The Kindersley Klippers are home. After being forced out of the West Central Events Center late last season when the rink suffered severe damage after a fire destroyed a nearby practice arena forcing the Klippers to play the remainder of the season in Eston. With over 900 people in attendance, Kindersley returned to the WCEC Saturday night with a win over the Battlefords. They followed that up the next night with a convincing win over Weyburn.
“It was the longest road trip of my life," said head coach Larry Wintoneak. "It's finally over, and it's been good to get back. Not only was it hard on us, but it was hard on the people of Kindersley because the rink is part of the community’s fabric.”
Renovations to the rink cost 1.4 million dollars and all making their way inside the facility Saturday believe the home of the Klippers is now one of the nicest venues in the SJHL for any team to play.
While the Klippers are glad to be home, the story of the league continues to be the play of the Humboldt Broncos. The host team for the 2012 Royal Bank Cup is still the class of the league after three weeks as they are a perfect 6-0. Yorkton just about knocked off the Broncos on Wednesday, but Humboldt captain Riley Gillies scored in overtime for a 3-2 win. The Broncos also improved their lineup when Jeremy Boyer came to the club after being placed on waivers by the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades. Boyer had four points for the Broncos in a win Saturday over Weyburn.
The Yorkton Terriers are showing those in the Sherwood Conference that they are not giving up their division title without a fight. Many wondered who would score for the Terriers after Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi at the start of the season. The answer to the question is several players like Zak Majkowski and Craig Eisenhut. The Terriers take on Humboldt in Yorkton on Tuesday night in a game that should have the Farrell Agencies Arena full.
SJHL president Laury Ryan has been busy talking to various media outlets like “The Regina Leader-Post”, CBC, and News Talk Radio about the amount of suspensions the league has given out at the start of the year.
"The actions we're taking now are aggressive, "Ryan told CBC News."We've taken aggressive action to try and manage that risk. I expected to see a brief spike in the number of suspensions we would have as players adjust. Player protection comes first and I think fans, even those who like hard hitting hockey, will see we are doing that. I don't think we should be putting kids at risk for somebody's entertainment,"
The latest CJHL rankings are out and there are still two teams in the top 20, but the Flin Flon Bombers have fallen out. Replacing them are the Yorkton Terriers who are 19th. Humboldt’s perfect 6-0 start now have them as the number 2 ranked junior “A” team in the nation behind only the Markham Waxers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
WEEKLY AWARDS
SHERWOOD PLAYER OF THE WEEK— SANFRED KING (KINDERSLEY KLIPPERS)
The Klippers got eight points from King in back to back wins over the Battlefords and Weyburn. The eight point week puts the Brandon, Manitoba native into a tie for the SJHL scoring lead with Yorkton’s Clarke Breitkreuz. Both have 14 points, but King has his in six games while Breitkreuz has done it in seven.
SHERWOOD DEFENCEMAN OF THE WEEK- BLAINE TENDLER (YORKTON TERRIERS)
The 20 year old product of Viceroy, Saskatchewan had a goal and three assists in a big home ice win over Estevan. He also helped the Terriers shut down a potent Humboldt offence as they managed to take a point from the Broncos losing in overtime.
SHERWOOD GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK- BRODY HOFFMAN (NIPAWIN HAWKS)
The Hawks got their first wins of the season by taking both ends of a home and home against rival Melfort. The 19 year old from Wilkie, SK stopped 37 shots in Friday’s win and stopped 38 more in Saturday’s victory. Hoffman leads the league in save percentage at .920
POWER RANKINGS
1. HUMBOLDT BRONCOS – Can anyone argue this? They are 6-0 and are ranked #2 in the country.
2. KINDERSLEY KLIPPERS – The Klippers couldn’t wait to get home after playing their first four on the road and it showed. They were fantastic in wins over the Battlefords and Weyburn.
3. ESTEVAN BRUINS – The Bruins split their two games this week, but they are still not complaining with where they sit in the Sherwood Conference.
4. FLIN FLON BOMBERS – Mike Reagan’s crew won one and lost one this week. The Bombers have played 5 of 6 at home but that changes this week as they play four times on the road.
