This and That

Its been one of those weeks. Before the events of Thursday morning, it seemed like a lot of people were in a bad mood this week and it seemed like there were some people whose underwear was on just a little too tight.

If you are connected to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it hasn't been a good few days going from the loss in Winnipeg to the charges against Dwight Anderson and Taj Smith. The charges are sparking a lot of debate and a lot of comments are being made. Some of those comments are just ridiculous in nature and some of them are ones that simply disgust me as I thought we were past it, but in some cases we are not.

My two cents on the matter are this. The Riders wear a target on their back and the target is a little bigger when they go out to some places because they have to mind their p's and q's and sometimes that isn't good enough. Bad things happen after midnight and it did here. Anderson and Smith got caught in a bad situation and now their reputation is paying for it. They have as TSN's Chris Schultz said on Thursday in the Sportscage  embarrassed the organization, but we need to let this story play itself out before we jump to conclusions. Should they play Saturday? In my mind, they should. They are not behind bars so they are free to play. If you don't agree with that assessment that's fine, you are entitled to your thoughts much as I am to mine.

I am also not going to blame Corey Chamblin, Brendan Taman or Jim Hopson for this as some have done today. Why should they be blamed? It is not their job to tell grown men how to live their lives. They are not babysitters nor should they be. These aren't kids they deal with like the Regina Pats. In my mind, their hands are clean. That comment is not to suggest the Pats get themselves in trouble because by all accounts they are good kids.

The big question is has this derailed the Grey Cup quest?  If you think this team's pursuit of playing in and winning the big game at Mosaic is over, then once again you can feel that way, but this team certainly has the veteran leadership to let this be a pothole on the highway to success. I don't think there are any quitters in that room. If anything, we might see some guys step up and become even more of a leader as we go down the road.

The injury to Rey Williams just sucks. The guy is a great football player and he's a good guy as well. That's a tough one! He arguably was the top defensive player in the West when he went down.

Before the events of this week, there were a lot of people upset with the team for their performance in Winnipeg. It certainly wasn't a banner effort and some of the criticism was justified. The bottom line is this team is still 8-2 and they are still a good bet to be in the Grey Cup. You could be a Bomber or Eskimo supporter where the season is basically over already. The positives have far outweighed the negatives (although admittedly the negatives closed the gap this week) so enjoy it while you can.

That brings me to this. Why is there so much negativity surrounding an 8-2 football team with a fanbase that is supposedly so great. Why is it a faction of fans just seem something to nitpick about even when the team is winning. I know I've asked it before, but what do you want? You can't have perfection so what do you want? It amazes me when the team wins and the calls still carry a negative tone. When they lose, it seems like people crawl out of their holes to fire a full salvo at the team, but when they win, they throw a grenade or two over the bow. I'll never understand that.

The Bombers are coming back to the West. I'd still just like to see a nine team division until a 10 team CFL is upon us.

What back-to-back matchup will get the shaft when the sked comes out next year with Ottawa around. I would have to think Hamilton-Toronto will get their Labour Day matchup returned, but who is Ottawa going to play. I would suggest Ottawa get Montreal on Labour Day giving BC the weekend off with the Redblacks ---I mean REDBLACKS getting the next weekend off with the Lions playing the Alouettes.

Watching the Patriots play and seeing Julian Edelman do his thing just validates in my mind that Weston Dressler could play in the NFL and succeed.

Week 2 NFL Upset of the Week ---- Cowboys over Chiefs
Week 2 NFL Lock of the Week  ----Texans over Titans

I'm hearing Year 2 of the Lingerie Football League in Canada is in jeopardy. There are apparently some problems with a couple of teams including some in Saskatoon.

The L-A Angels were in Toronto this week for a series that many said in March would be an American League Championship Series preview. Uhhhhhhhhhhh NO!!

If there are good crowds in Montreal for the Jays-Mets exhibition games in March, it could really pave the way for Montreal trying to get another team. A downtown stadium is a must though. The revival of the Expos? Hey if Winnipeg can get the Jets back, why not?

Question: How long has Barts on Broad been closed down? It has to be five years doesn't it? Whatever the answer is, don't you think the sign should be taken down at the corner of Broad and 12th?

The WHL season starts one week from tonight!

I like Morgan Rielly, but I hope for his sake that the Leafs send him back to Moose Jaw for one more year so he isn't thrown into the fire too early like Luke Schenn. Ron Wilson is gone so Rielly's confidence wouldn't be shredded like Schenn's was, but the microscope will be on Rielly in Toronto so let him mature one more season in the WHL while trying to win a World Junior gold.

Belated congratulations to Global's Whitney Stinson who has become Jill Morgan's replacement as the main anchor at 6 and 10.

Have a good weekend everyone! GO SEAHAWKS!!