Looking Back ~ Looking Forward

~ sigh ~

There's no better therapy for escaping the stresses of renovation than a trip to a football game. No electrical issues to worry about. No waiting for paint to dry so walls can be painted again. No crazy contractor to deal with. Yup, there is not a thing I'd rather do than hop in the Sandra-mobile and head to a game at Old Mosaic Stadium on Taylor Field. This is exactly what the Hubster and I did last Saturday in wild anticipation of an old fashioned Lion taming.

Waaaaaalllllyyyyyyy

Okay, so maybe no Lions were tamed as the final score was (gulp) 40 – 27 in their favour. Without going over the minute details of the game because they've all been hashed to death by now, including how Brooks maimed our franchise Quarterback. THANK GOODNESS, it wasn't a serious injury. Darian Durant is a total beast and competitor which is apparent since he not only remained on the field to throw a touchdown pass after the injury but also has been in practice since as well. There is only one other Roughrider legend who has been known to be as Saskie tough.

George Reed.

I had the pleasure of meeting George Reed when the CFL was celebrating it's 100^th anniversary by having a train visit several cities and Saskatoon happened to be one of the stops. I waited in line for what seemed like forever but it was completely worth it by the time I made it to the autograph table. He was immensely gracious and I was in complete awe.

I was equally in awe on Saturday in my section 43 seat on the West side when the 1966 Grey Cup winning Roughriders entered the stadium right beside us and marched the Grey Cup by. WOW. What a different time. Everyone stood and applauded in our section. I've never seen anything more beautiful than the Grey Cup with July sunshine glinting off of it.

1966 Grey Cup winning Roughriders

At halftime, highlights of the 1966 Grey Cup were broadcast on the Sasktel Maxtron. Then each player was introduced. Some are not with us anymore and some simply were not able to make the trip. I watched as two RCMP marched out and a stunning red mustang convertible drove to midfield containing the cup and I have to admit my eyes started to well up as we also learned the car contained Lana Mueller, daughter of Ron Lancaster, sporting a #23 jersey.

There we were celebrating the 50^th anniversary of this epic victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders while saying goodbye to the place that's been home for not only the Saskatchewan Roughriders but home to us fans as well. The lady behind me talked about how badly she wanted to take her seat number home with her. Funny, I thought as a man who was sitting a few seats down had gashed his leg on the seat back metal. I've done it and I bet you have too!

Taylor Field.....the site of so much happiness, tradition and heart bursting memories.

New Mosaic taken from the West Gate ramps of Old Mosaic

This Friday when our Riders take on the Rough Riders...er, Renegades...er, Redblacks (what is a redblack anyway?) there will be a celebration of the 1970's. The 70's were not kind to us GreenWhite fans although I was barely around to know or remember. I would have been 3 years old in 1976 when Saskatchewan met Ottawa in the Grey Cup but trust me I know about Tony Gabriel and “the catch”. 
 

Songs like Don't Go Breaking My Heart and Play That Funky Music were top of the music charts. People were watching Rocky, Carrie and The Bad News Bears. The Timbit was introduced in 1976 and our Prime Minister was Trudeau.

It's fun to look back isn't it?

Traditionally the Roughriders have not been a highly successful team. The team which was established in 1910 has only won 4 Grey Cups. Fans have endured extreme heart aching defeat and incredible emotional highs. Isn't that what being a fan is about? The roller coaster? The face palms and the eye rolls? The jumping and high fives? It's about supporting your team whether the record is 3-15, 9-9 or 0-3. Sure, it's more fun to drive the two hour drive home from Regina after a win but haven't we been lucky to have this team all these years! Because of us...the fans, players have made Regina and this province home, some staying here like George Reed, while others like Don Narcisse have returned. Isn't that wonderful!?!

There's no other fan base I'd want to be a part of...Rider Nation you crazy wonderful community you! I love ya!

Thursday aka Game Day Eve, the Grey Cup will be at the Co-Op which I frequent on 33^rd St West in Toon Town. Hamburgers will be sold with proceeds going to the Scouts. I plan on seeing Earl Grey's contribution close up. 

~ sigh ~

Dream It

I don't know if many of you remember that right after the preseason I said I'd eat my Rider flag if Keith Toston wasn't The Guy.

I lied.