5. YORKTON TERRIERS – Trent Cassan’s team isn’t dazzling anyone, but they are getting the job done and that’s what you want. This team is going to be better than some suggested.
6. NIPAWIN HAWKS – The Hawks got their first two wins of the year over the rival Melfort Mustangs. Doug Johnson is still tinkering with his lineup, but he is assembling a good hockey team. When he gets a good 2nd line to compliment Matthew Spafford’s line, look out.
7. MELFORT MUSTANGS – The Mustangs are a talented squad, but they couldn’t find a way to beat Nipawin’s Brody Hoffman when it counts and as a result dropped a pair to their rivals.
8. LA RONGE ICE WOLVES – You can’t say much about a team that didn’t play a game over the past seven days. Does Bob Beatty even know what type of team he has when they’ve played three games over three weeks?
9. NOTRE DAME HOUNDS – The Hounds know how to keep the puck out of the net, but they don’t know how to put it in yet having scored just 15 goals in six games. Kevin White may be wishing Travis Janke was still around. Too bad he’s not.
10. MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES – Brayden Metz got off to a slow start, but he has 10 points in his last 5 games and as he has gone so have the Mills. The captain has taken this team on his back early on.
11. BATTLEFORDS STARS – What is going on in the Battlefords? Everyone knows this is a much better team than what the results show. Ken Pearson has to be extremely frustrated with the way things have gone to start 10-11.
12. WEYBURN RED WINGS – Why are the Wings coming up last? They have given up 21 goals in their last two games. They did beat the Battlefords 7-1 and should probably be ahead of the Stars, but you can’t ignore giving up 21 in two games.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
This Is the Better Picture
I'm sure you have seen the picture of the golf ball hit by Tiger Woods at the Ryder Cup just moments before it strikes the camera of the photographer taking the picture. It is a great picture, but its nothing compared to this picture of the aftermath. Take a look at the camera guy trying to get out of there and take a look at the look on Tiger's face. BRILLIANT!! I also can't ignore the kid with the wicked afro either.
This Isn't Funny!!! Well OK It Is, But Still.......
Who needs enemies when you have such good friends.
Looking Back At The Blue Jays Season
Yeah, I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan, but I do have a soft spot for the Toronto Blue Jays. I can honestly say now that the season is done, that I certainly under-estimated them this year. I thought this team would lose 90-100 games. I did not think they would be close to finishing at 500 or above. I didn't think they would be better than the Cubs. I like what I saw and I truly believe that this team could be a playoff contender starting next year.
The big story in Toronto this year was the emergence of Jose Bautista. Who could have seen back in spring training that Bautista would lead the majors in homers and swat out 54. It has many wondering if Bautista is clean. Sadly, that is what happens these days thanks to Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. You can't just applaud the feat. You have to question it and wonder if its legit. I understand the skepticism, but I'm not buying it for two reasons.
1) Bautista's body didn't explode in the off-season the way Bonds and Big Mac did.
2) The Jays hit 257 homers on the season. The next highest team was Boston at 211. That didn't happen by accident. Hitting coach Dwayne Murphy needs to take a lot of credit for this. If Bautista had hit 54 and the next highest total was 17-18, I might raise my eyebrows, but they had 7 players that hit 20 or more homers. It would have been 8 had Alex Gonzalez not been traded as he had 17.
As good as Bautista was, the starting pitching was outstanding and gives me reason to wonder A) What if Roy Halladay had stayed one more year and B) if next year is the year for some of these guys. Who envisioned Brett Cecil winning 15 games or Shaun Marcum winning 14. Brandon Morrow is a great pitcher that throws smoke and will just get better. The same for Kyle Drabek, Marc (won;t even try to spell his name) and Jesse Litsch. A new closer is needed as Kevin Gregg is a nightmare, but whatever.
This Toronto team should be set for next year. I don't know if Lyle Overbay will be at first, but Aaron Hill and Yunel Escobar will be at 2nd and short. There are rumblings of moving Hill to 3rd, but I don't know if that will transpire. I can only wonder where Toronto might have been if Hill had hit around 270 instead of flirting with the 200 mark for much of the year. The same with Adam Lind.
