This And That

The weekly assortment of thoughts running through my muddled mind and as always, they are in no particular order

--I don't think I've seen or heard from anyone who is upset with Geroy Simon leaving the Riders to join the Lions. Why should they? Geroy did what the team wanted him to do when they signed him in 2013....he helped them win the Grey Cup and he had one of his best ever games in doing so. While here, both in and out of uniform, he was classy and he was gracious. His heart never left the team with which he became one of the CFL's greatest players so why would we be surprised or angered if he goes home. Thanks Geroy! The question now is who takes over his Huddle Up for Kids program that provides coats for kids who need them. Dressler? Durant? Someone will definitely pick up the ball and keep that great program going.

--Is it just me or has Brendan Taman done a great job in free agency. He filled the defensive end spot left vacant by the Ricky Foley trade by re-signing Alex Hall. I had forgotten all about Mr. Cable (long time Reginans will get that joke) after he left for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL following the Grey Cup winning season. One remembers Hall was leading the CFL in sacks when he was traded to Saskatchewan by Winnipeg. If he can still hunt down the quarterback, this could be the best signing of all.

--How many of you had to do a Google search on Joash Gesse when you found out the Riders had picked him up. BE HONEST!!

--Would you rather have Kevin Glenn as Darian's backup or Tino Sunseri?  I know what my answer is.

--I would like to know one day what running back Keith Toston did or didn't do to not get the proper chance from the Riders. He won the opening day tailback job in the pre-season with some punishing runs, but because he wasn't a favourite of then OC George Cortez, he never really got a chance to show his stuff. I thought Toston would get a chance this year with Cortez gone, but the Riders don't seemingly want him around. That's a strange one. I hope someday someone in the Riders organization pulls me aside and says Scruffy, the reason we didn't like Toston is__________________.

--The Ottawa REDBLACKS also have to be commended for their free agent pickup. There was no doubt Henry Burris had a poor crop of receivers to throw to in year 1 of the club. GM Marcel Desjardins rectified that by getting Greg Ellingson, Earnest Jackson and Brad Sinopoli in free agency to go along with Maurice Price that they traded for. Would Ottawa go after Manitoba's Nic Demski or the Rams Addison Richards with their first round pick in the draft? It would be tempting not to.

--How good did the Winnipeg Jets get this week? What a great trade by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. I can honestly see the Jets taking a good playoff run this season if they stay healthy. Like many teams. they might have a question mark in goal, but I like what they have done and I also like what the Buffalo Sabres did as well.  The Sabres are going to be a good young team perhaps as early as next year. Lets just say the Jets and Sabres look to have a better future than the Oilers and Leafs do.

--Leafs coach Peter Horachek talked about his team's "Give-a-shit Meter" after a loss against the Rangers this week/ Why do I get the feeling someone will be creating a "Give-a-shit Meter" and bringing it to Mosaic Stadium this year! Yes, yes it will happen.

--I realize this might sound completely outlandish, but here ya go. The Regina Pats it would seem will play the Swift Current Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. If they advance, and one would think they should at the moment, they would play Brandon in the second round. A win there and they would likely take on the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Pats have played the Tigers extremely tough this season winning one game in the Hat since trading some players away and coming oh so close to winning again this week. What I am suggesting is a bounce here and a bounce there and some good goaltending by Daniel Wapple and this team could take a long and memorable playoff run. Beating Brandon would be the biggest challenge, but Regina has done it this year and in the playoffs, anything can happen.

--The good people of Moose Jaw will have national attention this week as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts begins. I know Mosaic Place and the city will put on an excellent show. Sportscage will be broadcasting live from Mosaic Place next week and I will be your host as Rod heads off to Mexico. It should be a good week as we bring you some curling and yes, there will be football and hockey talk as well.

--I can't see me getting to Luther for the annual Luther Invitational Tournament this year, but I wonder how much the tournament has lost with it being in a brand new spacious gym. Don't get me wrong, a new gym is more than welcome at Luther, but you can't replace the character and the energy in the old facility where the fans were right on top of you.

--I wonder how the coach of the Little League team in Chicago feels knowing he successfully broke the hearts of kids who played their tails off to win the title only to  have it taken away because of some boundary problems. There are so many coaches out there who are so good and then there are some who are just slime. This doesn't take the blame off the coach of the Jackie Robinson West team either, but why wouldn't Little League just sanction the coach and the association and let the kids keep the title they earned! Paper might not say they won anymore, but those kids know exactly what they did and their moment should not be tarnished because of some adult coaches who are less than savoury characters. Its a shame!

