Terrell Owens Works Out For Riders

In the words of WWE Superstar Kurt Angle, its true, its damn true. 

The story can be found right here

What Did You Miss Saturday?

--The Calgary Stampeders are 7-0 for the first time since 1995.  Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 370 yards and a touchdown as Calgary beat BC 27-18. The Lions are now 2-4 on the season.

--The Pro Football Hall of Fame has welcomed eight new members, including Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher and Brian Dawkins. Terrell Owens also is being inducted but declined to attend the ceremony.

--The Kiwanis National Little League team from Regina is 2-0 at the Canadian Little League Championships after a 3-2 win over Valleyfield, Quebec.  Games from the event can be streamed by going here.  The KNLL team plays again Sunday morning versus Team Atlantic.

--The Regina Red Sox and Weyburn Beavers will start the WMBL East final on Monday in Weyburn.  The series will come back to Currie Field for Game 3 in the best of 5 on Wednesday with Game 4 if needed going Thursday.

--Goalie John Gibson has agreed to an eight-year, $51.2 million contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson is signed through the 2026-27 season. After breaking into the NHL in 2014, Gibson has been a steady starter for the Ducks for the past three years. He set career highs last season with 31 victories and a .926 save percentage while playing in 60 games.

This and That

--Welcome to Saturday and the usual thoughts running through my muddled mind. As always, they come in no particular order.

--When did Matt Elam become "the guy" for the Saskatchewan Roughriders? By looking at the thoughts of some, you would think the fact an incorrect roster was submitted meaning Elam could not play was the reason the green-and-white lost in Edmonton.  Yes, get those pitchforks out for Chris Jones and blame him for a clerical error that had NOTHING to do with the end result of the football game.  It is somewhat laughable. Did I say somewhat? Some suggesting he was out-coached by proven Gatorade cooler abuser Jason Maas because an incorrect lineup was handed in. 

The outright hate for Jones continues and it will be that way until he leaves win or lose.  Those that try to say that's not the case should just come right out and admit it. It will be better for yourself in the long run.

At the end of the day, what transpired on the turf at Commonwealth Stadium Friday night was an entertaining football game and one that showed me that with the lineup they want in the game, the Riders are a formidable squad.

The problems of the offence weren't solved, but the presence of Zach Collaros under center certainly made them a better football team.  The same could be said with Duron Carter being back on the field. The running game did not suffer without Jerome Messam (albeit he could have been used in short yardage at the goal line),  Jordan Williams-Lambert continued to show us what he has and the defence was the defence as an Edmonton team that had only allowed four sacks total going into the game allowed four on this night.

As I see it, the game came down to three plays:

1) The goal-line stand by the Eskimos that had to be reviewed by the command center.  Don't get me started on that effort by the command center or the crew itself.

2)  The Derel Walker TD catch in which he made a fantastic catch on a pass over Ed Gainey in the endzone

3) The 46 yard catch by Kenny Stafford which set up the game-winning touchdown. Again, a great pass by arguably the CFL's best player.

At 3-4 going into their 2nd bye week and having lost the first games against Edmonton and Calgary, I would think that the chances of a home playoff game may be gone, but there is still two-thirds of the season to go.  If this unit that was sent out in Edmonton, the unit Chris Jones envisioned on opening night, they will be much better over the last 11 games.

Make no doubt about it, there are still improvements that have to be made---mental improvements.  You can't have the receiver go offside three times, you have to make sure to be on the field when your number is called and you have to be able to convert on short yardage situations.  If the Riders score on that play, it might have been and very likely would have been a different outcome and perhaps we could have seen Mr. Happy on the other sideline take out his frustration on some other inanimate object.  At the end of the day, the Riders lost, but they didn't do so in the same fashion that Ottawa lost.  The "no lead is safe" moniker definitely applied to that one.  I get the feeling that could be a game that changes the season for both of those clubs.

--Soooooo Johnny Manziel.  About that debut?  Have we learned yet that Kavis Reed simply continues going through football hell because of the 09 Grey Cup?  If Montreal has a "Sheldon", I am guessing he tossed himself in front of a subway at the end of the first half.

--I just want to make sure I have this right when it comes to Major League Baseball.  Mariners 2nd baseman Robinson Cano was suspended 80 games for performance enhancing drugs.  If the Mariners make the post-season he can't participate.  Roberto Osuna gets suspended for 75 games for domestic violence and could be in a position to win a World Series ring with the Houston Astros after being traded by the Blue Jays.  Major League Baseball is saying they take performance enhancers more seriously than domestic violence.  Absorb that for a while.

--TSN has on the World Junior Showcase from Kamloops and the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament from Edmonton/Red Deer.  We are in mid-summer. We don't need hockey games on TV do we?  This is coming from a hockey guy!!!

--The summer is half over!!

--If you have been at the QCX or even if you haven't, you must know you can purchase a cricket grilled cheese sandwich.. I have been told by a few sources that not many are parting with their money to sample one.  No surprise! No thanks! Now that meatball corndog might be a thing!

--That's all I got.  Have a great long weekend!

What Did You Miss Friday?

--Johnny Manziel's CFL debut was not one to remember.  He was 11 of 20 for 104 yards and four interceptions as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats steamrolled the Montreal Alouettes 50-11.

