Saturday night was the biggest game of the season for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Riding a three game win streak, the green and white invaded McMahon Stadium in Calgary looking to knock off the hometown Stampeders and cling to their hopes of first place in the CFL's Western Division. In the end a 29 - 25 loss was the result and one that has brought with it much controversy and an abundance of different reactions. From it being a small bump in the road to pack it in, the season is over; Rider fans have lashed out and reacted in a number of different ways. In a nutshell, here are my thoughts:
* Once again everyone wants to blame this on Darian Durant. Let's stop and think for a moment. He didn't play great, but did he lose us this game. He did march us down the field to take the lead with under five minutes remaining. He got sacked seven times and hit a bunch. He didn't turn the ball over until the bitter end but even then the game had in my opinion been lost. Could he have been better? Sure. Did he put us in a position to win? Yes. Is this on him? No. According to my calculations this is the third time he has marched us down field and gave us a chance to win a game only to see the defence unable to hang on to the lead. Those of you who pin everything on him and say we will never win a Grey Cup with him at the helm, I would like to remind you of the Nealon Greene days. Aah, good times.
* That being said, I do not want to appear critical of the defense as I thought they were pretty good for most of the game on Saturday. A pile of pressure in the first half leading to four turnovers which could have been turned into more points. That being said, this team seems to have a bad reputation for being unable to make that key stop when needed.
* That takes me to my next point. With the Stamps down three they faced a 2nd and long. Terrell Maze plays it perfectly, knocking the ball down which forces a 3rd down gamble but more likely a punt with that much time remaining. A couple of first downs and the game is won, but wait!! There is a flag on the play; pass interference for playing it exactly as the rule book says is acceptable. Whoa, another flag?! Here's another 15 yards for objectionable conduct on the bench. The extra fifteen yards was unnecessary because it came on the heels of a terrible call in the first place. Turn the clock back to the first half and Dwight Anderson gets a 15 yarder for what? From what I can tell for being flagged in the past. Reputation and not action was the reason for that flag. The officiating in this league has become atrocious. Sadly, the ineptitude of these men to get it right, or at least less wrong than they have been is going to cost somebody a title at some point. What is the answer to increasing the consistency and quality of officiating at this CFL level? If someone has it, Tom Higgins could sure use it.
* Kory Sheets had a meltdown on Saturday night. A meltdown rivalled by my two year old son when told I refuse to watch the 'Cat in the Hat' for the eighth time in three days. That being said, I am unsure how to react to this. On one side it looks selfish and self - centred. He did after all spend the week talking about how he is better than Calgary's Jon Cornish, something he was unable to prove on Saturday; something that clearly upset him. On the other hand, the guy was given three carries in the first half. Twice we were inside the ten with first and goal and he never touched it on either occasion. Is it just me or do you want the ball in the hands of your play - makers? Perhaps they abandoned the run far too quickly. I mean Cornish fumbled twice in the first half but they kept feeding him the ball. I can see the argument that Cortez slighted Sheets and his abilities. At the end of the day, he maybe had a reason to be upset but didn't have to act the way he did. In my books, water under the bridge, move forward, have it make you hungrier, prove your worth in the post - season. Fair enough?
* All that aside, as I said on this blog last week, Saturday night was NOT the game I wanted to beat Calgary in. Rather, I want to beat them on November 17th. Provided we take care of BC at home on November 10th, let's go in there and prove as Dwight Anderson so eloquently stated that the Riders are better than Calgary. I, unlike many of the loyal fans refuse to turn my back on the team, any players, management, etc. I remain a loyal supporter of this football team. After all, that is what 'real fans' do.
The Edmonton Oilers continue to struggle.
