The Hallmark of the CFL

I don't know about you guys but this time of year I'm all about the Hallmark movies.  Sure, I enjoy the classic movies like Scrooge, Christmas Vacation and The Christmas Story (you'll shoot 'yer eye out!) but when you really need to escape the pressures of the season I find there is nothing better than watching a cheesy movie.

We joke that the plots are all the same and they are to an extent.  Girl escapes a bad relationship by fleeing to a small town.  She bumps into the town handyman who is the towns most eligible bachelor naturally.  Through a series of events they begin to fall for each other but then something happens to break them up.  Usually by Christmas Eve they've come to their senses and sorted out the misunderstanding to realize they belong together forever.  Cue the kiss we waited 1.5 hours for.

*sigh*

So what if football was like a Hallmark movie?

Football players come to camp from all over and last year they came from European countries and Mexico too.  Imagine coming from some place in Germany to Regina.  It's not only culture shock but you've left everything behind that you knew to learn a new way of life and train in the CFL.  While players don't arrive in Canada to fall in love many do fall in love with the league and their teams.  Ok so maybe that's a stretch but all players talk about their teams like a brother hood.  Some teams come together better than others and it seems those are the teams which are destined for greatness.

The wins start happening.  The big plays.  The offence wins over our hearts.  We start thinking out team can win it all.  Then inexplicably something happens.  In 2013 to my Riders it was the famous Dewdney incident.  To this year's Grey Cup winners, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers it was the drug testing of Andrew Harris.  The player and the team are left to face the adversity and while some find it a hard situation to recover from others persevere and might even come back stronger than before.

Finally we come to the big day and the only thing I want to see kissed is the Grey Cup as my team hoists it.  Well in 2019, even though we tried to write the storyline of the Saskatchewan Roughriders seeking redemption over the 2009 Grey Cup in Calgary, it wasn't meant to be.  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers who I had said all season long came into Mosaic Stadium and were victorious.  There are lots of reasons why and if the fate of the Offensive Coordinator was hinged on one thing I'd say it was the 4th quarter play when the Riders failed to score in the red zone.  You have a player like William Powell and you don't hand it off to him.  You have a Quarterback like Cody Fajardo who plays with his heart and who played injured because he knew how much it meant to Rider Nation and you pull him out for the 3rd string quarterback who has been warming the bench.  For sure, there were other things in that game that went wrong before that but the Riders failed and the Bombers weren't going to stand back and let us fool around.  

The following week in the Grey Cup the Bombers hoisted the Grey Cup after a 29 year drought.  I've never seen such an impressive display of an offensive line in a game ever.  My green heart was envious.  As a Grinch, I didn't want to be happy for them.  As a football fan who knows how hard it is to get there again and again, I was happy for them.  The Bombers found their Hallmark ending to 2019.

The Roughriders have brought in Jason Maas as the new Offensive Coordinator while the Edmonton Eskimos search for a new Head Coach.  Rick Campbell who many thought would end up in Eskie green has been named Head Coach of the BC Lions.  Mike O'Shea held a press conference that meant nothing.  Paul LaPolice was named Head Coach of the Ottawa Redblacks which has many in Winnipeg wondering what's going to happen to their Quarterbacks who are Free Agents.  Montreal is still searching for a buyer.  We all wonder if Halifax will ever be that 10th team.

The off season is going to be very interesting although the news will be slower and of course we will all take a break to celebrate the meaning of the Christmas season.  Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and interacts with me every day.  I hope you enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season but find some quiet moments to sit down and enjoy a Hallmark movie too.

Faith, Riders & The West Final

Football has gotten me through a lot of situations in my life.  Some have been good and memorable and some have been hard and emotionally taxing.  Regardless, the thought of whatever I have to deal with football will be there for me.  

To be a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan you have to be a little nutty it seems.  You have to have faith and belief no matter what.  A few years ago I had a health issue and found myself undergoing 2 MRI's within the same year.  I remember laying in the MRI machine prior to training camp and thinking I just have to get through this and then I can see all my favourite players at camp.  Darian Durant was still with the team at that time and I recall just thinking about how great it would be to see him lead the team again.  The faith I carry as a Christian and the faith I have as a Rider fan helped me through that.  My test results were normal and I was blessed to attend training camp that year.

This year as I'd written about early on, maybe back in April or May was that I had become a little numb to what was going on with my team this year.  That certainly wasn't a good look as an admin on ABC Rider Fans or as a blogger who usually shared in the excitement or all the football events.  Looking back I'm not sure why exactly I felt that way.  Chris Jones had left for the NFL.  We had a new GM Jeremy O'Day and a new head coach in Craig Dickenson.  We still had relatively the same team and had done well in Free Agency and draft.  I still felt very "meh" about the whole thing.

I was unable to attend Training Camp in Saskatoon in 2019.  Not only did it coincide with my major music festival which I prepare all my close to 40 students for but there was a medical emergency in our family.  My Mother in Law was at our house for a week while my Father in Law was in the hospital.  Family comes before football and we didn't attend a single workout and missed the Fan Day at Gordie Howe Bowl.  

