties of the WHL club.

The second winningest coach in franchise history with 330 victories, McCrimmon had compiled an impressive 294-177-35 record in seven seasons since replacing Mike Kelly in March 2004. In addition to capturing the Eastern Conference Title in 2005, McCrimmon led Brandon to three Eastern Division pennants and to within a win of the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship.

“After lengthy consideration I decided that this was a necessary change,” says McCrimmon. “Sometimes in this business you have to make hard decisions on good people and this was one of those times.”

McCrimmon stepped down as head coach in 2011, naming Cory Clouston as his replacement. Gylywoychuk, who has been a member of the Wheat Kings’ coaching staff since 2003, was named the club’s head coach last August.

A 5-year WHL player, Gylywoychuk was offered another role within the organization but after having time to consider, the 39-year old Winnipeg native has elected to leave the team in an effort to pursue other coaching opportunities.

“Dwayne and I did discuss the possibility of him staying on in a new position with the organization for the past few weeks,” McCrimmon went on to say. “Dwayne is family…we are sorry to see him leave but respect his wishes to do so. This was a very difficult decision. He has done so much for our organization.”

Assisting McCrimmon this season will be Darren Ritchie and David Anning. Ritchie returns for his seventh year with the Wheat Kings, while Anning is entering his second after spending several seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

In addition to Ritchie and Anning, Brent Zelenewich will return for his second season as Goaltending Coach of the WHL club and Jim Frederickson will be back for his eleventh season as Strength and Conditioning Coach.

The 2012-13 season marked the first time in thirteen years and only the second in the past 21 that the Wheat Kings failed to make post-season play.

Riders Add Two, Release One

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the addition of non-import offensive lineman Brendan Dunn and import offensive lineman Devin Tyler to the teams practice roster.

Dunn (6’7 – 280) was originally selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 3rd round (17th overall) of the 2011 Canadian Draft. The Burlington, ON native spent the entire 2012 season on the Bombers practice squad.

The 24-year-old spent five seasons at the University of Western Ontario where he was named a 2011 first team CIS All-Canadian.

Tyler (6’7 – 300) joins the Riders after spending the last two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos. The third year CFL veteran started 11 regular season games and the 2012 East Semi-Final at left tackle. The 27-year-old also started 11 regular season games and two playoff games at left tackle in 2011.

The Temple graduate previously spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals during the 2010 season.

• The Riders also announced the release of import defensive lineman Will Davis.

DeLaet Teams Up With Provincial Government

While Graham DeLaet focuses on his game at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open this week, he wants PGA fans to “think Saskatchewan” as they watch the biggest golf event in Canada at the Glen Abbey Golf Club outside of Toronto.

DeLaet has signed on as an ambassador for his home province in a project launched today by the Saskatchewan Ambassador Alliance – a group of private-sector companies that have come together to promote Saskatchewan outside its borders as a good place to live, work and do business.  As the Alliance’s first ambassador, he will sport the thinksask.ca logo on his golf shirt to promote the province on the greens and TV screens, helping to drive visitors to the provincial government’s promotional website of that name.

“Saskatchewan is experiencing unprecedented growth but we cannot be complacent,” Premier Brad Wall said at a news conference at Glen Abbey today.  “We should be pursuing innovative new ways to promote our province.  I want to thank the Saskatchewan companies for piloting the Ambassador initiative with Graham.  He has been getting a lot of TV time lately as a one of the world's top ranked golfers and now he with his branding will have some wondering: What is thinksask.ca?”

The Alliance, formed as a non-profit, includes five Saskatchewan companies to cover the costs associated with the pilot project.  Brandt Group of Companies, Cameco Corporation, Magna Electric Corporation (MEC), PotashCorp, and Viterra Inc. have come onboard as the first corporate donors.  Through an agreement funded by these five corporate partners, DeLaet will wear the thinksask.ca logo on his shirt for the next year.

“We are very pleased that these great Saskatchewan corporate citizens  will be supporting our first Ambassador,” Alliance Corporate Secretary Foster Weisgerber said.  “With his tremendous performance on the PGA tour this year, capped off by the invitation to play at the British Open last week, and Graham’s love for Saskatchewan, he is a natural choice to be our first Saskatchewan ambassador.  We are piloting this project with Graham and anticipate expanding it to other ambassadors who are at the top of their games at national and international levels.”

The 31-year-old DeLaet, who was born and raised in Weyburn, a small city of about 10,500 in southern Saskatchewan, credits his Saskatchewan roots for helping to shape the golfer he is today.

“Saskatchewan people are tough, determined and resilient,” DeLaet said.  “These are all qualities that I have tapped into to be successful in one of the world’s most competitive sports.  I am proud to represent Saskatchewan on the PGA Tour and thrilled to be associated with a program that aims to raise awareness for the Province.” 
 

Although DeLaet is now based in Boise, Idaho, where he went to college on a golf scholarship.  He continues to maintain close ties to Saskatchewan.  As of July 22, he was 25th in the PGA’s FedEx Cup standings and 67th in the World Golf rankings.

“I can’t think of a better ambassador to represent Saskatchewan on the world stage,” Wall added.  “Yes, Graham is a top PGA professional but he is also a great guy.  He always makes time to come home to support local charities.  Anyone who meets Graham meets Saskatchewan: successful but humble, hard working and generous.”

The provincial government launched thinksask.ca in November 2010 as part of the Real Growth. Real Opportunity campaign encouraging people across Canada to live, work or do business in Saskatchewan.

Riders Take 3 of 4 POTW Honours

Saskatchewan Roughriders Darian Durant, Renauld Williams and Rob Bagg have each been named a CFL Gibson’s Finest Player of the Week.

Durant was named Offensive Player of the Week following Sunday’s 37-point victory at Mosaic Stadium. The eight year Rider completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for a season high 347 yards. The University of North Carolina product added four touchdown passes including a 60-yard strike.

This is the third time is his career that Durant has been named offensive player of the week.

Williams was named the Defensive Player of the Week after leading a dominating defensive performance in the Riders shutout win over Hamilton. The 32-year-old middle linebacker picked up three defensive tackles and two quarterback sacks. The Hofstra graduate has tied his single-season high of five sacks after only four weeks.

This is the third time in his career and the second consecutive week that Williams has received weekly defensive honours.

Bagg was named Canadian Player of the Week after a breakout game on Sunday. The 28-year-old Kingston native had five receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard score. For Bagg, it was his sixth career 100-yard game and second highest single game total.

This is the third time in his career Bagg has been named Canadian Player of the Week after picking up honours once in 2008 and once in 2009.

