At Least it Wasn't the Stamps..

While I found it hard to really get excited about the 100th Grey Cup yesterday (it tends to be that way without the Riders) I found myself pleased to have put the hammer and tools down to watch the game. I would also like to thank Mrs. Morin for allowing me the opportunity to put the renovations in the downstairs office on hold so I could watch the game and have a cold one. Anyways, back to the game. My Rider Pride is evident, and to me the greatest rival we have, or at least the team I hate losing to the most is Calgary. Watching them get beaten everywhere on the Rogers Centre turf yesterday really made an otherwise disappointing season bearable.

The Argos kicked them around from beginning to end and I loved it. Having watched them for years, their cockiness and overly inflated egos have gotten to be something that riles me up like few others can. Their pre - game introduction was enough to turn the non - biased fan into an Argo lover almost instantly. Those guys are ultra annoying when they simply catch an eight yard out, imagine had they actually won? For that I personally thank the entire Toronto Argonaut organization with an empahsis on Chad Kackert, Ricky Ray and D Coordinator Chris Jones.

The only bad thing about Toronto winning was Kevin Glenn not winning. The guy has been a warrior for years and a player I truly respect. He got his chance finally and really he and his team weren't sharp at all. I would like to see Glenn get a ring someday; I just hope he doesn't do it in a Stamps uniform.

So the last two Grey Cups have been won by the host team...here's hoping for the trifecta in 2013.

I will admit I have my moments of weakness but who saw Morehead State's men's basketball coach go off last week on one of his players. From what I saw, the kid fouled out and was a little slow coming off the court. The coach then lost it, berating the kid for what seemed like an eternity. And just when you think he was done, he went back and gave him some more. The kid looked close to tears and I can't help but think it was all he could do NOT to drive him into next week.

The NHL continues to....well they still exist and that is about it. The news of the weekend was not the discussions or lack of but rather the absolute idiocy of Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland, who re - tweeted a tweet that openly supported the idea of Gary Bettman being killed. Are you honestly that stupid Dave Bolland? You know this twitter thing is pretty big right? You know somebody might read it and not find it funny, appropriate or necessary, right?

Clearly sometimes pro athletes are such morons. Last week Nik Lewis tweets about OJ glove's and such and now this. I am so sick of the "I never meant to....really regret it..." Come on, yes you are human but part of being human means you have a brain. THINK about it; you guys have thousands of followers; these poor judgements are going to resurface.

If you want to watch a compelling show about life in the WHL, check out Sportsnet's show "On the Edge". The program looks at the Saskatoon Blades season as they prepare to host the Memorial Cup in May. The first episdoe ended with Head Coach and GM Lorne Molleken having to release a twenty year old simply due to numbers. The player, Molleken and three others were in the room at the time and not a dry eye in the room as the young fella walked out. My heart broke for the kid but also for Molleken having to be the one to break the news to him. How do you tell a kid in his final year, we can't make room for you...tough job; great show.

Watching it reminds me of a story my buddy told me about playing Jr. Hockey. Long story short as his team is getting berated for playing a little too softly, my friend, head down in his hands takes the garbage can to the head after it was kicked by a steaming mad coach. Apparently his line was all of a sudden not so bad. Junior Hockey is full of great characters and even better stories. If you ever get a chance to talk to someone who has that experience; soak it up as there are hours of great tales to be told.

My final thoughts today...please, please please have a better half - time show next year. We will be cold already; you may as well not compound that problem with a pre - pubescent high pitched pretty boy OR if you do, make sure he wears the same muscle shirt. A horrible half - time show in Toronto but a good ending. Wonder if Eric Tillman tuned in to check it out? You think he would like to take back that trade which essentially was a Grey Cup champion for the third string QB on a team that BARELY squeaked into the dance? But he will be a GM again, right?

Canora Flames in action tonight at 9:00...check it out. Brick and I will be mucking it up on the fourth line.


Later.....

Back at er'

After a very long and drawn out absence I am back. Thanks to my loyal followers who reminded me that they did read this from time to time.