This team will need to find someone who can step in and be like Cito Gaston. Someone who is patient enough to play their youth, but smart enough to know what is needed and whether or not that player is good enough. Many good names are out there, it will be interesting if a name guy gets the position or if the organization goes for someone new.
Alex Anthopoulos has people talking baseball again in Toronto. Crowds started to pick up near the end of the season and if this team is in contention, it will make baseball a thing to do in Toronto again. Here's hoping!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Break Up The Eskimos!!!
I don't think you can give any credit to Eric Tillman yet, but the Edmonton Eskimos are starting to play some good football. The Eskimos made it two wins in a row yesterday with a 37-35 win over Hamilton. Despite everything they have gone through this season, Edmonton could still make the playoffs. I don't think it will happen, but you just never know. Imagine if Edmonton did sneak in and upset Calgary after the way the Stamps have man-handled them this year. That would be funny! What wouldn't be funny is if Edmonton won the next week too. Think about it!
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I don't know what bug has grabbed a hold of me, but it will just not let me go. I've had a bad sore throat all weekend, I've been coughing and hacking. I haven't been right in almost two weeks. I'm sure being asthmatic doesn't help whatever I have, but enough is enough.
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Who saw Josh Scobee kicking a 59 yard field goal to give Jacksonville the win over the Colts? Who I say!
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Did Jay Cutler really get a concussion or did he just put on a pout at halftime and say I ain't going back out there. Would you after getting sacked nine times! Nice o-line Chicago!!
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The lone unbeaten team in the NFL after four weeks are the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs?! What were the odds on that I wonder!
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Is this the year the Twins finally beat the Yankees in the playoffs. I hope so! I would love to see a small market World Series featuring the Twins versus the Reds. It could happen. I doubt it, but it could.
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Who has the Rider MOP been this year? Darian Durant or Andy Fantuz? Fantuz is a lock for Canadian and I think he wins the league award too, but does he have a sniff at being the club's MOP.
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If Fantuz is the top Canadian, can James Patrick and his nine (with more likely coming) interceptions be considered the top defensive player in the league? Who's had a better year? Jon Bowman in Montreal maybe. If he finishes with 11, 12 or 13 picks, I gotta go with Patrick.
---
If you play Pro-Line, did you try Props and Pools this weekend. The football odds don't make it worthwhile for me on props. I hope that changes with hockey. Pools is good though.
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John Cena is joining Nexus! What a shock! NOT! Oh wait, the win wasn't a clean one. Again, GASPPPPP!!!!!
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Those that sit endlessly in line at Tim Hortons for a coffee simply amaze me. There are other places to buy some morning brew too you know. Seeing the line this morning, I walked in. I was out before the car I would have been behind had gotten to place his or her order. Its that quick is it?
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Whatever happened to Ed the Sock?
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Have you bought Rob Vanstone's book on the 89 Riders yet! You should. As I said before, it wasn't for the fact he picked a damn poor research assistant for the project, the book would likely be a best-seller. I think Rob should go to Toronto and make an appearance on Off the Record to plug the book.
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If he did that, I might actually watch Off The Record one day.
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When did Derek Boogaard start playing for the Rangers? They are going to LOVE him in NYC.
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Don't let someone whose living their nightmare tell you that you can't live your dream.
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I don't know what bug has grabbed a hold of me, but it will just not let me go. I've had a bad sore throat all weekend, I've been coughing and hacking. I haven't been right in almost two weeks. I'm sure being asthmatic doesn't help whatever I have, but enough is enough.
-----
Who saw Josh Scobee kicking a 59 yard field goal to give Jacksonville the win over the Colts? Who I say!
----
Did Jay Cutler really get a concussion or did he just put on a pout at halftime and say I ain't going back out there. Would you after getting sacked nine times! Nice o-line Chicago!!
-----
The lone unbeaten team in the NFL after four weeks are the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs?! What were the odds on that I wonder!