I didn't eat it.  Good thing too because we finally saw him start against the Stampeders.  He looked great.  I like the speed he has.  The problem is that I now really like Allen too and I love how Messam can be a threat too.  Do I dare say that Toston might be Next Year Guy?

No matter what, I miss Kory Sheets at RB like crazy.

I'm really tired of a couple debates going on around the water cooler these days.  The first being 41 year old Kerry Joseph.  Ugh.  It feels like that's his complete title now.  Forty-One Year Old Kerry Joseph.  *eye roll*  You know what?  I love it.  Who says life ends at age 40?  If a guy is in shape, can still take the reps, and throws darts and threads needles like KJ showed us in the last two games...then BOOYAH!  Wow. The Kerry Joseph has played amazing.  Let's drop the age.  It doesn't matter anymore because his playing and mentality has totally changed the focus on the team...motivated everyone and made this rabid fans jaw drop every time he throws down field.  Wow.  And also if you don't believe that Joseph could lead the Riders to a playoff run and possibly a legendary Grey Cup repeat...then we don't want you on the bandwagon.

You have to believe.  You HAVE to.

And to those of you who are making our 9-8 record a big deal... I say to you... 1989.  Riders were 9-9 in 1989 and won the Grey Cup in a much similar situation as the team is in this year.  Two quarterbacks...Burgess and Austin.  A dream season.  It could happen again.

The other topic is will or will not Darian Durant play again or in the play offs.  I am soooooooo tired of all the sports guys talking about this.  What I know from following Darian's career is that he has tremendous heart and emotion for the Riders.  I think it's killed him standing on the sidelines watching the team falter.  I know it would if I were him.  I also know he's not letting the media see everything.  I'd bet my signed Dario's box if he was not already throwing at home or in the back yard or in the locker room.  Sure, we want Darian to be safe.  It would be horrible if Doubles returned too soon and got re injured.  It would be a Lulay situation.  But how can he not try?

Then OHEMGEE he threw a few balls at practice Monday.  My Twitter notifications lit up like my neighbors already displayed Christmas tree.  What I want to see for now, is for Kerry Joseph to start and throw Darian in for short yardage situations.  Just having Darian dress would be an amazing boost for Rider Nation.

How did you like the snow Monday?  Felt a little like playoff weather didn't it?  I admit that the feeling of dread in my stomach didn't last for long when I reflected on this time last year.  In fact, I got a little excited. I got play off butterflies.  It was fantastic.

So lets talk playoffs.  West or East?  Well, we did the west last year.  I like our chances against eastern teams much more.  I don't think travel or time change is a factor anymore.  The division doesn't matter because without a home playoff the Riders travel anyway.  Since the time changed last weekend traveling east is only an hour different now.  I'd rather have to play the TiCats or Argo's or Allouettes for that matter, than confront the Eskimo's or Stamps.  Can you imagine the story lines that would/could be written?  No team has successfully advanced to the Grey Cup through a cross over.  Saskatchewan Roughriders Eastern Division Champions.  Imagine that?!  Crazy eh?  

I love it.

Darian Durant had a dream last year.  He heard in his dream Cuthbert & Suitor announcing the Riders as 2013 Grey Cup Champs.  Maybe he can dream again....

..... and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are your REPEAT Grey Cup Champions.

Think it.  Dream it.  Do it.

Raining Champs

Tonight is the very first game for the Ottawa REDBLACKS.  After week one, they unbelievably sat in first in the east without even playing a game.  Ufdah! [as my mother in law would say] How is it possible to not even play a game and come out better than the guys who did?  Yikes. 

I did have the pleasure of seeing the REDBLACKS preseason game in Regina.  My opinion is that everyone will underestimate them.  They did hold their own in the game.  They've got the talent.  Even though, I picked the "Willypeg" Blue Bombers to win tonights historical game, I think Ottawa is going to surprise everyone.

Who else surprised us last week?  I already mentioned the Bombers who are probably wishing they were still part of the eastern division, but what about those Eskimo's?  It seems they've maybe got it together for this season.  I am never one to count out the Lions, but they really aren't the same team who made us all throw our beer cans at the tv back when.  The Stampeders aren't either.  I used to think Hufnagel was one of the toughest coaches, but this year...I don't know.  They just don't seem as dominant as they once were.  Of course it was only game one and there are 17 more games to be played so who can tell how things will turn out?  One thing is for sure, the Lions have tons of pressure on them since they are hosting the Grey Cup this year and if the trend were to continue they logically [but not hopefully because I know my Riders will be there instead] would make it to the big game as well.

