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Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Buck Pierce 4 200x300 Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Run Buck, Run! (Photo by Shawn Coates)

It used to be known as “Re-Match Weekend” around the CFL, but we here in Winnipeg now refer to it as “Banjo Bowl Weekend.” Then again, after Sunday’s debacle it might now be referred to as “Embarrassment Weekend.”

For the uninitiated, Banjo Bowl Weekend became a big deal eight years ago. It started after Bombers kicker Troy Westwood, a native of Saskatchewan, said, “The trouble with Roughriders fans is that they’re all banjo-picking inbreds.”

That, of course, led to an apoplectic fit from just about every person living in Saskatchewan, so Westwood was forced to apologize: “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was mistaken. Most Roughriders fans aren’t smart enough to play the banjo.” Ouch!

Ever since that day, the Sunday after Labor Day has become the cornerstone of Banjo Bowl Weekend and this past Sunday, the Bombers and their fans looked like the banjo pickers themselves. Getting drilled is one thing. Getting drilled 45-23 on your own field by a 2-7 team is quite another. Especially a 2-7 team you have decided you’re going to ridicule.

One thing about an 18-game schedule: There are no flukes. You are either good or you’re not and right now, B.C. (which has now allowed the fewest points in the CFL this season) and Saskatchewan  might be a lot better than we thought while Winnipeg and Edmonton might not be. Oh, and, by the way, Toronto is just one vile stinking dung pile of a football team.

Check out the Week 11 scores. We watched 2-7 Saskatchewan blast 7-2 Winnipeg, Montreal and Calgary got their revenge and this week, the Toronto media and head coach Jim Barker couldn’t blame Cleo Lemon. No matter how hard they might have tried. Here were the Banjo Bowl Weekend scores:

Calgary 30 at Edmonton 20

Toronto 6 at B.C. 28

Hamilton 13 at Montreal 43

Saskatchewan 45 at Winnipeg 23

The four games played this week proved four things: Toronto needs a coaching change if not a complete overhaul; Swaggerville has run its course and it’s time for Winnipeg to just play football; Hamilton has a solid, but inconsistent football team; and Edmonton proved that what happened last week (that 35-7 win in Calgary) was probably a fluke.

So, in honor of another entertaining Banjo Bowl Weekend in the CFL, here are a few random thoughts on the people, involved in the Bombers 45-23 loss to Saskatchewan.

On Craig Butler, S, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Riders Canadian safety was sensational. In fact, here’s the player I think is your CFL defensive player of the week. Butler had a monster sack on Buck Pierce that was the turning point in the game. Pierce was never the same again. Then Butler picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. It was a game-changing defensive performance – and on the road, no less.

21 300x193 Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Darian Durant

On Darian Durant, QB, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The second straight outstanding performance by Durant, a guy I didn’t think had it in him. The Saskatchewan quarterback completed 14-of-27 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, it didn’t hurt that the Bombers turned over the football six times, but Durant did exactly what was required to do in order to blow out the Bombers for the second straight week. In two games, back-to-back, against the vaunted Bomber secondary, Durant had seven TD passes.

On Paul LaPolice, Head Coach, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Let’s just say that even at 7-3, he has some work to do. His team was not ready to play in front of a more-than-sold-out house against their arch-rivals. That’s on the head coach.

On Buck Pierce, QB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Sunday’s 45-23 loss to the Roughriders might have been the worst game Buck Pierce ever played. He threw five interceptions. Previously, his worst performance was three INTs. In the end, he completed 20-of-32 passes for 265 yards and no touchdowns. However, he started the game eight-for-eight and you know what they say, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” One wonders how Buck’s head is responding to treatment (if any) today.

On The Winnipeg Blue Bombers Offensive Line: These guys are going to get Buck Pierce killed. Pierce was sacked three times, but he was forced to take off and run three other times and that didn’t help His Royal Grogginess. Meanwhile, the line gave Fred Reid no opportunity to run the football and in the end he finished with nine carries for 40 yards. The Bombers have lost two straight to Saskatchewan and both times the Riders D-Line kicked the crapola out of the Bombers O-Line.

On Jamie Barresi, Offensive Coordinator, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: He has to find some offensive linemen who can block and he has to re-vamp an offence that hasn’t been very good all year. And he has to do it by this coming Sunday in order to compete with the second-place Alouettes, a team that whupped Hamilton 43-13 at Moslon Stadium this past week. Good luck with that.

For the Bombers, there is always next week. And at 7-3, they still have the best record in the CFL. But playing Montreal IN Montreal is a lot tougher than playing Saskatchewan at Canad Inns Stadium. The Bombers will have to fix that offence if they intend to go toe-to-toe with Anthony Calvillo and the Als this Sunday.

