Tag Archives: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Will It Be Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? Expect Bad Kevin.

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Kevin Glenn 229x300 Will It Be Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? Expect Bad Kevin.

Kevin Glenn

This Sunday at Canad Inns Stadium, Kevin Glenn returns to Winnipeg — again — with the Eastern Conference championship on the line.

According to the Hamilton Spectator, this is a big game for Glenn and there is “revenge” at stake. Huh? Evidently, because Glenn was released by Winnipeg three years ago — that’s THREE years ago — and while Hamilton has played Winnipeg at least three times every season since then, this is suddenly the biggest of all big games to Glenn and his apologists.

Seems the one-trick ponies in the mainstream news media still need reasons to rip Mike Kelly so they pulled this old nut out of the bag: The “Mike Kelly was a bad coach because he released Kevin Glenn.” line of baloney.

And believe me, it IS a line of baloney.

First of all, Bombers president Lyle Bauer had as much to do with the release of Glenn as Kelly did because Bauer had already made it known that he had no desire to pay Glenn his bonus for showing up to camp in 2009.

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Mike Kelly in happier times.

Secondly, why wouldn’t a smart president, GM and head coach want to release Glenn? In Winnipeg, he was a .500 quarterback. Since leaving Winnipeg the most inconsistent QB in recent CFL history has guided his Hamilton Tiger-Cats to records of 9-9, 9-9- and 8-10. The fact he helped his team beat an aging Montreal Alouettes team with one of the worst defences in the CFL in the Eastern semifinal in order to get to Winnipeg this week is no reason to believe that Glenn will be any good this Sunday. Chances are very good he’ll do what he does best: Throw interceptions with the game on the line.

This Sunday afternoon, in front of a full house at Canada Inns Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will play host to Kevin Glenn and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Bombers are 3.5-point favorites for a a number of reasons: No. 1, the Bombers beat Hamilton three times in three meetings this season, No. 2, the Bombers defence will eat Kevin Glenn alive and No. 3, the Bombers will likely have Buck Pierce at quarterback, a guy who, when he’s healthy, is twice the quarterback Glenn was in Winnipeg or is in Hamilton.

If the mainstream media wants to continue to rip Kelly, rip him for not getting a shot at Pierce while he was the coach. Do not rip him for releasing Glenn. Glenn isn’t a .500 quarterback in Hamilton. There is no reason to believe he’ll beat Winnipeg this week no matter what level of “revenge” is at stake.

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A Huge Weekend Coming Up: What Does it Mean?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
0915martinjpg2 300x198 A Huge Weekend Coming Up: What Does it Mean?

Josh Freeman

TAMPA, Fla. — There is nothing better than a long weekend. You don’t have to go to bed early, you don’t have to get up early and there is usually enough sports on the tube that there isn’t one dull moment.

This weekend here in sunny Florida, the Houston Texans take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, but don’t worry, there’s more. Lots more.

In fact, there’s a load of NFL games on TV, more than enough college football to fill your boots, plus hockey and fighting — both boxing and MMA. The CFL playoffs begin, Tiger is hot in Australia while John Daly is off in Oz playing Kevin Costner’s character in Tin Cup.

While we remember our fathers and grandfathers and all the people who fought to keep Canada free, we can also take comfort in the fact they left us a nation that loves sports — and really loves to argue about it.

So with that in mind, here are five outstanding sporting events taking place this Remembrance Day weekend.

Let’s have an argument.

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Tiger Woods

1. Tiger Woods Heats Up in Australia:

I know, the world is full of Tiger haters, but I’m afraid I’m not one of them. I hope Tiger shoots 62 every time he tees it up just to piss off the people who hate his guts. I also can’t watch golf on TV unless Tiger is in contention. Televised golf these days would put hyperactive children to sleep if Tiger isn’t playing.

So heading into the weekend, Tiger has gone 68-67 at the Lakes Country Club in Sydney and at nine under, he holds a one-shot lead over Peter O’Malley.

He talked after Round 2 as if he was ready to win again.

“I think experience comes with managing myself and my game,” Woods told reporters at the post-round news conference. “I’ve been there a few times and I understand how to do it. All the things that can happen, I’ve experienced a lot of it.”

Go get ‘em Tiger.

