I've been feeling like I'm on a different plane of existence lately. This time of year is a season of change for me as the regular school year comes to a close and I regain my freedom for 8 weeks of summer holidays. Even though this is so...there is a definite disconnect I've felt not only with Rider Nation but with the Canadian Football League in general.
The fire I used to feel has dwindled.
I've been watching a Netflix show called Dark. The premise is that there are several different time lines going on and using different methods explored in the show a person can travel between them and to different points in history. I feel like I am still on a 3 year remake of the Riders timeline but they are over there and I can't quit make the connection.
As much as I am behind Craig Dickenson, here we are with another coaching change just as the Roughriders were making strides under Chris Jones. The departure of Jones also meant Jeremy O'Day stepped in as General Manager. There were numerous Quarterbacks available in free agency and the Riders failed to lure any of them to Saskatchewan. We signed Zach Collaros who as my mother put it was one bonk on the head away from being done...and that's exactly how it happened. If fans felt any excitement or hope before, now it's even more frustrating. Fans like to know the names of the guys on the team and often complain that besides a couple players they don't know who they are anymore.
Have we lost our identity?
It's increasingly expensive to attend games. Ticket prices go up as do everything else. Want to feed the family? Those trendy items they show on the TSN broadcast will set you back more than $20. Drinks? Wait, do you want to buy some merch from the store? Good luck. There's not much for under $20 there either. The first jersey I ever bought was $60 and now you can't even walk away with a golf shirt for that amount of money. It's harder now than ever to support your favourite team. Yet Rider Nation is loyal and we still do it and attend games but this fan is feeling it and I'm sure many are.
We are getting bored...
...bored and frustrated.
It's not just the Riders. There's plenty in the CFL to be disillusioned with.
The 2018 season ended with two Roughriders Quarterbacks being injured and the leagues answer was to put another set of eyes on the field. All the talk in the off season was about making the game safer. Jonathon Rose who? Yeah, they forgot all about him and neglected to dish out any punishment because they were too busy negotiation the new CBA but what good did it do? In the 3rd play of the season a Riders QB was again taken out of a game and when the suspensions were handed down the CFLPA decided to back the offender Simoni Lawrence who said he was "super sorry" but not sorry enough to actually take responsibility for his actions. He gets to play while the CFL and PA try to find a date they can meet and all the while Zach Collaros is on the 6 game injured list, at home in Hamilton and who knows if he'll actually ever play again.
Everything feels broken.
There was a discussion on ABC Rider Fans about the fine to Makana Henry. Some felt he should have been suspended as well. The CFL/PA doesn't take a hard enough stance against any of these things. Jamey Person (top contributor to ABC Rider Fans) pointed out that if it was dealt with harsher players would think twice about what they do. He may have a point. I personally think that it starts long before any player hits the CFL. It starts with education and education of everyone. Young players need to not only be taught what a correct tackle looks like but how to avoid hits in fast game play. At the same time officials need to be better educated to deal with these things when they happen. Use the Eye in the Sky or whatever it's called to get these things right. It has a trickle down effect and even though it won't fix today's issue it will protect players of the future. I think some of this is already happening and it's veteran players who we are still seeing using this old style of play trying to push it off as "I didn't mean to" and "I'm really a nice guy".
What are fans to do? Around the CFL attendance seems to be dwindling and the more the media brings it up the less I suspect people want to attend. All of what I've talked about is contributing to the current state of things. I saw a Twitter post by Paul LaPolice saying that if kids want to go play catch during warm ups to meet in the end zone with him and the Quarterbacks. Wow. My first memory of the Riders was of a Roughrider visiting my school and apparently I'm the only one of my classmates who remembers it at all but it obviously left an impression on me! It starts at the bottom - give the kids something to love and they'll bring their parents. The Riders had a marketing campaign like this several years ago and let's face it...there's not a more lovable mascot around than that of Gainer the Gopher.
So where does this leave us?
A win solves a lot of issues.
It's Canada Day and the Saskatchewan Roughriders aka Canada's Team are hosting the Toronto Argonauts Monday at 5pm. They are promising to unveil the nations biggest Canadian flag, the 50/50 is over $100000, 30000 rally towels are being given away and Big Sugar is playing halftime...oh yeah...and a football game is happening! I'll be there in my new seats in 118 and I know regardless of the outcome it's going to be a great experience.
Now - where did I put that cowbell?
Welcome to Week 2. Let's do a little recap of how my Power Groupings work just in case you didn't catch Week 1. Typically sports people do Power Ranking which groups teams from 1 to 9 (or more depending how bad they stink). Instead of this traditional ranking I started doing a Grouping instead. There are three groups labelled A, B & C. This means there is no official number 1 team and instead the A group is the best in my opinion for that week. Cool right? The other thing is, I really don't take any of this very seriously and I don't think you should either. I mean, sports is fun right? The drawing is cathartic...especially after another Rider loss and as one reader told me...there's something very genuine about someone sitting and sketching a picture (to paraphrase). So please with all this in mind, don't get upset if what I have doesn't match what you may think a ranking should look like. Awesome! Read ahead to find out what Week 2 in the CFL ship-shaped up like.