--Depending on when you read this, the CFL schedule is apparently coming out Friday although a tweet from the CFL was a little cryptic. The response from one person on my Twitter feed was "Thank Christ, now I can tell my wife when to have our baby and I can plan my vacation." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a Rider fan in a nutshell. God love their twisted and tormented souls!


That's all I got.

Have a great weekend!!

Ready To Rock In Moose Jaw

Rachel Homan’s Ottawa team will take aim at a Scotties Tournament of Hearts threepeat when the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship kicks off on Saturday at Mosaic Place.

But Homan — bidding to become just the third skip to win three straight Scotties titles, joining Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones (2001-2004) and Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones (2008-10) — will have to overcome a talented field in Moose Jaw.

Not only is Jennifer Jones on hand, hoping to win her fifth Scotties title, but so is Alberta’s Val Sweeting, who lost to Homan in last year’s Scotties final in Montreal and then beat Homan in the 2014 Home Hardware Canada final earlier this season.

Homan’s team underwent a significant offseason lineup change, as second Alison Kreviazuk moved to Sweden and was replaced by Joanne Courtney, who was recruited from Team Sweeting to join third Emma Miskew and lead Lisa Weagle.

Sweeting’s team eventually found a replacement in Lori Olson-Johns, who has fit in smoothly alongside second Dana Ferguson and lead Rachelle Brown.

The Jones team, meanwhile, has the same lineup that captured gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi — third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen.

While Team Canada, Manitoba and Alberta figure to be the pre-event favourites, they’re hardly a sure thing.

Veteran skips such as Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton, Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt, Newfoundland/Labrador’s Heather Strong and Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault will provide numerous stiff tests along the way. That quartet has 33 combined Scotties appearances coming into the 2015 championship.

On the other hand, there will be some rookie skips looking to make an impact on the national scene. B.C.’s Patti Knezevic and Ontario’s Julie Hastings have been knocking on the Scotties door for a long time before finally bursting through this season.

The field in Moose Jaw is rounded out by Quebec’s Lauren Mann, New Brunswick’s Sylvie Robichaud, Northern Ontario’s Tracy Horgan, Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories and Sarah Koltun of the Yukon.

The Scotties will be preceded for the first time by a a pre-qualifying round to determine the final entry into the 12-team main draw.

Team Canada is joined in the main draw by the 10 teams with the best combined records in the previous three Scotties, meaning first-time participant Northern Ontario, along with the Yukon and Northwest Territories will play off for the 12th and final berth. Nunavut declined an opportunity to participate.

Northern Ontario, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories will play a single round-robin at Mosaic Place, with the teams with the two best records advancing to the play-in game, which will be contested Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. (all times Central), concurrent with the opening draw of the Scotties round-robin. Admission to the pre-qualifying rounds is free.

The schedule for the pre-qualifying round:
Thursday, Feb. 12
7 p.m. — Northwest Territories vs. Northern Ontario
Friday, Feb. 13
8 a.m. — Northern Ontario vs. Yukon
3:30 p.m. — Yukon vs. Northwest Territories
Saturday, Feb. 14
2 p.m. — Pre-qualifying final

The teams in the main draw will play an 11-game round-robin draw that will conclude on Friday, Feb. 20.

The top four teams will make the Page playoff round, which sees the first- and second-place teams playing for a berth in the final, which is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. (all times Central). The third- and fourth-place teams will also meet, with the winner moving onto the semifinal on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.. The loser of the three-four game will play the semifinal loser in the bronze-medal game on Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

TSN/RDS2, the official broadcaster of the CCA’s Season of Champions, will provide extensive coverage of the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, with 66 hours of live broadcasts scheduled.

The winner of the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will represent Canada at the Zen-Noh World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by Ford of Canada, March 14 to 22 in Sapporo, Japan, in addition to qualifying for the 2015 Home Hardware Canada Cup in Grande Prairie, Alta., the 2016 World Financial Group Continental Cup in Las Vegas and the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Grande Prairie, Alta


(Canadian Curling Association)

CFL News Aplenty

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce that Barron Miles has been named the club’s Defensive Backs Coach. Miles joins Coach O’Shea’s staff after spending the past three seasons holding the same position with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I’m extremely excited to come over to Winnipeg and work with such a strong group of defensive backs,” said Miles. “I really believe this group is one of the league’s best and with such athletic and versatile players in the secondary, I look forward to helping them grow and ultimately having our unit help us in being successful as a team.”