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Anthony Calvillo

2. The CFL Playoffs Start:

The Winnipeg Bombers don’t play again until Sunday, Nov. 20 when they play host to the CFL’s Eastern final at Canad Inns Stadium. More than 27,000 tickets have already been sold for that game and no doubt, it will be a sellout. Bomber fans have waited since 20o1 to cheer for a first place and this year they’ll be at the stadium screaming themselves horse.

Buck Pierce says he’ll be ready to start at quarterback when the Bombers face the winner of this Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal between the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The Alouettes are favored by 5.5 points. Game time is 12 Noon. Meanwhile, in the Western semifinal Calgary will play at Edmonton at 3:30. The Eskimos are favored by 2.5.

It says here that Montreal and Edmonton will emerge victorious this weekend, but both teams will lose in the Conference finals. That means we’re looking at a Winnipeg-B.C. Grey Cup on Nov. 27 at B.C. Place Stadium.

You heard it here first.

3. Two Gigantic Saturday Night Fights:

This Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines returns to the ring for a re-match against Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez and it will be a dandy. It’s being billed as Pacquiao-Marquez III at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and it’s the rubber match at 144 pounds for Pacquiao and Marquez.

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Manny Pacquiao

The first time Pacquiao fought Marquez in 2004, he knocked him down three times and settled for a draw. The second time, in 2008, Pacquiao won by split decision. There are some who think Marquez is a better fighter. Both Big Will Prince and I picked Pacquaio to win by a unanimous decision. This will be a long, hard, wonderful fight by two of the best pound-for-pound warriors on the planet.

Meanwhile, on the MMA side of the ledger, the UFC heavyweight title will be up for grabs on Saturday night in the first UFC on Fox main event with champion Cain Velasquez taking on top contender Junior Dos Santos. There will be nine preliminary bouts but only one main event – that’s for Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight title and on Streetz 104.7 this week both Big Will and I picked the veteran warrior, Cain Velasquez, to defend his belt,

However, our fight expert, Marc-Andre Drolet from The Fight Network, said he was ready to place a bet on Dos Santos in an upset.

The fight is free on Fox on Saturday, live from the Honda Centre in Anaheim, Cal.

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Claude Noel

4. The Jets Play in Columbus:

The 5-8-3 Winnipeg Jets, coming off a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime loss in Buffalo on Tuesday night and a dud — a 5-2 loss to Florida — at home on Thursday, take to the road to face the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

The Jets can’t afford to sleep walk through this one like they did against Florida on Thursday.

After all, they get one game on the road and then return to Winnipeg to face Tampa on Monday, Washington on Thursday and Philly next Saturday. The road game will be the easiest of the next four.

After Thursday’s loss head coach Claude Noel said: “We were not good from the goaltender out, what do you want me to say?”

Thank you, coach, for the thoughtful, candid, honest response. I watched the game at Buffalo Wild Wings in Orlando on Thursday night and the locals laughed at my favorite hockey team. They had better be better on Saturday or a desperate Columbus team will rip them.

Meanwhile, there is still talk in Jets circles about moving Dustin Byfuglien from defense to forward, but head coach Claude Noel doesn’t want to make the move because Byfuglien “Doesn’t want to play forward,” and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff doesn’t want to make the move because he likes Byfuglien on the ice 22-24 minutes a night on defense while he’d only play 15-17 minutes at forward. Which, of course, didn’t matter much in Buffalo after two of Byfuglien’s mistakes cost the Jets a pair of goals.

This debate will continue for awhile.

Aaron+Rodgers+Greg+Jennings+Minnesota+Vikings+QbqC68PkqrOl 287x300 A Huge Weekend Coming Up: What Does it Mean?

Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings

5. Indy to 0-10, Green Bay to 9-0:

I’m not convinced the Jacksonville Jaguars are any good, but I am convinced they’re better than the 0-9 Indianapolis Colts. However, the Colts aren’t going to go 0-16 this season (my Lions have already EARNED that notoriety) and if they’re going to win a game this year, this is it. It goes Sunday at Noon (CST) and yet if they were playing it in my back yard, I wouldn’t open the drapes to watch it. This might be one of the worst NFL games this season.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, the Green Bay Packers play host to the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay will win because Aaron Rodgers will throw a pantload of TD passes against that dreadful Vikings defensive secondary. How about 48-36 Green Bay?

The Packers will improve to 9-0 and will only have two semi-difficult games in their final seven. We could be witnessing another 16-0 season.

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Bombers Backed Into First? Well No, Not Really.