Durant, Williams and Bagg become the fourth, fifth and sixth Riders to pick up weekly awards this season after Kory Sheets and Williams were named last week while returner Jock Sanders picked up Special Teams honours the week before.

Five Minutes With Commissioner Cohon

CFL Commissioner Marc Cohon was at Mosaic Stadium Sunday and discussed a number of issues occurring within the CFL right now. Take a listen.

Hockey Canada's Invitees For 2014 Olympics

Hockey Canada is getting down to business now that we know NHL'ers are going to Sochi to compete in the Winter Olympics. Here is the list of 47 invited to camp as the selection process begins.

Gagner And Oilers Agree On New Deal

 

General Manager Craig MacTavish announced today the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms with centre Sam Gagner on a three-year contract extension.

Gagner, 23, recorded 38 points (14G, 24A) in 48 games last season. His 38 points and 24 assists ranked second on the team in both categories. He also posted a career high 10-game point streak, registering 11 points (3G, 8A) during this span.

The 5’11”, 199 pound forward has spent his entire NHL career with the Oilers and has accumulated 258 points (91G, 167A) and 203 penalty minutes in 414 career games. Gagner’s 258 points rank him 17th in Oilers all-time scoring.

The London, Ontario native has represented his country several times internationally, most recently at the 2008 World Hockey Championship. He also participated in the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championship. Gagner played in the 2008 NHL Young Stars Game in Atlanta as a part of the NHL All-Star weekend.

Gagner was Edmonton’s 1st round selection, 6th overall, in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Something To "Mitch" About

Ya gotta love it when big men score touchdown and you gotta love the fact that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are going home with their tail between their legs after being embarassed 37-0 by the Riders on Sunday night. Did you honestly see that coming? What an all-around effort.

Darian Durant showed no signs of playing on a sore foot, Kory Sheets continued his assault on the CFL single season rushing record, the defence made life miserable for the Ti-Cats and in the end, the green guys are 4-0 and looking real good. What needs to be said that hasn't been said. This team is proving it has what it takes to be special. Grey Cups aren't won in the middle of July, but this team has sent a message to the rest of the CFL that they are ready to win in November as well as they are now. Here are some sounds from the room....











Other thoughts

 --I knew it would be, but the final round of the British Open was simply fascinating and so compelling as it took so many twists and turns. Every shot meaning so much by the guys in contention with things changing after every hole. In the end though, Phil Mickleson came up with the biggest shots and he wins it all. As for Tiger, he just can't get it done on the weekend anymore in the big events.

 --The CFL on TSN intro snubs the Riders in my humble opinion. You have the stars of this league in Cornish, Calvillo, Owens etc. etc. etc, but the only Rider they show in the opening is Weston Dressler. Other teams have more than one player so I ask where is Darian Durant or Keith Shologan or perhaps even Geroy Simon.

--Rod Black  has his detractors and I understand that, but Rod makes no friends around these parts when he refers to Calgary kicker Rene Paredes as "Robokicker" during the game Saturday night. There is, was and will only be one Robokicker in the CFL and he resides somewhere south of the border now.

--Where are the close games that the CFL is famous for? Through the first four weeks, I can't think of any game that was decided in the last couple of minutes.

--Don Matthews and Damon Allen went into the BC Lions Hall of Fame on Saturday night and they showed what it looked like as there is an exhibit inside BC Place. I can only hope the Riders will do something similar inside the new facility when it is ready to go. Speaking of which, what happens to the Plaza of Honor monument? Will it be dug up and brought over to the new place?

--The more I see Kevin Glenn doing his thing for the Stampeders, the more I think Drew Tate could find himself as a member of the Ottawa Redblacks....I mean REDBLACKS!! Glenn has some time left and Calgary likes what they have in Bo Levi Mitchell while Tate, who is a good quarterback, is too injury-prone.

--Thank you Alyssa Milano for your MAXIM cover. I think I speak for many men when I say that.

 --I've been through many of a prairie storm before, but Friday's hailstorm was perhaps the worst one. I was snoozing when I heard the rain start to fall and all of a sudden it sounded like a train was coming through the bedroom. I got my glasses on and looked out the living room window, I could not see the end of the driveway for the hail and rain.  In the end, it looked like this outside Casa de Blair....

 --One of my neighbours said there was a funnel cloud hovering above the area between the SGI salvage yard and claims centre on north Fleet Street and the jail, but that wasn't confirmed---at least I don't think it was. Needless to say, Mrs. Scruffy needs to go out and get some new flowers because most of hers got obliterated.

 --The L-P's Craig Slater brought up a great point after the Jays lost Saturday afternoon to Tampa. At this time, a year ago they had 47 wins while after Saturday's game they had 46. The bats are there, but the arms aren't. Dickey won't have a season like he had last year and I think Johnson and Buehrle have seen their best days go by. Toronto needs some young arms if they are going to contend. That should be the off-season priority of Alex Anthopoulos. I also found it surprising this week that Anthopoulos said he didn't want to trade Johnson. Why?

 --Where does Carlos Delgado rank when it comes to best all-time Jays? Robbie Alomar would be #1 without a doubt. Would he be top 5?

  --Rex Roberts wins the 30 man HIW Battle Royal on Friday night. That's all I have to say on that. On a more important note, Principal Pound was back to lay out his style of justice. There are few things better in sports and entertainment than a Principal Pound eyepoke.

  --Have a great Monday

(Dan Clark pic courtesy Sask Roughriders)

Riders Ready For Hamilton

Here are the comments of Geroy Simon, Darian Durant, Ben Heenan and Corey Chamblin leading into Sunday's game against Hamilton.

NHL Sked

With the NHL now heading to the Winter Olympics, the league has released its schedule for next year. Let your winter holiday planning begin...