Let's start with MLB. The season is a meagre five months away but I can't recall being this excited about baseball in a long time. We're Canadian and we are supposed to cheer for Canadian teams but ever since Joe Carter took Mitch Williams deep in 1993 to claim the Jays second consecutive World Series crown, it has been tough to be a fan of this club.

The deal they made with the Marlins on Tuesday, aside from including many more players, reminds me a lot of the Fernandez/McGriff to the Padres for Alomar/Carter deal. That deal put the Jays over that proverbial hump. While they play in the toughest division in baseball, and possibly all of sports for that matter, they have made a statement. They are serious about bringing a competitive team to Toronto and are willing to spend money if necessary.

They weren't going to fill any holes in their rotation via free agency. The only pitchers of any value, Annibal Sanchez (too much $$$ for the return) and Zach Grienke (openly stating he did not want to be a Blue Jay) meant a trade was their best option. It is early but if the injury bug takes off, unlike last year, this rotation could be as good as they come in the bigs. Johnson, Buehrle, Morrow and Romero are a great front four. Granted, Romero needs to return to form as does Johnson. As of Sunday, J.A. Happ was looking to be the third man in the rotation. As of today he will be in a dog fight just to grab a spot.

Never mind they brought in Jose Reyes. He along with Bonifacio and Gose will steal bases at a considerable rate. That should set up nicely for the like of Bautista, Encarnacion and Lawrie.

Look I get it is November and a lot can happen, but the one thing the Jays have built through this, and other transactions is a culture of never resorting to mediocrity.

The other team involved in that trade have in the past few days, come across, at least in my opinion as fraudulent and shameful. The City of Miami agrees ot build this very elaborate and fancy new stadium with a bill of more than $600M and in return they were very active in trying to improve their club and build a potential winner to play in front of the fans of Miami who essentially flipped the bill for this thing. One year and a few bumps in the road later, everyone is gone and the team that will take the field in April will be a who's who of minor league players with next to no hope of being a winner anytime soon. It's a shame really.

The NHL; what a bunch of greedy, selfish, self absorbed individuals. And I am speaking about the players. I have never in my life tried to come across as pro - management but when it comes to this lockout, the players and their fearless leader, Donald Fehr sour me more and more daily. Find me another business where the employees are paid as much or more than the owners. There argument that there wouldn't be a game without them is bogus. There are thousands of players around the world who would love to play, and would play for a percentage of what these guys feel they need to be paid.

At the end of the day, Donald Fehr is going to do what he did to baseball, nearly cripple the sport and leave them (the players) with an uphill battle in terms of winning back the hearts, and more importantly dollars of the fans who keep them employed. At this point, I could do without a season. Not because I don't like hockey but because I don't want to see these greedy bastards get what they believe they are entitled to.

One thing that does not help the cause is the fact the TSN, Sportsnet and other major sports networks continue to talk about the lockout daily. Shut up already! Don't give them an audience and soon enough nobody will care anymore. Prove to these guys that the world does NOT revolve around them; it might change their tune pretty quickly.

And now on to my beloved Riders. I love the Riders, I live the Riders and watching Romby Bryant sprint down the field on Sunday just about broke my heart; seriously. A big hug from Mrs. Morin was needed to console me.

Before I provide you my thoughts on the team, let me get something off my chest. The number of part time fans who stab this team in the back during the bad times but quickly jump back on the wagon during the good makes me sick. A true fan sticks with them....good and bad, win or lose.

One of my BIGGEST frustrations all year long was the tendency to blame every loss, or bump in the road on Darian Durant. Darian Durant is a marquee QB; Darian Durant WILL win us a Grey Cup (Hopefully next year at the madhouse that is Mosaic) and the effor the put in on Sunday proved that. Get off his back; he is the third best QB we have ever had, and in time he could supplant Kent Austin as number two behind only the Little General.

