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Finally, A Mainstream Media Outlet Picks Up What Winnipeggers Have Known for Months.

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

We’ve been talking about it for months, the people of Winnipeg have been talking about it for months and the mainstream media has been saying, “Absolutely Untrue.”

Well, what started as a rumour in February has now been validated by the mainstream media. Not in Winnipeg, of course, but in Phoenix.

Could the Jets be coming back? Even Scott Brown, the director of communications for True North Sports and Entertainment, won’t deny it in the following story from Mike Sunnucks of the highly-regarded Phoenix Business Journal…

Monday, March 29, 2010, 10:11am MST

NHL talking to billionaire David Thomson about Phoenix Coyotes sale

Phoenix Business Journal – by Mike Sunnucks

The National Hockey League is working on a backup plan with Toronto billionaire David Thomson and Winnepeg-based True North Sports and Entertainment that could send the Phoenix Coyotes back to Canada if a deal with Ice Edge Holdings or Jerry Reinsdorf to keep the team in Arizona falls through.

Two sources with knowledge of the Coyotes finances and ownership said a deal between Thomson and the NHL has been completed in principle and could have the Coyotes back in Winnipeg next season if necessary. Thomson, also considered a possible buyer of the Atlanta Thrashers, is a partner in True North and chairman of Thomson Reuters. True North owns the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and MTS Centre in Winnipeg, which seats 15,100.

The sources said, however, the NHL still wants to work out a deal to keep the Coyotes in the Phoenix market. The league bought the Coyotes, still in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, for $140 million in October fending off a $242 million bid by Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillie, who wanted to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario.

League officials said during bankruptcy proceedings last year that if a deal could not be finalized by June 2010 it would be open to a sale that would involve a move from the team’s home in Glendale.

Scott Brown, communications director for True North Sports and the Manitoba Moose (who play in Winnipeg), declined comment.

“Due to the possible impact on both the Coyotes and our own AHL product here in Manitoba, we’ve actually been hesitant to engage in any discussion publicly about the situation in Phoenix as far back as last summer when rumors began to surface of the team’s possible departure. It is our understanding the NHL is working very hard to keep the team where it is in Phoenix,” Brown said.

Glendale city spokeswoman Julie Frisoni also declined comment as did NHL spokesman Kerry McGovern.

The NHL and Glendale are still working with Ice Edge Holdings to keep the team in Arizona with some games to be played in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but there have been reports of financing challenges.

Ice Edge COO Daryl Jones said he optimistic about financing the Coyotes sale. “Ice Edge feels very comfortable with their financing. Our banks are very interested in this deal,” Jones said. He told a Toronto radio station recently, however, he wanted Glendale to move faster in getting a lease deal.

Glendale officials also have been talking to Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and his business partner John Kaites, who previously made a bid for the Coyotes.

The Coyotes have qualified for the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2002 and are seeing a late-season boost in attendance.

The Coyotes moved to Phoenix in 1996 from Winnipeg, where they played as the Winnipeg Jets. The franchise has lost more than $300 million since moving to the Valley and were put into Chapter 11 bankruptcy by former owner Jerry Moyes last year.

Check out more here: http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2010/03/29/daily2.html

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Things to Consider With Three Weeks to Go.

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

ST. PAUL, Minn. — While the general managers and the league’s other tall foreheads try to come to terms with illegal checks to the head (sorry, boys, but the rulebook is full of rules that would get headshots out of the game), the rest of the NHL is just playing hockey.

So with about three weeks to play before the Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us, let’s take a look at the league from a Winnipeg perspective:

1) Although he says he has not completely made up his mind, it appears that after 18 seasons, former Winnipeg Jets captain Keith Tkachuk is nearing the end of his brilliant career.

Saying his future in St. Louis is now, Tkachuk wouldn’t admit whether or not he was retiring at the end of the season, but he did say, “I often think about this being the end.” No doubt, the Hall of Fame awaits.

2) Remember when the San Jose Sharks had a very comfortable 12-point lead in the Pacific Division? Well, not anymore. That’s because the Phoenix Coyotes have won seven straight and have moved to within three points (at the beginning of the weekend) of the heavily favored and quite talented division leaders.

The 44-22-5 Coyotes have all but assured themselves of a spot in the post-season for the first time since 2002. Now, however, they are closing in on home ice advantage in the West. This should be a great finish.