If they don’t, a 7-4 record and, suddenly, a tie for first in the East is what awaits them.

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A Week In the Trenches

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It’s been quite a week — and it’s only Tuesday.

The new Winnipeg Jets have signed a load of players, most destined for St. John’s of the American Hockey League. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers still aren’t certain if Buck Pierce will be ready to go in Toronto on Saturday. The first-place Winnipeg Goldeyes open a three-game series with the Sioux City Explorers tonight. And at some point this week, the newly-minted Jets will announce their radio and TV rights holders.

Time for a closer look at all the stuff:

1) The Jets got an important player under contract on Monday. Right winger Blake Wheeler agreed to a two-year $5.1 million deal. Like most of the players on this team, he’s a bit of a grinder, Wheeler had 18 goals in 81 games last season with the Bruins and then, after a trade at the deadline, with the Thrashers. He’s a good player and will only get better the longer he’s in Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, the Jets continue on their way to being the best American Hockey League team in the NHL. After signing centre Ben Maxwell (one goal in 32 NHL games over three seasons) on Monday, the club signed AHL defensemen Arturs Kulda (0) and Brett Festerling (1) and forwards Spencer Machacek (10), Riley Holzapfel (0), Kenndal McArdle (11) and Jason Jaffray (0) yesterday.

The numbers in brackets refer to the number of NHL games this group of six played last season — a grand total of 22. They are all, nice hard-working hockey players who will make St. John’s an outstanding team.

2) Since arriving in Winnipeg before the start of the 2010 season — after he was released by B.C. who admitted he had some physical issues — quarterback Buck Pierce has played parts of eight games with the Bombers. The team, meanwhile has played 21 games in that time.

This week, Pierce is expected to play against Toronto at Rogers Centre on Saturday, but as head coach Paul LaPolice has admitted, there is still no guarantee. Without Pierce, Alex Brink is the backup because Joey Elliott (who has looked pretty good in his few opportunities on the field) tore up a knee making a tackle (a freakin’ tackle). That’s one of the many skills quarterbacks need in Winnipeg. They must be able to make tackles after interceptions and fumbles.

The Bombers defense has carried this team to a 2-1 record and one could easily argue that with any offence at all, the Big Blue would be 3-0. Trouble is, quarterbacks are starting to get hurt and there are reasons to believe this offence won’t snap out of it.

The big problem, of course, is that there just aren’t enough quarterbacks to go around. As former GM Paul Robson once said, “There aren’t enough quarterbacks in the NFL. How can there possibly be enough decent quarterbacks in the CFL if there aren’t enough quarterbacks in NFL?” As usual, Robson was right.

Week 4 begins in the Canadian Football League this Friday night with 1-2 Hamilton at 0-3 B.C. It’s a doubleheader on Saturday with 2-1 Winnipeg at 1-2 Toronto at 3 and 3-0 Edmonton at 2-1 Calgary at 6 and then on Sunday, 0-3 Saskatchewan is at 3-0 Montreal. Winnipeg won’t be the only team with questions at quarterback. In fact, Montreal and Edmonton are the only two teams that don’t have questions.

3) Saturday night, after the Winnipeg Goldeyes beat Sioux Falls 19-5, one of Winnipeg’s hottest hitters said that fans shouldn’t expect the club’s offensive explosion to last forever.

It didn’t, of course. The Goldeyes lost 4-1 on Sunday. Still, it’s painfully obvious that this team’s early-season slump is long gone. Brian Myrow and Jon Weber both said, “don’t worry, this team will hit,” and they were right.

“Right now this is a little ridiculous,” Myrow said on Saturday night. “Don’t expect 18, 19, 20 hits to happen every night. But it is fun to play well.”

The Goldeyes have won 22 of their last 30 games and are 11-5 in the month of July. They are 7-2 since last Sunday’s win in Fargo. At 38-23, they are in first place in the American Association’s North Division, a game and a half ahead of St. Paul.

“We hit the ball very well when we force the opposing pitcher to throw strikes,” said Myrow. “We’re hitting better now because guys are having better at bats. They’re not swinging at the first ball that moves or the first fastball they see. They’re being patient at the plate and forcing the opposing pitcher to throw more pitches.

“They say hitting is contagious, but I think it’s more a matter of hitting well because people around you are hitting well. When there is a runner at third and one out there is less pressure to get a hit. You can hit a sacrifice fly and drive in a run and how many times, with no pressure, does that turn into a double?

“We’re just more comfortable hitting with one or two strikes. And it’s getting warmer. The ball is carrying real well. But don’t expect 15 and 18 hits to be a regular occurrence.”