The Chicago Blackhawks will raise their second Stanley Cup® championship banner in four years and the NHL will feature a new conference and division alignment when the 2013-14 NHL regular season opens on Tuesday, Oct., 1. The 1,230-game regular season, 82 games per team, concludes on Sunday, April 13, with the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning Wednesday, April 16.
National television partners NBC, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TSN, TSN2, RDS and NHL Network once again will bring live NHL action to fans during the 2013-14 regular season.
In the U.S., NBC and NBC Sports Network enter the third season of their 10-year agreement with the NHL, the largest media rights deal in League history. It also marks the ninth consecutive season both networks have served as a national television partner of the NHL in the U.S.
In Canada, CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada begins" its 61st regular season of NHL® broadcasts. TSN, whose relationship with the NHL dates to 1987, continues as the League's national English-language cable partner. French-language telecast partner RDS has been televising NHL games since its inception in 1989 and enters its 11th consecutive season presenting every Montreal Canadiens game.
For full 2013-14 regular-season schedules, including television information, please visit NHL.com/schedules.
Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off
Opening night is highlighted by Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off, the League's North American launch event. Prior to the first game of the season, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens live on CBC, a hockey and entertainment festival in Montreal will give fans the opportunity to celebrate the start of the hockey season. Further punctuating the return of the NHL, that evening the Chicago Blackhawks will commemorate their 2013 Stanley Cup championship by raising a banner to the United Center rafters prior to their game against the visiting Washington Capitals. That game will be televised nationally by NBC Sports Network in the U.S. Later on that night, the Winnipeg Jets visit the Edmonton Oilers in the second game of CBC's doubleheader.
2013 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown
NBC again this season begins its NHL broadcast coverage the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. on Friday, November 29, with a 1 p.m. ET Original Six match-up featuring the New York Rangers against the Boston Bruins in the Bruins' traditional day-after-Thanksgiving home matinee at TD Garden.
Outdoor Games
As previously announced, six regular-season games will be played in outdoor locations next season: The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic and the four-game 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™.
The games, in chronological order, are scheduled as follows:
2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic

* Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings - Michigan Stadium
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. ET -- NBC, CBC, RDS
Coors Light NHL Stadium Series
* Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings - Dodger Stadium
Saturday, Jan. 25, 9:30 p.m. ET -- NBC Sports Network, CBC
* New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils - Yankee Stadium
Sunday, Jan. 26, 12:30 p.m. ET -- NBC, CBC
* New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders - Yankee Stadium
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. ET -- NBC Sports Network
* Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Soldier Field
Saturday, March 1, 8 p.m. ET
2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic
* Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks – BC Place
Sunday, March 2, 4 p.m. ET -- CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network
Olympic Break
The League's 1,230-game schedule will pause from Feb. 9-25, 2014, while NHL players comprise the majority of the rosters of the national teams competing in Sochi for Olympic gold. The NHL season resumes Wednesday, Feb. 26 with a slate of four games.
Realignment
Effective this season, the NHL will operate under a new divisional alignment and scheduling matrix that ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once a season. In creating more geographically-appropriate groupings, the NHL now has two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference and two seven-team divisions in the Western Conference:

WESTERN CONFERENCE		EASTERN CONFERENCE
Pacific Division	Central Division	Metropolitan Division	Atlantic Division
Anaheim	Chicago	Carolina	Boston
Calgary	Colorado	Columbus	Buffalo
Edmonton	Dallas	New Jersey	Detroit
Los Angeles	Minnesota	NY Islanders	Florida
Phoenix	Nashville	NY Rangers	Montreal
San Jose	St. Louis	Philadelphia	Ottawa
Vancouver	Winnipeg	Pittsburgh	Tampa Bay
		Washington	Toronto

New Regular-Season Schedule Matrix
Western Conference (7-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 29 games
* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 5 X 5 =25 games
* 1 X 4 = 4 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games
* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 3 X 7 = 21 games
Non-Conference: 32 games
* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)
* 2 X 16 = 32 games
(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)
Eastern Conference (8-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 30 games
* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 5 X 2 =10 games
* 4 X 5 = 20 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games
* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 3 X 8 = 24 games
Non-Conference: 28 games
* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)
* 2 X 14 = 28 games
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have a new division-based format. Playoff qualification will be primarily Division-based, with the top three finishers in each Division qualifying for the first 12 spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (and the first three "seeds" in each Division). The two additional playoff spots in each Conference, designated as "Wild Cards," will be awarded to the next two highest-placed finishers in each Conference, ranked on the basis of regular-season points and regardless of Division. The League will play under this new alignment and playoff system for a minimum of three seasons, through the 2015-16 NHL season.
Schedule Notes
Training Camp Opens -- Wednesday, Sept. 11
Exhibition Games Begin -- Friday, Sept. 13
Regular Season Opens -- Tuesday, Oct. 1
Hall of Fame Game -- Friday, Nov. 8
Christmas Break -- Tuesday, Dec. 24 – Thursday, Dec. 26
Hockey Day In Canada -- Saturday, Jan. 18
Olympic Break -- Sunday, Feb. 9 – Tuesday, Feb. 25
Last Day of Regular Season -- Sunday, Apr. 13
Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin -- Wednesday, Apr. 16

This And That

Time for the weekly assortment of items running through my brain in no particular order

 --With Major League Baseball on its all-star break and games not resuming until Friday, why doesn't the CFL take the bull by the horns and play a game so they can have the spotlight all to themselves. There are no professional games happening on Thursday so why not change that and play a game. Its not like the league has never played Thursday games before.

 --I am 100 percent convinced Darian Durant will be under center when the Riders take the field against Hamilton on Sunday. If Darian played on a broken foot with nothing to play for at the end of the 2011 season, he will play in Week 4 of the 2013 season in an attempt to keep his team undefeated. He is a warrior and you can't tell him to sit down. Seeing him in pads on Thursday (and talking to him on Wednesday) was all I needed to know.

 --The ESPY awards are a little cheezy, but one can't deny that the US sports network pulls out all the stops at the ceremony. Some of the segments they have are unbelievable and you can put the Robin Roberts segment and her winning the Arthur Ashe Courage award as one of those segments. The former ESPN employee has overcome cancer and her story and her speech Wednesday night was very moving. However, it wasn't as moving as  the late Jim Valvano's speech at the first ever ESPY awards.  If you have never seen that speech, here's your chance. It is incredibly powerful.....





 --I don't care if Graham DeLaet shoots another 76 at the British Open today. The fact that he has taken his career to another level by playing in a major is a tremendous feat not only for his career, but for golf in this country and this province. How many young people are taking up the sport because they see what he is doing. The same could be said for snowboarder Mark McMorris too. We should be extremely proud of these Saskatchewan athletes for doing what they are doing on the world stage. What's important is both haven't forgotten home either.

--The CRTC is talking about payphone rates this week in Ottawa. We still have payphones? In this day and age where it seems everyone has a cellphone, does anyone use a payphone anymore? The CRTC should do better things with their time like say Canadians can enjoy ESPN and the soon to be Fox Sports 1 in the comforts of their own living room.

--So let me get this straight, if I buy one pair of Zoomies, I get a 2nd pair for free. This means I could get Rod Pedersen and Phil Andrews their Xmas present in one shot. YES!!!!

 --Whoever thought up of the scenario to have Mariano Rivera trot out on to Citi Field Tuesday night at the all-star game and have him as the only player on the field was pure genius. He truly had the stage all to himself while fans and players saluted him for his years on the field. Watching Rivera pitch live is something I won't see and that's too bad because there aren't many better than him.