3) By now, it has to be official. There is no better coach in the NHL than Dauphin’s Barry Trotz (OK, maybe Dave Tippett in Phoenix, but nobody else). Trotz, the only coach the Nashville Predators have ever had, has the no-name, star-less Predators in seventh place five points ahead up on eight-place Detroit (at the start of the weekend).

That shouldn’t happen. The Preds just don’t have the personnel. But Trotz has made them a playoff contender – they beat L.A. on the road this week and have won four straight — and that says more about his brilliance than anything else.

4) Calling it “a retaliatory hit to the head,” the National Hockey League suspended Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski for eight games without pay for that terrible hit to the face and head of Brent Seabrook on Wednesday night.

Wisniewski definitely gave Seabrook a cheap shot, but an eight-game suspension after giving Alexander Ovechkin only two? The NHL justice department is completely nonsensical.

5) The Montreal Canadiens have looked very good at times this season. They’ve had two four-game winning streaks. But not until the Olympic break, have the Habs put together so many outstanding games in succession. In fact, with six straight wins heading into the weekend, Montreal has moved into the playoff driver’s seat in the East.

After Tuesday night’s game, a 3-1 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the Habs moved past Philly and into sixth place in the Eastern Conference (later in the week they fell back into seventh). The Bruins are eighth with 74 points, four points back, while ninth-place Atlanta and the Rangers are seven points back. With only 12 to play, the red-hot Habs are in control of their own playoff destiny.

6) Perhaps no one has noticed, but Winnipeg’s Travis Zajac is having a season to remember. Zajac, the 24-year-old rightwinger out of the University of North Dakota has moved into the Top 35 in NHL scoring with 21 goals and 38 assists.

Perhaps more importantly, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, is a terrific plus-14. By the time the next Olympics roll around, he’ll be one of the best players in the game, if he isn’t already.

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Why Worry? We Didn’t. Canada Will Win Gold.

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Did we not tell you? There was nothing to worry about. This Canadian men’s hockey team at the Games of the 21st Winter Olymooad is about as good as it gets.

It only took a little controlled scrimmage against Germany on Tuesday night to get all the ducks in line.

After what happened on Wednesday night, I just hope our Canadian boys are practicing their podium dance.

For the first time in 50 years, Canada has beaten Russia in an Olympic hockey game. The last time Canada beat Russia in an Olympic hockey game, it was Squaw Valley in 1960. However, for what we got to watch Wednesday night, it was well worth the wait.

Corey Perry scored twice as Team Canada drilled Russia 7-3 in a quarterfinal match that had a lot of Canadians worried. But why? This was a dominating performance by the Canadians who outshot their old rivals 42-28. Canada will now meet Slovakia — that’s right Slovakia — in the semifinal on Friday night. Slovakia managed only 14 shots on goal but still beat defending gold medalist Sweden 4-3 in the late game Wednesday, a game that ended on Thursday morning.

In the other semifinal, the United States will face Finland. The Canada-Slovakia semi goes tomorrow at 8:30 live on 92-CITI-FM.

Well, you know what? If Sidney Crosby, Chris Pronger, Joe Thornton and Scott Niedermayer show up for this Olympic hockey series on Friday, there is no telling what Canada will do to its opposition.

On Wednesday, during that 7-3 win over the Russians, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Toews, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaff, Shea Weber and Duncan Keith, the younger players on the team, were absolutely outstanding as Canada moved into the semifinal. If the the big, veteran stars show up and play to their potential this weekend, no other team will be close.

When you consider that on Tuesday night, Head Coach Mike Babcock was able to work out his line matchups, get his team some confidence with Roberto Luongo in goal and just allow his boys to go out put up an eight-spot in that game against Germany, it was almost a lock that in 24 hours the Canadians would follow that up with another big win. They’re on a roll now and that roll started on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, as we expected, Canada blew out the Russians and now our country’s best hockey players have a nice, clean skate to the gold. Stop worrying, friends.

Here’s my only prediction: It will be Canada-Finland on Sunday afternoon.

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Week 17 in the NFL. It Ends — And Then Begins — This Sunday.

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

MINNEAPOLIS — Bill Polian is either a very stupid man or a man who has trouble with the truth. The vice-president of the Indianapolis Colts told an NFL Network audience that he was surprised at the fans negative reaction to the Colts, throwing a football game last Sunday.

Surprised? Yeah, right.