Then the season started.  I met Henry Burris and Matt Dunigan.  Zach Collaros went down the 3rd play of the season.  Cody Fajardo emerged as starter.  Corndogs and Sprinkles of Jesus happened.  I was right back in it.  I started to feel a belief in the team that I hadn't felt in a really long time.  I was always on board with the Chris Jones era but I began to realize what all those "why won't Jones wear green" people were trying to say.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders regained their personality.  People like Charleston Hughes had already endeared us with his surfing celebration but others like LJ McCray stood out.  Manny Arceneaux with his veteran advice and presence.  I can't be remiss in mentioning how many games came down to the foot of Brett Lauther.  We knew their names again and we cheered and rejoiced.  United in Green again.

I had gallbladder surgery at the beginning of August.  I was glad to have that over with.  I was fortunate because it didn't coincide with work or football games.  I was able to attend the August 24th game against the Redblacks.  I was still a little sore and bandaged but the promise of football made it all pain free.  Kerry Joseph and Neal Hughes were inducted into the Plaza of Honour that weekend and it was phenomenal to see them both.

Lot's of fans on ABC Rider Fans and other pages as well as Twitter have said they were happy with the season the Riders had.  When Collaros went down at the beginning of the season and maybe even before that the Riders were pretty much counted out.  No one could have predicted a 13 win season for the first time since 1972.  They were able to finish first in the west for the first time since 2009. We all know what happened that year.  As I write this I can see Riders OC Paul LaPolice throwing his headset in the booth at the botched play but I also remember that the game had been lost a few plays earlier.  It never comes down to just one thing but several things.  The same could be set for the West Final the Riders hosted on November 17th. 

I attended my very first West Final.  We didn't know the week leading up if we'd be able to attend or not.  Hubby has had to work lots of over time recently.  I've had some health concerns pop up again.  I had listed my tickets for sale but at a price I knew most wouldn't pay because I really wanted to go.  Friday night while I was at work teaching my rock stars I received an email from Hubby "I hope our tickets haven't sold".  I could have danced and strutted around my classroom but I didn't...I restrained myself.  The weather was terrific.  I didn't need my heavy duty gloves I had bought but I did make use of the mens long underwear I had bought just for the game.  The Costco salesperson had joked that she hoped security didn't check because I said I didn't care they were mens * laughs *  It was plus temperatures and sunny and it was all there for the Roughriders to take in their spiffy retro uniforms.

During pregame I saw Randy Ambrosie on the sidelines and I knew.  I knew the Riders weren't going to win.  Oh how I wanted them to win.  We couldn't let those danged Bombers win in our stadium again.  In my little green heart I dreaded it.

It doesn't come down to balls hitting the goal post uprights.  The game was lost before that.  There are several plays and while I'm certainly no offensive coordinator for the life of me I don't understand why the Riders didn't use their run game.  Three times in the scoring zone and came away with field goals or fumbles or turnovers.  You can't win like that.  When I look back now that it's been a few days I even wonder if the Bombers were really playing full tilt or not.  I don't think they really had to even if it felt the Riders controlled part of the game.  We shot ourselves in the foot.  We were our own worst enemy and that wasn't new either.  It had happened all season long from penalties or other stupid mistakes and play calls.

We didn't stick around to see the Bombers get awarded the Western Conference Trophy.  Back on the bus back to the mall where our car was parked fans seemed fine.  It was often quiet on the fan buses anyway.  I heard lots of well it was a good season.  I even joked and said "well we really want to win it all at home next year anyway."  When we returned back to Saskatoon and I went online to all the fan pages I found that people were rather complacent.  In season passed there'd be outrage or drama or something.  It was oddly quiet.  While I had regained my mojo had others lost theirs?

What's a worse pain in the butt than enduring a Blue Bomber victory at Mosaic Stadium?  The fact that because of those earlier health issues you'd have to endure yet another test Tuesday.  A necessary evil.  I had a sigmoidoscopy.  It's a less invasive form of colonoscopy.  This time I didn't have the promise of my Riders next week.  This time it was my own faith that had to carry me through.  My faith and support from family and friends.  I can tell you that everything went fine and the test was normal.

What's next?  Well I know that the future for the Roughriders looks bright.  We have a starting quarterback found and locked up for the first time in what feels like years.  There are a lot of free agents but a lot of players will be back and new faces will arrive in Riderville.  It is the cycle of football and life in the CFL.  

I've tried to be a really good CFL fan.  Both the Hamilton TigerCats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have extensive drought from Grey Cup wins.  One of them will end that drought.  I've said all season long that this is Winnipeg's year.  We have to wait until the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary (Calgree) to find out if that prophecy comes true.  What I do know is that I want my fellow CFL fans who have also had some pretty rough years finally find some sunshine in their lives and a team win would do that for them.  

From the Vault: A 2009 Blog Flashback

Earlier this week I began thinking about what my blog posts were like back in 2009.  I know I wrote about my beloved Roughriders but the issue is that back then I wrote on a blogging platform that no longer exists in any form.  I briefly tried out another site which I didn't care for either and eventually landed on Blogger.  I tried to transfer the important things in an attempt to save what I thought were my good stories.  Today I found this from 2009 Training Camp and beyond entitled: The Tale of the Wes Cates Shirt.  Enjoy.