Miles brings with him 15 years of experience in the Canadian Football League, including 12 years as one of the league’s top defensive backs. Miles spent seven seasons with Montreal, before heading to B.C. for his final five years. A three-time Grey Cup Champion, Miles was a nine-time Division All-Star, and a CFL All-Star on six occasions. He is second all-time in CFL history with 66 interceptions.

“Barron brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our organization,” said Head Coach Mike O’Shea. “He was so good in our league for so long, he can relate to players very well, and that’s a great asset to have on your coaching staff. We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Prior to joining the Riders in 2012, he had spent the previous two seasons with the Lions as their  Defensive and Player Personnel Assistant.

Miles won two Grey Cups as a player (2006, 2011) with the Lions, and one as a Defensive Backs Coach (2013) with the Riders.

(Winnipg Blue Bombers) 

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Superman returns! 

The BC Lions announced today that Geroy Simon has accepted a position with the club in a dual football operations and corporate business-support role. 

The CFL’s all-time leading receiver who spent 12 amazing seasons in orange returns to the Leos where he won two Grey Cup championships in 2006 and 2011 and set all-time franchise marks for receptions, yards, and touchdowns. 

“Geroy’s place is with the Lions and it’s an honour to have him return to our organization,” said president and CEO Dennis Skulsky. “I know he will undoubtedly be a valued contributor to our football operations department as a player personnel evaluator, scout and player mentor, as well as a tremendous asset on the business side and in alumni relations.”

Simon wrapped-up his playing days as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders following the 2013 CFL season where he also notched a third career Grey Cup title. He spent last year in the ‘Riders front office and will carry that experience into an expanded role with the Lions. 

“It’s great to be home,” said Simon. “While my career took me away from BC and the Lions for a couple years, my heart never left and I couldn’t be happier to be back with the club. I’m going to do everything I can to help Wally and Jeff build a winner on the field while also working with Dennis and the business side of the organization to continue to grow the Lions brand.

 (BC Lions) 

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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have re-signed international defensive end Justin Hickman, the team announced today.

Hickman, a 6-2, 265-pound native of El Paso, Texas, returned to Hamilton for his second stint with the Ticats on September 17, 2014 after spending two seasons (2012-13) with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The 29-year-old first landed in the CFL in 2009, when he originally signed with the Tiger-Cats.

Entering his fifth CFL season, the former UCLA Bruin has compiled 153 defensive tackles, 28 quarterback sacks, five tackles for a loss, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 61 games. His 28 career sacks rank him seventh all-time in Ticats history.

In seven starts last season, he registered nine defensive tackles and one quarterback sack.

“Re-signing Justin was key to maintaining the continuity on our defensive line,” said Ticats general manager and head coach Kent Austin. “We are looking forward to Justin having an even more productive season in year two of his return to Hamilton”.  

Hickman was named a CFL All-Star, East Division All-Star and the Tiger-Cats Most Outstanding Defensive player after leading the league with a career-high 13 sacks in 2011. 

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The Edmonton Eskimos have signed free agent international wide receiver Wallace Miles.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound native of Atlanta, GA, spent last season with Ottawa where he recorded 50 receptions for 732 yards and four touchdowns. Before his selection by the REDBLACKS in the CFL Expansion Draft, he spent two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he recorded 16 receptions for 193 yards and one touchdown.

Riders Sign A Pair Of Huskies

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national offensive lineman Brad Nehring and national kicker Denton Kolodzinski have signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.   

Nehring (6’5 – 295) joins the Riders after spending the previous five seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native started seven regular season Canada West games at centre last season as the Huskies tied for first place with a 6-2 record.

 

The Arts and Sciences major played 33 career collegiate games. He was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian in 2012.      

 

Kolodzinski (6’1 – 220) signs with the Riders after also spending the last five seasons at the U of S. Last season, the Regina, SK native made 13 of 16 field goal attempts (81%) and all 27 convert attempts in eight regular season games. He added 73 punts for 2,933 yards for a 40.2 yard average on his way to being named a Canada West All-Star.

Geroy Is Heading Back To BC

If it was the right thing or the B.C. Lions to honour Geroy Simon at a game last season, what they are doing for him on Thursday is even more beyond the bounds of political correctness.

Simon is returning to the football home where he belongs.