Offensively, we have many of the tools needed to be a high powered juggernaut similar to a couple of years ago. Kory Sheets is as good as a back as I have seen dawn the Green and White; fast, elusive and determined. Weston Dressler is a treat to watch week in, week out. Greg Carr gave the Rider Nation a lot of optimisim with his performance on Sunday in Calgary. Chris Getzlaf had an off year and will need to rebound. An effective Getzlaf and hopefully a healthy Rob Bagg can only improve things for next year. A guy I noticed made plays when given the chance was Brooks Foster; given the chance I think this guy can contribute. He didn't make many catches but those he did were more than 50% of the time for first down yeardage.

Jock Sanders was a STUD. A healthy Sanders provides us with a triple threat similar to Chad Owens in Toronto. He makes us much better and more dynamic on the offensive side of the ball.


Odell Willis is a bum; plain and simple. The man can dance as he demonstrated every home game. That being said he appeared allergic to the QB in the second half of the season and he can't take criticism. My friends and twitter followers can confirm that. In my opinion don't bring this headache back. We can get six sacks and less annoying antics out of several.

Defensively I really liked the way they adjusted as the year went on. They realized upgrades were needed and the likes of Joe Lobendahn and Diamond Ferri truly helped. I can only hope these guys are back in the fold come June. Macho Harris, the rookie DB out of Virginia Tech was a guy I really liked on Sunday. He and Maze on the corners would be an upgrade over this year. Tristan Jackson is a more than capable fill in on the corner as well, and his value as a returner makes him a guy we should bring back.

As for who can go? James Patrick was a BUST; zero picks and some of the worst tackling I have seen. I would also not be heart broken to see Eddie Russ and Chris Mackenzie be looking for employment next year. These guys were very inconsistent and when they were bad, they were awful whether it be blown coverage, horrific tackling or dumb penalites I felt they did more to hurt than help.

The Rider Nation loves Richie Hall. Sometimes you have to let good things go. He is a hell of a nice guy but his defense cost us games this year on too many occasions. All allegiances aside, he is not the best fit as our D Coordinator and I can only hope that Chamblin can bring the right guy in. While our D was ranked second when we stunk we stunk. When we needed a play, we couldn't get it. It seemed like 2nd and long was a sure thing for the opposition. Just my thoughts.

That's it. Enjoy.

I Apologize.

I realized that it had been a while since I updated this blog; week two of the CFL season to be exact. I never gave it much thought until the last few days when two people questioned why I hadn't updated it in a while. To be honest I thought there was no interest in it anymore but since there is I am excited to resurrect the open forum for my views, opinions and insights.

Look for an update by the end of the week. Topics will include the Riders; a reflection of 2012 and a look ahead to 2013, the MASSIVE trade the Jays and Marlins swung yesterday, some NFL thoughts and a rant on why I have had about enough of the NHL.

Later,

HM

Riders Get It Done

Before you start complaining about the Riders lack of offence, let's stop and think about a few things:

Darian and the offence did NOT turn the ball over. Heading into this game, the last six games between these two had seen the Riders commit 23 turnovers.

The Riders had very few, if any, two and outs. I understand sustained drives are required, a couple of first downs here and there does indeed keep the ball out of the opposition hands.

Sure we only scored 17 points and didn't find the end zone until the two minute mark when Korey Sheets busted a 34 yard scamper to the north end zone, but I am not panicking. I realize we need to sustain more drives next week and presumably put more points on the board when the B.C. Lions roll into Mosaic, but let's worry about that tomorrow and give credit where credit it due.

Yesterday evening saw one a phenomenal performance by the Roughrider defence. When was the last time the Riders sacked opposition QB's six times? Added to that is the fact they had a LOT of pressure on Stephen Jyles and Kerry Joseph. The play of the linebackers was good as evidenced by Shomari Wlliams five tackle, one sack effort. The area of greatest concern for myself personally heading into yesterday was the secondary. With two new guys on the corners in Woodny Turenne and Terrell Maze I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised; they covered well, tackled well, never got beat deep and did everything Coach Chamblin hoped they would. If you ask me Nick Graham is once again going to be a spectator on Saturday afternoon and healthy or not, Tristan Jackson will arguably not start. His ability to return kicks will help him onto the field though, particularly with the injury to Sinorice Moss.

