Welcome to November! What a month it is going to be in the Queen City! How much will the Riders be involved in this month? I guess we will find out starting next weekend when the B.C Lions visit for the Western semi-final. Of course, we all know they finish off the regular season with a home game against the Eskimos, but I don't think too many people care about that game. They are concentrating on what will happen November 10. I can't really blame them.
Speaking of people caring about the game, I was surprised Wednesday night to see a crowd of just over 35-hundred at the Brandt Centre for the Pats-Warriors game on a night where the home side wore Rider green. You had Riders in attendance, you had your arch-rival in the building and you had 2 for 1 hot-dogs and only 35-hundred came out. It makes me wonder just how bad the disconnect is between the organization and the fan. I know there are many fans out there who have had enough of the hockey team, but the hockey team made the move that many wanted in the off-season. This team is not a bad hockey team and while I will not sit here and try and tell you they are Memorial Cup contenders, they are an entertaining squad with a first year head coach who is proving he belongs.
Morgan Klimchuk and Chandler Stephenson are worth the price of admission on most nights, Dmitri Sinitsyn is a pretty good defenceman and Chad Lang should be praised for the acquisition of Boston Leier who has helped turn the fortunes around. They are a 500 hockey team and that is where I expect them to be for most of the season. That should be good enough to get them into the playoffs and it is then where I hope the Regina hockey fan shows the emotion and passion they showed in the playoffs a couple of years ago when they played Moose Jaw. The Pats know more than anyone that the Regina hockey fan is an angry one, but they are doing what they can to smooth over that disconnect and bring you back. Some of you, and I don't blame you for being upset with what has gone on over the past few years, need to take that step and see that there is some optimism. In the end, the organization did what you wanted. With that being done, you owe it to the team to come back don't you?
There was some concern issued this week over the fact the annual "Friends of the Riders'" touchdown lottery didn't sell out as it has most years. The lottery was a godsend for the Riders and Tom Shepherd will always have a special place in Riderville because of his efforts to at one point save the football team and arguably the entire Canadian Football League. However, I think the lottery has been swallowed up by its own success. Discussing it in "The Sportscage" Wednesday, the idea was thrown out there that there are too many lotteries these days and I think that's it. Every group has a lottery now with some great prizes. I may not buy a ticket for the hospitals home lottery, but I'll buy a ticket for the Humane Society lottery. I might buy a Friends of the Riders ticket, but I won't buy a ticket for this lottery or that lottery or vice-versa. There's only so much money to go around. Will the touchdown lottery go away? I can't see it and I can't see the other ones going away either. At the end of the day, you decide where and how you are going to spend your money on big-prize lottery tickets. More will be popping up instead of others dropping off. The question is where will you spend your money?
How comical is Rob Ford? What a greasefire he is! I think that story is soon going to come to a terrible end for Mr. Ford. The happiest person in Canada to see that videotape surface has got to be Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister isn't helping his cause any with the way he is changing stories and the way Mike Duffy is burying him. The question keeps coming up about whether or not this could be the end of the Harper government. If it is, it means Canada could be run by Thomas Mulcair or Justin Trudeau and I don't think we are really as a nation ready for either one of those individuals.
I was excited at the start of the NHL season thinking the Edmonton Oilers would be competitive and perhaps take a run at a playoff spot. One month into the season and I'm thinking the drought continues, I'm not blaming new coach Dallas Eakins. I just think that team is too soft and their goaltending is a liability. Moves need to be made and made in a big hurry. Names like Eberle, Hall, Gagner and Schultz can stay, but after that I wouldn't hesitate on moving anyone for a defenceman of note and a goaltender. That's easier said than done though. SIGHHHHH
Week 9 NFL Lock Of The Week --- Saints over Jets
Week 9 NFL Upset Of The Week ---Steelers over Patriots
What did you take away from the Tom Higgins interview? The one thing I took away is that this league is too focused on protecting quarterbacks that its forgetting about other players. Why doesn't the CFL have a rule against hitting a defenceless receiver. A defensive lineman can't tee off on a quarterback late, but they can smoke a receiver or a running back apparently. There is a rule the league needs to look at. Tom was right though when he says coaches don't have perfect games and refs don't have perfect ones either. I'm not asking for perfection though, I'm just asking for consistency.
I don't know if Kerry Joseph will be playing in his last CFL game on Saturday afternoon, but I would love to see the Saskatchewan Roughriders honor the 07 MVP and Grey Cup winning quarterback in some way. However, if we didn't acknowledge Kent Austin for his accomplishments, why would it be done for Joseph. I'm hoping for a short scoreboard tribute with some memories of 07.