The Province has learned the CFL team is about to announce that the league’s all-time receiving yardage leader will leave his post as an ambassador with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for an expanded role with the Lions.

The 39-year-old is not about to play or coach in the league but will be involved in an assortment of business, community and personnel-related functions with the Lions.

Simon had several scouting assignments last year with the Riders, and it is expected he will be asked to do the same with the team where he had his 12 most productive seasons. B.C. has one administrative vacancy since the club did not renew the contract of Canadian draft co-ordinator Kelly Bates after last season,

The Lions took substantial heat when they couldn’t agree on a playing role for Simon in 2013 and traded him for draft picks to Saskatchewan, where he was in spot duty on the field up until he helped the Riders win the Grey Cup in Regina and became a favoured son in the football-mad province.

However, Simon never cut all ties to the Lower Mainland, where he maintains a home and is currently working in a quarterbacks and receivers camp with former teammate Paris Jackson.
He never dissed the Lions either, saying when he was honoured by the club and the City of Vancouver last year that there would be no question he would represent B.C. upon eventually entering the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

That will be underscored when he is introduced in his new role with the Lions. It’s precisely the kind of shot of adrenalin a franchise coming off a disappointing 9-9 season can use.


(Vancouver Province)

Evander Kane Is Off To Buffalo

 

DISCUSS!

Winnipeg Jets acquires               

• Tyler Myers
• Drew Stafford
• Joel Armia
• Brendan Lemieux
• 1st-round pick

Buffalo Sabres acquires               

• Evander Kane
• Zach Bogosian
• Jason Kasdorf

Busy Day For Riders

 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national free agent safety Keenan MacDougall has signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.   

MacDougall (6’2 – 219) will join the Green and White for his fourth CFL season. The Saskatoon, SK native was originally selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the 3rd round (15th overall) of the 2012 Canadian Draft.

Through three seasons, the 24-year-old has 30 special teams tackles, eight defensive tackles and two fumble return touchdowns in 36 regular season games.

Last season, MacDougall, a University of Saskatchewan product, collected 18 special teams tackles in 17 regular season games. He added three more special teams tackles in two playoff games as the Stampeders won the 2014 Grey Cup.    

 

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national free agent linebacker Joash Gesse has signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.   

Gesse (5’11 – 219) will join the Riders for his sixth CFL season after spending the last two with the Edmonton Eskimos. The Montreal native played his first three seasons in B.C. after the Lions selected him in the 3rd round (16th overall) of the 2010 Canadian Draft.

Through 51 career regular season games, the 28 year old has registered 40 special teams tackles. He won his first Grey Cup as a member of the 2011 B.C. Lions.  

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today international defensive end Alex Hall has signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.   

Hall (6’6 – 246) will return for his second stint with the Green and White and third CFL season after spending 2014 with the Carolina Panthers practice squad. The 29-year-old was first acquired by the Riders in October, 2013 in a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Maryland native played 18 regular season games in 2013 – 14 with the Blue Bombers and four with the Riders – totaling 40 defensive tackles, five forced fumbles, and four tackles for loss while finishing second in the league with 16 quarterback sacks. He then added six defensive tackles in three playoff games as the Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup.  

Through is first two seasons, Hall has collected 71 defensive tackles and 25 quarterback sacks in 32 regular season games. He was named a CFL All-Star in 2013 and an East Division All-Star in 2012 and 2013. 

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national free agent offensive lineman Dan Clark has re-signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.   

Clark (6’2 – 310) will return for his fourth official CFL season with the Green and White after originally signing with the team in 2009 out of the Regina Thunder junior football program.

The 26-year-old Regina product played 16 regular season games in 2014, starting 10, while seeing action at guard and centre. He also added a one yard touchdown reception – the second receiving touchdown of his 41 game career – on August 24^th in B.C.     

He won his first career Grey Cup with the Riders in 2013. 

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national free agent fullback Scott McHenry has re-signed with the team. As per club policy, details of the contract were not released.  
McHenry (6’2 – 217) will stay with the Riders for his sixth CFL season and fifth with the Green and White. The Saskatoon, SK native was originally selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the 4^th round (32^nd overall) of the 2009 Canadian Draft. He joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2010 before signing with the Riders in August 2011.  
The 27-year-old University of Saskatchewan product has registered 30 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns in 67 career regular season games, while adding 14 special teams tackles.    
He won his first career Grey Cup with the Riders in 2013. 

The football team has also announced the release of WR Brett Swain