Now I know Bill Polian from his days in Winnipeg and I know he’s not a stupid man. But I don’t believe he didn’t expect a backlash from fans after his coach dumped a perfect season and gave the New York Jets a ticket to the playoffs by benching the Colts starters in the third quarter of a game in which the club charged money for tickets. Sorry, don’t believe it.

Giving up is dishonorable. Coaching scared is an invitation to disaster. I’d be surprised if the Colts won another game this season.

The worst thing they did was dump on all the other teams in the AFC by giving up and then giving the Jets a ticket to the playoffs (OK, so the Jets do have beat Cincinnati at home this week). The Colts played hard and beat Jacksonville (twice), Houston (twice), Tennessee, Miami and Baltimore and then rolled over for the Jets. That’s unforgivable.

The NFL should force the Colts to refund every ticket they sold last Sunday. Those tickets were sold under false pretenses. With apologies to Herman Edwards, you play to win the game. The Colts didn’t do that. It’s called a fix. The game was thrown and Polian had better come to terms with the fact that he stole people’s money and cheated the rest of the AFC.

There is one week remaining in the 2009 NFL season ad the playoff picture is clearing up. In the AFC, Indianapolis, San Diego, Cincinnati and New England are all in the playoffs. Denver, the Jets, Pittsburgh, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore still have a chance.

In the NFC, it’s done: New Orleans, Minnesota, Arizona, Dallas, Green Bay and Philadelphia are all in. This week will determine who plays whom and when.

We’ll be in the Twin Towns for the Vikings-Giants game this weekend. We’ll also be on the road throughout the playoffs and in South Florida for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl from Jan. 28 – Feb. 9.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Indianapolis Colts 14-1 at Buffalo Bills 5-10 (OFF)

The Colts have no interest here. They are just 3-10 against the spread in Weeks 16 and 17 (i.e. when resting starters) since 2002. We just can’t see them game planning for the Bills at all. At post time, no line has been.

Dr. Sports: Bills to win.

The Coach: Bills to win.

New Orleans Saints 13-2 at Carolina Panthers 7-8 (OFF)

This is the Panthers’ Super Bowl. They won’t be going to the playoffs, but winning this game would give them some validation and would provide momentum for what seems like a great 2010 season.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win.

The Coach: Panthers to win.

Jacksonville Jaguars 7-8 at Cleveland Browns 4-11 (-1.5)

Jacksonville, a team with a playoff shot, has to be pretty pissed that it’s giving points to the lowly Browns. The Browns should not be laying points to anyone. Despite their three-game winning streak, they’re not that good. They’ve only covered once when favoured in the past two seasons. That was last week against the lowly Raiders.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win.

The Coach: Browns to win and cover.

Philadelphia Eagles 11-4 at Dallas Cowboys 10-5 (-2.5)

The Eagles own the Cowboys in December. It could be Tony Aurora Snowmo’s time to reveal himself.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win.

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.

Chicago Bears 6-9 at Detroit Lions 2-13 (+2.5)

The big question here is whether or not the Bears will be motivated to play the Lions. Chicago just won its Super Bowl by slaying the Vikings on Monday night as massive underdogs. Can they possibly get up for Detroit? I did some research. In 2007, the 5-9 Bears hosted a playoff-bound Packers team in Week 16. They were 7.5-point dogs. Sound familiar? Chicago won that game 35-7. The following week, they played the Saints, who were just 7-8 at the time. The Bears showed up and triumphed again, 33-25. If history repeats itself, the Bears will play hard in Detroit.

Dr. Sports: Bears to win and cover.

The Coach: Bears to win and cover.

New England Patriots 10-5 at Houston Texans 8-7 (-7.5)

This is the worst spread in NFL history. The assumption is that this game means nothing to the Patriots, which is dead wrong. That’s exactly why Belichick said his healthy starters would play. But what about the Texans? Don’t they need a victory more than New England? Of course they do. And that’s exactly why we love the Pats here. The Texans are the biggest choke artists in the NFL. How are they going to win this game, let alone cover a touchdown? We just  don’t get it.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win.

The Coach: Patriots to win.

Pittsburgh Steelers 8-7 at Miami Dolphins 7-8  (PK)

The big wild card here is Troy Polamalu. Polamalu hasn’t been ruled out this week, and he ran on Monday and Tuesday to see how his knee would respond. He’ll push to play, but ultimately could be a game-time decision, making this selection a pretty difficult one.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win (and cover if the line is in their favour).

The Coach: Steelers to win.