-----
Is this the year the Twins finally beat the Yankees in the playoffs. I hope so! I would love to see a small market World Series featuring the Twins versus the Reds. It could happen. I doubt it, but it could.
-----
Who has the Rider MOP been this year? Darian Durant or Andy Fantuz? Fantuz is a lock for Canadian and I think he wins the league award too, but does he have a sniff at being the club's MOP.
-----
If Fantuz is the top Canadian, can James Patrick and his nine (with more likely coming) interceptions be considered the top defensive player in the league? Who's had a better year? Jon Bowman in Montreal maybe. If he finishes with 11, 12 or 13 picks, I gotta go with Patrick.
---
If you play Pro-Line, did you try Props and Pools this weekend. The football odds don't make it worthwhile for me on props. I hope that changes with hockey. Pools is good though.
-----
John Cena is joining Nexus! What a shock! NOT! Oh wait, the win wasn't a clean one. Again, GASPPPPP!!!!!
------
Those that sit endlessly in line at Tim Hortons for a coffee simply amaze me. There are other places to buy some morning brew too you know. Seeing the line this morning, I walked in. I was out before the car I would have been behind had gotten to place his or her order. Its that quick is it?
-----
Whatever happened to Ed the Sock?
----
Have you bought Rob Vanstone's book on the 89 Riders yet! You should. As I said before, it wasn't for the fact he picked a damn poor research assistant for the project, the book would likely be a best-seller. I think Rob should go to Toronto and make an appearance on Off the Record to plug the book.
-----
If he did that, I might actually watch Off The Record one day.
-----
When did Derek Boogaard start playing for the Rangers? They are going to LOVE him in NYC.
-----
Don't let someone whose living their nightmare tell you that you can't live your dream.
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Riders Clinch Playoff Spot
Its nice to say that with over a month to go before the regular season ends that the Riders have clinched a playoff spot. For the 9th straight year, the team is going to the playoffs after yesterday's solid 27-16 win over the Argos. Here were my thoughts when the final gun sounded.
--That was the best overall game Darian Durant has played since becoming a member of the Riders. He was in control right from the first snap of the game. He got the ball to six different receivers in that first drive and was smart and sharp throughout. While it won't happen every week, that is the Darian Durant Rider fans want to see.
--Jason Clermont still has some football in him.
--Dalton Bell was never given a chance to show the Argos what he could do. He was shackled all afternoon by play-calling that was ultra-conservative. If Toronto wanted to have Cory Boyd touch the ball on seemingly every play, perhaps he should have been quarterbacking.
--From judging the tone of the viewers on the CKRM Roughrider Roundtable that I hosted, it would appear Wes Cates is the new whipping boy now that Rodriguez and Dorsey are gone. I just don't understand it.
--I had no fears that this game was going to go Toronto's way even when they scored a touchdown on their first possession. I feel the same going into next week. Its setting up for what should be a dandy against the Stamps October 17. Speaking of the Stamps, if Henry Burris is still bothered by those photos, he didn't show it against the Alouettes.
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Gotta feel for Paul Lapolice. He watched his Bombers lose again last night in a tight one. Winnipeg has now lost six games by four points or less this year. That's a tough pill to swallow, but if LaPo can keep that group together, it will pay off next year. That team isn't as bad as their record indicates.
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The people of Kindersley have their hockey team back. The Klippers returned to the West Central Events Centre last night for the first time since being forced to Eston because of a fire that severely damaged the building. If you live in small-town Saskatchewan, you know how important the local rink is. Its a meeting place and its something Kindersley didn't have until last night. The Klippers made it a good night at the end with a win over the Battlefords.
------
It won't rival the reaction Henry Burris gets whenever he returns to Regina, but how bad will it be for Donovan McNabb in Philly today and really why? McNabb had over a decade of great football with the Eagles. Part of me would like to see McNabb stick it to the Philly faithful, but I can't see that happening.
-------
This is the final day of the baseball season---or is it. The day's results could mean more games tomorrow and maybe Tuesday. Here's the rundown if you want to know.