 --The stars of High Impact Wrestling (and Rex Roberts) are back at it tonight at the Hungarian Club. The bell rings at 8...I am guessing the red carpet ceremony will begin somewhere around 6. Word is Access may be getting ready to once again televise the Regina events. Is this a chance to unleash my inner Ed Whalen?

 --It wouldn't bother me one bit if the NHL just shut things down for two weeks so we didn't have to talk about any player movement or signings or nothing.

--That being said, the Regina Pats need to make some kind of announcement whether it be trade or something. They've been too quiet.

--Someone needs to explain to me why TSN keeps trotting out Cabbie Richards for segments. This guy simply isn't entertaining or funny or anything. All he is a channel-changer as far as I'm concerned. I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. I would love to see Terry Tate office linebacker just crush this guy sometime.

 --The outstanding Global combo of Heather Anderson and Rustie Dean asked Thursday on the Global Morning News who would last longer in a Big Brother house? There should be a Regina media Big Brother. Just think about that for a second......in the end though, we all know that Wayne Mantyka would win if he was in. There's no doubt in my mind.

--If swearing is so immature, why is it called "adult language".

That's all I got. Have a great weekend!  GO RIDERS!

Five Minutes With Rey Williams

Grey Cup 101 Sold Out

The Canadian Football League and the 101st Grey Cup Festival Committee is pleased to announce that tickets to the 101st Grey Cup Championship Game are officially sold out. The remaining tickets were sold following a 101-hour Lottery and consisted of approximately 5,000 seats. This sell-out occurs five months before the nation’s largest annual sporting event which will take place on November 24th at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
“The response from Saskatchewan Roughrider season ticket holders and CFL fans across the country has been amazing,” stated Saskatchewan Roughrider President/CEO Jim Hopson. “Hosting the 101st Grey Cup Championship Game and Festival gives the province an amazing opportunity to showcase Saskatchewan to the entire nation.”
“The fact that the Grey Cup game has sold out months in advance in recent years is a testament to its importance to Canadians, the passion of our fans, and the strength of the modern Canadian Football League,” said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the CFL. “Our season, now fully underway, is really the road to the Grey Cup. And we know this year’s journey for CFL teams will culminate with an amazing celebration in a province that truly loves our game and our country and the bond between them.”
“We are thrilled to sell the game out this quickly and are now focusing our attention on making sure this is the greatest Grey Cup Festival the country has ever seen,” stated 101st Grey Cup Festival Executive Director Neil Donnelly. “The Grey Cup, held in Saskatchewan in 1995 and 2003, have been considered two of the most successful ever and we will look upon the people of Saskatchewan to raise the bar even higher.”
Tickets to a number of events taking place during Grey Cup Festival week are currently on sale through 101greycupfestival.ca.

DeLaet Ready for Open

Having grown up in Saskatchewan, Graham DeLaet isn’t bothered by a little wind on the golf course — and wind surely is among the weather treasures to be found this week at Muirfield.
The cold, slanting rain that tends to arrive at some point during an Open? He’s seen that at home, too.
“We get that, too. But we just go inside,’’ the Weyburn man cracked.
Barely a week after finding out his world ranking had earned him a spot in a major championship for the first time in his promising career, the only Canadian playing here this week was greeted in a familiar Scottish way when he went out to practise.
“I hit a 5-iron farther than I hit a driver,’’ he said, laughing at the wind that arrives, in varying direction, at each of Muirfield’s 18 holes. “But I grew up in Saskatchewan, so it’s a pretty average wind for me.’’
DeLaet arrives with a terrific set of statistics in his back pocket for his 8 a.m. (local time) tee time Thursday, paired with Swede Jonas Blixt and England’s Brian Davis. He’s 65th-ranked in the world and leads the PGA Tour in scoring average (69.99) and greens in regulation (72 per cent) and is second in total driving and par-five scoring average. He still seeks that first win, but is knocking; he hasn’t been out of the top 30 in his past seven starts, including a third at Hartford, and with more than $1.5 million earned is 28th in cheques cashed.
Ben Curtis, at the Open 10 years ago, nailed a major in his first appearance, so it can be done, longshot though it is — and DeLaet is 200 to 1 with the local bookmaker. At least DeLaet comes in with some links golf experience, having played a British Amateur at Royal St. George’s and a couple of Dunhill Cups as a pro, including last year.
“You need your imagination and (need to) hit the ball solid. Fairways are going to be key, obviously, staying out of that fescue,’’ he said after playing the front nine at Muirfield. “It’s fun. A different style of golf. I don’t know if it’s something I want to play every single day; it just eats you up.”
He and his wife Ruby arrived here Sunday and he couldn’t stay up late enough to see if he would gain some Canadian company. Probably better he missed his buddy David Hearn missing a couple of playoff chances at the John Deere, when a win would have brought him here.
“I wanted to stay up but I was falling asleep. I checked it (Monday) morning and it was unfortunate. Nobody wants to see him win more than me, but it was good to see him in the mix. That’s the main thing. I’m sure it’s going to be a little tough to swallow for him, but he’ll be better for it,’’ said DeLaet, among a handful of (mostly) young Canadians still trying to break through on the PGA Tour. “It’s not a race to see who gets there. We all want to win. Out of all the guys out here on tour I’ve got a lot of friends, but he (Hearn) would be the guy I want to see win first.

(Toronto Star)

Sheets And Williams Get POTW Honours

Saskatchewan Roughriders Kory Sheets and Renauld Williams have each been named a CFL Gibson’s Finest Player of the Week. 

Sheets was named Offensive Player of the Week following last Friday’s record setting performance. The second-year Rider had 26 rush attempts and two touchdowns on his way to a career single game high of 178 yards. He also added two receptions for 21 yards. 

His 442 rushing yards is a CFL record after the opening three weeks of any season. 

Williams was named the Defensive Player of the Week after a dominating performance in the Riders victory in Toronto. The 32-year-old middle linebacker seemed to be everywhere as he racked up eight defensive tackles, two quarterback sacks and one pass knockdown.  

This is the second time in his career that he has received weekly defensive honours.        

Sheets and Williams become the second and third Riders to pick up a weekly award after returner Jock Sanders picked up Special Teams honours last week.