The thing about Wes Cates #20 is that he is a triple threat. He can carry the ball, he can catch the ball and he can block so his quarterback has time to throw the ball. His skill and versatility amazed me when he came to the Roughriders in 2007 from the Stampeders. But this isn’t really a story about the Columbus, Ohio native…..its about what has become known as “the Wes Cates shirt.”

I didn’t have anything to wear to Green and White Fan Day 2009. The only store that sold Roughrider merchandise back then was the hot tub place on the corner of Idylwyld and 22^nd Street here in the City of Bridges. It was a Friday that I stopped there to make a purchase and stock was limited. I chose a green [naturally] shirt with the Rider logo on the front trimmed in black and white.

My first official Roughrider shirt. I was very proud.

Perhaps…..too proud.

The next morning I was getting ready and waiting for Hubby and going about my business. I was already clad in my brand-spanking-new-shirt when thirst struck. We had purchased a flat of pop that consisted of orange, grape, cream soda, and root beer. I bent over the package on the kitchen floor and used the scissors [clearly a mistake] to cut an opening in the plastic so that I could remove my desired flavour. Disaster struck. My scissors punctured a hole in one of the cans as I had tried to remove it and the soda sprayed all over my brand-new-official-never-before-worn Roughrider shirt.

DOH!

I think I cried. I think I stomped around. I took off my beloved shirt and sponged off the front as best as I could and used the hair dryer to dry the spots. Hubby said he couldn’t see any visible spots. It was going to be okay.

Off we went to the Fan Day at Griffiths Stadium. Hubby was wearing his Andy Fantuz jersey but with the mob surrounding him…..we were never going to get an autograph. It was the

same story for Weston Dressler. This was Darian Durant’s first year as starting quarterback and he stood all alone. I approached him and asked for a picture. He quietly obliged. Next we got a picture with Gene Makowsky, who nearly had to crouch down to my 5'3” level. Then I stood in line to see Wes Cates. He was the only one to put his arm around me like we were old pals getting a picture taken. I was slightly smitten. From that point on this particular Roughrider shirt has been coined “my Wes Cates shirt.”

The tale doesn’t end there. For every time I wore my Wes Cates shirt the team performed well…..really well in fact. Then it came to my attention that if it met with an unfortunate accident, such as a spill, on game day we would in fact win. I’m not really superstitious but you can’t ignore occurrences like that!

Last fall when we played the Stampeders in the Western Final the shirt met with such an accident. The Stampeders were an exceptional team in the 2010 season. They were the team to beat. I wasn’t entirely sure we could do it and I have HUGE Rider faith. I don’t know what was on our menu for supper but I do recall that the salad dressing was almost empty so I had tipped it so all the dressing would pour when I was ready. Wouldn’t you know it? It burped extreme ranch dill dressing all over the front of my Wes Cates shirt. It was a giant globbed mess. The Riders went on to win in over time 20 – 16.

I wore the shirt for the first pre-season game this year but not the second.

The shirt does not lie.

This season (2010/2011?), Wes Cates’ position may be challenged by back-flipping Hugh Charles or newcomer Brandon West but no matter what…..come game day…..July 3^rd I will be clad in my West Cates shirt to cheer my team, the green and white, on to victory and if I happen to spill a little something-something down the front…..well, we are all the better for it.

It's 2019 and I no longer have this shirt.  As with everybody and as time passes our bodies change and the washing machine becomes vengeful and shrinks out clothes.  I'm pretty sure I donated the shirt to the Salvation Army as I go through out closets a few times a year.  Someone somewhere has this shirt and it would only be fitting that they also have a beverage accident this Sunday November 17th when the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final for the first time since 1972...when I was merely 2 months old.  I was probably dribbling down my clothes then too.  * wink *

GO RIDERS.

Sandra's WK17 CFL Power Grouping

The last month has been a race to get my Power Grouping done and this week is no exception.  As many of you know, the upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving and likewise I am preparing for company.  The race is on, if you will, to get things ready for Turkey Day.  On top of that tragedy struck the household yesterday afternoon when the coffee maker broke.  No amount of McGyver-ing was going to fix it this time so...Happy October 6th to me - I bought a new Keurig.

So we all have lots going on.  Who has time to draw pictures?  * shrugs *

Group A - Hamilton TigerCats/Saskatchewan Roughriders

Group B - Winnipeg Blue Bombers/Calgary Stampeders/Montreal Alouettes

Group C - BC Lions/Edmonton Eskimos/Ottawa Redblacks/Toronto Argonauts

One Twitter person says "book it", it'll be the TiCats and Riders in the 2019 Grey Cup.  What that person doesn't know is <adjusts tinfoil hat> the conspiracy theory for some time now is that it's supposed to be the Montreal Alouettes and Riders in the Grey Cup because it's the 10th anniversary of the 13th man debacle in Calgary and this year the Grey Cup is indeed once again being held in McMahon Stadium.  

The Hamilton team sure is looking good these days and haven't they been blessed with finding Dane Evans.  Masoli who?  There's still a lot of controversy over Simoni Lawrence but apparently he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him and I heard someone say we aren't supposed to like him or the TiCats anyway.  Maybe that's true.  They're being talked about either way.  Regardless, we can't discount them like next weeks pumpkin pies because they do indeed  have the best record in the CFL right now.