Saturday night was a great night to pad statistics. The only Goldeyes’ starter not to get an RBI was No. 9 hitter Brian Joynt, who did score two runs. Meanhwile, it was a hit-fest for Winnipeg:

1) Leadoff man Prince Kendall went one-for-five with two RBI.

2) Kody Kaiser went two-for-four with three runs scored and two RBI.

3) Wes Long went two-for-five with three runs scored, five RBI and a grand slam home run. He now leads the Goldeyes with 53 runs batted in.

4) Myrow went three-for-five with a run scored and three RBI. He now leads the Goldeyes with a .326 batting average.

5) Jon Weber went two-for-five with three runs scored and two RBI, including his seventh homer of the year and his second in as many nights.

6) Luis Alen went three-for-five with four runs scored and an RBI. In the last month, he has raised his batting average from .244 to .309.

7) Justin Bass went three-for-four with two runs scored and three runs batted in. All three RBI came on a three-run homer in the second inning, his team-leading 12th of the season.

icon cool A Week In the Trenches Louis Ott went three-for-five with a run scored and an RBI.

This year’s edition of the Goldeyes is the best team Rick Forney has managed. It’s even better than the 2009 team that was one error away from reaching the final.

The pitching is solid, the defense is sound and if the hitting continues to improve, this team will have a very enjoyable August. In fact, when the Fish return from the six-game road that starts Friday, they’ll play 20 of their last 30 games at Shaw Park.

4) The Winnipeg Jets are said to be preparing to announce their radio and TV rights holders this week. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on CJOB and TSN.

 

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With Any Offense At All, Bombers are 3-0. As it is….

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It was quite an interesting night at Canad Inns Stadium on Thursday night. Interesting in the same sense that a four-hour concert of Sub-Saharan African Music Traditions is interesting.

It was interesting, certainly, but just not particularly entertaining.

The Bombers were beaten 21-20 by the Calgary Stampeders on a sleepy night when the Bomber defense deserved a much better fate.

The Bombers held Smilin’ Hank Burris to just 183 yards passing (a pittance) and only 14 points, and yet the offense not only couldn’t score in a womens’ prison with a handful of pardons, it also gave up a pick six to Keon Raymond.

For the third straight week, the Bombers defense played as if it was the best unit in the CFL. And on Thursday night, they did it without rock-solid Alex Suber who was injured on the first play of the game.

The Bombers offense was downright dreadful on Thursday. This is a team that needs to head back to the drawing board. To make things worse, starting quarterback Buck Pierce was injured in the first half and while Joey Elliott played as well as anyone could ever have expected – coming off the bench against a very good Calgary defense – he was no match for a Stamps team that not only plays tough, it doesn’t give up very many yards.

In fairness to Elliott, he did give the Bombers a chance to win on the final series of downs, but Justin Palardy missed a tough 44-yard field goal against the wind and the Bombers were toast. A 21-20 loss is not a blowout and Winnipeg’s defense showed it could play with Smilin’ Hank and all of that Calgary speed, but Winnipeg’s Paul LaPolice-style offense is absolutely terrible. Dull, predictable – well, often not predictable because it does things on second down that no predictable coach would ever do (Why is it, when the Bombers have second and eight, they almost always throw a four-yard pass? Duh?) — the Bombers offense is weak, slow and stone-handed.

Right now, the Bombers are still in the midst of the easy part of their schedule. They go to 1-1 Toronto next Saturday afternoon, play 0-2 B.C. at home on Thursday the 28th, get Edmonton on Aug. 5 at home, then go to B.C. on the 13th and come back to face Hamilton on the 26th (after the bye week). They are definitely capable of winning all five of those games.

But unless the offense figures things out, they won’t have much left in the defensive tank once they have to go to Saskatchewan on Labour Day. You can’t win consistently  in professional football with only your defense and special teams playing up to snuff.

If this offense doesn’t play better soon, it could be a long season.

 

 

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Dr. Football and The Coach Deal Out Their 2011 CFL Predictions

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

WINNIPEG — Vegas oddsmakers have made the Calgary Stampeders, at 11-4, the favorites to win the 2011 Grey Cup. No doubt Calgary has a good team, but are they better than Montreal? Are they even better than Hamilton?

Montreal is next on the Futures line at Vegas at 3-1. Saskatchewan is third at 11-2 followed by B.C. at 6-1, Edmonton and Hamilton at 7-1, Toronto at 8-1 and Winnipeg at 10-1.