The New York Islanders got robbed yesterday. Right before their very eyes the Buffalo Sabres walked in and fleeced them. Headed to the Island is Thomas Vanek. On the way back to Buffalo, Matt Moulson, the Isles 1st this year and 2nd next. All that for a guy who is a UFA at the end of the season and could very well leave. That is a hefty price to pay for a glorified 'rental'. Moulson is a guy I have liked more and more every year. A guy who quietly puts up good numbers and never complains. A guy who was there through some very thin times in New York and right when it appears they are turning the page and becoming a legitimate force in the East he get's a one way ticket to Buffalo, arguably the only team in the league worse than Edmonton. The 'unfairness' of sport at its best.
Willie Middlebrooks tripped Allen Craig on Saturday night giving the Cardinals a 5 - 4 victory in Game Three of the World Series, a series that has now been evened up by the Red Sox. Jake Peavey called it a joke, John Farrell wanted a rule that has been in place for more than 150 years taken from the books. Really? The guy cheated, got called on it and his team lost because of it. I give Jim Joyce credit for having the 'balls' to call it. I don't care if it is the World Series or game 34 of the season, the rules are the rules. Middlebrooks says he was trying to get 'up'; lie down on your belly right now and try to get up....what do your legs do? I know what mine do and they look nothing like Willie Middlebrooks on Saturday night.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
The Weekend Randoms...
It was a little wet and damp, but even the weather couldn't ruin the mood at Mosaic Stadium Saturday evening. The Saskatchewan Roughriders took advantage of eight, that's right, EIGHT B.C. turnovers en route to a 35 - 14 victory over their western foes. The win assures the Riders no worse than second place in the CFL's West Division meaning there will be play - off football in Regina for the first time since Jason Clermont sent the fans home happy in 2010.
In all of the excitement of the victory and the home play - off berth, still people find reasons to complain. Go on twitter or Rod Pederson's blog and still some bemoan the play of Darian Durant and the Rider offence. To this, I say the following:
* By the numbers B.C. came into the game with the top rated defence in the CFL
* It was raining most of the game, can't imagine gripping the football was at a premium which could hinder accuracy
* He wasn't Thomas Demarco
* After sixteen games, DD leads the league in TD passes, is second in yards and near the top when it comes to interceptions
* He ran the ball which a lot of people have called for recently
* WE WON!!!!
The odds may be against us but hosting the Western Final is not out of the realm of possibility. I will not get ahead of things yet though. What I really look forward to about this weekend's clash at McMahon agains the Stamps is to see how well we play against undeniably the best team in the league at the moment. Can we shut down Jon Cornish, something most teams have been unable to do the last two months? Can we move the ball with consistency? Can we continue to get the pressure on the opposing QB against a very good Calgary O - Line? Win or lose on Saturday, this will be a very good litnus test to see where we are at this point in the season. A close lose will not bother me. And besides, is this really the game we want to beat Calgary in? I say no, I would expect to play them in November, and THAT is the game I want to surely beat them in.
What a horrific weekend for the NFL in terms of injuries. Lost for the season are Sam Bradford, Reggie Wayne and Doug Martin. Out for extended periods of time are Jay Cutler and Arian Foster. As I said to a friend this morning who talked about the roughness of football, yeah it's a contact sport and these things happen. It is just unfortunate for these individuals and their teams.
Spark up the band, the Edmonton Oilers won a game. The Oilers jumped out to a 2 - 0 first period and hung on for a 3 - 1 victory over the Senators in Ottawa on Saturday. With good news come potentially bad news as Taylor Hall injured his knee and was sent home for an MRI. As of now, the results are not public. Here is to hoping that he is ok. Here is to also hoping that MacT hasn't hung up the phone simply because Devan Dubnyk has put together back to back quality outings. I am still not sold that he is the guy to get us to where we have the potential to be.
Interesting story on sportsnet.ca today as one of their columnist's made a list of the top twenty teams to watch in sports. He took a world wide approach pointing out teams from the big four as well as European soccer. According to this guy, the 17th best team to watch in the world is the University of Western football team. Are you kidding me??? Absent from the list, all eight CFL teams. I can tell you one thing, I love sports of all varieties but I can guarantee you that there are much more than sixteen others teams I would rather watch than the Western Mustangs. I would honestly watch the Jacksonville Jaguars before I watched them. Speaking of the Jaguars, they are yet to score a TD at home in three games. Can you imagine if that took place with the Riders? My god, it would be anarchy. It would be a provincial disaster.