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If you weren't excited about the U of R Rams football team before, you had better get started. Another big win over Alberta last night means this team should be considered a top 5 team in the country when the rankings come out.
----
The Pats let all that momentum from the Swift Current win Wednesday go down the sink. Back to back bad losses against Edmonton and Saskatoon have the knives getting sharpened again and there's still sixty some games to go.
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I have no interest in the Ryder Cup.
----
Slipping in and out of consciousness as I battle this bug that I and my entire family have is not fun. I thought my throat was bad when I lost my voice at the Esso Cup...it didn't feel like I had swallowed thumbtacks there. I'm in my mid-40's so surely to god I don't need to get my tonsils taken out do I??
-----
Its time to watch some football. I'm expecting the Seahawks to go to 3-1 today, but I'll be interested in watching Sam Bradford do his thing for the Rams. I think Bradford is going to be good in a couple of seasons---very good.
--That was the best overall game Darian Durant has played since becoming a member of the Riders. He was in control right from the first snap of the game. He got the ball to six different receivers in that first drive and was smart and sharp throughout. While it won't happen every week, that is the Darian Durant Rider fans want to see.
--Jason Clermont still has some football in him.
--Dalton Bell was never given a chance to show the Argos what he could do. He was shackled all afternoon by play-calling that was ultra-conservative. If Toronto wanted to have Cory Boyd touch the ball on seemingly every play, perhaps he should have been quarterbacking.
--From judging the tone of the viewers on the CKRM Roughrider Roundtable that I hosted, it would appear Wes Cates is the new whipping boy now that Rodriguez and Dorsey are gone. I just don't understand it.
--I had no fears that this game was going to go Toronto's way even when they scored a touchdown on their first possession. I feel the same going into next week. Its setting up for what should be a dandy against the Stamps October 17. Speaking of the Stamps, if Henry Burris is still bothered by those photos, he didn't show it against the Alouettes.
-----
Gotta feel for Paul Lapolice. He watched his Bombers lose again last night in a tight one. Winnipeg has now lost six games by four points or less this year. That's a tough pill to swallow, but if LaPo can keep that group together, it will pay off next year. That team isn't as bad as their record indicates.
----
The people of Kindersley have their hockey team back. The Klippers returned to the West Central Events Centre last night for the first time since being forced to Eston because of a fire that severely damaged the building. If you live in small-town Saskatchewan, you know how important the local rink is. Its a meeting place and its something Kindersley didn't have until last night. The Klippers made it a good night at the end with a win over the Battlefords.
------
It won't rival the reaction Henry Burris gets whenever he returns to Regina, but how bad will it be for Donovan McNabb in Philly today and really why? McNabb had over a decade of great football with the Eagles. Part of me would like to see McNabb stick it to the Philly faithful, but I can't see that happening.
-------
This is the final day of the baseball season---or is it. The day's results could mean more games tomorrow and maybe Tuesday. Here's the rundown if you want to know.
----
If you weren't excited about the U of R Rams football team before, you had better get started. Another big win over Alberta last night means this team should be considered a top 5 team in the country when the rankings come out.
----
The Pats let all that momentum from the Swift Current win Wednesday go down the sink. Back to back bad losses against Edmonton and Saskatoon have the knives getting sharpened again and there's still sixty some games to go.
-----
I have no interest in the Ryder Cup.
----
Slipping in and out of consciousness as I battle this bug that I and my entire family have is not fun. I thought my throat was bad when I lost my voice at the Esso Cup...it didn't feel like I had swallowed thumbtacks there. I'm in my mid-40's so surely to god I don't need to get my tonsils taken out do I??
-----
Its time to watch some football. I'm expecting the Seahawks to go to 3-1 today, but I'll be interested in watching Sam Bradford do his thing for the Rams. I think Bradford is going to be good in a couple of seasons---very good.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
No Updates At This Time
My throat is killing me. It feels like I've swallowed a thousand thumbtacks. Will rye and robitussin ease my pain! No blogging for me until I get over this---however, I will be hosting (or attempting to) the CKRM post game phone in show today. YAY ME!!
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