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Jovon Johnson 2 200x300 Bombers Backed Into First? Well No, Not Really.

The Bombers Most Outstanding Player Jovon Johnson (Photos by Shawn Coates)

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did everything humanly possible on Saturday afternoon to pull off, well, the impossible.

Trailing 24-0 to the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary, early in the second quarter, the Bombers battled all the way back before losing 30-24. However, they did have two opportunities in the final four minutes to do something with the football. In other words, they had a chance to win.

On Sunday morning, there were a handful of pundits across the country who wanted to suggest that the Bombers “backed into first place in the CFL’s Eastern Conference,” but nothing could be further from the truth. Finishing first isn’t making the playoffs. Finishing first is a combination of playing well enough all season long and then winning the right games. The Bombers did that.

Granted, the Bombers finished 10-8. Granted, they lost their final two games of the season. Granted, they won only three of their last 10 games. However, on Saturday, Oct. 22, the Bombers came back from a 25-10 deficit after three quarters and beat the Montreal Alouettes 26-25. That was the difference and that’s why nobody backed into anything.

Over the final two weeks, Montreal lost 32-27 at home to Calgary and 43-1 in B.C. That’s hardly catching the Bombers and allowing a slumping team to finish first. As bad as the Bombers might have been, the Alouettes lost their final THREE games, including the game against Winnipeg that ultimately determined the first-place finisher in the East.

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Clint Kent and the great Bombers Defense.

It might have been an ugly way to finish the season for Winnipeg, but it was even uglier for Montreal. And just as we predicted all week on Streetz 104.7 in Winnipeg, “The Bombers would probably lose to Calgary, but Montreal will get pasted in B.C.” And that’s exactly what happened.

In the meantime, Bombers No. 2 quarterback Alex Brink got a lot more comfortable with the Canadian game on saturday and if he has to play against the winner of the Montreal-Hamilton game next week, he’ll be able to handle the situation without much difficulty.

Although quite frankly, the Bombers are going to play in the 2011 Grey Cup. Winnipeg’s defense is clearly the best in the East and because of it, the Bombers will whip either Montreal or Hamilton (Hamilton?) at Canad Inns Stadium on Nov. 20 and WILL be playing in Vancouver on Nov. 27.

Mark my words. The 99th Grey Cup game at B.C. Place Stadium will feature the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the B.C. Lions. And on Nov. 27, nobody will be even hinting that the Bombers “backed in” to first place.

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CFL Official Dismissed for Bad Call (See Below)

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

We learned earlier today — and TSN confirmed it tonight — that the Canadian Football League dismissed side judge Rick Berezowski on Monday.

Berezowski is the official who threw the flag on the phantom pass interference call against Montreal’s Greg Laybourn on the goal line late in the game on Friday night in Winnipeg – originally I thought it was Dave Foxcroft, but the league knows best.

Director of officiating Tom Higgins called the decision by Berezowski to throw the flag: “absolutely terrible.”

As you read on Saturday (see below), I thought it was the worst call in CFL history, but I quickly realized that that type of thinking was too hyperbolic even for me. Fact is, it was just another bad call by a group of officials who make bad calls on a regular basis.

There were, surprisingly, quite a large number of people who thought that Higgins and the league’s executives were  being far too hard on Berezowski (I sure feel bad for the guy), but in this case I agree with Higgins’ decision. It was an egregiously bad call at a horrible time and could have changed the outcome of the game. Fact is, the side judge didn’t see the play at all and threw the flag only when he saw the Bombers’ Greg Carr fall down (nice dive, by the way).

CFL Official Dismissed for Bad Call (See Below)

Greg Carr

This was a gutsy call by Higgins. It demonstrated that the CFL is going to hold its officials as accountable as the league’s coaches hold the players. And in the CFL, especially, we all know that if a player makes one small mistake, no problem, but if he makes a huge mistake that costs his team a football game, chances are good he’ll be handed an airline ticket the next day.

The call turned a great football game into a chaotic mess at the end. Upon further review the perpetrator was penalized.

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Chaos, Mayhem Best Describe Finish of Bombers-Als Fiasco

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-26 at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday night. In the end, the officials had nothing to do with the final score.