New York Giants 8-7 at Minnesota Vikings 11-4 (-8.5)

The Giants were just humiliated last week in what was the final home game in their stadium. They are pissed, and they’ll fight for a victory against a Vikings team that is playing like crap right now. Minnesota is favoured by way too much. The Vikings have been struggling against both the run and the pass ever since E.J. Henderson suffered a season-ending injury four weeks ago. In the four games without Henderson, Minnesota has surrendered at least 100 rushing yards to each opponent, and 258-plus passing yards to all but one foe. It’s been really bad, and even Jay Cutler was able to look like a Pro Bowler on Monday night.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers 7-8 at St. Louis 1-14 (+6.5)

The 49ers are clearly the better team in this matchup. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll cover the spread. Laying a touchdown in a divisional road game is a bit too much for San Francisco. Think about it this way – the 49ers are just 1-6 straight up away from Candlestick, and that sole victory was by just four points. Could the 49ers cover seven on the road?

Dr. Sports: 49ers to win but not cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

Atlanta Falcons 8-7 at Tampa Bay Buccaneeers 3-12 (+1.5)

Everyone expects the Falcons to win this game because of two assumptions: 1) They’re the better team. 2) They’re going to play harder than Tampa because a victory would give them the first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Those assumptions are wrong. First of all, Tampa is a pretty solid squad as long as Freeman doesn’t turn the ball over. And it’s not like the Buccaneers won’t be motivated. They won’t idly stand by as the Falcons achieve history. Tampa just had a big victory over the Saints and will want to knock off another divisional rival.

Dr. Sports: Buccaneers to win.

The Coach: Buccaneers to win.

Green Bay Packers 10-5 at Arizona Cardinals 10-5 (-2.5)

If Minnesota loses, the Cardinals would have a legitimate chance at a bye and probably would go with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If I’m right in assuming that the Packers will rest their starters, Warner will easily slice through Green Bay’s backups.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 3-12 at Denver Broncos 8-7 (-12.5)

The Broncos are definitely not that good. Their once-great defence is leaky, while their offense can be completely stagnant at times. We can’t recommend laying 12.5 points with a team that has scored 19, 16, 3, 17, 10 and 7 in six of its previous nine contests.

Dr. Sports: Broncos to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Broncos to win but not cover.

Baltimore Ravens 8-7 at Oakland Raiders 5-10 (+10.5)

The Ravens obviously need to win this game, but that doesn’t mean much.  We both like the Raiders to cover the spread here. They’ve already beaten the Eagles, Bengals, Steelers and Broncos, and almost knocked off the Chargers twice. Why can’t they give the Ravens a tough time?

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win but not cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win, but not cover.

Washington Redskins 4-11 at San Diego Chargers 12-3 (-3.5)

A quote from Norv Turner: “Playing and staying game-sharp, to me, is big. (But) it’s not only how you stay sharp, but how you get better. We’re going to play our players. They’re going to play and they want to play.” Expect a blow out.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

Tennessee Titans 7-8 at Seattle Seahawks 5-10 (+4.5)

Dr. Sports doesn’t think the Titans came all the way back from 0-6 to just quit in the final week to avoid a shot at 8-8. They’ll at least try hard enough for Chris Johnson to get his 2,000 yards. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have completely fallen apart, losing by a combined score of 106-24 in the past three weeks. Jim Mora Jr. is easily one of the worst head coaches of all time, and has a dubious history of teams that quit on him. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Seattle will continue to struggle and disappoint as long as Mora is patrolling the sidelines.

Dr. Sports: Titans to win and cover.

The Coach: Titans to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Cincinnati Bengals 10-5 at New York Jets 8-7 (-9.5)

If that awful Browns-Steelers Thursday night affair taught us anything, it’s that in severe weather conditions, all bets are off. People tend to look at snow and rain as potential weather roadblocks, but wind is the greatest factor. Anything worse than 30 mph can ruin any football game. The deep passing game is completely eliminated, while any field goal longer than 35 yards out is virtually impossible. Winds blowing at a possible 35 mph are bad enough, so imagine how bad it’s going to be at the Meadowlands on Sunday. Also, remember who’s starting at quarterback for the Jets. There was a big deal about Sanchez playing in 45-degree weather back in October. That’s nothing compared to what he’ll see on Sunday night.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win but not cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

The Doc is 156-84 overall and 123-107 against the spread. The Coach is 146-94 straight up and 116-114 against the spread.