Group A - My Heart Will Go On
These teams weaved magic in Week 2 and endeared their fans with their dominant play. The Ottawa Redblacks were first up with a Thursday night match up against the Greenwhites. Just how good is Dominique Davis? This team hasn't missed a step in spite of losing Trevor Harris and Greg Elingson in the off season. The Hamilton Tigercats came up victorious in a very boring and embarrassing display against Corey Chamblin's Toronto Argonauts. Some fans quipped that they didn't know the score board counted that high. The Edmonton Eskimos took out the BC Lions and may have sacked high paid Quarterback Mike Reilly (what O Line?) again while you're reading this.
Group B - Iceberg Ahead
All three of these teams didn't play in Week 2. The Bombers went into their bye week with momentum so it'll be interesting to see how well they match up against the Eskimos in Week 3. The BC Lions visit Calgary and you can bet both teams will be looking for revenge after their losses. Oooh yikes, the Alouettes are in Hamilton. The Als signed Brandon Bridge late last week as Antonio Pipkin is banged up. Will Air Canada stick in Montreal? These could be amazing games so we'll have to tune in.
Group C - Abandon Ship
That might be a bit drastic for my Saskatchewan Roughriders even though some are saying the season is lost. Cody Fajardo gave Ottawa a run for their money and held his own. It'll be exciting to see him continue to develop and gain confidence in the system. It was also nice to see OC McAdoo open up the play book, it seemed, and let Cody throw down field. I think this team just has to gel as they say and stop taking penalties which shoots themselves in the cleats. The BC Lions have to find a run game and when they do that could change everything for them. In the very least they might be looking for some offensive plays to take the heat off the mad and banged up hatter. The poor Toronto Argonauts will be visiting Mosaic Stadium on Canada Day with a no doubt sold out rabid for a win Rider Nation. This is of course the game I am looking forward to the most and I'll be in my new season seats to watch all the action.
Go Riders!
Welcome to the 2019 edition of Sandra's CFL Power Grouping. If you've followed my page for a while you likely know how this works, but if you are new I'll explain - Typically sports people do Power Ranking which groups teams from 1 to 9 (or more depending how bad they stink). Instead of this traditional ranking I started doing a Grouping instead. There are three groups labelled A, B & C. This means there is no official number 1 team and instead the A group is the best in my opinion for that week. Cool right? The other thing is, I really don't take any of this very seriously and I don't think you should either. I mean, sports is fun right? The drawing is cathartic...especially after another Rider loss and as one reader told me...there's something very genuine about someone sitting and sketching a picture (to paraphrase). So please with all this in mind, don't get upset if what I have doesn't match what you may think a ranking should look like. Awesome! Let's get the 2019 show on the road.
Group A - It's Up! Aaaand It's Good!
The Stampeders were the 2018 Grey Cup Champions. Bo Levi resigned in the off season after having NFL try outs. It was close! He was almost a Rider. The team had a few free agency changes...the departure of Micah Johnson to the Riders for one and with these things in mind everyone watches to see if there will be a fall from grace. If there's one thing I know - Hufnagel always has this team ready. Sure they lost their home opener to the Ottawa Redblacks...their first win IN Calgary's aged McMahon Stadium... where was I going with this? Oh yeah! This also means to me that the Redblacks deserve to be in this group. They revenged their Grey Cup loss in a place they'd never won before with the rookie starter Dominique Davis at the QB helm. None of these things should be overlooked in spite of the 4 interceptions. Meanwhile, Winnipeg is planning a Grey Cup parade after their victory over the BC Lions. Yes, the Blue Bombers looked good but to me the Lions were a far less (see C group) team despite their highly paid quarterback Mike Reilly. I also thought it was interesting that we didn't hear Willie Jefferson of Adam Bighill's name very often but then it was hard to hear anything over Duane Forde's chewing of the Outrageous Burger.
Group B - Move the Chains
The Edmonton Eskimos debuted their newish Quarterback Trevor Harris and he had a terrific game. They played the Montreal Alouettes who, let's be honest, after firing their head coach a week ago and being taken over by the CFL had pegged for...is there an X Group? With Khari Jones thrown into the roll of Head Coach and Vernon Adams Jr taking over the reigns late in the game...well the Esks almost didn't win this one. I have the Hamilton Tigercats in this grouping as well. While, I am extremely angry at the dangerous and reckless play of Simoni Lawrence (is he suspended yet?), the rest of the team shouldn't be penalized. They did eek out the win over the Roughriders but some of us are left wondering what could have been if Zach Collaros wasn't knocked out of the game on the THIRD play. I won't discuss it now as that's a subject for it's own blog post...or more...over 6 weeks.