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alex brink1 212x300 Chaos, Mayhem Best Describe Finish of Bombers Als Fiasco

Alex Brink of the Bombers

Let me preface this by saying I have absolutely no use for Canadian Football League referee Al Bradbury’s crew. For full disclosure, this bunch has been the only crew I’ve rated a “Slug” in my weekly CFL Stars and Slugs column at www.fantrax.com.

These were the donkeys who let this year’s Winnipeg-Saskatchewan Labor Day Classic get out of hand at the end, resulting in penalties and disqualifications that simply made the CFL look foolish.

So imagine my thrill when they showed up in Winnipeg on Friday to call the Bombers-Als game. You knew it would get stupid and just as if a call had been made to the crew on the field (“Hey boys, it’s the Commish, time to screw it up, now.”), it did.

It all started with 14 seconds left on the clock when Bombers quarterback Alex Brink threw a desperation pass to no one in the end zone on third-and-10. That should have ended the game right there and while 30,000 Winnipeg fans would have gone home disappointed, the league would not have looked bush.

But it did. That’s because for some inexplicable reason a pass interference call was made against Montreal defensive back Greg Laybourn for getting karate chopped and held by Bombers receiver Greg Carr. If there was interference on the play — which every replay clearly showed there was not — it should have gone against Carr, but because Bradbury’s crew tends to become visually impaired near the end of the game, a flag was thrown and pass interference in the end zone was called against Laybourn.

Now remember, the ball was thrown 20 yards away from Carr. One might have come to the conclusion that he was the intended receiver, but the fact is, the ball was thrown away while Carr beat on Laybourn at the goal line. However, Carr, who would be a prize winner at the Academy of Broadcasting’s acting class, just fell down and out came the flag. At the time the flag was thrown I called it, “The worst call in CFL history,” but that’s probably overstating it. There have been so many bad calls in the CFL, that it was really just another night at the ballyard.

Meanwhile, back at the stadium, the Bombers now had first-and-goal from the one with eight seconds left. On the first play it appeared as if Brink had bulled his way over the goal line but no signal was given, the officials said “no touchdown” so when they checked replay there was no clear evidence to change the call. That left second and goal from the one with five seconds left. Now, remember, the first play took three seconds. The second play, a carbon copy of the first play apparently took five seconds.

Clearly, Brink didn’t get in on second down, but even on replay, when TSN gave us a whistle-to-whistle look, it took only four seconds to run the play. There should have been time for one more play from the one.

But no, Bradbury says “clock is correct,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice argues, nobody listens, game over.

Now, frankly, this game should never have reached the point of bush-league fiasco at the end. There was no interference on Laybourn. Period. But in an inadvertent effort to make the CFL look bad again, the Bradbury Crew found a way to screw things up. The only thing that didn’t make the league look completely stupid was the fact the phantom pass interference call didn’t change the outcome of the game.

You know, the football played in the CFL, even by backups (see: Winnipeg Blue Bombers), is pretty good. Too bad the league hasn’t been able to find officiating crews on a par with the players.

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Bomber Almost In Playoffs and Yet The Jets Just Get Bigger.

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

Today is an amazing day here in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are now 8-3. Even though they had struggled for a couple of weeks, they won a dandy game over Montreal, 25-23, on Sunday and pretty much put an exclamation point on first place in the East. In fact, the 8-3 Bombers not only lead second-place 6-5 Montreal by four points, they have all but locked up a playoff berth considering the lowly Argos are now 2-9 and there are only seven weeks left. In fact, a win over Toronto this coming Saturday night at Rogers Centre and the Bombers will have locked up a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

justin verlander of detroit 580 243x300 Bomber Almost In Playoffs and Yet The Jets Just Get Bigger.

The Tigers' Justin Verlander, now 24-5

Meanwhile, the NFL season has started and my Detroit Lions are 2-0. My Detroit Tigers have clinched the American League Central and, depending on the year, any one of Jose Valverde, Justin Verlander or Miguel Cabrera could be American League MVP. NHL training camps are not only underway all over North America, but the pre-season schedule has already started. Man, it’s a pro sports wonderland.

And yet the only topic of conversation here on the edge of the prairie is the Winnipeg Jets. Even my friends — who for years have been faithful followers of the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens — have suddenly become die-hard Jets fans (that list does not include Toronto fan Kevin Arnst or Boston fan Al Castell who loved their teams even when the old Jets played in Winnipeg and say they still do). They have fallen in love with everything there is about the Jets. They love the logos, the colors, the schedule, the ticket prices, you name it , they love it. In fact, if you dare to criticize anything about this team, they will literally tear your face off with their vitriol.