So.  How about those Riders?!  We had concerns didn't we?  We didn't know who would fill those gaps vacated by those favorite players of ours.  Did we miss a step?  Because wowzers the Riders came out to defend their championship in mid season form.  We played a very unprepared TiCat team.  That is for sure.  Poor Collaros couldn't stay upright for all the chickpeas in Saskie.  His offensive line just didn't care or couldn't do anything about it against our totally dominant defense.  Admittedly, if I saw Chick and Foley rushing me I might fall over too, but 10 sacks?!  That tied a Rider record.  And look at that offensive line.  Undoubtedly, the Riders have the best Oline in the league.  Heck, I could run through the gaps they create.  Lastly, who is this Anthony Allen dude?  Where did he come from?  The Hubs kepts saying he reminded him of Robert Drummond.  I can see him getting more and more effective as we get into the season.  Soon #26 Allen jerseys will be flying off the racks.

Speaking of that.....a certain blogger said she figured Keith Toston was the guy and if he wasn't she'd eat her Rider flag.  Ugh.  All I can ask is...what goes better with nylon - ketchup or mustard?  How can a guy who looks like the guy get put on the practice roster?  *shrugs*

This week the Riders head to Toronto to take on the Argos who lost last week.  Remember the TSN top 50 players?  Ricky Ray was named #1.  It will be interesting to see how we match up.  Playing a team like Toronto is also a good reminder about what can happen if we let it.  They won the Grey Cup two years ago.  They are close to not having a stadium to play in.  Rider Nation is strong but it wasn't really all that long ago that we weren't and as Rod Pederson mentioned on Sportscage the other day, there was a time you wouldn't be caught dead in a Roughrider shirt. 

By the way, I ended up 7th in the pool on PoolTracker.com.  How the heck does a flag eating female football fanatic end up 7th?  Shocking particularly because my rational is not always stats but "ooh, they wear blue and I like blue".....unless the colour is green.  Green is always the colour and you can count on me choosing them to win any week any day.  As coach Chamblin says "win all day every day."

One last parting thought - Journey to the Cup was a great production.  It was a mere half hour and was really well done by the guru's at TSN however, I actually liked "All In" better.  Tell me your thoughts!  And until then Go Riders!

167 Days

167.

One.  Six.  Seven.

One hundred and sixty-seven.....days until the regular season of the CFL begins again.

Off season blues.  How do you beat them?  Here is a list of things to try to to pass the time away.

Is it July yet?

1.  Rewatch the 101st Grey Cup.  I've done this twice since the big day when my Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Hamilton Tiger Cats Lancaster-McCoullaugh.....that's 23-45.  How epic was that day?  Winning on home turf in the legendary Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field in front of nearly 45,000 rabid Rider fans.  It's the story fairy tales are created from.

2.  Become infatuated with the Roughrider Grey Cup tour and follow it around Saskatchewan on it's many stops.  If you are lucky you may actually get to meet some players and poise with the Grey Cup itself.  That is if you are willing to stand in line for what may be hours at an event you'd really rather not go to.  But it's the price we pay for being the best fans in the CFL.

3.  Read a really thick book.  I've started a 1000+ page book in hopes that by the time I'm finished I will have wasted at least 2 weeks.  If this isn't possible a more appropriate read might be the George Reed book or something wittily written by the Leader Posts Rob Vanstone.

4.  When the talk on Sportscage turns to hockey and curling.....pull up all the football movies on Netflix.  Watch We Are Marshall or The Longest Yard or dig up a really obscure movie.

5.  Make an attempt to watch NFL football.  I've tried.  I really  have.  The 12th Man disturbs me.  The extra down confuses me.  Never mind the terminology!  False start, Safe Catch....what the heck?!

6.  Investigate Twitter for the latest greatest news on all the football transactions.  Wait!  What?  Keith Shologan is a REDBLACK?  UGH!  No not Zack Evans too!  *stomps away*

7.  Do laundry.  Now I have to be really desperate to engage in housework or laundry!  Wash all your Roughrider gear.  The jerseys, the tee shirts, the tank tops....get is all ready for Canada Day kick off.

8.  Organize all your picture files on your computer.  Make one folder titled Roughriders and put the majority of your pictures there.  Reminisce about training camp and visits to practices.  Share your pictures on Twitter while you are at it!