If you listened to the mighty RM this past Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you'd have heard me doing the old early run meaning a 330 AM wakeup call so I could join the best AM morning show in town (and its not even close) with Jamie Lewis and Gloria Evans. It meant I couldn't find the Seahawks post-game show to listen to what was said about the dismal performance of the team despite their last second 14-9 win over the St. Louis Rams. I don't know if the Seahawks have a phone in portion to their post game show, but I wanted to listen just to see if people would be calling for Russell Wilson to be benched or to criticize head coach Pete Carroll or offensive co=ordinator Darrell Bevell. After all, if it happens here, it happens everywhere doesn''t it?
How many kids did you have for Hallowe'en? Is it just me or does the number seemingly shrink every year. Hallowe'en used to be a night for the kids, but its turned into a night for adults to now dress up dont'cha think? We had just over 30 which is about average for us.
Good luck to the Cougar basketball teams as they start another Canada West season this weekend at home against UBC and Victoria. I'll once again be handling the P-A which is something I really enjoyed last year as I had a front row seat to the women getting all the way to the Canadian final with the men playing some exciting games. It will also give me a chance to keep asking womens coach and Red Sox fan Dave Taylor if he will take a page from the Red Sox and grow a horrendous beard. I asked someone at the University about this about this the other day and the question was asked back if Dave Taylor can even grow a beard. It was a legitimate question. I think growing a Red Sox style beard and looking like Dustin Pedroia or Jonny Gomes would be the spark the girls need to finally bring home a national title.
That's all I got. Have a great weekend!
11 comments:
Lottery still made 1.2 million dollars for the football team. Which means about 28 thousand tickets were sold. That is pretty darn good.
A couple of responses on another well-crafted write.
1) I will be back at the Brandt Centre when the Parkers are truly gone. As long as the Parker name is attached, I will not be there. I think my sentiment is shared by many
2) I bought a Riders lottery ticket, but you are right. There are too many lotteries out there now and you have to decide who and what you are going to back. If I bought a ticket for STARS, home lotteries, Jr B fundraiser, etc. etc. I would be broke and maybe have a camera to show for it
3. I had over 60 kids in the Cathedral area.
GO RIDERS!
Those who didn't go to the hockey game Wednesday missed a great game. The Pats are a much different product than the last few years when you knew you were watching a bad team. Go take a look!
Good point on the lottery or should I say lotteries! There is a lot of great causes out there doing great work and only so much to go around.
I also wonder if the Rider Lottery is less of a necessity anymore. Before it was a straight injection of cash to the teams bottom line. Now, with the teams success, everyone in this province supports the Riders in so many more ways than before - ie - merchandise, ticket sales, etc. Now with another HPG and the Grey Cup, the revenue continues to flow. Not only is there maybe only enough money to support so many lotteries, there may also be only so much money people have to support this football team.
All in all, its a great problem to have.
The number of tickets keeps increasing. Years ago I waited to buy mine around the early bird draw because times were tough and it was sold out. Now they are selling them in bunches of 2 or 3 and still can't sell it out, I figure that's because they have doubled or tripled the amount of tickets they sell. How else can you explain giving away 5 times the grand prize.
Also factor in that other lotteries the grand prize is bigger. Million dollar house vs 100K.
The fact all these lotteries survive is a testament to how things are up in this province when it comes to the economy. They all succeed meaning people can afford to buy. I think you are right about the success of the Riders lottery now coming back to hurt them because so many others do the same thing, but it is a good problem to have.
Did Cliff Mapes strike a deal for you to have three hotdogs at the price of one and 2 dollar beer at future games? Cmon Scruffy, everyone knows why the lack of support is there for the Pats. The one person may be gone, but the family isn't. When they are sold, I will likely come back.
Greg
My theory about why the Rider Lotto was not a sell-out is that there was a bit less money in the household this season due to forking out over $350 for the Grey Cup ticket. I know it resulted in me taking a pass on the lotto this year.
I have had my fill of King Harper and hope he is soon freed up to write more books about hockey history.
Perhaps having a scoreboard at centre ice might be one reason why people stay away from Brandt Centre during Pats games. That's a joke! Makes us look 2nd rate!
I think Greg has summed up my comments. The Pats can promote, promote, promote all they want, but at the end of the day the Parker name is still attached to the organization and until new owners are found, I will not be back. The Eberle trade or lack of it turned me off this team and it turned off many others as well.
Hugh
The alternatives to Harper aren't any better.
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