To prove it, this past Saturday at MTS Iceplex, I saw something that never, ever would have happened during the last incarnation of the Jets — 2,000 people crammed into a tiny Junior A hockey rink to watch their favorite team practice.

They stood and cheered when Nikolai Antropov was the first Jet to take to the ice. They stood and cheered when a goal was scored during a scrimmage. They cheered a great pass. They cheered a not-so-great pass. The last time the Jets played in Winnipeg, there were a handful of people who would show up at the Arena to watch practice, but not very many.  If there was a special day, three or four thousand would show up, but that’s it. Saturday was simply the opening of training camp and yet the place was jam packed.

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Evander Kane

“This is going to be a lot of fun,” said Jets star Evander Kane, when asked about playing in Winnipeg. “I think it’s great. It’s a lot different from Vancouver or Atlanta. The fans here are just outstanding and from what we saw on Saturday, very enthusiastic. People are very friendly. I think we all really appreciate the support we’re getting from the city.

“I just wanted to play in Canada. It really didn’t matter where. And Winnipeg is going to be a great place to play.”

Winnipeg fans, your Jets have noticed. Tuesday night, when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets at MTS Centre, most of the players are expecting a welcome that they’ve never received before — at any time in their careers.

And they can’t imagine what’s going to happen at the opener on Oct. 9.

“Playing that first game in Winnipeg is going to be an incredible thing,” said former Boston Bruins leftwinger Blake Wheeler, now a Jet. “It’s going to be one of the biggest, loudest, most memorable games any of these guys have ever played. I think we’re all really excited about it.”

In case you forgot, it’s Oct. 9 against Montreal. 4 p.m. CDT. But, I’m sure everybody knows that by now. Heck, every Canadian probably knows that by now.

*   *   *

GREAT SERVICE AND SELECTION AT RIVER CITY SPORTS

I’m going to take a moment to brag a little about the folks here at River City Sports.

Betsy Jets 223x300 Bomber Almost In Playoffs and Yet The Jets Just Get Bigger.

Betsy Taylor and her Jets hoodie from River City Sports St. Vital.

My 27-year-old daughter Betsy lives in Orlando and wanted to make sure she had some Jets gear when she attends the Jets-Tampa Bay Lightning game on Oct. 29, at the St. Pete Times Forum (by the way, tickets for that game are selling for $8.00 each on Stub Hub) in downtown Tampa. So off she went to the River City Sports outlet near my home, the one on Dakota St. in St. Vital.

As you can see in the accompanying photo, she got exactly what she wanted — a girls hoodie that was nicely fitted and had the “Jets” script, as opposed to the logo.

“People in Florida won’t know what the main logo means,” she said  with a laugh. “I wanted a hoodie with ‘Winnipeg Jets’ on it and this was great. I like the fit and the stitching is cool and the service was great.”

Obviously, if you need Jets gear, see the folks at River City Sports. Betsy’s hoodie is top shelf.

 

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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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Not Much Swagger on Labor Day

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The problem with something like Swaggerville is that when things don’t go well, Swaggerville can become a bit of a joke. It can certainly become a launching pad for well-placed barbs from the opposition and its fans.

Poor Buck. Not a Good Day 300x221 Not Much Swagger on Labor Day

Poor Buck. Not a Good Day (Reuters)

Sunday afternoon the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were drilled 27-7 by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labor Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. It’s not like the outcome was entirely unexpected even though the boys from Swaggerville went into the game with a 7-1 record and the lowly Green Riders were 1-7. This was the seventh consecutive year in which the Riders have won the Labor Day Classic, so no, it wasn’t a big surprise.

I see where one of our local papers tried to suggest that Saskatchewan’s offence controlled the game and the “vaunted Swaggerville defence,” didn’t get the job done, but the trouble with that statement is that it lets the absent Bombers offence off the hook.

Let’s ignore Swaggerville for a minute and look at the football game. The Blue Bombers offence was awful. Period. End of argument. The defensive secondary made three big mistakes, but over 65 plays, that’s going to happen. You simply can’t start blaming the defence when you watch this:

1) The Bombers did not score a touchdown. That used to be almost impossible in the CFL, back in the days of Matt Dunigan, Tom Clements, Tracy Ham, Damon Allen and Kent Austin. These days, playing an entire CFL game without scoring a TD is reaching the level of normal.