Later,
HM
In all of the excitement of the victory and the home play - off berth, still people find reasons to complain. Go on twitter or Rod Pederson's blog and still some bemoan the play of Darian Durant and the Rider offence. To this, I say the following:
* By the numbers B.C. came into the game with the top rated defence in the CFL
* It was raining most of the game, can't imagine gripping the football was at a premium which could hinder accuracy
* He wasn't Thomas Demarco
* After sixteen games, DD leads the league in TD passes, is second in yards and near the top when it comes to interceptions
* He ran the ball which a lot of people have called for recently
* WE WON!!!!
The odds may be against us but hosting the Western Final is not out of the realm of possibility. I will not get ahead of things yet though. What I really look forward to about this weekend's clash at McMahon agains the Stamps is to see how well we play against undeniably the best team in the league at the moment. Can we shut down Jon Cornish, something most teams have been unable to do the last two months? Can we move the ball with consistency? Can we continue to get the pressure on the opposing QB against a very good Calgary O - Line? Win or lose on Saturday, this will be a very good litnus test to see where we are at this point in the season. A close lose will not bother me. And besides, is this really the game we want to beat Calgary in? I say no, I would expect to play them in November, and THAT is the game I want to surely beat them in.
What a horrific weekend for the NFL in terms of injuries. Lost for the season are Sam Bradford, Reggie Wayne and Doug Martin. Out for extended periods of time are Jay Cutler and Arian Foster. As I said to a friend this morning who talked about the roughness of football, yeah it's a contact sport and these things happen. It is just unfortunate for these individuals and their teams.
Spark up the band, the Edmonton Oilers won a game. The Oilers jumped out to a 2 - 0 first period and hung on for a 3 - 1 victory over the Senators in Ottawa on Saturday. With good news come potentially bad news as Taylor Hall injured his knee and was sent home for an MRI. As of now, the results are not public. Here is to hoping that he is ok. Here is to also hoping that MacT hasn't hung up the phone simply because Devan Dubnyk has put together back to back quality outings. I am still not sold that he is the guy to get us to where we have the potential to be.
Interesting story on sportsnet.ca today as one of their columnist's made a list of the top twenty teams to watch in sports. He took a world wide approach pointing out teams from the big four as well as European soccer. According to this guy, the 17th best team to watch in the world is the University of Western football team. Are you kidding me??? Absent from the list, all eight CFL teams. I can tell you one thing, I love sports of all varieties but I can guarantee you that there are much more than sixteen others teams I would rather watch than the Western Mustangs. I would honestly watch the Jacksonville Jaguars before I watched them. Speaking of the Jaguars, they are yet to score a TD at home in three games. Can you imagine if that took place with the Riders? My god, it would be anarchy. It would be a provincial disaster.
Later,
HM
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
So You Want to take Fighting out of Hockey? Still......?
As I wrote about last week, one of the hot button topics as it relates to the NHL is the possibility of taking fighting away. The George Parros incident had many questioning the validity of fighting, and sought to avoid future brain injuries by banning fighting. At the time I also spoke of the need to keep fighting in the game. Part of my rationale was to keep all players accountable for their actions on the ice.
With that in mind, two of the league's finest (tongue in cheek) put on full display why fighting should NOT be taken out of the game. Both Patrick Kaleta and Max Lapierre are facing harsh suspensions from the NHL for their actions in games over the last week. Kaleta was given a ten game ban for his blow to the head of Columbus' Jack Johnson while Lapierre is dealing with his hit from behind on the Sharks Dan Boyle. Low and behold both instances led to fisticuffs. Kaleta was instantly challenged by Jared Boll, and even though Randall Pelech never got his mitts on Lapierre, the need to confront him was still obvious. Had Ryan Reaves not gotten in the way, it was clear that Lapierre may not have been smiling much longer.