Group C - Back to the Drawing Board
The BC Lions who I mentioned above have the brand spanking new and highly paid Mike Reilly at their disposal. They also have some terrific receivers in Burnham and Carter yet throws kept getting missed. Also what happened to the run game? Oh and PULEEZE Mr. Claybrooks can you straighten your hat! You're head coach of a professional team now... My Saskatchewan Roughriders are in this group too but mostly because they are once again spinning the quarterback carousel. Unlike some fans, I don't think the season is lost but instead actually have a lot of hope (after the anger wore off) that we will see the emergence of Isaac Harker. Won't it be exciting to say we saw that happen? * fingers crossed * The Riders take on A Group Redblacks in Week 2 and it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out.
I've listed the Toronto Argonauts here simply because they were on bye week and didn't play in Week 1. That's likely a good thing as all of Toronto and the Nation celebrate the Raptors NBA Championship.
Thanks for reading and if you have any drawing ideas I will gladly welcome them. Drawings will be kept under the 2019 Garfunkel's tab for quick and easy reference.
You might be a long time reader of this blog or you might have just happened upon this site from a link from social media and I thank you regardless of how you found your way to ABC Football. We are only a few days/hours/minutes away from the opening of the 2019 CFL season and I thought this was a good time for me to reacquaint myself after an interesting off season.
If you'd like the condensed version, I don't blame you at all, after all our attention is pulled in several different directions these days... then please click on my About Me tab. You'll find all the necessary information there. If you prefer the long winded version, then by all means stick with me. * smile *
This is not a blog post about how I became a Rider fan because I think I've already been there, done that, and bought all the Rider tee shirts. If you are interested, this is my Origin Story.
I grew up in Prince Albert and in 2001 moved to Saskatoon. I took music lessons all of my teenage years and when I was 17 I began teaching piano lessons. Music has always been a huge part of my life and livelihood. Except for a 5 year hiatus when we moved, I've always been a teacher. My interest in practice ebbs and flows but I strive to keep learning and being the best instructor and mentor I can be to all the students who cross my path. I probably should have become a school teacher but...well, I didn't.
I thought I was going to be a writer. I did a few years of Arts & Sciences...basically enough to know that I was neither good at learning in that forum and that the learning how had nothing to do with the act of actually doing it. Now I know that I could have made different choices but things always have a way of working out and because of them I met my Husband who you may have seen me refer to as "Hubby". We celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary in December and the one thing we enjoy doing together is going to football games.
I've always been able to succeed at pretty much anything I've ever tried. That's not me being egotistical. It's the truth. No one ever told me I couldn't do something. I always felt that I was free to pursue my passions. I play music, I bake, I travel, I draw, I snap photos.....
On a social media forum which has long become extinct I began blogging about every day life, my love of donuts and my teaching stories. My readers ( a handful of friends ) became wildly aware around 2008-ish that a lot of my blogs were about football. Some of those very early blogs can be found in the archives on this very page. It became apparent that I could just write about sports and eventually my page got moved here to Blogger and eventually through a few name changes we arrive at what ABC Football is today.
This page will always be from the fans perspective and over time I think I've become more level headed and logical and less radical. Yes, I know, crazy words from a Rider fan! I try to not take football or myself too seriously and I think that's evident through my CFL Power Rankings. I think we can look everywhere, especially in Saskatchewan, and be bombarded with Roughriders news from sports media people. I try to not let what's going on around me influence my perspective. Why try to fit in? The Power Ranking can be found under the 2018 tab of this page or by clicking this LINK. In 2019, my "grouping" will appear under the Blog heading and there will be a separate tab where I will post my Garfunkels...er, art.
Sometimes you have to excuse me. I am the music teacher after all and that often takes precedent. It also means you might be swamped with vague musical quotations from my current obsessions. It might mean I don't get to write regularly because of my schedule. I'm okay with it and I hope you are too. I will always share my newest posts on my Twitter account, Instagram and the ABC Football Facebook page. I firmly believe that while I am a Roughriders fan first and foremost, that is not all that I am. I am diverse and sometimes complicated. I can enjoy several things at the same time and remain smilingsandra or smilingriderfan or whoever I am :)
I am the administrator of ABC Rider Fans on Facebook. The group doesn't have the big numbers that some Facebook groups do but the people who are on the page have fun. It's not uncommon to go off topic or to joke around with each other. We are friends. If you've joined, you can expect Game Threads hosted by moderator John Strutt and we love it when everybody posts and shares. You can expect CFL news while being Rider fans. The rules are simple and easy to follow. Search the group up and join in.
A question I get asked often is "why ABC?". At the time, I wanted something that would come up on a Google or Facebook in an alphabetical type of search. I also thought ABC could refer to the abc's of football and almost in a football 101 type of way. Yes, it is also an acronym for Anyone But Calgary and that's a cool thing too but it does not mean the group/page is completely anti-Stampeders. Not really anyway.
I am a Roughriders season ticket holder and this year will be in section 118. I'm pretty excited to sit in a different part of the stadium. I'm also pumped for the home opener on Canada Day. Who doesn't love cheering on Canada's Team on the same day we get to celebrate our nation?! If you see me, stop me and say hi!
I'd love to interact with you. If there are blog topics you'd love to see me discuss then by all means let me know. Thanks for reading and as always...
...Go Riders!