2) Two Bomber quarterbacks combined to go 23-for-35 for 234 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Alex Brink threw the interception while Buck Pierce lost a fumble. Turnovers will kill any team and they sure killed the Bombers.

3) Fred Reid carried 14 times for a meagre 35 yards (2.5 yards per carry). Not good. But was it entirely Reid’s fault? The Bombers offensive line did not have a banner day. There were not a lot of holes. Riders linebacker Jerrell Freeman had seven tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. There’s your CFL defensive player of the week.

4) The Bombers did not have a 100-yard rusher nor a 100-yard receiver. In fact, the Bombers rushed for a mere 57 yards. Total.

5) The Bombers had five two-and-outs. Offensive coordinator Jamie Barresi should be ashamed of himself. What was he watching up in that press box? He’d have been better off just throwing it up for Greg Carr and hoping he might come down with it. After all, those six-yard passes to Kito Poblah got nothing accomplished.

Now let’s be reasonable. The Bombers were not going to go 17-1. That was simply not going to happen. But between “Swaggerville” and that cheeky billboard they bought in Regina, the Bombers had to eat a little humble pie on Sunday. On the upside, a 27-7 shellacking is a good teacher sometimes.

If they handle it properly, it could be the best thing that ever happened to them. Go home with a little humility and pick up the season from, say, that 28-16 win over Edmonton back on Aug. 5.

Of course, while they’re at it, they might want to do something about that offence. It’s stinky.

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A Remarkable Night in the ‘Peg

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

I won’t call Winnipeg “Swaggerville,” because that seems to be something owned by the members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And make no mistake, this little monologue is about Winnipeg, not just about one team.

On Friday night, we witnessed what was almost a perfect storm.

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Buck Pierce in front of 30,033 fans (photo by Shawn Coates)

Over on Maroons Road, the Blue Bombers drew 30,033 spectators to watch the home football side beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-27 and improve to 7-1 on the season.

Meanwhile, down at the East End of Portage Ave., the Winnipeg Goldeyes drew 8,065 fans to Shaw Park to watch the Local 9 whip their arch-rivals, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 9-5, to wrap up the American Association’s North Division pennant.

However, while it was definitely an evening of celebration at both venues, it was also one of the most remarkable nights in Winnipeg sports history. On one night, there were 38,098 Winnipeg sports fans watching two professional teams at exactly the same time. And both games were also on TV.

Now that’s not the largest pair of crowds ever to watch two pro sports teams in Winnipeg on the same day. Back in the 1990s, the Bombers and Jets often combined to surpass the 40,000 mark on the same day. But this might have been the largest double crowd for two teams playing at exactly the same time and it was first time anyone could remember that two Winnipeg teams drew more fans than there were actual permanent seats available for them to sit in — at exactly the same time with both teams on TV.

The Bombers added 500 temporary seats — and sold them all  in a few hours — to get from 29,533 seats to 30,033. The Goldeyes, meanwhile, sold tickets on the grass berm and probably a few standing room spots to surpass the 7,481 permanent seats at their beautiful little downtown ball park.

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Goldeyes manager Rick Forney

There is nothing like a winner to grab peoples’ interest and when you have two winners, folks will obviously respond. With Friday night’s 9-5 win, the Goldeyes swept a four-game series from Fargo this week to improve to 58-38 — 20 games over .500 for the first time since 2003. It was also the first time the Fish had clinched a division title since 2003.

It was also a night to celebrate Rick Forney’s outstanding season as manager of the Goldeyes. In his sixth year as the Goldeyes’ skipper, he built a winner by bringing in (a) an commplished group of veteran leaders and (b) the four best rookies in the American Association and as a result, he won a championship and was named 2011 Manager of the Year.

As well, the Goldeyes reversed a trend this season. After dropping in attendance every year from 2004-2010, the Goldeyes turned things around. Last year, the team drew 271,399 fans and then missed the playoffs. This year, the Fish have drawn 286,885 spectators and the team has at least two playoff games remaining. Getting back to 300,000 is s possibility.