So guys like Damien Cox can tweet all they want about removing fighting to prevent injuries, but without fighting, there would be more of these Kaleta and Lapierre hits which, oh my, look, lead to injuries. Go ahead take fighting out, but who then, becomes accountable for their on - ice actions. Who will step up and let Lapierre, Kaleta and the others know that plays like this are unacceptable? Sure, suspensions can be handed out and become more severe over time. That being said, that has done nothing to deter this plays from happening. A right in the jaw is in my opinion, a far more punitive action than having to sit out a couple of games.
Penalties for obviously staged fights can and should increase; that wouldn't bother me. Taking fighting out completely is not only ridiculous, but in my opinion, dangerous. I am only one person with one opinion but that is mine.
Here is my pet peeve for the day; sportscasters who tweet constantly and seem to never have anything good to say about the league, the style of play or the abilities of these professional athletes. We all have our opinions, but can I remind you that there is a reason you are behind the desk talking about sports rather than being on the field as part of the action? Until you are in that situation I take little analysis from some of these guys as meaning anything. These guys know who they are, I won't say simply out of respect. I may judge and question from time to time but I am a mintue offender compared to some. Do you know how sickening it is to read tweets of a reporter in Regina that do nothing but criticize the Saskatchewan Roughriders from kick - off to final whistle? Sure, throw the CFL as a league under the bus as that will do a lot to boost the credibility of your station/network in the eyes of the only truly Canadian professional sports league; brilliant. Put your ego aside, tell me the score, maybe try to make me laugh or cry but know when to stop talking or typing. On that note, goodbye.
With that in mind, two of the league's finest (tongue in cheek) put on full display why fighting should NOT be taken out of the game. Both Patrick Kaleta and Max Lapierre are facing harsh suspensions from the NHL for their actions in games over the last week. Kaleta was given a ten game ban for his blow to the head of Columbus' Jack Johnson while Lapierre is dealing with his hit from behind on the Sharks Dan Boyle. Low and behold both instances led to fisticuffs. Kaleta was instantly challenged by Jared Boll, and even though Randall Pelech never got his mitts on Lapierre, the need to confront him was still obvious. Had Ryan Reaves not gotten in the way, it was clear that Lapierre may not have been smiling much longer.
So guys like Damien Cox can tweet all they want about removing fighting to prevent injuries, but without fighting, there would be more of these Kaleta and Lapierre hits which, oh my, look, lead to injuries. Go ahead take fighting out, but who then, becomes accountable for their on - ice actions. Who will step up and let Lapierre, Kaleta and the others know that plays like this are unacceptable? Sure, suspensions can be handed out and become more severe over time. That being said, that has done nothing to deter this plays from happening. A right in the jaw is in my opinion, a far more punitive action than having to sit out a couple of games.
Penalties for obviously staged fights can and should increase; that wouldn't bother me. Taking fighting out completely is not only ridiculous, but in my opinion, dangerous. I am only one person with one opinion but that is mine.
Here is my pet peeve for the day; sportscasters who tweet constantly and seem to never have anything good to say about the league, the style of play or the abilities of these professional athletes. We all have our opinions, but can I remind you that there is a reason you are behind the desk talking about sports rather than being on the field as part of the action? Until you are in that situation I take little analysis from some of these guys as meaning anything. These guys know who they are, I won't say simply out of respect. I may judge and question from time to time but I am a mintue offender compared to some. Do you know how sickening it is to read tweets of a reporter in Regina that do nothing but criticize the Saskatchewan Roughriders from kick - off to final whistle? Sure, throw the CFL as a league under the bus as that will do a lot to boost the credibility of your station/network in the eyes of the only truly Canadian professional sports league; brilliant. Put your ego aside, tell me the score, maybe try to make me laugh or cry but know when to stop talking or typing. On that note, goodbye.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Random Thoughts & Rider News
The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to build off of last week's victory in BC place heading into this weekend's showdown with the Edmonton Eskimos. The game will mark the debut of Alex Hall who was acquired this week in a trade with Winnipeg.
