Something To "Mitch" About

I love the CFL. I really do. However, sometimes the league does things that really make me shake my head and wonder what is going on. Take for example, this Tuesday's draft.  It begins at 5 o'clock Saskatchewan time and will go approximately three hours. It will be on TSN for the first round and then I am guessing TSN.ca for the remainder but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. The draft is expected to take three hours meaning it will end at 8 o'clock or 10 o'clock Eastern time.  This means eastern division teams are going to have their fans robbed of draft day coverage. TV stations and newspaper outlets won't be able to give proper coverage of the proceedings or get comments from the team or the player that was taken in the first round.  During a Friday media get-together at Mosaic Stadium, there was a big amount of whining from those in attendance when Rider PR man extraordinare Ryan Pollock indicated to everyone there would be no availability until Wednesday. Every scenario brought up by some was shot down by Pollock much to the chagrin of those asking the questions. Don't blame the team on this one. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scene at the draft and GM Brendan Taman and his scouting staff aren't the only ones who are busy. There is no reason in my mind why the CFL couldn't have the draft in the afternoon at say 3 o'clock our time which would give the league, the teams and those drafted the publicity they deserve.  The CFL draft isn't like the NFL draft and it never will be. Yes, I'm sure TSN has something to do with the evening draft, but heads need to get-together and think this thing out a little bit because the draft is going to go through some places as if it never happened and in this league, that is wrong!

Barring any last minute trades, (and with Brendan Taman's history there could be) the Riders will pick 8th. Unlike the NFL draft, mock drafts are hard to come by in the CFL but CFL.ca's Justin Dunk has done one and he has the Riders taking linebacker Jesse Briggs out of McGill. He is a 6 foot 1, 222 pound linebacker. Personally, I think the Riders need to fill a hole at defensive back after losing Craig Butler and Graig Newman, so I would look at a guy like Laval's Adam Thibault if he is there at the number eight pick. From what I  understand, his stock went up dramatically after the combine so he may not be around when the Riders turn at the table comes.

Don't look for a couple of neg list players to be here for camp. University of Washington quarterback Keith Price was signed by the Seahawks after the NFL draft as a free agent while University of North Dakota receiver Greg Hardin---a guy who broke some of Weston Dressler's records at UND---has signed a deal with the Denver Broncos. I was really hoping to see Hardin come up here. I might still, but I've heard nothing but tremendous things about him. I guess the Broncos did too.

Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon is apparently going to be suspended for a year because he tested positive for marijuana. That could very well pave the way for Kory Sheets to be continuing his football career north of the border.

Is marijuana really considered a performance enhancer? I would think it would affect your play more than improve it.

I wonder how Johnny Manziel feels about hearing his #1 receiver won't play for the team this year because of that.

I don't think there is a big Cleveland Browns fan base in Regina or Saskatchewan (however I know one), but I ask you the Browns fan if you are buying a Johnny Manziel jersey.

If you look at what the Raiders and Chiefs did, its good news for both Weston Dressler and Kory Sheets as neither team drafted players that may threaten the former Riders from achieving their NFL dream.

A tweet from Regina born Super Bowl champ Jon Ryan after the NFL draft. "Thousands of homophobes heads just exploded. Congrats Michael Sam. Welcome to the NFL" I think Jon hit the nail right on the head with that one.  It looked for a while as if the SEC defensive player of the year was going to get ignored on draft day and while I am sure he would have signed a free agent deal with someone, it would have said a lot and perhaps still does about the NFL ready to embrace a known gay player into its fraternity.  Personally, I don't think the NFL or the other pro sports are still ready to, but Sam knocked down one door by getting drafted, now he has to prove himself at St. Louis Rams camp and find a way to end up at least on the practice roster. I don't think there will be a more scrutinized player at NFL camps than Sam and that includes Manziel.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija is 2nd in baseball with an ERA of 1.45. How many games has Jeffy won?  Zip! In all eight starts, he has had absolutely no run support from the Cubs offence. That's simply atrocious! Still witj the Cubs, a loss in Atlanta yesterday was career number 10-thousand. They are the 3rd team in major league history to reach that number joining Philadelphia and Atlanta.

I have a tough time believing this, but it is Regina so it wouldn't surprise me. I was told by someone they went grocery shopping Saturday morning and as they were looking for a parking spot, a man double-parked and then had the nerve to go into his trunk and place a pylon besides his drivers door so as not to get dinged. Has it gotten that bad? Has anyone seen that happen? It brings the driving attitude of some to a whole new level if that's the case.

Let me get this straight----the Canadian mens hockey team got beaten by France. France????!!! WTF?  How in the h-e double hockey sticks do we get beaten by France. This would be equivalent to our national mens soccer team beating France. There's no rational explanation for this.

Watching the Boston-Montreal game Saturday night, I could only ask where does the time go. It was 44 years ago that Bobby Orr scored what might be the most famous goal in NHL history when he flew through the air after scoring to give the Bruins the 1970 Stanley Cup and it was 35 years ago that the infamous too many men on the ice call projected Don Cherry to the icon that he is today. If Boston had won that series, how much longer would he have coached the Bruins and would his TV career had flourished had he been behind the Boston bench for two to three more years. We'll never know.

How did Randy Carlyle get a TWO year extension from the Leafs? This from a guy who roots for a team that has Dallas Eakins as its head coach.

There is talk the Oilers may have to part with one of their young offensive talents if they are to get the number one defenceman they so deeply desire. I may have my blinders on because of the fact Jordan Eberle plays for my team, but I would rather part with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins then part with Eberle. They're not getting rid of Taylor Hall, Sam Gagner won't provide enough and Nail Yakupov is too much of an unknown at this point.

Say what you will about Sidney Crosby, but his mission to seek out Ranger forward Martin St, Louis and offer his condolences on the unexpected death of St. Louis' mother was nothing but pure class.

When did Jonas Hiller fall out of favour in Anaheim?

Must see TV Monday night---Game 7 of Portland/Edmonton. Game 6 was a classic and the whole series has been great. Its really no surprise this series is going the limit.

With the Regina Riot starting up another football season, the question was asked to me if we have seen the last of the Regina Rage Lingerie Football team. I would think the answer has to be yes. Should we be surprised at that?