Hot on their turkey tails are the Roughriders who keep finding ways to win.  In week 17 they battled in the defensive trenches and came up with a 2nd win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to take the season series and move into 1st place in the west division.  Early in the game it looked like Cody Fajardo was struggling but things worked out in the 4th quarter when the offence started to click.  If you read last weeks blog I mentions that's how the Als beat the Bombers last week yet I didn't want my Riders to use that strategy.  Well they might not have planned it but waiting until late in the game to stick the knife in and put the game away worked.  Contrats to Shaq Evans who went over 1000 yards receiving on the season and standing ovation to LJ McCray for the circus catch interception.  I'm pretty sure arms don't bend that way but his did preventing what seemed like an inevitable Bomber TD.

Now if I had to choose a team in that B group to be wary of it would be the Alouettes because they are surging while Winnipeg is floundering and we're not really sure anymore what the Stampeders are doing.  There is no way the Blue Bombers can succeed with the current lineup no matter how dominant their defence appears to be.  Green was Streveler's favourite colour on Saturday after all.  Speculation is that they will make a move with Toronto on the trade deadline of October 9th.

Where was Willie Jefferson?  For a player who has been dominant he sure was quiet in the match up at Mosaic.  As I've said for a while now, it's never about personal accomplishments and while Charleston Hughes should get some pats on the back he and everyone else knows that it's meaningless if you don't end up with your name on the trophy in November.  

My Roughriders take on the Calgary Stampeders Friday and the battle for first place in the west is once again on the line.  They play the Lions and then Eskimos back to back to finish the season.  Can the Riders win out the season?

The good news for Group C?  The Redblacks didn't lose this week.  They were on bye week.  The Argonauts on the other hand...YIKES.  I didn't see the game as I was on my way home from Regina but I saw the social media comments and lots of people expected Popp or Chamblin or both to be fired immediately.  The problem is in this day and age teams just can't do that anymore.  The coaching cap pretty much prevents it.  Chamblin has trouble bringing out talent in rookies and I've never really believed in Popp's strategies.  Is it a lack of talent?  A lack of athletes?  Meddling from the GM?  Why they'd ever choose Franklin over Bethel-Thompson is beyond me.

That's all I've got for week 17 in the CFL.  Enjoy the long weekend and spend time being thankful and telling those you love how you feel about them.  Life is too short not to. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

5 Things Said in CFL Free Agency

CFL Free Agency opened at 11am Saskatchewan time Tuesday and while we anxiously clicked refresh at the top of the hour all remained quiet until the news of Mike Reilly signing with the BC Lions broke.  Some media types called it a wild day but I'm not so sure.  Players come and players go and it did seem the CFL cards were completely reshuffled with many asking where did that leave our Roughriders?  In the words of GM Jeremy O'Day "you don't win the Grey Cup in February".  I couldn't agree more and still there were many things discussed and speculated on by fans and sports media outlets.  The following is a list of 5 things in random order that were said in Free Agency and how they panned out.

5.  The Roughriders need Willie Jefferson back.  I was a huge fan of Willie Jefferson and no doubt at least a couple of the games won in 2018 could be attributed to his play.  I thought for sure he'd be off to the NFL with his Cameron Wake reach and know how.  He didn't try out for any NFL teams and said the tape stood for itself.  Then last weekend on his Instagram Story there was a post about his first time testing Free Agency.  On Tuesday Willie signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I won't pretend it sucks every time a fan favourite signs with our arch rivals but we also cannot fault someone for going after their best opportunity.  It's been speculated that the Riders never put forth an offer, but as fans we never really know those details nor should we.  As fans came down in a wrath which would make Smilin' Hank shake his head news descended that the Riders signed Micah Johnson.  All might have been forgiven.  A word about the social media rampage that fans go on... don't tag players in your emotional ranting.  It's completely embarrassing to your fan base and it likely only serves as fuel when the players see it.  I'm glad we had Mr Jefferson for 3 seasons and while I wish him luck with his new team...I won't ever wish it in September or the playoffs!

4. Jeremy O'Day wasn't prepared for Free Agency.  Part of this argument is the continuous blame which people lay at the feet of Chris Jones who departed in January for an NFL position.  It goes that because of his departure O'Day wasn't able to effectively formulate a plan to go after free agency players who the fans decided should be brought into Riderville at all costs.  I think the idea that O'Day was caught off guard is wrong.  We have to remember that no matter the player personality that running a football team effectively is a business first and foremost.  Even if you go after the biggest player in the league and offer top dollar you are doing that at the cost to the rest of the team.  It wasn't that long ago that the Riders signed Darian Durant for $500,000 and then couldn't lure offensive lineman to protect him.  The stakes were much higher in 2019.  You need an entire team to play to win and I guarantee that one person can lead but it takes the team to follow.  The high priced Quarterbacks were signed elsewhere but meanwhile O'Day and company made other valuable signings for the betterment of the Roughriders.  No team wins the Grey Cup in February and a lot will happen before the season opens.  Let's see how that plays out before condemning a man.