--The Ottawa Senators have avoided arbitration with Mark Stone, signing the winger to a one-year deal worth US$7.35 million on Friday. The deal came just as the team and the restricted free agent were set to have a hearing to determine the player's contract for the 2018-19 season.
The 26-year-old from Winnipeg, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, tied for the Senators' lead with 62 points in just 58 games as the club stumbled to a 30th-place finish in a lost 2017-18 campaign.

--The Calgary Flames bought out assistant captain Troy Brouwer after he cleared unconditional waivers. The move to cut ties is expected to save Calgary about 3 million dollars (US) in each of the next two seasons. The former Moose Jaw Warrior signed a four-year contract worth 18 million dollars with the Flames in 2016, but struggled in his two seasons in Calgary.

--The UFC  announced Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in a lightweight title fight against champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas on Oct. 6.
McGregor hasn't fought in the UFC since beating then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 to become the first-ever fighter to simultaneously hold two belts.

--Brooke Henderson had a hole-in-one on the ninth hole in the second round of the LPGA Womens British Open on Friday. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., finished the day tied for eighth at 5 under overall after shooting a 2-under 70 round. Using a nine-iron on the par 3 No. 9, Henderson was visibly surprised when the ball took a single bounce and landed straight in the hole. It's the second ace of her professional career. Henderson and the rest of the LPGA will be in Regina later this month for the CP Canadian Womens Open.

What Did You Miss Thursday?

--The Riders are 3-4. Mike Reilly ran one in from the one late in the 4th quarter for the winning score in a 26-19 Edmonton win. They are now 5-2.

--McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed a touchdown pass to Armanti Edwards with one second left on the clock and the Toronto Argonauts snapped their three game losing streak with a 42-41 win at home over the Ottawa Redblacks. Ottawa jumped out to a 28-7 lead after the first half, but Toronto clawed its way back in the second as Bethel-Thompson threw for four T-Ds.

--Buffalo has acquired goal-scoring winger Jeff Skinner from Carolina in exchange for prospect forward Cliff Pu and three draft picks, including a second-round selection in 2019. Skinner is a three-time 30 goal-scorer and was the N-H-L's rookie of the year in 2011.

--Steve Pearce homered three times and had six R-B-Is in the Boston Red Sox 15-7 assault on the New York Yankees. The win put the Sox 6-and-a-half games ahead the Yanks in the A-L East.

--The Regina Red Sox beat Swift Current 10-9 in a back and forth game to take a 2-1 lead in their WMBL best of five series. Game 4 is at Currie Field Friday.

What Did You Miss Wednesday?

--Duron Carter is back on offence.  The Riders took defensive back Nick Marshall off the six-game injured list early so he will start in the secondary Thursday night with Carter going to back to receiver.  The Riders and Eskimos meet Thursday night at 8 on 620 CKRM and TSN.

--The Arizona Coyotes will retire former captain Shane Doan's number during a pre-game ceremony. Doan will have his number 19 retired before the Coyotes face the Winnipeg Jets on February 24th. The two-time all-star spent his entire 21-year career with the Coyotes franchise before retiring prior to the 2017-18 season.

--Calgary has picked a day and the question. A November 13th plebiscite will ask Calgarians if they are for or Calgary hosting the 2026 Winter Olympic. Assuming city council doesn't pull the plug on the idea before that vote, public opinion could be the ultimate authority on whether a bid is submitted to the International Olympic Committee in January.

--Ohio State has placed coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave. The school is investigating claims that his wife knew about allegations of abuse against an assistant coach years before he was fired last week. Courtney Smith gave an interview and provided text messages between her and Shelley Meyer in 2015. Smith also provided threatening texts she claims came from her ex-husband, former assistant Zach Smith.

--The Swift Current 57's beat the Regina Red Sox 7-5 to even their WMBL first round playoff series at one. Game 3 of the best of 5 goes at Currie Field Thursday night.

What Did You Miss Tuesday?

--Riders head coach Chris Jones says Zach Collaros will "play a bunch" Thursday in Edmonton.  Jones won't come right out and declare Collaros the starter, but says he wouldn't be coming off the six-game injured list early if he wasn't going to play.  The Riders and Eskimos meet Thursday at 8 on 620 CKRM/TSN

--Alouettes coach Mike Sherman made it official on Tuesday.  Johnny Manziel will start at quarterback for Montreal at home against Hamilton.  It will be Manziel's first official CFL snap.

--The Toronto Blue Jays traded two relief pitchers for prospects before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, sending long-serving left-hander Aaron Loup to the Philadelphia Phillies and Canadian right-hander John Axford to the Los Angeles Dodgers.The 30-year-old Loup, the longest-tenured Blue Jay before the trade, was dealt for minor-league right-handed pitcher Jacob Waguespack. Axford, 35, was traded for right-hander Corey Copping. The Jays also announced infielder Lourdes Gurriel Junior will miss 2-6 weeks after injuring himself in an awkward slide Sunday during a game in Chicago against the White Sox.

--The New York Mets were handed their worst loss in the 57 year history of the franchise as they were beaten 25-4 by Washington. Mets infielder Jose Reyes pitched and gave up six runs in the 8th.

--The Regina Red Sox beat Swift Current 9-6 in Game 1 of a best of 5 WMBL Eastern Division playoff series.  Game 2 is in Swift Current on Wednesday.