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What Happens If….?

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The decade of the 2000s or “The Aughts,” as they’ve been called, come to an end in about four days.

With that end, comes more questions than answers.

In fact, here are five questions, all starting with What Happens If….?

A brave new world awaits, old media panics, new media has a field day and if there is one thing we know, it’s this: Sports will change dramatically in the decade of the “Tens.”

So what happens if…

1) The Canadian Olympic Team doesn’t “win the podium” in Vancouver this February? With all the national, television-generated pre-Olympic hype, how badly will the traditional media treat our athletes if they don’t win every medal in every event. “I Believe,” it will get ugly.

2) The NHL’s non-traditional markets keep taking a beating? Tickets are now virtually free, the teams aren’t winning, there is limited interest, newspapers have stopped covering many of the teams on the road, Versus isn’t ESPN and there are often more empty seats than seats with butts in them. The NHL will look differently in five years if Bush’s recession doesn’t end.

3) The NHL’s non-traditional markets keep taking a beating? Will the NHL return to Winnipeg?

4) The CFL doesn’t get some new stadiums soon? Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg is a dump, Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton is worse, Ottawa doesn’t have a stadium, Toronto doesn’t have a place to play and the east coast still doesn’t have a suitable stadium for CFL expansion. The biggest problem in the CFL is not fan-support or media-support, it’s government support. And without new stadiums, the league could be on its last legs.

5) The Indianapolis Colts never get it back? After having the gall to actually charge people money for that debacle on Sunday afternoon, Colts chicken-livered head coach Jim Caldwell (coaching scared is the worst thing a coach can ever do) doesn’t deserve to win another game. If you look around the NFL, buildings are seldom full anymore. I’ve been in Jacksonville and Tampa this season when there have been 25,000-30,000 empty seats. The NFL can claim record numbers of sellouts if it likes (I think “tickets distributed” is the term), but only the best teams truly sell out anymore. Indy was a team that sold out, but if I was a fan, I would be a lot more hesitant about buying tickets in the future. When coaches throw games in order to rest the stars — because they are afraid of injury — the premise of professional football goes out the window. What happened Sunday in Indianapolis was unprofessional. In a recession that appears as if it’s going to last for decades not months, that kind of unprofessional approach to the game could come back and bite a franchise in the ass.

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Lyle Bauer Resigning As Bombers President and CEO

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will hold a news conference at 12:45 CST today to make a major announcement.

That announcement will be the resignation of Lyle Bauer as president and CEO.

More later…

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Sitting In the Middle of a Full House in St. Paul is A Lot Different than Sitting in Florida, Tampa or Phoenix — Or Even Denver.

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It’s a gorgeous night in the Twin Towns and the “Team of 18,000″ is getting ready to sing State of Hockey here at the Xcel Energy Centre. It’s the Minnesota Wild, a day before Shane Hnidy’s 34th birthday, against the Dallas Stars, with Minnesota’s beloved Mike Modano, not only in the lineup but starting the game and playing on the No. 1 line, at age 39.

It’s been a shaky start to the 2009-2010 season for the Wild. Minnesota’s team heads into tonight’s game at 5-10-0 (1-7-0 on the road) and while the record hasn’t negatively affected the team’s attendance this season, it has been a grind on the staff.

“It’s tough,” said the Wild’s VP of communications Bill Robertson earlier tonight. “It’s a tough economy, it’s tough to sell tickets. We still sell every seat, but we’re not overflowing with standing room like we usually are and it’s tougher to sell corporate suites than it used to be.

“On the upside, merchandise sales are way up because of fans have really taken to our third jersey.”

It’s hard to listen to a guy — even a great guy like Billy Rob — worry about the fans in Minnesota after you’ve already seen games in Florida, Tampa and Nashville this season and have interviewed Doug Moss, the president of the Phoenix Coyotes (check out www.hotdoghockey.com for that interview). Those are markets with big trouble. There is no trouble at all in St. Paul.

However, no one ever would have believed that there could be trouble in Denver, the home of the Colorado Avalanche, and it appears now that there is.

Wednesday night, for a game against Phoenix, the Avalanche drew a franchise-low 11,012 (remember, that’s the announced crowd) ticket buyers. This season, the Avs have averaged just 14,759 through its first five home games and that once again means, “Who cares if MTS Centre has only 15,001 seats?” Not even the red-hot Colorado Avalanche average 15,000 per game these days.