How much did the acquisition of Hall potentially improve the pass rush. While it has yet to be seen on the field but the insertion of Hall into the line - up leads to what looks like a seat onthe bench for Jermaine McElveen, who is no slouch himself having recorded seven sacks thus far.
The Riders can't seem to kick the injury bug. Cornerback Rod Williams who was signed last week, started in BC and provided some stability on the edge will be out for four weeks after fracturing his arm in practice today. What I see this doing is marking the return of Prince Miller who sat out last week. That is a move that doesn't hurt us too much given that Miller has started most of the season and has graded out fairly well in my opinion.
It is no secret that the Eskimos aren't the most loved team in this province. In fact, beating the Evil Empire is trumped only be defeating the Stamps. That being said, this season for me it hasn't so much been beating Fred Stamps, Mike Reilly, etc. Rather it has been beating Ed Hervey, the Eskimos GM who has done nothing good for his reputation and public image this season. In my opinion, he has been a first class jerk from the opening of free agency to today, and that is putting it nicely. He exumes cockiness, coming across as he is bigger than the team and league for that matter. He may have been a good reciever; he has a lot of work to do if he hopes to become a staple in Edmonton. That being said, I look for a boisterous atmosphere Saturday afternoon at Mosaic. Here's to hoping for a second consecutive 'up' week.
The talk of the NHL as of late has been two things I would like to address: fighting and Thomas Hertl.
Yes, George Parros fell and smashed his face on the ice. Yes, he was concussed. Does that mean we need to take fighting out of hockey? Absolutely not. Fighting is a part of the game and it always has been. While I don't at all agree with some of these staged fights, I do believe in the role these guys play when necessary. It is these guys who keep others accountable for their actions on the ice. It is these guys who can provide a lift when necessary. They have a meaningful role on their respective teams. If you were to ask them, along with many others directly associated with the NHL if hockey should be removed, most would without hesitation say no. So why then, does the media feel the need to seemingly beat this thought to death over and over everytime someone takes a shot. For the record, Colton Orr had nothing to do with Parros being hurt. George Parros stumbling and falling is why those events transpired.
Let's just calm down. Yes, Thomas Hertl had four goals the other night, and I know he is a teenager. Let's not hand him the Calder Trophy and annoint him the next great in this league. A couple of things need to be considered here. The Sharks clobbered the Rangers that night. In fact, the Rangers looked uninspired. While it is a credit to anybody to score four goals in a game, it has happened before and will happen again. While the kid could turn out to be a stud, he is three games into a career, and all be it a very promising start, I am not giving him anything...yet.
This tendency to place unbelievable expectations on young players in any sport is not good. Look at Jadaveon Clowney, the coveted DE in South Carolina of the NCAA. Clowney is a very good football player. Last season he had a remarkable play in his team's Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Well rather than take it for what it's worth, the media, almost onvernight turned him into the number one pick in this year's NFL draft, annointed him one of the greatest to play College football and so on. What has he done this year; not much? And now they (the same media who once loved him) are questioning his work ethic and true abilities. I am sure Clowney loved the attention at the time but inhindsight probably wished they would have shut up.
Sad night in baseball as the Pittsburgh Pirates got smacked around in Game Five of the NLDS against St. Louis. If Oakland is to lose tonight to Detroit, all is lost for those hoping to see a small market team win the World Series. I mean, in all honesty, unless you are a diehard fan of the Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox or Tigers, the playoffs will becoming mundane and like a bad re - run for me.
Should be all for today.