3.  Mosaic Stadium and Regina can no longer attract talent.  This attempt to dishonour the jewel of the league was immediately debunked when Micah Johnson took to the podium in his media introduction.  Cody Fajardo said something similar in that he couldn't wait to be on the right side of the stadium in green and white.  There is no other facility in the league that comes close to having what the Roughriders call home.  If a player doesn't sign with the Roughriders it's not because of the facilities they play in.  Reilly chose to be 2 hours from his home and family.  Brett Lauther was willing to go unsigned if his contract wasn't extended by the Riders.  To me that speaks volumes.  Sure Regina is a small town and there isn't a whole lot to do but at the same time during the CFL season I expect a player to be living and breathing football.  They shouldn't be out on the town living it up.  We know that when they are bad situations happen.  Craig Dickenson said that we expect players to contribute to the community and to me that means charity work and appearances not hanging out on Dewdney.

2.  The Roughriders failed to sign a quarterback.  High expectations lead to huge disappointment and irrational emotions.  Did you really really think the Riders had a chance of signing any of the available "elite" quarterbacks?  For weeks we were told Mike Reilly would sign close to home.  We were told Bo Levi Mitchell, who let's face it, Rider Nation didn't want anyway, would re-sign with the Stampeders.  Who was left?  Pardon my expression but everyone else was moderately successful.  Wasn't it the best move to sign a quarterback who already knew the system and schemes?  I think so.  Yes, there are some health questions with Zach Collaros but with him being backed up by someone solid not named Bridge the Riders might be better off than okay.  Let's all remember there are at least 5 quarterbacks brought in to Rider Training Camp in Saskatoon.  While the Roughriders have stated Zach Collaros is our number one pivot, they will all compete and competition is a good thing in a world that tends to hand out participation ribbons.    

1.  The sky is falling.  Well Henny Penny you need to take a good look at the Roughriders roster to see that the sky is still intact.  Step away from the ledge and social media while you're at it.  It seems to me that there are two basic types of fans. A: The Riders are the only team you follow and players are their identity.  You completely over react at any type of different news other than what you were expecting.  You post all over facebook and twitter that people should be fired and often tweet regrettable statements.  B:  The Roughriders are your main team but you follow the CFL as a whole.  You know that football is a lucrative business and hard choices not only need to be made but have to be made.  You wish ex-players luck with their new teams and rejoice when good players are brought in.  Look at A and B closely.  Which one are you?  Which one do you want to be?  Rider Nation is known for being passionate but other fan bases often look over the Saskatchewan borders and laugh at us.  Players want to be on our team because of the passion but it's also one of the most critical fish bowls in the league.  As Roughrider fans we can be better and we should be better.

5 Things Every Roughrider Fan Should Know

Does the weather in Saskatchewan have you down?  I hear you.  I don't ever remember it being -43C ever before.  As I'm bundled in my warmest clothes and not wanting to crawl out from under the warm blankets in the morning I think back to the warm summer night games at Mosaic Stadium and also look forward to what the team will look like in 2019.  With CFL 2.0 put into action by Randy Ambrosie there might be an influx of new CFL fans wanting to know who they should pledge their allegiance to and if the Riders are their choice (and they should be) then this post includes everything that a first time Saskatchewan Roughrider fan should know.

5.  It's ROUGHRIDERS not Rough Riders.  One word.  Change your spell check and correct Siri.  At one time in the CFL, as odd as it was, there were two teams with the same name and the only difference besides location was the difference of one word or two.  The Ottawa Rough Riders were founded in 1876 and was one of the oldest teams in the league...that was until 1996 when the franchise fell on hard times.  Then along came the Ottawa Renegades but they ceased to exist in 2006.  Then in 2014 the Redblacks entered the CFL for the 3rd kick at the can.  Meanwhile, the only change for the Roughriders was a name change from being known as the Regina Roughriders to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and why not?  Rider Pride is province wide.  The community owned team, founded in 1910 has had hard times but due to fan support, a couple telethons and outside donations the organization made it through to become one of the most prosperous teams in the CFL.  We say Rider Pride is World Wide but that's only because of the plethora of any and all merchandise found everywhere on the globe.

4.  Who was Piffles Taylor?  Neil Joseph "Piffles" Taylor was a World War I pilot and also a football player.  He lost an eye when his plane was shot down and spent a year as a German prisoner of war.  Even though he was missing an eye he was able to quarterback the team to the Hugo Ross Trophy.  He was a player, a head coach and became a football executive in the west.  The then home of the Roughriders Park de Young/Park de Hughes was renamed in his honour Taylor Field.  It remained Taylor Field as a stadium was built which was much later named Mosaic Stadium and the street it was located on named Piffles Taylor Way in Regina, Saskatchewan.  When the new Mosaic Stadium was erected a block away, the old stadium was auctioned off, dismantled and toppled over.  There isn't any new development on the site yet and I bet it now looks much the same as it might have when Piffles himself played there.