(Oops, Cal Clutterbuck just scored a shorthanded goal from our pal Shane Hnidy.)

With an average of 14,759 per game, the Avalanche stand 25th in the NHL in per-game attendance ahead of only Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, the New York Islanders and Phoenix.

Meanwhile, after watching the Atlanta Thrashers play on TV this week,  in front of a crowd that appeared to include the players’ parents and no one else, it’s hard to imagine the Thrashers have the nerve to say they average more per game than the Avs or even the Winnipeg South Blues.

Meanwhile, there will soon be an ownership change in South Florida. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Alan Cohen’s days as majority owner of the Panthers are coming to an end, as two partners in his ownership group are expected to take control of the team.

Two Boca Raton businessmen, Panthers Vice-Chairman Cliff Viner and Managing Director Stu Siegel, will buy most of Cohen’s 43 per cent of the team and become co-managing partners.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, “Panthers fans are desperate for change. The team has not made the playoffs since 2000, the longest playoff drought in the NHL, and has undergone numerous coaching and general manager changes and traded away some of its best players, including Roberto Luongo, Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester.”

But here’s the kicker, the paper added: “The ownership change is not expected to resolve the team’s financial struggles. The team’s parent company, Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, is seeking Broward County’s help to restructure its debt on the county-owned BankAtlantic Center.”

It’s a mess on Long Island, Phoenix is a disaster (only 5,585 this past Monday at jobing.com Arena), Tampa Bay and Nashville are hurting, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce has conceded that the Blue Jackets don’t have much life left and now Florida needs government help from a government that isn’t flush.

We all know Gary Bettman doesn’t want to admit it, but the NHL is in big, big trouble.

* * *

KELLY SAYS “BULL-CACA.” THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA DOESN’T RESPOND IN ANGER. WONDER WHY?

Friday morning, during an interview with Tom McGouran, Kathy Kennedy and The Coach, on 92-CITI-FM, Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly poked the local mainstream media with a stick. Again.

Kelly, laughing all the way, said, “You guys have the only media outlet that isn’t bull-caca.”

He then added, “I don’t think I can be fined $2,000 by the league for saying ‘bull-caca.” Can I? ”

He was assured by McGouran that it was unlikely he’d be fined. In fact, McGouran agreed with him.

“Can’t be fined for telling the truth,” McGouran laughed.

That’s true to an extent. Kelly could still be fined because he told the truth the first time and was fined.

Then again, he had no bone to pick with CITI, a spot on the dial where the interviewers ask good, solid questions without being rude and obnoxious.

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Bombers Horrible in Banjo Bowl. Mike Kelly Should Be Glad He Doesn’t Own a Piano.

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

(About an hour after filing this, a solid source told me there is reason to believe Casey Printers is now on his way to Winnipeg. Kelly denies it, but maybe Bauer is starting to make his own moves.)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress told a story to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. It’s one Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly (and probably even CEO Lyle Bauer) should consider:

Childress, whose Vikings looked outstanding in a 34-20 win at Cleveland on Sunday, was talking about the time during the 1980s when he was an offensive assistant coach with the Indianapolis Colts and Art Schlichter was his starting quarterback:

“This is a true story,” Chrildress said. “He (Schlichter) was with us one game. He was our starter. We cut him after the first game. We’re standing in there and just got our butts beat. It was awful. I’m like, ‘I don’t care if it’s the first game for a new staff or whatever. A beating is a beating.’ I’m trying to stay out of the way. I’m soaping up in the shower, and here comes Tom Lovat, who was at Green Bay for years. He was assistant head coach. He says, ‘Well, Bradley, let me tell you something.’ He had a great way about him, a great perspective. He goes on, ‘That game right there will make you damn glad you don’t own a piano, you know what I mean?’ I said, ‘No, Coach, I don’t really know.’ He says, ‘You ever move a piano? Those things are heavy as hell. If we keep playing like that, our butts will be moving. Makes you damn glad you don’t own a piano.’”

It was a wonderful story and yesterday, Kelly was in the same situation. His Blue Bombers fell to 3-7 on the season with an embarrassing 55-10 loss in the Banjo Bowl at Canad Inns Stadium.

It was so bad, my pal Dr. Sports from Hot 103 in Winnipeg called from the stadium to say, “Fold the team and tear down the stadium, it has reached rock bottom. This is the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Well, hopefully, the city will get to tear down the stadium soon and David Asper will build the team a new one at the University of Manitoba.