How much did the acquisition of Hall potentially improve the pass rush. While it has yet to be seen on the field but the insertion of Hall into the line - up leads to what looks like a seat onthe bench for Jermaine McElveen, who is no slouch himself having recorded seven sacks thus far.
The Riders can't seem to kick the injury bug. Cornerback Rod Williams who was signed last week, started in BC and provided some stability on the edge will be out for four weeks after fracturing his arm in practice today. What I see this doing is marking the return of Prince Miller who sat out last week. That is a move that doesn't hurt us too much given that Miller has started most of the season and has graded out fairly well in my opinion.
It is no secret that the Eskimos aren't the most loved team in this province. In fact, beating the Evil Empire is trumped only be defeating the Stamps. That being said, this season for me it hasn't so much been beating Fred Stamps, Mike Reilly, etc. Rather it has been beating Ed Hervey, the Eskimos GM who has done nothing good for his reputation and public image this season. In my opinion, he has been a first class jerk from the opening of free agency to today, and that is putting it nicely. He exumes cockiness, coming across as he is bigger than the team and league for that matter. He may have been a good reciever; he has a lot of work to do if he hopes to become a staple in Edmonton. That being said, I look for a boisterous atmosphere Saturday afternoon at Mosaic. Here's to hoping for a second consecutive 'up' week.
The talk of the NHL as of late has been two things I would like to address: fighting and Thomas Hertl.
Yes, George Parros fell and smashed his face on the ice. Yes, he was concussed. Does that mean we need to take fighting out of hockey? Absolutely not. Fighting is a part of the game and it always has been. While I don't at all agree with some of these staged fights, I do believe in the role these guys play when necessary. It is these guys who keep others accountable for their actions on the ice. It is these guys who can provide a lift when necessary. They have a meaningful role on their respective teams. If you were to ask them, along with many others directly associated with the NHL if hockey should be removed, most would without hesitation say no. So why then, does the media feel the need to seemingly beat this thought to death over and over everytime someone takes a shot. For the record, Colton Orr had nothing to do with Parros being hurt. George Parros stumbling and falling is why those events transpired.
Let's just calm down. Yes, Thomas Hertl had four goals the other night, and I know he is a teenager. Let's not hand him the Calder Trophy and annoint him the next great in this league. A couple of things need to be considered here. The Sharks clobbered the Rangers that night. In fact, the Rangers looked uninspired. While it is a credit to anybody to score four goals in a game, it has happened before and will happen again. While the kid could turn out to be a stud, he is three games into a career, and all be it a very promising start, I am not giving him anything...yet.
This tendency to place unbelievable expectations on young players in any sport is not good. Look at Jadaveon Clowney, the coveted DE in South Carolina of the NCAA. Clowney is a very good football player. Last season he had a remarkable play in his team's Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Well rather than take it for what it's worth, the media, almost onvernight turned him into the number one pick in this year's NFL draft, annointed him one of the greatest to play College football and so on. What has he done this year; not much? And now they (the same media who once loved him) are questioning his work ethic and true abilities. I am sure Clowney loved the attention at the time but inhindsight probably wished they would have shut up.
Sad night in baseball as the Pittsburgh Pirates got smacked around in Game Five of the NLDS against St. Louis. If Oakland is to lose tonight to Detroit, all is lost for those hoping to see a small market team win the World Series. I mean, in all honesty, unless you are a diehard fan of the Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox or Tigers, the playoffs will becoming mundane and like a bad re - run for me.
Should be all for today.
Monday, October 7, 2013
A Busy Few Days
As the title says, it was a busy weekend in the wonderful world of sports. So much went on that I am afraid I will leave you having forgotten something important. Nonetheless, here we go...