 

Flory Done For Season

Late Monday night the Alouettes announced veteran guard Scott Flory will miss the remainder of the season with a complete bicep tear.
Now, at the age of 37, there will be immediate speculation that his career is over.
Flory went for an MRI on Monday. The results, as expected, weren’t good.
“Injuries are a part of sports and, unfortunately, Scott sustained a fluke one,” general manager Jim Popp stated in a release. “Scott has been an institution at right guard for our team and the CFL. He’ll be missed on the playing field, but not forgotten.”
Flory will undergo surgery, perhaps as early as Thursday of this week, Popp indicated.
Flory suffered the injury during the third quarter of Montreal’s loss against Calgary.
Flory’s in his 15th Canadian Football League season and has proven durable over the course of his career, starting every regular-season contest over the last 12 years. He has dressed for 243 regular-season games, second among active players, behind quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
Flory, who has won three Grey Cups with Montreal, was the league’s outstanding lineman twice. He has been named a league all-star nine times. He’s a native of Regina.

(Montreal Gazette)

Owens Admits He's Getting Beat Up

Nestled in the corner of the Toronto Argonauts dressing room, Chad Owens sucked in a deep breath and started to pull his jersey and shoulder pads off in one slow, painful motion.

A painful blow to his side suffered during the game didn't make burrowing out of his tight equipment any easier.

The tattooed Argonaut all-purpose receiver took his lumps in a disappointing 39-28 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at the Rogers Centre on Thursday night.

There was the play that knocked the wind out of him. Then Owens was victimized by a late hit late in the second quarter on a kickoff return that produced an unnecessary roughness flag near the Saskatchewan bench. The irate Hawaiian got up pointing his finger and found himself facing a posse of Riders before some teammates rushed back to even up the numbers.

"I don't know what he did, but it was it was extra. But that's Diamond Ferri,'' Owens said, referencing the Riders linebacker called on the play. "That's what he does. He's been doing it his whole career. You love his tenacity when you're on his team but you hate all the extra stuff when you're not on his team.

"I was with him in Montreal so I understand his type of play. Don't get me wrong, he's a good football player. And I'm not just pointing, singling him out. There was some jawing going back and forth. Like I said out there on the field after the game, I'm all for good hard-nosed football, I'm down with that. But when you start doing extra stuff, that just pisses me off.''

Was it dirty, he was asked?

It is what it is,'' Owens replied. "I'm not going to call anyone dirty. They're going to play to the whistle, they're going to do what they feel is necessary to get the job done, to finish the play.''

Both teams drew penalties and fingers can be pointed both ways. Toronto earned 11 flags for 68 yards while Saskatchewan was penalized nine times for 79 yards.

There were late hits, high hits and horse-collar tackles. It was a tough night to be a receiver with Owens and Toronto teammates Dontrelle Inman and Andre Durie needed attention as the game wore on.

Owens said he had to be better in the return game, to provide his team improved field position.
But the stats sheets suggests he played his part: eight catches for 85 yards, five kickoff returns for 102 yards and four punt returns for 19 yards.

One thing he was sure off. The five-foot-eight 180-pounder will wake up hurting.
"The first three weeks were three physical weeks,'' he said of games against Hamilton, B.C. and Saskatchewan.

As is his want, Argos coach Scott Milanovich wanted to see the film before passing too much judgment. But he allowed more work was needed.

"We've played three very good teams,'' he said. "Saskatchewan's a good team. They deserved to win tonight. But we've been here before. Our guys will be just fine. They'll rally and continue to go to work and will improve over the course of the season.''

While the Argo offence struggled in the second quarter to string a drive together, its defence was burned for two big pass plays to Taj Smith - 61 and 70 yards around either side of halftime.

Quarterback Ricky Ray, who competed his first 12 pass attempts, sat glumly at his locker despite having completed 27 of 37 passes for 334 yards and two TDs.

The Argos, he said, weren't doing enough of the little things that have to be done.

"Any time you lose, you're so down and frustrated. All the plays are going through your mind on what you could have done better,'' he acknowledged.
"That's what Coach (Milanovich) reminds us. It's a long season. It's 18 games and if you get down too much, let things lingers, that's when bad things are going to start happening.''

(Canadian Press)

Something To "Mitch" About

Did you get to Craven? Did you spend the weekend? Are you going to work today? I am guessing there are quite a few people who may be taking an extra long weekend after spending it at the Craven Country Jamboree. With the exception of a Saturday afternoon rainstorm, it sounds as if everyone had a good time again out there. I'm sure stories will once again be told about activities on the grounds---stories that will last a lifetime. Then again, there are people out there that may not remember a lot about what happened over the past few days and will have to be told of what took place.

There's a shot of CKRM morning duo Jamie Lewis and Gloria Evans doing their thing. Look at those shades! Does that prove right there that Jamie may be the coolest man in radio today. They were out at Craven doing their thing Thursday and Friday morning. In fact, all the RM announcers were out there all weekend long. They won't know what to do back in their confined studio this morning.  I was going to head out there on Saturday, but that afternoon storm made me re-think my plans. Its been a few years since I wandered into that mayhem, but I do have to get back because it is a great time. If it wasn't for the fact, I was getting my little munchkin back from the grandparents on Friday, I may have snuck out with Pedersen and Schultz for Four Seasons Football Friday.

Everyone is talking about the Riders and why not? They arguably are the story of the CFL after the first three weeks. The offense is clicking, the defense is clicking and the green and white look great. It is only three weeks in, but is there anyone across the country that doesn't feel Kory Sheets has been the best player in the league. He can't keep up the pace he's on can he? If he does, he will absolutely shatter the single season record for rushing yards in a season. As I've said before though, the better he is, the more likely it is he's not in green as at 28, he has some yards left in the tank and any American player that can take a shot at the NFL will jump at it. He might not be a starter, but he would be in the NFL and he would be making a lot more $$$$ than he will make in Saskatchewan. I hope he stays and I hope GM Brendan Taman is trying to get him to sign another contract, but why wouldn't you peddle your wares south of the border if you're having the type of season he is.

There's a lot of concern about Darian Durant's foot, but he seemed to put a lot of people at ease with a tweet on the weekend saying x-rays came back negative. I can't see Durant on the field practicing normally with his teammates today, but I see him under centre for Sunday's game against Hamilton.

With Hamilton being here, it means the return of Kent Austin. This game means more to the fans than the organization in my mind. The fans haven't forgotten Austin and how he has run away from this team twice after leading them to a championship. Some think he betrayed the team by going to Ole Miss after the Grey Cup win thinking he could have won another championship or two while here while others had no problem with him going. Some believe he carries that Midas Touch and that championships will follow and that's fine. I'm happy with Corey Chamblin and so are a lot of others. 2007 was a long time ago and I don't think there's anyone on the active roster except Darian who was here when Kent was here as coach. To the players, it will just be another game. I just hope Coach C nips it in the bud early this week as far as going up against Austin.

