It's FINALLY here...

After months of what seemed like the longest, coldest winter ever, the CFL lifted the curtain on their 101st season last night. Before I get to my rant and predictions, here are some general sports thoughts from the last few days.

* Aaron Hernandez had forty MILLION reasons not to be an idiot. It is these guys, of which there are very few who give sports a bad reputation.

* While I agree with the compliance buyout NHL teams are able to exercise twice annually, it really proves one thing. Long term contracts are ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Like really Tampa Bay, was it a good idea to sign Vinny Lecavalier to his ridiculous contract? Obviously not but it will still cost you $32 million over the next fourteen years. To make this even more aggravating is he will be receiving this money from the Lightning all the while being paid what will likey be a pretty good salary to play for another team.

* It is also contracts like that which is the sole reason why Roberto Luongo is still a Vancouver Canuck

* The Colorade Avalanche have gone on record as saying they will NOT pick Portland Winterhawk Seth Jones with the first pick in the NHL draft on Sunday in Newark. Having watched the 'big three' if you will at the Memorial Cup last month, Nathan McKinnon has to be the pick. Florida will not pass up on the big guy though as they have a need on the back end. In my books that leaves Jonathon Drouin with a ticket to Tampa.

* My surprise pick won't be a huge surprise but Max Domi will go higher than many think. I can see him being a top ten pick.

* The Edmonton Oilers pick at #7 and I can only hope they do the right thing and take the absolute best defenceman on the board at the time. The big kid out of London, Nikita Zadorov looked pretty good at the Memorial Cup. Other players like Darnell Nurse, Ryan Pulock and the Finn Rasmus Ristolainen could come into play. Kevin Lowe can think it is never a bad thing to have too many forwards but look down the bench, you don't need skilled forwards you need grit and you don't address grit in the top ten of an NHL Draft. The pick of a skilled forward at this spot would be in my mind, awful. That is unless moves are made this year to address the team's real needs which are not skilled forwards.

* Apparenlty Dave Nonis is willing to trade pretty much any player the Leaf's have. I find this somewhat confusing as I thought the Leafs had proven they were a team on the rise. Why play around with what has the potential to be a pretty good hand?

* John Tortorella being hired in Vancouver is an absolutely stupid move by GM Mike Gillis and one I firmly believe will lead to his dismissal. Tortorella may be the 'cool' pick but he is not a good coach. His tactics are awful as you can't use public humiliation as a motivating tool. Secondly, look at what he had on that team last year in New York and they were terrible underachievers. Sure he won a ring in 2005 but that was eight years ago. How do you think the Sedin sisters will relate to his tactics? I thought the Canucks were really interested in Dallas Eakins who ended up in Edmonton. Funny thing is Edmonton still had a coach when Gillis should have been wining and dining Eakins. At the end of the day, I really could care less as I despise the Vancouver Canucks with every morsel of my being. This just makes hating them easier.

* History in the NBA Draft last night as a Canadian, Anthony Bennet was taken first overall. I don't talk basketball much, however, every mock draft I read was nowhere close. Nothing I read had Bennett in the top thre let alone at the top. That being said with fellow Canuck Kelly Olynyk taken 12th and Andrew Wiggins the apparent top pick in next year's draft, Canada Basketball is shaping up nicely.

And then there was the CFL...

* The Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicked off the season by hosting the Montreal Alouettes the brand new $200 million Investor's Group Field. In a game that I thought would be a blow out, the Bombers actually had a real chance to win the game well into the fourth quarter. Let's be realistic here, a lot of factors were working in favor of the Bombers, who in my opinion are hands down the worst team in the league. They had the home crowd in their favor which was a full house due to the new field and it's easy to get jacked up for the opener. Mitchell Blair had a 4.5 over under on his blog this morning as to how many games the Bombers win this season. I am strongly saying UNDER.

* The Riders kick it off for real tomorrow afternoon in Edmonton. For me I am full of optimisim. The defence, our achilles at times last year is greatly improved and could be something special. For all thos naysayers about the age of some of our acquisitions on that side of the ball, age is a number and nothing more.

* Anyone and everyone calling for Geroy Simon to be cut or released because he is nicked up and won't play tomorrow, kindly take your head out of your ass. This is football people, injuries are going to happen. Sure he was brought in amidst a lot of fan fare, some negative but at the end of the day it is one game in an eighteen game grind. Would you rather he play, only to worsen the situation and miss half the season. Those fans are embarrassing to listen to and at times I am ashamed we cheer for the same team. Those aren't fans, they are morons living in their parents basement who have no perception of anything outside of their Game Cube.

* And now my fearless CFL predictions. Last time I tried this I didn't do so well so...... I will also avoid the long winded analysis of why each team will finish where.

EAST

1. Toronto -- Build off of last year. Chad Owens is scary. Defence is pretty good.
2. Hamilton -- Can score points but don't see a whole lot of improvement on the defensive side of the ball.
3. Montreal -- Can still play but they are getting old on both sides.
4. Winnipeg -- May be better to play in the PFC this season. Buck Pierce can't stay healthy all year and he is the achilles heel of that team.

WEST

1. B.C. -- Best QB with the best all around team.
2. Saskatchewan -- Improvements made in all required areas from last season. When on, DD is as good as anybody in the league and we have the best recieving corps.
3. Calgary -- Just don't like them.
4. Edmonton -- A good team who may make the play - offs with the cross over but the weakest of the four in the west.

Let's remember one thing before tomorrow's home opener. I want to win as badly as you do. That being said, if we lose, let's not call for Durant to be traded, Taman fired, Jim Hopson removed as President and extradited to Manitoba, et al. It get's really depressing and at times aggravating to listen to some fans. There are eighteen games. We have a solid management group in place. We have good coaches, a group that includes a tremendous Head Coach with a lot of passion who will not settle for anything but the best from the 46 players on the field. Here's to a great summer of Rider football and hoping we can freeze our nads off watching them on November 24th.