The Saskatchewan Roughriders looked like a whole new football team on Friday night. Coming off of a short week which say them practice only once, Darian Durant played as well as he has in a long time, the defense smothered the Lion's at every opportunity and the Riders walked out of BC Place with a 31 - 17 victory. Not only does the win break the funk the team had been in, it also moved them back into 2nd place in the West and basically leaves their fate in their own hands in terms of a home play - off date. Worth mentioning from Friday night:
* Craig Butler was awesome
* The Defensive Line was as good as it has been all year
* Kory Sheets is terribly important to this offense
* Chris Milo had an off - game; no concern is necessary until this becomes a habit. One has to think he has those 'posts' in the back of his mind given the past month
* It is crazy how quiet message boards get following a Rider victory. Suddenly not everyone in the province is calling for changes everywhere, most notably at the QB position.
The Riders were not done making news on Friday however. Sunday afternoon brought news of the acquistion of CFL sack leader Alex Hall from Winnipeg for Patrick Neufeld. Draft picks changed hands as well. Some will scoff at this move as being a poor decision given a potential 'rental' was acquired in exchange for a Canadian O - Linemen. Let me say this, Patrick Neufeld has not played great this year. Did anyone else notice that Darian had much more time in the pocket on Friday night? Part of this was due to the fact the Devin Tyler played on the edge in place of Neufeld. There was a good chance Neufeld would have been gone in the expansion draft anyways so being able to get Hall as well as a 2nd round pick is fine in my books. What makes this deal even better in my eyes is not only does it allow Chick and Foley to take a breather while not hurting the pass rush, but I heard that Calgary was heavy after Hall themselves. Keeping this guy out of Calgary is certainly a benefit to us moving forward.
To golf and the President's Cup where Weyburn's Graham Delaet was on full display this week at Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio. The young man did not disappoint, going 3 - 1 - 1 in his debut on this stage. He along with Aussie Jason Day were the best the International team had to offer this weekend. Two hole outs on the 18th hole yesterday were awesome to watch. If the world hadn't taken notice before this weekend, they have now. Graham Delaet is a force to be reckoned with on the world golf stage. That first win is coming; hopefully soon.
The Edmonton Oilers were a disgrace to watch on Saturday night. They were terrible in their own end, turning over far too many pucks. To make matters worse, Devan Dubnyk stuggled mightily for the second game in a row. If Jason Labarbera is not between the pipes tonight when the New Jersey Devils invade Rexall, something is wrong. Thankfully the Taylor Hall down the middle experiment ends tonight with the return of RNH. I get that learning a new position is difficult but Hall is - 5 on the young season and has not played well at all. Desite the 0 - 2 start, it is refreshing to me to hear Dallas Eakins talk of the disappointment of the first two games. Ralph Kruegger had a tendency to sugar coat everything while Eakins doesn't. I like a guy who can call a spade a spade. Here's to hoping for a different result tonight.
The Philadelphia Flyers fired Head Coach Peter Laviolette this morning and replaced him with Craig Berube. Really, you gave the guy three games? Clearly this was something that management has been thinking off prior to the start of the season. I am left to wonder why they would allow him to run camp, introduce systems and begin the season only to make a change that was apparently inevitable. Make this change in the off - season and start fresh rather than do this to Laviolette and the organization as a whole. Furthermore, making this move in the off - season would have given them greater leverage in terms of hiring a coach they see fitting with them long term.
Is it just me or are the Cincinnati Bengals a little schizophrenic. How do you lose to Cleveland and then dominate Tom Brady and the New England offense only seven days later?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are still terrible.
I love the fact that the New York Giants are 0 - 5.
On to baseball and the play - offs are in full swing. With the Blue Jays being eliminated since early June (seems like that anyways), how can you not root for the small market teams such as Pittsburgh and Oakland. Could you imagine a Pittsburgh / Oakland World Series. MLB would hate it, FOX would hate but many fans of the game would love it. It would completely disspell they myth that money buys championships. As I write this, both the A's and Pirates are a win away from advancing to their respective League Championship Series.
That's it....