Watching the games this weekend, I've come away with one thought. That is that the Eastern Conference teams have a lot of work to do compared to their Western counterparts. The Alouettes are no longer what they used to be, the Argos don't seem close to being at that championship calibre they were at last year, the Ti-Cats have a long ways to go--especially on defence and the Bombers have a long ways to go--especially on offense. The best teams are Sask, Calgary and B.C and I think you can flip that coin every week to see where those three land. Things can change as we get into September and October, but right now three teams are way ahead of the rest of the pack.

Does Lions  kicker Hugh O'Neill know he is kicking with a muskrat attached to his face. That guy should be on the Canadian rugby team. FEAR THE BEARD!

Kavis Reed, how ya feelin!! That was a blatantly honest assessment of his team and I applaud the honesty!

I'm in the Co-op on Sunday and I see this...

If you have Dressler chips and Simon chips, who are the "big game" chips for. If its a big bag, they should be named after an o-lineman or something. Cmon Co-op, don't let this opportunity slide by!

Is it true that a media member in this town went to the airport on Friday to greet the Argos wearing his shirt inside out? That is so vintage Mitch!

Whatever happened to Gainer's car? A gopher needs wheels!

Does Regina have a mascot? No, Chad Novak doesn't count.

I have seen bad commercials before, but the latest Mio "Squirt" ads are without a doubt the worst. As I have said in the past, who approves these?

Has anyone had the "Poutine Pizza" from Pizza Hut. Sorry, but that's not for me. The same can be said for the butter chicken pizza.

Did you catch "Sharknado" on the Space Network this weekend? What a cinematic treasure! It makes me wish for a "Gophernado" on the Prairies!

The best sports nickname remains the Lehigh Valley IronPigs---that is the Philadelphia Phillies double A affiliate.

Do we have a wrestling turf war in Regina? There is the established High Impact Wrestling that moves into its new home at the Hungarian Club on Friday night and now, one of the wrestlers from High Impact has drifted off and started his own promotion---Central Canadian Wrestling with a show at the Austrian Club next month? Two promotions!!! This can only be good can it not?

Damien Sandow won the "Smackdown" Money in the Bank match meaning he will likely at some point in the next year be the WWE heavyweight champ. Damien Sandow? Cmon Vince, what are ya thinkin?

I would have loved to see Mark Henry beat John Cena, but all WWE fans knew that wouldn't happen especially with one of the major PPV's coming next month.

Remember Sean O'Connor. The former Moose Jaw Warrior is playing in Germany. His antics in the playoffs at the Brandt Centre that year has to be one of the top 3 moments in the rivalry between the Pats and Warriors. Then mayor Pat Fiacco had the ceremonial opening faceoff and for some reason even though the home team is supposed to "win" the faceoff, O'Connor had it in his mind to start being a pest before the series had even started by winning the faceoff. Curtis Hunt was the Warriors coach at that time and he tells a great story about that saying he never game permission O'Connor to do so, but O'Connor thought he had. I thought Fiacco was going to punch him out. The crowd would have gone nuts.

How many of you cringed watching David Hearn miss a five footer for his first PGA win. That will leave a scar and its one that may not properly heal until he gets his name in the winners circle.

If the Blue Jays are going to salvage their season, John Gibbons must be removed before the team re-convenes.

Weidman-Silva 2 will be a must-watch!

I am hoping Sportsnet or Sportsnet 360 will give us Onrait and O'Tooles show on Fox Sports 1. Like Vanstone, I want ESPN and I also want Fox Sports 1. I'm not greedy. If I was, I'd be asking for the NBC Sports Network as well.

Here's one to take with you this morning....whats the difference between arguing with a woman and a knife. Your answer----the knife has a point.

Have a good one!

Thoughts On What Transpired In T-O

Another solid victory for the green and white, but all questions over the next few days will revolve around Darian Durant's foot and what his status for the July 21 game against Hamilton will be. I am guessing we won't know that until next Wednesday. Corey Chamblin will give his team the weekend off and if what I am to understand is right, they will hold a short practice Monday and then take Tuesday off before getting in their three practices for the Hamilton game on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I would be surprised to see Durant practice Monday with the exception of doing some light tossing.

Both sides of the ball continue to play extremely well. Kory Sheets is on pace for 26 hundred yards and there is no sign of him slowing down. He keeps making the plays because the o-line keeps opening up huge holes for him to run through. The o-line must be loving this and the fact that Sheets owes them lunch again this week. What day will the Bonburger truck be at Mosaic?

You have to feel good for Rob Bagg. His touchdown was his first one since 2010 and validates that road to recovery somewhat. It hasn't been easy for Bagg the last couple of years and I think he's gotten a little tired about talking about his battle to come back, but being able to contribute and get in the endzone has to make him feel good about all that hard work he committed himself to.

So why did the Hamilton Tiger-Cats let go of Rey Williams again? I was skeptical of this move when he came back because of the way Joe Lobendahn had played, but Williams is playing like the Rey Williams that was here in 2009.

I thought CKRM's Lance Frazier painted the perfect analogy for the Rider defence on the call in show after the game. Frazier says the defence is like a boxer that feels his way out with jabs and dances around for the first couple of rounds to see what his opponent brings before reacting to it and shutting it down. It took the Riders a half against Calgary and a quarter and a bit against Toronto.

I do have to wonder how the complexion of the game would have changed had the interception return for a TD counted. I thought that was an iffy call as the defender has the right to the football just as much as the receiver. I know they explained it on the broadcast as saying it was a penalty, but it was a chintzy one. Even Frazier tweeted that was a bad call as he protects his fellow d-backs. I just wonder what Rider fans would be saying if that call had been reversed and it had been Dwight Anderson or Macho Harris getting one taken away.

There is no reason why Mosaic shouldn't be sold out for the return of Kent Austin, Henry Burris and Andy Fantuz. I'm getting the feeling that July 21 will be a fun night at the old stadium.

Sanders Gets A POTW

Hugh Charles, Bryant Turner, Jock Sanders and Andrew Harris were named the Gibson’s Finest Players of the Week for Week 2 of the 2013 Canadian Football League season.

The four players were chosen by a panel of judges including: former Canadian Football League players Matt Dunigan and Duane Forde, now of TSN, and Pierre Vercheval of RDS.

Charles earns top offensive honours after rushing for 119 yards on 11 carries, including an electric 70-yard run for a touchdown to help the Eskimos defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-20 for their first win of the season.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma native also caught three passes for 27 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown.

Turner walks away with the Defensive Player of the Week nod following his strong outing against the Alouettes. Turner led the Blue Bombers defence with two tackles, three sacks, and forced a fumble in the Bombers' win.