9.  Take #selfies in all your newly washed Roughrider outfits.  Coin a new term for doing so.  Roughsie?  Ridesie?  Sasksie?  I'll leave that one up to yousie.

10.  Write a blog.  Because OHMYGAWD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FOR 167 MORE DAYS!!!!

66 89 07 13

From the moment the Roughriders beat the Stampeders in the western final, I was in a panic.  I couldn't sleep.  I couldn't eat.  I couldn't think about anything but football.  I think I lost 20 pounds.

I wore green all week.  In fact, I realized I could probably wear Rider gear every single day for two weeks without running out, although some of it is rather ill fitting.  Still.

I hung my 100 Years of Pride flag up at work.  I felt awkward doing that.  In 2009, I hung a Rider sign on my classroom door.  We know how that turned out.  Monday when I arrived at work the sign had been ripped off and tossed in the garbage.  I promptly retrieved it and put it back on the door.  I told people, "The Riders need us more now than ever."

Wednesday I watched the opening of Riderville streamed live on the Riderville.com website.

Thursday I started seeing pictures of the Coaches press conference.  Corey Chamblin wore a suit.  Kent Austin was wearing a track suit.  Chamblin looked like the coach of a championship team.  Austin looked like the coach of a college team.  That might sound mean, but I expected more of him.  It doesn't matter that he had to go out to the field right after and hold practice because Chamblin had to get on a bus and drive to Moose Jaw for practice.

I could not wait for the week to be finished.  In all honesty, anything that wasn't football related is a complete and utter blur.  I just felt like it was time.  It was time to get the game going.

Sunday, game day, Grey Cup day was an incredibly beautiful day.  Man oh man, I felt such regret.  Why the heck didn't I try harder to get tickets?  Oh yeah, I know there weren't hotels available and we'd have to get a dog sitter.  But man.  We should have been there.  We went to the Co-Op for groceries instead.  I bought 3 bags of Geroy Simon Super Onion & Sour Cream chips.  They were 3 for $4.98.  Secretly I hoped Geroy would be a huge factor in the game.  I hoped that maybe he'd get 3 TD's.  Little did I know that Superman had not scored a touchdown in a Grey Cup game in his career.  Wow.

I wore the same outfit I'd worn for the Western Semi and the Western Final.  My Celebration in Ridernation tank top which I had worn to Watrous and met Dwight Anderson, Macho Harris and Jock Sanders.  I wore my grey bunnyhug.  I had to wear my hair down and my watermelon earrings.  Pants didn't seem to matter....as in colour/style etc.  I try hard not to be superstitious, but I guess I am after all.

The anxiety I had all week had reached an epic state of butterflies by game time.  The TSN pregame was amazing.  I hope someone somewhere snags a video of that Saskatchewan feature because it was so amazing and heart warming that I'd love to watch it over and over again.

Finally.  It was game time.  BRING EM OUT.  BRING EM OUT.  BRING EM OUT.  The Riders skipped the formality of player introductions and rushed out onto the field sending TSN into a frenzy.  It was hilarious on tv because for once, Rod Black aka Skater Dude was silenced!  It was exhilarating to watch the players gather and dance.

The sky shots of Taylor Field were breath taking.  Seeing the Snowbirds flyby was purely amazing.

Why the heck wasn't I there?!

I don't think I actually started breathing until the 3rd quarter.  It felt like Hamilton was going to make a comeback.  They started to see something or get something working in the 3rd quarter.  Hubby said "oh don't worry we've got this."  But I'd seen it before.  Then something miraculous happened.  Everytime the Riders offence was on the field they scored.  Let's face it.  The Riders played the way we have always wanted them too.  The way we have dreamt they could.

The Roughriders broke a record for points scored in the first half of a Grey Cup game.  Kory Sheets broke the rushing record for a Grey Cup game.  Geroy Simon got his first and second touchdowns in a Grey Cup game.  Everyone got to touch the ball.  The offense was spread around.  George Cortez was freaking amazing with his play calling.

Then we won.

The Riders won their 4th Grey Cup in 103 years of the football club.  The 101st Grey Cup held right in historic Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.  2013.  The year of the 13th man.  Vindication.  Redemption.  What happened in 2009?  I can't remember.  It's been erased.  Once Darian Durant grasped that cup and held it over his head in celebration.....it was all true.

That.  Just.  Happened.