The 2011 Canadian Football League season is upon us and it’s time to look into our crystal balls to see who will still be standing when the Grey Cup game kicks off in Vancouver on Nov. 27. My pal Dr. Football will pick first (he’s so confident, he even offers up the records of each team) and then I’ll take my shot.

DR. FOOTBALL

THE EAST

Montreal Alouettes 11-7: With a strong offensive line and a talented group of receivers, Anthony Calvillo should once again lead his team to first place in the East.

Toronto Argonauts 10-8: Expect the Argos to slightly improve from last year’s 9-9 under Jim Barker. There was less turmoil in the off season and stability in the coaching staff; something the team hasn’t seen since Pinball Clemons stepped down as head coach. Expect sophomore QB Cleo Lemon to continue to develop and the defense which gave up 25.1 points a game last season to be better.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9-9: Don’t expect to see anything from the Ti-Cats offence with Khari Jones calling the shots. Another mediocre season awaits in 2011. This team has the talent to win, but with the questionable coaching staff I can’t seeing anything but a .500 season and another quick exit from the playoffs. Close your eyes Angelo Mosca.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7-11:  A healthy Buck Pierce can make a difference in that, but when was the last time he was healthy for more than a few games? He has only been able to complete 17 out of his 27 starts in the CFL. The big void left by the departure of Phillip Hunt will hurt the most. When does hockey season start?

THE WEST

British Columbia Lions 11-7: The Lions are the team to watch in the West. BC began the 2010 season with a 1-7 record before figuring it out and posting a 7-3 mark over their last 10 games. QB Travis Lulay (2,602 yards, 9 TD’s) became the starting quarterback after the horrible start, and showed why he is the new face of the franchise.

Calgary Stampeders 11-7: Smiling Hank is getting long in the tooth. Opening the season with two rookies on the offensive line is not going to make it easier on him either.

Saskatchewan Roughriders 8-10: The Riders have gone from having the best Canadian receiving corps in the league to a very average one. Replacing Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg won’t be easy. We will also find out why Greg Marshall has been constantly passed over for a head coaching job too.

Edmonton Eskimos 5-13: Kavis Reed? See Paul LaPolice 2010. It’s not gonna be a fun year in Edmonton.

THE GREY CUP: Montreal vs B.C.

THE COACH

THE EAST

1. Montreal Alouettes: Take a close look at the Montreal Alouettes and the first thing you notice are the players who are gone – Ben Cahoon, Avon Cobourne, Mathieu Proulx and Damon Duval. Then, you realize quarterback Anthony Calvillo and head coach Marc Trestman are still there and that means the Alouettes are still a threat to win every game. The two-time defending Grey Cup champions are favored to win the East and with players such as runningbacks Kerry Carter, Dahrran Diedrick and Emmanuel Marc and wideouts Dallas Baker, Brandon London and Brian Bratton, Calvillo has plenty of talent at his side. His offensive line is pretty good, too. If Calvillo dishes for 4,221 passing yards he’ll pass Damon Allen’s unpassable passing record. It’s possible.

2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: If there is a team capable of unseating the Alouettes at the top of the CFL, it’s Kevin Glenn and the Ticats. Glenn has an array of talented players to throw to: Arland Bruce III, Maurice Mann, Aaron Kelly and Dave Stala. He also has a couple of great backs – Terry Grant and Avon Cobourne (who really wants to kick Montreal’s butt – and an improving offensive line. If Hamilton’s defense can hold the opposition to 25 points or less, the Ticats will win a lot of games.

3. Toronto Argonauts: Cleo Lemon will be just fine as quarterback until Steven Jyles’ shoulder heals. Then again, Lemon just might keep the job after Jyles comes back. The former NFLer is much improved over last year and he looks like he’s ready to be a star in the CFL. Meanwhile, the Argos might have unearthed the CFL’s next superstar runningback in Chad Kackert. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound speedster from New Hampshire made quite an impression in Toronto’s final pre-season game and if he gets the ball on a regular basis, look out. With receivers such as D.J. Boldin, Brandon Rideau and Djems Kouame, the Argos could be a very interesting team.

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers: This deal is simple. If quarterback Buck Pierce stays healthy and plays 14-15 games, the Bombers can be 9-9 and in the playoffs. If he gets hurt again (and history says he’ll get hurt), the Bombers could easily suffer through another 4-14 season. Although, in fairness, give backup QB Joey Elliott some credit. He played at Purdue, he looks comfortable under centre (at least, during his limited snaps, he’s looked comfortable) and he has a great arm. He also has Greg Carr (when he’s healthy), Terrence Jeffers-Harris and Terrence Edwards to throw to. The league’s leading rusher in 2010, Fred Reid is back and if the offensive line can get the job done, Reid could have another great year. If the defense does anything at all, the Bombers will be good enough to compete this season, but it’s going to be tough.