3.  The duo of Ron Lancaster and George Reed is legendary.  Ron Lancaster was the starting quarterback for 16 seasons and led the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their first Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1966.  Because of his small stature he was nicknamed the "Little General" but nothing about him was little.  He led the team to 14 consecutive play off games and played in the Grey Cup 5 times.  He won 170 games with his only losing season his final with the Roughriders.  By his side, was running back George Reed.  He is known as the best running back in CFL history.  Mr. Reed played his entire 13 year career with the Roughriders.  Both of these outstanding men have their jersey's 23 and 34 retired and their statues can be seen outside new Mosaic Stadium.  While Ron Lancaster passed in 2008, George Reed still lives in Regina and visits Roughriders practices and has the best seat in the house for home games.

Screen grab after a re-creation of the 1989 kick during a game in the Farewell Season

2.  One of the Saskatchewan Roughriders biggest rivalries is with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  The Winnipeg Football Club hasn't won the Grey Cup since 1990 and it's fun to remind them about that.  They also like to remind us Rider fans that we've only won 4 times and while this is true they are 4 of the most epic wins in history...or at least I'd like to think so.  The first win as mentioned above was in 1966.  It was a game in which everyone thought Ottawa was going to win, so much so according to George Reed that all the championship regalia had to be moved from the Ottawa locker room into the Riders locker room.  The next Grey Cup championship didn't come until 1989 which many CFL fans tout as the best championship game of all time.  Everyone had counted out the Roughrider team.  We were the under dogs who won on the leg of a Robokicker aka Dave Ridgway.  The next game came in 2007 against those aforementioned Blue Bombers.  For all accounts, the Bombers should have won too if it weren't for their starting quarterback Kevin Glenn breaking his arm the week before.  The next Grey Cup win came in 2013 at home in front of Rider Nation at Taylor Field in a rematch of 1989 against the Henry Burris led Hamilton Tiger Cats.  They didn't stand a chance.  There was a lot on the line for Saskatchewan - redemption for the 13th man fiasco in 2009, the monkey on Darian Durant's back and just the pure pressure of getting the win at home.  You can kid us all you want about these 4 championships but it's the down time, the heart break and frigid temperatures that make Roughrider fans all the more passionate in Saskatchewan.  The Roughriders are bidding on the 2020 Grey Cup.  Can we do it again at our new home?

1.  Roughriders helmets are green and watermelons are green so why not wear a watermelon on my head?  If you have any doubts and have gotten to this point on the list and thought wha?  It's true.  Roughrider fans are known for wearing fruit on their noggin's.  I've not personally carved out a helmet, but word has it that you have to do it far in advance so that the rind dries out enough for you to wear it.  Otherwise you'll end up with a drippy sloppy mess on your head and I'm not sure that's the conditioning treatment your beauty regime really needs.  It's likely because of this that newer fans are opting out of this head gear.  You can bet that on special game days that anything and everything goes at a Rider game.  Star Wars fan?  Check out the crew at Piffles Podcast in their game day attire.  Are you more of a Saskatchewan Pirate?  We've got fans who dress as those too.  Everyone looks better in green and the more green the better.  A trip to the nearest Rider Store will have you decked out head to toe in everything from jerseys, pants, nail polish, and your green hearts deepest desire.  Don't forget, it's not just for game day either because Roughrider fans wear it everywhere.  It's worn at weddings, funerals, on vacation and at other sporting events.  There's one in every crowd and there's no other group of people I'd rather identify with.  Rider Nation are my people.  Why not make them yours too?

5 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2018

Stores are frantically filling their empty shelves with Valentine's and Easter goodies but this Roughrider blogger is still feeling nostalgic.  I'll be packing up my Christmas decorations this weekend but for now I'm still looking back at 2018 and some of the topics which readers of ABC Football read and reacted to the most.  I've been reading over the last month about what makes sports blogs better and the thing I've seen most is 'don't put stock into the amount of views' and while keeping tabs on numbers isn't the number one thing I do in my spare time (what's that?) I won't discount that without readers there's no way I'd still be consistently putting out blogs since my first post in 2012.  I've learned a lot since then and I think the following topics in this weeks installment of the Football Friday 5 show that.  If you haven't had the pleasure of following all these stories I encourage you to step back with me and don't hesitate to explore the links listed here or in my blog archive.

5.  HOW SWEET IT IS was a post written right after the Labour Day Classic on September 4th 2018.  The Riders had just beat the Bombers and all of Rider Nation was riding high at 6 and 4 at that point in the season.  Chris Jones had made his first appearance in the Rider green Diversity is Strength tee shirt a few games earlier and we all decided he should never take it off.  It's funny how much conversation the mans wardrobe has always garnered.  

Meme from ABC Rider Fans Spirit Week

4.  T G D C was an acronym standing for Thank Goodness for Duron Carter and the title of a blog post from May 2nd, 2018.  Not much was going on at the time and there was a lull in the CFL news when Duron Carter started tweeting about how Bring 'em Out had gotten old and it needed to be shaken up.  His tweets broke up the doldrums.  Other topics of my blog consisted of Training Camp, parking for game goers, Don Narcisse moving home, CFL clothing, Brodie Lawson and the Broncos bus crash.  Who knew that by Labour Day Carter would find himself released from the Riders and who knew that Rob Bagg who had been released with other vets at the end of Training Camp would be welcomed back into the Riders locker room with open arms.  This change seemed to have a huge impact on how the Roughriders finished their season.  While Duron seems to be a terrific guy off the field we do see him without a team in 2019.  Will he end up in the AAFL too?  I guess we have to wait and see. 