Injuries is the the only area of concern, and hopefully nothing to worry about too much. Returner Sinorice Moss left with an injury leading to Weston Dressler returning punts. More troubling to me was the apparent arm/shoulder injury to prized free agent acquisition Brendan Labatte. Labatte left the game in the second quarter favoring his right arm and never returned. In his absence Patrick Neufeld stepped in and on a couple of occasions left QB Darian Durant out to dry. We can only hope Labatte will be back on Saturday afternoon.

So the Riders are 2 - 0 and everything is great, right? Let's not plan the parade but let's enjoy the team that works hard, practices hard and thus far has given us more to cheer than jeer. A true test comes this weekend when the defending champion Lions come to town. A win would be great but in my eyes competing with the Lions will be a positive sign.

What a mess they have stirred up in Edmonton. They were back and forth between QB's yesterday and I have to ask why? Kerry Joseph came in the second quarter with his team down 3 - 1. He had not completed many passes but had 'just' missed on a couple of big ones downfield. Then to bring him back for the second half and then sit him again down 6 - 1 is ridiculous. For a guy who has never been the guy, who was the return in the Ricky Ray trade, you need to fill him and the Eskimo fans with confidence, that simply takes confidence away and creates a situation most teams would like to avoid. Oh well, glad that's not us.

I am off to the Lake for the week, plus throw in a trip to Saskatoon for a golf tournament, so unlikely that there will be any blogging this week. Anyways, have a great week and see you at the Mosaic Saturday afternoon.

Bring Em' Out...

While we won't really hear this until next Sunday when the Riders host the Edmonton Eskimos in their home opener, they crack the lid on another CFL season tomorrow in Steeltown against a couple of old friends. Henry Burris and Andy Fantuz know call Hamilton home and tomorrow they will bang heads with the new look Saskatchewan Roughriders.


Coming off of last year's debacle I honestly can not wait to get the pigskin in the air tomorrow. Following a year like last, change is a requirement and the Riders certainly did that in the off - season. New faces abound all over the roster, in particular along the Offensive Line as all five starters are new to the Riders. Clearly that was an area of weakness last year and something GM Brendan Taman along with Jeremy O'Day look to remedy. Time will tell but here is what I really like about the O - Line is the youth. Gone are the likes of Gene Makowsky and Dan Goodspeed who were slow going downhill and in their place are fresh faces like Brendan Labatte, Ben Heenan and recently acquired Chris Patrick.


An area the Riders have to improve this year is putting pressure on the QB. With that in mind Odell Willis was brought in from Winnipeg. If he plays as well as he did for the first half of last year, he is a steal for the Green and White. Throw in a healthy Brent Hawkins, Keith Shologan and Tearrius George and that group should be better.


Linebacker is another area to see a lot of changes as gone are the retired Barrin Simpson and last year's top tackler Jerrell Freeman. In their place are Shomari Williams in the middle, Abraham Kromah and one of the most impressive Riders during training camp, Tyron Brackenridge. I really liked Brackenridge at the end of last season and look for big things out of him. A lot of banter has been thrown around regarding whether or not Shomari Williams is capable of playing the middle. Time will tell but the way Shomari has developed in front of our eyes the last two seasons, I expect him to be fine. He has huge shoes to fill but I am sure he will be up to the challenge.


There were very few changes in the secondary short of releasing seven year Rider, Lance Frazier. In his place will be Eddie Russ inside along with Chris Mackenzie, Nick Graham and Tristan Jackson on the outside and the best safety in the league James Patrick patrolling centre field. I myself was guilty of criticizing this group last year, in particular Nick Graham. A new year is a new year and in my eyes this group has a lot to prove to us but I am going to take my time before calling for changes and jobs.