THE WEST

1. Calgary Stampeders: Smilin’ Hank Burris gives the Stamps the best signal caller in the Western Conference. Three years removed from his finest season as a pro and only an off-season following his Most Outstanding Player Award, Burris is still the best QB in the West, but his team still doesn’t have what they believe is a legitimate backup. Raw Canadian Brad Sinopoli is No. 2 with Drew Tate injured, and they’re deciding whether or not to sign veteran Michael Bishop (who doesn’t have a valid passport right now), but right now, the Stamps are no different than the Blue Bombers – if No. 1 goes down, they’ll have stress. However, if Burris remains upright, this is a great offensive team. With Joffrey Reynolds carrying the mail and four great receivers, it’s a team that averaged 34 points a game, the most in the CFL, last year. There really isn’t a weak spot on the Stamps – on offense or defense.

2. B.C. Lions: Travis Lulay will get an entire season at quarterback and we’ll learn quite quickly if he’s as good as Wally Buono believes he is. It doesn’t hurt that Jarious Jackson is the backup. He’s still a very good quarterback. With Geroy Simon to throw to and with veteran talent such as Brent Johnson, Korey Banks, Davis Sanchez and two-time all-star Ben Archibald, the Lions will be a real threat in the West. Fact is, this team could have the best collection of young talent in the CFL.

3. Saskatchewan Roughriders: One always has to remember, “Pre-season is just practice.” If it wasn’t just practice, the Saskatchewan Roughriders would be horrible. They were absolutely awful in a 34-6 loss to the Lions in the final “practice” game. However, with Greg Marshall getting his first shot as a head coach in the CFL, it’s hard to imagine this will be a bad team. With receivers Andy Fantuz (off to the NFL) and Rob Bagg (injured) gone, the question will be, can Darian Durant be as effective? My answer is no, but the Riders can always surprise.

4. Edmonton Eskimos: It’s hard to imagine that a team with Ricky Ray at quarterback could be so horrendous, but ladies and gentlemen, meet the Edmonton Eskimos. Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Kavis Reed is the team’s new head coach and he’s really got his work cut out for him. However, this once-lousy defence should improve. Back in 2007, Reed and his new defensive co-ordinator this year, former Argos head coach Rich Stubler, worked together in Toronto and turned an average defense into a great defense (from 27.1 points per game to 15.8 points per game). If they can do that again this year, the Eskimos will no longer be horrible.

THE GREY CUP: Montreal vs. Calgary

 

 

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Bombers Kids Look Good in Pre-Season Loss

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Sometimes the kids will surprise you.

Thursday night at rickety old Canad Inns Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers young players did a great job in the fourth quarter as the Bombers came back from a 23-9 deficit after three quarters and tied the only pre-season game in Winnipeg at 23-23, before losing 30-23 on a 73-yard touchdown run by Chad Kackert. The young Kackert had five carries for 107 yards to lead the Argos.

The highlight of the night, however, took place on TV. With mic’d up quarterbacks and coaches on TSN, it was a tremendously entertaining evening. All games should be presented that way.

As it is, the Bombers finished the pre-season 0-2, but remember, pre-season is just practice. The big news was that quarterback Buck Pierce started and looked pretty good over a quarter and a half. He didn’t get the ball into the end zone, but he put up some impressive numbers and if he stays healthy the Bombers will win more than four games this season.

NOTEBOOK: People close to the new NHL franchise in Winnipeg, say Manitoba Falcons, not Winnipeg Jets, appears to be the front-runner for the team’s name. We should learn the name before Friday night’s draft. At least one would hope. Otherwise, when a player is drafted it would be appropriate to hand the kid a white T-shirt with the words “Coming Soon” printed on it… Friday night Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will make his first selection in the 2011 NHL draft. He’ll pick seventh and will likely try to get a scorer. After all, the Atlanta Thrashers did not have a 30-goal scorer last season… Claude Noel is a great choice as the team’s first head coach. He did a nice job with an average Manitoba Moose club last year… My new book, “Quiet Hero: The Ken Ploen Story,” will be released this coming Wednesday, June 29. Thanks to Ken, Roy Rosmus and Landon McCormick for all their help… In the opening match of their four game series with Argentina, the National Women’s Volleyball Team won 3-0 in straight sets on Thursday night at the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre. Too bad the city has virtually forgotten that our women’s national volleyball team still trains and plays here. We might be too big and too hockey-centric to play host to a national volleyball team anymore… The Winnipeg Goldeyes open a three-game series with the Lincoln SaltDogs at Shaw Park Friday Night. I’ll be live with Jamie Bettens on Shaw TV beginning at 7 p.m… The Manitoba Junior Hockey League released its 2011-12 schedule yesterday. The regular season will open on Friday night, September 16 with the Blues at Selkirk, Dauphin at Steinbach and Waywayseecappo at OCN. The final games will be played Sunday, Feb. 26 with Selkirk at Steinbach and Winkler at the Saints…

 

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Laughing ‘Till it Hurts at Half-Time of the Bomber Game

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The Bombers are trailing 17-5 at the half against a really lousy Toronto Argonauts team and I have to admit, I feel bad for Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice.