HM
The Saskatchewan Roughriders looked like a whole new football team on Friday night. Coming off of a short week which say them practice only once, Darian Durant played as well as he has in a long time, the defense smothered the Lion's at every opportunity and the Riders walked out of BC Place with a 31 - 17 victory. Not only does the win break the funk the team had been in, it also moved them back into 2nd place in the West and basically leaves their fate in their own hands in terms of a home play - off date. Worth mentioning from Friday night:
* Craig Butler was awesome
* The Defensive Line was as good as it has been all year
* Kory Sheets is terribly important to this offense
* Chris Milo had an off - game; no concern is necessary until this becomes a habit. One has to think he has those 'posts' in the back of his mind given the past month
* It is crazy how quiet message boards get following a Rider victory. Suddenly not everyone in the province is calling for changes everywhere, most notably at the QB position.
The Riders were not done making news on Friday however. Sunday afternoon brought news of the acquistion of CFL sack leader Alex Hall from Winnipeg for Patrick Neufeld. Draft picks changed hands as well. Some will scoff at this move as being a poor decision given a potential 'rental' was acquired in exchange for a Canadian O - Linemen. Let me say this, Patrick Neufeld has not played great this year. Did anyone else notice that Darian had much more time in the pocket on Friday night? Part of this was due to the fact the Devin Tyler played on the edge in place of Neufeld. There was a good chance Neufeld would have been gone in the expansion draft anyways so being able to get Hall as well as a 2nd round pick is fine in my books. What makes this deal even better in my eyes is not only does it allow Chick and Foley to take a breather while not hurting the pass rush, but I heard that Calgary was heavy after Hall themselves. Keeping this guy out of Calgary is certainly a benefit to us moving forward.
To golf and the President's Cup where Weyburn's Graham Delaet was on full display this week at Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio. The young man did not disappoint, going 3 - 1 - 1 in his debut on this stage. He along with Aussie Jason Day were the best the International team had to offer this weekend. Two hole outs on the 18th hole yesterday were awesome to watch. If the world hadn't taken notice before this weekend, they have now. Graham Delaet is a force to be reckoned with on the world golf stage. That first win is coming; hopefully soon.
The Edmonton Oilers were a disgrace to watch on Saturday night. They were terrible in their own end, turning over far too many pucks. To make matters worse, Devan Dubnyk stuggled mightily for the second game in a row. If Jason Labarbera is not between the pipes tonight when the New Jersey Devils invade Rexall, something is wrong. Thankfully the Taylor Hall down the middle experiment ends tonight with the return of RNH. I get that learning a new position is difficult but Hall is - 5 on the young season and has not played well at all. Desite the 0 - 2 start, it is refreshing to me to hear Dallas Eakins talk of the disappointment of the first two games. Ralph Kruegger had a tendency to sugar coat everything while Eakins doesn't. I like a guy who can call a spade a spade. Here's to hoping for a different result tonight.
The Philadelphia Flyers fired Head Coach Peter Laviolette this morning and replaced him with Craig Berube. Really, you gave the guy three games? Clearly this was something that management has been thinking off prior to the start of the season. I am left to wonder why they would allow him to run camp, introduce systems and begin the season only to make a change that was apparently inevitable. Make this change in the off - season and start fresh rather than do this to Laviolette and the organization as a whole. Furthermore, making this move in the off - season would have given them greater leverage in terms of hiring a coach they see fitting with them long term.
Is it just me or are the Cincinnati Bengals a little schizophrenic. How do you lose to Cleveland and then dominate Tom Brady and the New England offense only seven days later?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are still terrible.
I love the fact that the New York Giants are 0 - 5.
On to baseball and the play - offs are in full swing. With the Blue Jays being eliminated since early June (seems like that anyways), how can you not root for the small market teams such as Pittsburgh and Oakland. Could you imagine a Pittsburgh / Oakland World Series. MLB would hate it, FOX would hate but many fans of the game would love it. It would completely disspell they myth that money buys championships. As I write this, both the A's and Pirates are a win away from advancing to their respective League Championship Series.
That's it....
HM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)