The three-year CFL veteran from Mobile, Alabama was one of the reasons Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo was limited to only 121 yards through the air in the game.

Turner is currently tied for the league-lead in sacks with three.

Sanders, meanwhile, returned four kickoffs for 100 yards and six punts for 74 yards en-route to being named Special Teams Player of the Week.

The former West Virginia Mountaineer and St. Petersburg, FL native currently sits in fourth place in combined return yards with 266.

Finally, Harris was named the Canadian Player of the Week for Week 2 thanks to his impressive performance in BC's win over the Argos. The Winnipeg native had 15 carries for 103 yards and scored a touchdown in the Lions' 24-16 win over the Grey Cup Champion, Toronto Argonauts.

He also had six catches for 49 yards

Something To "Mitch" About

Impressed by the Riders, not impressed with my golf game. That about sums up the weekend.

The green-and-white certainly have a lot of people talking and for good reason. Their 2nd half performance on Friday night was a dominant one. However, Corey Chamblin remembers how his team started last year and how they finished. He isn't going to let the fact that his team is the only team that hasn't got a number in their loss column disturb his gameplan any. This will be where we see how much Chamblin has matured as a head coach. I'm not saying he got cocky or the team got cocky when they started 3-0 last season, but they learned some lessons after that happened and now its time to see if what they learned will translate to their performance. I think it will, but it will be tough going into Toronto on a short week of rest and battling the Argonauts.

I LOVE the intro on the Maxtron before the Riders come out with the countdown now. That was great!

Is it safe to say that after two weeks of play that the Riders are the best looking team out there? They are certainly the most complete football team, but it is two weeks and there is a long ways to go before this book will be written. There should be some excitement though, because I think this team is a lot better than the one we saw last year at this time.

How about yesterday's game in Guelph! Was the story the upset win by the Eskimos or the fact that the teams played the game in monsoon-like weather. I haven't seen a game played in conditions like that for quite a while. It was downright ugly at the end. In the end, do you go the Eskimos aren't as bad as you thought or the Ti-Cats aren't as good as you thought. I think Kent Austin has a lot of work to do in Hamilton----a lot of it.

Kavis Reed gets a contract extension in Edmonton. That's ummmm......ummmmmmm.....OK The mmoving on.....

Former University of Regina Ram Brett Jones looks like a seasoned veteran out there and not someone who is just starting his rookie season. The guy was phenomenal on Friday night and he's only going to get better. The Riders and those that missed out on Jones made a mistake there. In fact, Jones perhaps should have gone number one overall the way he has started.

TSN is the exclusive home of the CFL and I understand that. What I don't understand is why TSN would devote a full 15-20 minutes on free agent frenzy day before even getting to a CFL highlight or preview. That is just wrong on their part. I know they can't be perfect, but surely there has to be someone there to realize that they should perhaps stick with the CFL after Friday night football instead of going to Sportscenter. In fact, I had someone ask me recently why TSN doesn't do a post-game show. That's a great question and its one I can't answer. They should!

Should the Riders take a page from Guelph and put in some green and white checkerboard endzones??? Those are hideous!

Now that the CFL season has started, you should follow "Fake Marc Cohon" and "Fake Arash Madani" if you aren't already. The two are gold!

The movie Despicable Me 2 is outstanding....especially if you love the Minions and how can you not love the minions??!!

I won't get into specifics, but I have had a number of people ask me if I have listened to something recently because its so bad. I finally had the opportunity to last week and those people (including some who read this) were 100 percent right. I don't know is all I can say. I just don't know.

Anderson Silva got beat??

I caught 5 minutes of Big Brother on Sunday night and saw Aaryn. Is she good or is she bad?? Me likey!!

The Blue Jays send three players to the all-star game and maybe a fourth yet they are last in the American League East. Methinks the all-star game would be a perfect time to send John Gibbons packing.

Sports needs more people like Munenori Kawasaki. How can you not love that guy?

The vibe around the Regina Red Sox seems to be different this year and so does the standings. The team has seemingly lost its hitting touch. That needs to get turned around in a big hurry if mission threepeat is to be successful.

Jarome Iginla---you are going to Boston a little too late, but as the guys at TSN pointed out, you at least finally made Aaron Ward right albeit two months late.

CKRM Rider Radio analyst Matt Dominguez apparently said Friday night that its time to get a new look for Gainer the Gopher. There is no need for that to happen. Gainer is great just the way he is.

As I said on Twitter over the weekend, TSN is now showing CFL ads with Buck Pierce playing chess. Why wouldn't they film a commercial of Buck getting his vital signs taken or in a hospital bed?

I once again have this desire to see someone smoke Worksafe Bob during the 3rd quarter stretch. It would at least make that stupid song more bearable. Am I the only one creeped out by Worksafe Bob?

I remain adamant that "Pud" from Dubble Bubble comics is a visionary whose greatness has not yet been seen.

I still wonder who made the decision to allow Arsenio Hall back on late night television.

Am I the only one who wants another day between Saturday and Sunday? I thought not.

Have a great day!

Eskimos Extend Reed's Contract

The Edmonton Eskimo Football Club announces the contract extension of Head Coach Kavis Reed. As per club policy, the terms of the contract are not disclosed.

“This extension gives us stability going forward,” says Eskimos General Manager Ed Hervey. “Leadership is critical to a young football team for success and I know our players work extremely hard for and are committed to Coach Reed.”

Reed enters his third season as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club and his 13th as a CFL coach. In his first season, he led an impressive turnaround of the club's fortunes, finishing with an 11-7 record, second in the CFL Western Division and hosting a home playoff game for the first time since 2004. The success saw him named as a finalist for the 2011 CFL Coach of the Year Award. In 2012, the Eskimos finished the season with a 7-11 record, losing the Eastern Semi-Final to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts.

A former Eskimos defensive back (1995-99), Reed spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach in the CFL before being named the 19th head coach of the club on Dec. 10, 2011.

Sounds And Thoughts From The Rider Room

A big win for the Riders as they completely shut down Calgary in the 2nd half and improve to 2-0 with a 36-21 win. Here are comments from John Chick, Darian Durant and head coach Corey Chamblin after the game with thoughts from yours truly after....












As for my thoughts...

--What an impressive 2nd half. If the Riders can bottle that up and use it 16 more times, I think we know where Lord Grey's mug will reside. That being said, the season is still very young and the Riders looked good last year in jumping out to a 3-0 start and then the wheels started to fall off. This team is a lot better than that team, but lets not go planning a parade route yet.

--George Cortez's stamp is firmly on the offense. You can see Cortez designing plays for all his weapons and while all plays aren't going to go for big yards, he knows when and where to call that play.