Not only is he Jeff Reinebold without the whimsy, but he’s lost his quarterback, his offense can’t do much of anything and his field goal team team has just been scorched for 108 yards and a touchdown. Maybe Alex Brink will pull off a miracle in the second half because, goodness, gracious, Eden Prairie High School might have been the best team to play at Canad Inns Stadium this year.

It’s amazing, you know. Not just here in Winnipeg, where a 4-12 record beckons (yes, we called 4-14 at the beginning of the season), but all over the 1,000-channel universe, sports has been more fun than a barrel of Mike Kelly radio interviews. From a quarterback who texts pictures of his junk to suite hostesses to helmet-to-helmet hits to the CFL’s decision to remove players from games who wear pink, to fans disguised as seats in Phoenix,  Planet Sports just gets loonier every day.

For instance:

(1) The Onion reports this week that the NFL will fine Monday Night Football for its helmet-to-helmet smash in the pre-game musical intro. Read it here: http://www.theonion.com/articles/nfl-fines-monday-night-football-for-helmettohelmet,18312/ I’m still laughing and it sheds all the light you need on the NFL’s sudden fear of head injuries.

(2) When the Texas Rangers eliminated the New York Yankees from post-season play on Friday night, I found it interesting that the final out was the Yanks Alex Rodriguez being called out on a third strike. I was surprised there wasn’t a riot.

It was Cleveland Indians play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton who said this year, “No wonder Yankees and Red Sox games last four hours all the time. Every time a Yankee or Red Sox player has a strike called against him it’s like an affront to his senses. Every one of them steps out and argues on every single called strike. These games take forever because the umpires won’t say ‘Shut up and get back in the box.’”

Hamilton is right. There is nothing more annoying than watching the Yankees whine about every called strike (except maybe watching Daryl Johnston on an NFL telecast without a mute button). Games take forever because the umpires are too frightened of or awestruck by the Yankees’ pinstripes. When A-Rod went down on a called strike, the Rangers started to celebrate, the umpires walked off the field and A-Rod had no one to complain to.

It was a moment of pure baseball Zen.

(3) Rod Black just said the Bombers have the wind at their back to start the third quarter. Then he said Bomber punter Mike Renaud was kicking into the wind.

Right now, the wind is out of the east at 11 kilometres per hour. Canad Inns Stadium runs north/south.

Honey, where’s the remote, I need to find that mute button.

(4) This week, the Phoenix Coyotes played a National Hockey League game in front of 6,700 people. On the same night the Manitoba Moose played an American Hockey League game in front of 6,100.

When is Gary Bettman just going to admit that it’s over in Phoenix? Last year, Coyotes president Doug Moss said to my face, “I believe that if we put a winner on the ice here, people will come.” Moss — a tremendous hockey mind and a great guy — was fired, the Coyotes started winning and still, nobody bothered to drive to that rink out in the middle of nowhere.

We all know that the NHL won’t return to Winnipeg until Bettman has completely exhausted all of his options in Phoenix. Of course, if he finds someone with a billion dollars and a brain larger than a walnut to buy that team,  and keep it in the Arizona desert, he’ll be the greatest snake oil salesman in American history.

(5) Yes, I know it’s only pre-season, but I love watching the Cleveland Cavaliers win and the Miami Heat lose.

Sure, reality sets in on Tuesday when the regular season begins, but for now, watching LeBron score 30 and still lose gives me hope for the future of mankind.

(6) BTW, Montreal Alouettes head coach, Marc Trestman, the former Golden Gophers quarterback, would make a great coach at the University of Minnesota.

We’ll be back with a Bomber update in about an hour.

BOMBER POST SCIRPT

Final score: Toronto 27 Winnipeg 8.

The season is over for the Bombers. They’re 4-12 and all playoff hope is gone.

On the up-side, they probably have more built-in excuses than any losing team in history. In order:

(1) It’s Mike Kelly’s fault. He damaged the brand.

(2) Oh, damn, Buck Pierce got hurt.