3.  WINNIPEGISH.  Winnipegish is a word I first heard used on CKRM's Sportscage to describe Blue Bomber fans and their reactions to pretty much anything.  I thought it was appropriate to use as the title of this May 14th 2018 blog about Darian Durant and how he had signed with the football club and then scampered off with his $70K signing bonus.  Fans laughed at Rider Nation as players like Maurice Price signed, got the bonus and then promptly retired.  Apparently, it's not so much fun when the cleat is on the other foot but it sure was entertaining from this side of the border.  I was a huge fan of Darian Durant and I did support him.  I also worked through many of my feelings on him and the entire subject of his trade to the Alouettes in other blog posts.  Rider fans are not known for accepting change very well either.  Durant had Rider Radio pregame segments and did return to Mosaic Stadium to watch a home game...will CFL fans see him end up on the coaching side of football or after his contract with the Bombers expires will he end up elsewhere?  

Shared from the Saskatoon Hilltops Twitter while Durant was game ambassador.

2.  Number two and number one on this list work hand in hand.  My second most popular post of 2018 was a follow up blog entitled Weighing a Response.  Without giving away the number one post of 2018 I'm moving on. Please continue reading!

Quote from Sue Turner Moderator at ABC Rider Fans

1.  SIZING UP THE CFL was a blog post published on February 16th 2018.  This was a blog post that had male and female CFL fans commenting, tweeting, and messaging me their thanks for bringing up the subject of the lack of quality, sizing and choice for fans who don't fit the "model".  Female fans having to buy men's merchandise to represent their team because the ladies sizing was poor, more expensive and just not all inclusive.  Men told me that they too had issues with sizing not being right for them.  Fabrics were either cheap feeling or not comfortable enough.  It was a subject in which I got an overwhelming response.    At the urging of several people, who you'll find named in WEIGHING A RESPONSE , I emailed my blog to Randy Ambrosie who passed it down the chain I'm guessing because I did get a response from the CFL.  I was assured that I would see the model change and that they were working hard to ensure every fan has comfortable merchandise to choose from.  Now a lot of people thought that was just a form letter type of response but near the end of the 2018 season we did see the announcement that the CFL was ending it's relationship with Adidas and New Era would be taking over in 2019.  You can read that announcement HERE.  I am strongly encouraged by this news as I do own a few pieces of New Era merchandise and I think this is a move to make us all more content.  You can bet that when the full line rolls out I will be there to review everything.  As I promised, this is not a subject that our diverse fan bases cannot ignore and I will continue to keep my eyes on the topic.

There you have it - my 5 Most Popular Posts of 2018.  If you liked this blog don't forget to share it with others who might also enjoy it.  Don't miss out on last weeks feature 5 Biggest Stories in the CFL of 2018.  Thanks for reading in 2018 and don't forget that our continued interaction helps to make blogging all worth while.

5 Biggest Stories of 2018 in the CFL

Are you an exhausted reindeer, in the throws of turkey hangover and in deep CFL football withdrawal?  This post might just save you.  In today's Football Friday 5 I'm discussing the top 5 stories of the year.  Pour yourself a coffee or rum and eggnog and settle in to find out what the stories of 2018 were according to my discussions with CFL fans around social media and ABC Rider Fans.

5. The CFL expands to Halifax.  When the CFL was waiting to select it's next Commissioner for the league this was one of the topics I thought was relevant and wrote about it in a 2017 blog titled The Commish.  The CFL expanded to 9 teams in 2014 and I always thought that to make the league truly Canadian and unite all fans across this great nation there needed to be a 10th team located in the maritime provinces.  A 10th team would even out the schedule...no more having to play the Blue Bombers three times in a season...and there could be great Labour Day match ups without some teams having to sit out on bye weeks.  While it's true that the name, the Atlantic Schooners has been chosen and registered there is still much discussion and planning to be done with the biggest question mark being where will they play.  I'm sure this will continue to be a big story in the upcoming season.

4.  From Jon Gott guzzling beer to the Blue Bombers climbing their stair cases the CFL Celebrations were interesting in 2018.  At the start of the season things like sword slashes, ball spins or using props were penalized but mid season that rule was changed and they threw the door wide open to everything and anything as long as the players took responsibility.  Read the rule change HERE.  Now the problem is that without rules (and people love rules) things can run amuck.  When Jon Gott epically took a beer from his girlfriend in the stands and guzzled it on live TSN TV well it wasn't long before the CFL was saying "whoops, my bad" and amended the celebration rules.  If only they acted so quickly when it came to player safety.....

3. TSN's love affair with Johnny Manziel was something else.  First it was will he or won't he arrive in the league.  Then it was about him being signed in Hamilton and how he had to sit out while Masoli rose to fame.  When Montreal traded for Johnny Football no one could hardly wait for him to make his starting debut.  I'll admit that I did watch but for some reason I only remember the seagulls and Rod Black's reaction a la the movie The Birds instead of Manziel's actual performance.  I do recall the Monday after the Glenn Suitor discussing on Green Zone how many times the name Manziel was called on the broadcast and while he didn't seem to think it was that much...it was completely sickening to the rest of the fans watching or flipping channels at home.  Hopefully in 2019 the media circus will be over and John will be able to develop into the quarterback we are waiting to see.