The Blue Bomber board of directors needs to clean house. Sooner, not later. The board should call in Asper, who will soon take over the team anyway, and let him assume the leadership responsibilities now.

Let’s not pull any punches, the board has been as big a disaster as Mike Kelly or any other failed coach. The board has been as big a disaster as Stefan Lefors or any other failed quarterback.

This franchise hasn’t won a Grey Cup in 19 years and it’s unlikely it will win one this year. In an eight-team league, every team should win at least one Grey Cup in 19 years just by having a little dumb luck.

It’s time for a wholesale change. And that doesn’t mean fire the coach. It means changing the culture of the franchise completely. It’s the only way to salvage what could soon become a very, very embarrassing year.

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It’s Saturday. There is even more stuff banging around in my head.

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Sorry, my head hurts again. Between the Coyotes bankruptcy case in Phoenix, the CFL’s officials’ mistakes in Vancouver and the sad, ugly circus that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have created for themselves, I hit the Advil pretty hard last night.

Let me get this stuff out of my cranium…

1) NHL commissioner Gary Bettman talks like those far-right Republican loons in the United States — lots of confidence and hatred and bluster, but no apparent logic.

On Friday, Mr. Bettman was lamenting comments by Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, a man who lost approximately $300 million of his own money on a franchise that doesn’t work now and will never work in the future. Moyes suggested he has been treated badly by the NHL.

“I just don’t think I’ve been treated right,” Moyes said. “I gave it a 100 per cent try and I feel betrayed by the NHL. Hockey will not work in the south. Mr. Bettman’s plan is not working out. You got Phoenix, you got Dallas, you Nashville, you got Atlanta you got Tampa Bay all in  trouble. These teams are not working in the south. You have to go north where people love hockey.”

Bettman, of course, responded like a petulant child.

“I’m disappointed in those remarks,” Bettman told Rogers SportsNet. “Considering the NHL has been operating this team for the past year when Mr. Moyes was supposed to be, I find that disappointing.”

Moyes lost about $300 million on that dog of a franchise and the guy who lied to everyone — everyone! — for an entire year about taking over the operation of the team, says he’s “disappointed.”

The illogical hubris of that remark makes me gag.

2) The Canadian Football League said last week that the B.C. Lions’ 19-12 win over the Montreal Alouettes will stand despite the fact that “mistakes were made by officials as the clock wound down.”

“While the errors were unintentional,” said commissioner Mark Cohon,  “the league’s regret at this incident is deep and profound.”

Odd response. Deep and profound sounds good, but it just doesn’t cut it. Cohon has both teams in Montreal this week. Send them out on the field before the main game starts and replay the final minutes (and perhaps overtime) of last week’s game. That will fix the problem.

Or is the real problem that CFL officiating is lousy and now the league has pretty much admitted it’s lousy? That’s not good.

Of course, there is another problem here. With the crossover playoff rule, if the post-season started today, the B.C. Lions would be in and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argos would be out. If those “mistakes” in B.C. cost a team a playoff appearance then, what you have, is a pretty illegitimate league.

(Listen to my complete rant on this issue before the Saskatchewan-Winnipeg game on Sunday at about 2 p.m. CDT. I’ll be on the pre-game show with Roger Currie on 620 CKRM in Regina)

3) The Stefan Lefors quarterback experiment in Winnipeg is over for the season — and it just might be over period.

The 3-6 Bombers put their former starting quarterback on the nine-game injured list on Thursday because of recurring pain in his non-throwing shoulder. He might undergo surgery.

Guess I was wrong. Stefan Lefors wasn’t the second coming T.J. Rubley. Sadly, he wasn’t good enough — or unbreakable enough — to be the second coming of T.J. Rubley.

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Week 1 in the NFL: Beware some of the favourites.

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

OK, football fans, the wait is over. The 2009 National Football League schedule begins tonight in Pittsburgh as the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers play host to the Tennessee Titans in the party-rific season opener at 7:30.

The Steelers are 5 1/2-point favorites, but in case you’ve forgotten, in Week 16 last year — the second last week of the 2008 season — Tennessee blew away the Steelers 31-14 to wrap up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Not that it did the Titans any good and not that it will be remembered tonight, but for punters, it’s something to think about.