(3) It’s the referee’s fault.

(4) It’s Steven Jyles fault.

(5) It’s Alex Brink’s fault.

(6) Oh damn, Steven Jyles got hurt.

(7) Oh damn, Alex Brink got hurt.

(8) It’s Joey Elliott’s fault.

Now that the Winnipeg mainstream media’s darlings are 4-12, Mike Kelly looks pretty good doesn’t he?

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There Was a Time When the Crossover Was A Reward…

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

When the Canadian Football League moved Winnipeg back to the East and created the crossover playoff structure, the crossover was a reward.

It was created to honor a good team stuck in a great Conference. For instance, if the East had a 13-5 team and  12-6 teams and your favorite team was 10-8, your favorite team would make the playoffs because the West probably had a 12-6 champ and, ay, three teams that were about 4-14. A 10-8 team deserves to be in the playoffs.

This year, however, a team that is 6-12 could conceivably reach the post-season in the crossover because the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos are so bad, they’re both embarrassments to the CFL.

Yesterday, the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-19 because when it really counted, the Bombers offence couldn’t make a play. It’s been the same sad story all year for Winnipeg. When they play on the road, they stink. They’re 0-8 away from Canad Inns this season and with a 4-3 record at home, the Bombers are now 4-11.

And still, because Edmonton beat B.C. 31-28 in overtime on Saturday night, the 4-11 Bombers still have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. Not only are Edmonton and B.C. both 5-10, there is no reason to believe either team will win another game this season.

Edmonton finishes the season at home to Saskatchewan, at home to Winnipeg and on the road at Saskatchewan. They could easily go 0-3 down the stretch. B.C. goes to Calgary, plays at home to Saskatchewan and goes to Hamilton. They could easily go 0-3 down the stretch. Winnipeg has Toronto at home this week, goes to Edmonton and plays host to Calgary. They could easily go 2-1 or even 3-0 down the stretch.

While the Canadian Press wanted to make it clear in their national game story yesterday that the Bombers were dead, nothing could be further from the truth. CP wrote, “The loss further dims the unlikely playoff hopes for the Blue Bombers,” when in fact, it doesn’t dim them much at all. After what happened on the weekend, the Bombers are officially two games back of Edmonton and B.C. (they must finish ahead of the Lions and Eskimos to claim the crossover) with three games to play and they have a relatively easy schedule to finish the year. The Lions and Eskimos have extremely difficult schedules. Winnipeg could make the playoffs with a 1-8 or even an 0-9 road record (if they win their two home games and B.C. and Edmonton lose out).

Look, the Bombers are a lousy football team, but they aren’t so lousy, they won’t make the playoffs.

And that, in itself, is as embarrassing to the CFL as the absolute dreadfulness of the three bottom teams in the league this year.


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Does LaPolice Owe Jyles An Apology? Or More?

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

You have to figure Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice owes Steven Jyles something. An apology maybe? His career, perhaps?

Thanksgiving Monday afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium, Jyles came off the bench with the Bombers trailing 32-11 in the fourth quarter and led the team back to a 32-32 tie by the end of regulation and then a 47-35 overtime victory.

It was an incredible finish, after starting quarterback Alex Brink did almost nothing – 4-for-18 for 61 yards. Whose stupid idea was that?

To his credit, LaPolice finally decided to go with Jyles and the guy who’d been benched bailed out his boss. The Bombers are now 4-10 and still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race and in the crossover playoff race. Who woulda thunk it?

So now, in hindsight — not ours, but the head coach’s – something clearly suggests that Alex Brink wasn’t  a very good idea. In fact, with the Bombers still in the playoff hunt, it was about as dumb a move as a coach could make. Brink was awful and he was awful for a long time. It wasn’t like he started strinly and got awful, he was awful from the get-go. Four-for-18? For 61 yards and no touchdowns? C’mon man.

In the end, Jyles, the jilted lover, rallied the Bombers to a remarkable come-from-behind victory making his coach look like genius, and a bonehead, all at the same time.

Considering that it was a great Thanksgiving weekend for the CFL’s Eastern Conference, the Bombers are still very much in the hunt for a crossover playoff spot. Because all four Eastern teams won — Hamilton beat Edmonton 36-11, Toronto upset Saskatchewan 24-19 and Montreal blasted Calgary 46-19 in the other three games in Week 15 — the Bombers are now 4-10, Edmonton is 4-10 and B.C. is 5-9 with four weeks left in the season. Perhaps a playoff spot isn’t such a longshot for Winnipeg.