2.  As I eluded to in number 4 injuries to CFL QB's was a story from the get go whether we knew it in June or not.  Zach Collaros was suffering from a concussion from a preseason game, Matt Nicholls was out and Streveler made a remarkable start and then there was the devastating neck injury to Ricky Ray who had contemplated retirement in the off season.  It was horrible to watch him lie prone for what seemed like forever before responders finally removed him from the field.  The talk about player safety and quarterback safety was only a murmur at that point but when the hit from Odell Willis to Zach Collaros happened and how that whole debacle was handled or lack there off fans were irate.  Where was the discipline?  Fines?  Suspensions?  Why was the Commish able to change a celebration rule but didn't have the gumption to look at the safety of the players who make this league what it is?  That conversation continued until Jackson Jeffcoat took out Brandon Bridge in a meaningless play in the West Semi Final and in a game that the Bombers seemed to care most about winning because they certainly didn't play with same determination against the Calgary Stampeders a week later. Let's hope that this is a huge discussion while the CBA is being negotiated in 2019. 

1.  Number One could easily be Darian Durant scampering off with $70k, Duron Carter being released, Rob Bagg's return, Messam's or Hughes charges or even how the Eskimos missed the playoffs while hosting the Grey Cup, but, I felt the number one story, even though not a football story was indeed and without question the Humboldt Broncos.  I live about an hour from Humboldt and pass through there a few times a year.  I didn't know any of the players.  I'm not even a hockey fan.  When the bus crash happened I was in New York on Easter vacation.  I was back in my hotel room after being out all day and had tuned in to CKRM's Sportscage and had tweeted in that I was listening.  Rod and Luc proceeded to roast me for listening when I was in such an amazing city.  While I was listening and scrolling through my Twitter feed I saw a post about the bus crash and then that the hockey game was cancelled.  It was one of those 'where were you' moments that I will never forget.  Everyone was in mourning in Saskatchewan and around the world.  The Roughriders held a special fan day and some of the players dedicated their play to the hockey team.  A Roughriders home game was held in the Broncos honour and fans were given green and yellow ribbons to wear while the Riders donned Humboldt Strong on their helmets for the season.  We may all enjoy different sports and even some of the same sports but regardless we are a community and in times like this we all come together and forget all other differences for the betterment of each other.  Be kind.  Love one another.  I don't know of a better theme for us all to follow now and into 2019.  

Friday Football Five

Can you feel it? The excitement is mounting and I've heard there are less than 2,000 tickets available for Sunday's Western Semi Final game in Regina's Mosaic Stadium.

1.  I've spent all week thinking about what clothes to wear to the Remembrance Day Labour Day feeling play off game between our Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  I already own ski pants and I think layering 3 or 4 tops/sweaters under my winter coat will suffice.  I have shearling lined winter boots and we've been trying on various styles of mittens.  I'm still toying with the idea of going to Cabella's for some of those hot pocket doo-dad's for extra warmth.  Do I go with Santa hat or the standard tuque or both?  Oh and I've also got a blanket to sit on or be wrapped in.

2.  The players have been commenting on how cold it feels and apparently Coach Jones is tired of hearing about it.  For many of these players, they haven't experienced snow before never mind this depth of cold.  Hubby reminded me of how Lancaster and Reed would dip their hands in freezing water to acclimate themselves to the cold.  All I know is, I'm happy my team is talking about the weather and not concerned with pumping in crowd noise.  By the way, these leather mittens sound louder than thunder sticks.....

3.  As concerned as I am with what I'm wearing, it's possible that a major key to the game is similar.  A running game is only as good as your footing is sure.  So Bombers if you're reading this...who needs tread on cleats?  I jest.  Kind of.  At the same time, ball security can be an issue too.  Can you hold on to the ball?  Grip is sure a lot different at -20 than it is +20.  I trust the Jones regime and I'm sure they've prepared for all scenarios.

4.  As hopeful and confident sounding as I am about winning Sunday's game (because I think we have all the tools in place)  I've also thought about my feelings for this being the end of the 2018 season and I can only say this - I'M NOT READY FOR IT TO BE OVER.  Our offence needs to score at least 14 points, our defence has to do it's thing and a special teams play would be super fun as well.

5.  On the Thursday morning CKOM Gormley show the guests were the Mayors of Saskatoon and Regina.  They declared today Rider Green Friday and Mayor Fougere discussed making a bet with the Mayor of Winnipeg.  I've dug out my BEL13VE tee shirt which I had the entire team (almost) sign at Fan Day in Saskatoon during training camp.  I'm carrying the team on my back.

As always - Go Riders!  I'll catch y'all on the flip side where Rider Nation is all hoping to be rejoicing in the win and planning for the West Final.  As always, find me on Twitter (@smilingsandra) or join us on ABC Rider Fans on Facebook.  Let's make a new memory together at beautiful Mosaic Stadium.