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Ace Walker (Photo by Shawn Coates)

“It’s been awesome to be part of this,” said Ace Walker who joined Chris Salamida as the second Goldeyes pitcher to pick up his 10th win of the season this week. “Last year, at the end, was really an emotional time for me (he threw a one-hitter in the final game of the year and thought it would be his final game with the Goldeyes). I don’t think baseball will ever be out of my blood. I think I’ll always want to play. But last year, I thought maybe I was done. Then Rick (manager Forney) really impressed me with the people he was bringing in and when he asked me to play, I really wanted to be part of it. I’m glad I came back.”

Meanwhile, the 7-1 Bombers have four home games remaining and all 30,033 seats available for the Banjo Bowl on Sept. 11, have been sold. That means the Bombers are on pace to set a post-1999 franchise attendance record (1999 was when the available seating at Canad Inns Stadium was actually lowered for the Pan Am Games) in the final year of the Old Dump on Maroons. Next year, the Bombers will move into a brand new 33,000-seat stadium on the campus of the U of M and they’ll do it with a good team playing great football. In fact, after Montreal’s loss to Calgary on Sunday, the Bombers are now four points up on the Alouettes in the CFL East.

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The Awesome Bombers D (photo by Shawn Coates)

The Bombers are 7-1 now and with all things being fair and equal, they could very well finish somewhere between 13-5 and 16-2, depending on how well they play down the stretch. This is a team with a remarkable defence that actually got a little help from Buck Pierce and the offence on Friday night.

When the Winnipeg Jets play their home opener on Oct. 9, they could be following a pro baseball championship and a pro football team that is oh, say, 11-3 (as a conservative sports pundit, I still can’t call them winners against Montreal … yet). No wonder Winnipeggers are excited about sports these days.

In fact, any suggestion that there is not a Sports Renaissance in this city is coming from people who think the earth is flat.

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Two Nice Teams

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

On Monday night I had the honor, once again, to play host to the Hearts of Blue and Gold Dinner for Variety the Children’s Charity at Earl’s St. Vital in Winnipeg. The people from Variety are wonderful and our hosts from Earl’s are always terrific. It never fails to be a great evening.

I’ve been the Master of Ceremonies at this twice-a-season dinner now for eight years and I will admit, for many of those years, it was a chore. There were times when the Bombers weren’t very good, the team really didn’t want to spend an evening with the public and for Obby Khan, the Bomber who arranges the player appearances for this event, attracting participants was like pulling teeth.

That was not the case on Monday night. There were 17 current Bombers at the dinner and five alumni stars and with the team 6-1 and a heavy favorite to beat Hamilton in front of a sellout at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday night, the players who attended all seemed happy to be there. In fact, even the ones who probably wanted to be someplace else bought into the importance of this fund raising event and worked hard to make the evening enjoyable for everyone in attendance.

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Obby Khan: A great Friend of Variety

As I always do during these events, I try to spend as much time as I can with the players. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the team away from the Stadium, and this year’s crew is nice to be around. From Joe Lobendahn to Mike Renaud, from Clint Kent to Andre Douglas and from Alex Suber to Alex Brink, this is a team that has learned how to win and has learned how to handle itself in public. They were all true gentlemen and carried themselves with humility and self-deprecation.

Swaggerville is fun, but that’s not the real personality of this team. As team president Jim Bell, who also attended the dinner (without fanfare, by the way), found out on Monday, he has a very nice group filled with respectful people who are professional in every way.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent the entire baseball season in the midst of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and that’s another team that should make Winnipeg proud. This is a team that does not believe winning is easy and it also believes that representing a community is a big part of a professional athlete’s list of responsibilities.

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Andrew Walker

From Ace Walker to Chris Salamida and from Brian Myrow to Lou Ott and Wes Long, the Goldeyes are a professional baseball team that works hard, acts professionally and wins a lot more often than it loses.

Winnipeg is extremely fortunate this summer to boast two winning teams that also represent the community with class. The Goldeyes head into a four-game series with Fargo on Tuesday night with a four-game lead over the St. Paul Saints. Their magic number for clinching the American Association’s North Division is four. There is no cockiness involved in this club. It’s about hard work and winning games — and always showing up for the post-game autograph session with the fans.

Meanwhile, the Bombers have played tremendous football en route to a 6-1 record and sole possession of first place in the Canadian Football League’s Eastern Conference. Friday night, the Bombers are 4.5-point favorites to beat Hamilton and remain in first.

Winnipeg is lucky to be able to cheer these two exceptional teams. One can’t wait to see if the city’s new NHL team is equally exceptional — both on and off the ice.

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