--The turning point of the game to me was the Ricky Schmitt punt that looked like a Graham DeLaet approach in the 2nd quarter as he put a little spin on the ball to keep it on the playing field instead of going into the endzone for the much-hated single. You just don't get punts better than that as Regina native Jon Ryan, who was at the game, would likely attest to. It seemed to me as if that play got the Riders going as they were down 14-3 but after holding Calgary got the Dressler TD on their next series to get going.

--Brendon Labatte and Ben Heenan were once again phenomenal. When it comes to Heenan, I don't know Coach Chamblin keeps him off the field when Patrick Neufeld is ready.

--FG kicking problem?? What FG kicking problem? Chris Milo has shown there is nothing wrong with his game as he four for four on three pointers and remains 100 percent on the season. Lets put that argument to bed.

--The Riders have been accused at times of coaches not making adjustments and getting out coached. On this nite, Corey Chamblin and staff made the adjustments and outcoached John Hufnagel and crew

--Good on Kory Sheets for his performance, but remember this Rider fans. The situation is the same as Jerrell Freeman. The more plays he makes, the less his chances of being here are. I somehow seem to think Sheets will be running the football on Sundays south of the border again.

--You just have to love the way Weston Dressler plays the game. He just keeps getting abused out there and he just gets up and makes another play.

This And That

--The weekly collection of thoughts running through my muddled brain in no particular order of importance.

 

  --Friday Night Football at Mosaic Stadium with 40-thousand crazed Rider fans on what should be a gorgeous night to play. What a slice of Canadiana it will be. 

 -- The Rider Nation wasn’t impressed when Dwight Anderson signed with the Riders and I’m not sure they will ever truly adopt him in. I can’t really say I blame them though.  Anderson has reportedly appealed his fine that he got for throwing that little tantrum last weekend. I would rather Dwight just accept his punishment as a man and move on. He seems unapologetic though.

-- I hope you caught “The Coaches Show” on Sportscage Wednesday afternoon with offensive co-ordinator George Cortez. It was a fascinating discussion. If you missed it or any Sportscage, go to www.sportscage.ca and check it out.

--If the over/under on total yard from scrimmage for Jon Cornish and Kory Sheets Friday night is 280 do you go over or under?  Both are capable of having a huge night.

--Do you think Anthony Calvillo misses Marc Trestman?

--The agent for Regina born NHL’er Tyler Bozak has reportedly given the Leafs an offer that would see Bozak sign an 8 year deal for under 5 million a year. After hearing that, I just ask what team will end up with Bozak because it won’t be Toronto for those terms. 8 years?? I see Bozak commanding a 4 year, 12 million dollar deal, but not 8 years.

--It is this bloggers opinion that the Dallas Stars completely fleeced the Boston Bruins in the Tyler Seguin trade.

--Patrice Bergeron may be the toughest s-o-b in sports today.  If you don’t believe me, check this out.

--Thumbs up to the New England Patriots for having a program where fans can take Aaron Hernandez jerseys in and trade them in for another one. I hope all fans with a Hernandez jersey takes advantage of that in the Boston area.  More teams should adopt that practice.

--The Chicago Cubs have finally traded pitcher Carlos Marmol. THANK GOD!!

--There are less than 10 weeks until the start of the NFL season

--Did you put out your blue bin for recycling this week? Many of you didn’t. Are you going to start recycling now that you have a blue bin? I guess the answer in my house is yes if Mrs. Scruffy’s actions mean anything.

--Wascana Park was the place to be on Canada Day as thousands turned out for Canada Day festivities on what was a great day.  Its events like that where I love to people watch. There are some that just make me question what they are thinking when they go out.  Lets just say there was some interesting wardrobe choices or lack of wardrobe choices on display. By the way, is there anything better than the white tank top – jean shorts combination with a ball cap on to top it off ? I think not!

--The TV show “Under the Dome” reminds me of “The Simpsons Movie”. When does “Spiderpig” come on?

--Who had Max Scherzer at 13-0? If you’re a baseball fan, did you even know who Max Scherzer was in April?

--Would you rather have 30 above or 30 below? When you live in a place that doesn’t have air conditioning, you might pick the latter. Of course that is if its 30 below with no huge amounts of snow.

--Nice job by the NHL in allowing Alex Ovechkin to be a first team all-star at one position and a second team all-star at another. That’s a major whoops. Not as bad a whoops as naming PK Subban the Norris Trophy winner, but a whoops nonetheless.

--I didn’t notice it until yesterday, but I went over the 2-thousand mark on Twitter when it comes to followers. If you are one of them, I thank you and question your sanity.

--Have a good weekend!!!

Arencibia Lets Out Frustration

It hasn't been the season that the Blue Jays wanted or that catcher JP Arencibia has wanted. The Jays showed faith in Arencibia this off-season by not trading him despite many rumours they were going to do so. Arencibia has struggled this year and Blue Jays broadcasters Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst have made sure people have noticed the difficulty that he and other players are having. Arencibia had enough of that negativity today as he appeared on the Brady and Lang show on FAN 590 where he went after the two analysts. Take a listen and tell me what you think.

Making Game Day Better

As part of hosting the 101st Grey Cup Championship Game and with the recent expansion of Mosaic Stadium, the Roughriders will be taking steps to further enhance safety, security and enjoyment for our fans on Game Day. Some of these initiatives are outlined below.

• The Riders have recently added a head of security. Rod Buckingham will lead all game day security functions, while collaborating with Regina Police Services/Regina EMS/and our contracted Security company. Mr. Buckingham will also be leading the 101st Grey Cup Festival and Championship Game security committee.

• Upon entering the stadium, fans will see increased security and more frequent bag checks. As a reminder, the only beverages allowed to be brought into Mosaic Stadium are unopened bottles of water.

• The Mosaic Stadium MaxTron will be playing videos featuring players and kids who will remind fans to show their pride, but respect other fans. Fans will be encouraged to text the Rider security line 306-536-5312 to report inappropriate behavior.

• Mosaic Stadium concession staff is undergoing service training that will help them identify fans who might be under the influence and ensure that stadium policies around alcohol consumption are adhered to.

• The Saskatchewan Roughriders have collaborated with the Regina Police and supported a plan for safer traffic movement and an emergency access route entering and exiting Mosaic Stadium.

• Rider Game Day staff have recently gone through Fan Experience training to further enhance what is already widely recognized as one of the best sports atmosphere’s in Canada.

• Weather permitting; there will be new interactive inflatables for kids in our enhanced pre-game Fan Festival area opposite Mosaic Stadium.