Offensively we lost Andy Fantuz and Wes Cates. Big blow? Yes and no. The more I think about it Fantuz really only had one stellar season. There are very few teams who could stand to lose a player of his calibre but I see this group as one of them. The rest of the recieving corps remains plus the return of a healthy Rob Bagg along with Justin Harper and Sinorice Moss. Harper is a big target and Moss is in many ways similar to Weston Dressler...small and quick.


In the backfield, one of the most exciting areas for me this year, we have Korey Sheets who was a monster in the pre - season. He along with incumbent Brandon West and Louis Rankin could make for a terrifying three headed monster of speed with West and Sheets and size with Rankin.



A lot of fans were down on Durant last year, but you know what, it is hard to play well when you have no time. Our O - line was slow and looked similar to Swiss Cheese at times last year. With that shored up, plus the threat of a solid running game, Durant should have more time to make plays. He, along with OC Bob Dyce must remember that when he is able to use his legs and get outside of the pocket, he is a much better football player.


Last year I went on here with a full summary and predictions for the season. Naturally I picked the Riders to go all the way. While I won't go that far this year I will say that they will be better. I will say that a play - off spot is a real possiblity. And lastly I will say that July 8th, the atmosphere at Mosaic will be electric. Here's to a great season of Rider football in 2013.

Almost Time...

With the Riders slated to kick off their pre - season on Wednesday night on the left coast I figured it time to sit down and provide you with my thoughts as we grow closer and closer to the season opener on June 29th in Hamilton. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am always skeptical about a new coach; I am always fearful if they are the right man for the job. One needs to not look any further than last season to realize that some jobs just aren't the right fit for individuals and their philosophies. Everything I hear about or from Corey Chamblin gives me hope that this ship is headed in the right direction. He is keeping players accountable; see Shomari Williams and Odell Willis and does not shy away from saying this team needs to get better and that they are not a Grey Cup calibre team yet. While part of this is obviously motivation, it is also truthful. At this point I don't see the Riders as a Grey Cup team, I see light at the end of the dark tunnel that was 2012 but I have limited aspirations of having to make a trip to Toronto at a moment's notice to watch the Green and White play for the 100th Grey Cup. I am not saying it isn't possible, I am saying they need to prove to me, you and the entire league that last year was simply a blemish. Long story short, I think Chamblin is the man for this job and will take us back to where we as Rider fans expect to be each and every year; gearing up for a home play - off game at the grand old girl that is Mosaic. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Offensively, there is one less hand in the cookie jar when it comes to the QB position. Today the Riders cut ties with Colt Brennan. While I know he has come a long way from nearly dying in a car wreck a few years ago, at the end of the day he not only looked tentative but lacked the arm strength to be an elite QB in this league. I said that on this blog the day he was signed; he had the potential to be a stud but arm strength to make that wide side throw was a question. Well today that question was answered leaving three guys to battle for two positions. Durant is the guy, and I would think that with his experience and ability, J.T. O'Sullivan is the probable back up. That leaves Levi Brown and Drew Willy left to battle it out for the third QB on the roster with the odd man out arguably being offered a spot on the practice roster. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The battle in the back field appears to be tough as incumbent Brandon West is recieving stiff competition from the likes of Korey Sheets and former NFL'er Louis Rankin. Time will tell who is in there at the end of the month but I sure hope that new OC Bob Duyve realizes these guys have the speed to get outside and can catch the ball in the flat which hopefully leads from the traditional and predictable off tackle runs of the past. I truly believe that style was utilized as it was what Wes Cates did best but with Cates gone, the approach to the running game should be more dynamic and creative. Honestly, all we lose with Cates is great blocking but with a beefed up O - Line, that is less imperative. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The O - Line has to be better than last year. Those needs were obvioulsy addressed with the signings of Brendan Labatte and Dominic Picard. This weekend's acquisition of Chris Patrick is one that Dan Goodspeed needs to take notice of. Too many times Goodspeed got beat outside last year; if this continues to happen look for Goodspeed to be slowly making his way out of town. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The most intriguing aspect of camp this year, and most years is to me the battle at reciever. The likes of Dressler, Getzlaf and Bagg are clearly not penciled in, but rather sharpied in. That leaves a plethora of recievers battling for the remaining spots. From what I hear Justin Harper has been ultra - impressive, not to mention solid play from Sinorice Moss and Jason Cherry. The retirement of Dwayne Jarret was good in my mind; he had been nothing but a distraction from the moment Rookie Camp started. Regardless, at the end of the day with the recievers Taman and O'Day brought in, one thing is for sure; some very good recievers will be looking for work elsewhere by the end of the month. I sure hope Harper is as good as they say but let's remember two words from last year -- Terrence Nunn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Defensively, our D -Line must improve. If Hawkins can stay healthy, he is the fastest D - Lineman in the league, maybe on the planet. Shologan is Shologan up the middle; big and solid. Odell Willis is not guaranteed to start on this team but either way, the combination of himself along with a healthy Brent Hawkins and Kenny Rowe, if he can live up to the hype will be a trio who should make opposing QB's lives a little more miserable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The battle at linebacker and in the secondary are very interesting as I am not sure anyone short of James Patrick is assured of a job outside of the big boys up front. From what I hear Tyron Brackenridge has been the beast of camp on the D - side of the ball. I am not surprised. Last year when he got time at the end of the year he looked really good. He becomes even more valuable in the sense he can play in the secondary or as a linebacker. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The team that takes the field on June 29th will be much different not only from this group of men, but of signficant importance, quite different than the team that kicked off 2011 and after that train wreck change is surely a good thing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Can't blog without mentioning the NHL and Game Six of the Finals tonight in Los Angeles. Even though they are down a game there is no pressure on the Devil's tonight. Rather the Kings, who have failed to hoist the cup twice in the last week have all the pressure on them. A loss tonight means a trip back to the Swamp, talk of a historic melt down and a whole bunch of words, thoughts and anxiety the Kings want to avoid at all costs. If the Devil's win tonight, they win the Cup...tonight is in my mind the deciding game of the series. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later.....HBM