Overall, it will be a tremendous Week 1. Brett Favre will make his debut in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, Jay Cutler will be in Green Bay, wearing a Bears uniform against the Packers and the question of the week: Will Cincinnati’s Chad Ochocinco actually try to Twitter from the Denver end zone?

Oh, it’s going to be fun.

This season, Doctor Sports from Hot103 in Winnipeg and yours truly, from 92-CITI-FM, will battle every week right here at www.rivercitysportsblog.com for NFL bettor supremacy.

And I will win — again. Let’s get started…

1. Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5)

One has to wonder how distracted Big Ben is after the ”accusations”. Regardless, the Steelers are a better team at home.

Dr. Sports: Steelers by 7.

Scott Taylor: Steelers by 10

2. Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5)

Even though we both think Miami will be a much improved football, we also agree that Atlanta is getting better and should win in the Georgia Dome.

Dr. Sports: Falcons by 6

Scott Taylor: Falcons by 7

3. Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (-12.5)

Oh, this will not be pretty. Matt Cassel couldn’t avoid leading the NFL in getting sacked when he played in New England. He might break his ass in Kansas City.

Dr. Sports Baltimore by 14

Scott Taylor: Baltimore by 17

4. Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers (+1.5)

It will be interesting to see how motivated McNabb will be with Vick in the crowd. Why don’t the members of the football media give Carolina more respect?

Dr. Sports: Eagles by 3

Scott Taylor: Carolina by 3

5. Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5)

Dr. Sports likes to call him “Ochostinko.” Frankly, as a kicker, I like the guy. I think he’s colorful, a true star in the No Fun League.

Dr. Sports: Cincinnati by only 3 (the Bengals don’t cover).

Scott Taylor: Bengals by 10.

6. Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns (+3.5)

We’re both thinking Favre will light it up. I think Peterson will be unstoppable.

Dr. Sports: Vikings by 7

Scott Taylor: Vikings by 21

7. N.Y. Jets at Houston Texans (-4.5)

You know it’s a lousy week when CBS sends its “A” team to Houston. Neither of these dogs will be around in January.

Dr. Sports: Texans to win but the Jets will cover.

Scott Taylor: Texans by 10.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

Yikes! Call 9-1-1. What could save the Jags is that Indy has a real problem at offensive tackle.

Dr. Sports: Colts by 14.

Scott Taylor: Colts by 10

9. Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints (-12.5)

Is Matthew Stafford the second coming of Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? As a Lions’ fan, Taylor is praying it’s Manning.

Dr. Sports: Saints will win but the Lions will cover.

Scott Taylor: Saints by 14.

10. Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+5.5)

Who’s running the Buc’s offense? Doesn’t matter, just give it to Cadillac Williams. When he carries 22-plus times per game, the Bucs are 10-0. This is my upset of the week.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys by 7

Scott Taylor: Buccaneers by 3

11. San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (-6.5)

Dr. Sports asks: Is Arizona a one hit wonder? Scott Taylor answers: Not with Larry Fitzgerald in the lineup.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win, but the 49ers should cover.

Scott Taylor: Cardinals by 10.

12. Washington Redskins at N.Y. Giants (-6.5)

Is it a rule that these teams have to meet in Week 1? No, but the Giants must like it. New York has won seven of the last 10 matchups. Taylor likes Washington’s chances in this one now that Plaxico Burress is in jail.

Dr. Sports: Giants by 7.

Scott Taylor: Giants by 3, Skins to cover.

13: St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-8.5)

Nobody would care about this one, except that it should be a lock and therefore will make somebody some money.

Dr. Sports: Seahawks by 10.

Scott Taylor: Seahawks by 10.

14. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-3.5)

Always a fun match up. Let’s see if the Bears have cleared up the QB situation this year. If they have, we’re both drinkin’ Lovie’s Kool-Aid.

Dr. Sports: Bears to win.

Scott Taylor: Bears by 3.

15. Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (-10.5)

Children under the age of 14 should not be allowed to watch. New England has won 11 consecutive games against Buffalo. Hate to be a Bills fan in Week 1, although T.O.’s presence always makes for an interesting train wreck.

Dr. Sports: New England by 14.

Scott Taylor: New England by 21.

16. San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders (+9.5)

Groan. Coaches fighting on the sidelines, Jeff Garcia cut after the pre-season and an owner who doesn’t remember what planet he’s on… Will Oakland become the next Detroit? By the way, how did this one make the late game on MNF?

Dr. Sports: Chargers by 10.

Scott Taylor: Chargers by 17.

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