Bomber fans should thank the Lord that their head coach, Paul LaPolice, noticed that Steven Jyles was still standing on the sideline yesterday or their head coach might have found himself responsible for one of the most boneheaded decisions in Blue Bomber history.

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Fans: You Just Have to Love ‘em. Too many of ‘em just don’t want to admit the ugly truth…

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

FARGO, N.D. — After spending two days watching the Minnesota Vikings work out, it’s nice just to sit in the press box at Fargo’s quaint little Newman Outdoor Field and watch baseball.

It’s a beautiful night, the place is full (it’s Fan Appreciation Night) and you can smell the hot dogs and hamburgers all the way up here on the suite level. Goldeyes-RedHawks games are always fun and while it appears Winnipeg is going to have to mount a comeback if they don’t want to fall below .500, it’s still great baseball.

Meanwhile, earlier this afternoon, I had a chance to watch Thursday night’s Bomber game and then read the comments at winnipegfreepress.com and winnipegsun.com. Some of them are quite insightful. Others are just laughable. Only a few of them seem to have the heart or the cojones to admit the truth: It’s a bad team, playing bad football.

While plenty of fans (surprisingly, dozens) want to blame the officials (the score was 39-17, that’s not the officials fault) and a couple of boneheads wanted to blame Fred Reid (Fred Reid?) who carried 13 times for 103 yards, there were a few who actually knew the ugly, unpopular truth: It’s official. Eight weeks into the season and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers under head coach Paul LaPolice are worse than they were under the hated Mike Kelly.

In Thursday night’s game at Molson Stadium in Montreal, the Montreal Alouettes lost quarterback Anthony Calvillo to a  bruised sternum in the first half and yet Montreal still whipped the Bombers by three touchdowns. Winnipeg is now 2-6 on the season. Last year, with Kelly at the helm, they were 3-5 after eight weeks. It’s a mess and it doesn’t appear as if it will get any better anytime soon.

In fact, the thought that this year’s version of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers could be 2-11 by the end of September is now legitimate. Thursday night, Bombers quarterback Steven Jyles could muster very little offence. He completed only 11-of-22 passes for 123 yards, watched his receivers drop balls and could put only 10 offensive points on the board. To be fair, Reid was solid and Jovon Johnson was sensational, but….

The Bombers are bad. Real bad. And it’s hard to see this team getting better fast enough to stop a sweep by Saskatchewan in early September, then losses to Toronto, Montreal again and B.C.

And how ugly would 2-11 really be?

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Bombers Lose Again … so is that a surprise? I mean, really?

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

I love reading the comments lists at both winnipegfreepress.com and winnipegsun.com. Everybody has an answer for what ails the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but few want to admit that this re-building team (yes, rebuilding again) isn’t quite good enough yet.

Saturday night the Bombers lost 29-22 in Hamilton. The CFL, being what it is, the Bombers will likely beat Hamilton when the teams return to play in Winnipeg this Friday night (The Bombers and Ti-Cats play four times in the first seven weeks. If that’s not the worst schedule in the history of professional sports, I’d like to see what is.).

Seems folks really want to blame kicker Alexis Serna for the loss, but to his credit, head coach Paul LaPolice took the blame. The team’s offence isn’t much, but it did get the ball to the Hamilton three and did  have a chance in the dying seconds to tie the game at 29 thanks to Hamilton coach Marcel Bellefeuille’s boneheaded decision to go for two instead of kicking the extra point with an almost eternal seven minutes left to play.

That’s what I still don’t understand about CFL coaches. They all seem to panic (with perhaps the exception of Montreal’s Marc Tretsman or Calgary’s John Hufnagel) in the final eight or nine minutes, but the final eight or nine minutes can take hours of real time to play. The final three minutes, in which the clock stops after EVERY play, probably allows for six possession changes.

Oh well, Bellefeuille dodged a bullet and the Bombers gassed it on the Hamilton three-yard-line and now Winnipeg and Hamilton are both 2-4 and nobody should be surprised. After all, Winnipeg knew all week — hell, they talked about it all week — that they had to shut down Arland Bruce III and yet he still caught 11 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. C’mon people.

Of course, that’s the price you pay when you re-build a franchise every year or so. It takes time to build a winner and the Bombers often find themselves using the first eight to 10 weeks of a season to get their personnel arranged and their act in gear.

The concern this year is a more simple one, however. It’s the lousy schedule. After playing the stinky Ti-Cats this Friday night, they go to Montreal and Regina, get the Roughriders back in Winnipeg on Sept. 12, go to Toronto on the 19th and then get Montreal — on a short week — back in Winnipeg on Sept. 24. It’s conceivable this Bomber team could head into October at 3-9 and that wouldn’t be good.

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