Riders Get Things Started

With Rider Mini - Camp set to get going tomorrow, it is time to start thinking about another summer in the sun at Mosaic. Believe it or not, the Riders are t - minus 67 days away from kicking it off for real on Friday, June 29th. The day before camp was highlighted by the Riders announcing some roster moves. To start with they signed three imports to the roster, all of whom have NFL experience at some level. Included in this group was Wide Reciever Sinorice Moss, who has spent the last six seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring in 2007 with the Giants. The Riders have signed a LOT of former NFLer's this year. In fact, there are many more than usual coming up north to the CFL. While I am excited about many of these signings, I think one needs to remain cautious before passing judgement. Too many people get excited at the notion of signing a guy who has played good football in the past. Until the season kicks off and the guys get out there for real you never know what you have. Case in point: Terrence Nunn. Last year some were anointing him the next great thing. A year, a handful of catches and an achilles injury later we realize that he was not as good as he appeared to be. Sticking out in camp is one thing; bringing that to the field is another. While I like the shape the team is taking and the work done by Brendan Taman and Jeremy O'Day to this point, time will be the ultimate tale. The CFL draft is coming up and the Riders hold the top pick. Consenus #1 Ben Heenan is no longer the top ranked player having being supplanted by Boise State DL Tyrone Crawford. The issue I have with taking either guy is the NFL. Tyrone Crawford will go in the first three rounds of the NFL draft and Heenan is going to get some looks down south. I know taking Heenan makes the most sense but look, if he is going to be another Matt O'Donnell who never shows up, I would rather take Wilfrid Laurier Recieved Shamawd Williams...just saying. A light night in the NHL as the Panthers look to move on in New Jersey. How happy can one be for Shane Doan. The guy has been a class act his entire career, never left the Jets/Coyotes organization and always answered the bell for Team Canada when asked. For the first time in his career, Shane Doan has tasted playoff success after last nights 4 - 0 victory over Chicago. I don't think it could happen to a better guy. On a side note I hope Sidney Crosby has no taste of playoff success ever again. Good day to you...