5 Reasons to Like CFL Half Time Shows

The Super Bowl is barely over and once again there is outrage over liking the half time show or not.  If you missed it, the show was Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Guests.  It was a spectacle.  Some disliked it while others are out with pitchforks demanding you like half clad 40+ year old women.

Does it really matter if we agree?

As I stated on Twitter (@smilingsandra), We don't have to agree on whether we liked the half time show or not. People are diverse. We aren't all going to like the same things.

So I got to thinking.  What are the reasons I prefer CFL half time shows?  After I thought about it of course I decided to write about it!

5.  The CFL Grey Cup half time show is a celebration.  It's a community of football fans coming together.  That's not to say the Super Bowl isn't, but it appears to me that the Super Bowl is more about television spectacle and not in stadium entertainment.  In the CFL, alliances are put aside all week and at the game to just have fun together.

4.  The CFL half time Show traditionally features more music.  Medleys and mash ups are fun but if you aren't already familiar with the artist dancing on their TV's they aren't going to do much to entice them to be sought out and added to their Spotify playlist.  You just get into the song and then BAM! they're on to the next snippet.  Artists don't have to perform their whole catelogue.  We just want to hear some favourites and bop along!

3.  There's no way JLo could have worn those outfits at a Grey Cup.  She and Shakira look great but it doesn't leave much to the imagination.  The temperatures at the majority of Grey Cups is in the minus Celsius temperatures.  Let me be clear here, it doesn't matter to me if they are women or men...they'd be in completely different costumes for a Grey Cup because they'd have to handle the elements.

2.  The CFL is for family entertainment.  Everyone can gather around the TV with their snacks and enjoy.  There's no explaining away costume malfunctions or stripper poles.  Parties and gatherings for these events are advertised for weeks before hand but isn't it more fun when you can enjoy them with your kids and grandparents too?  I know that's a reason we all enjoyed Keith Urban in 2019.

1.  Dog sleds and flying snowmobiles.  

* mic drop *

As you may be aware, the 2020 Grey Cup is once again in Riderville! *woot woot*  Who do you want to see as the half time act?  

News of the World

Is it just me or has March felt like it was 60 days long?  No matter as we will soon be in the glow of the upcoming season and all will be right in our world once again.  In the meantime, let's have a look at what the top 8 CFL stories were (in random order) over the last month.

1.  The Randy Ambrosie Tour.   The Commissioner of the CFL visited each franchise city to connect with management, fans, season ticket holders and who ever else wanted to gain insight.  He talked (hyped) a lot about CFL 2.0 and what that means for the leagues future successes.

2.  The CFL & Players Association met for talks over 3 days and pretty much nothing was accomplished.  At least, there's been no news and not even any rumours floating around.  The current CBA expires May 18th so there's still plenty of time to get things worked out.  Us fans are antsy and would like things settled sooner than later.

3.  Ratio Ga Ga.  There was a massive discussion surrounding the ratio rules of the CFL's Canadians but also about the proposed amount of Global players.    What we did see was an outpouring of CFL players posting their thoughts all over social media and often getting in arguments with each other or fans which was pretty embarrassing.

4.  The Combine was held.  I was otherwise distracted...Life, but thankfully I had some great people (John Strutt) who kept me in the know or at least updated about what was happening.  I understand that the Combine is like a coming out party for possible players because it gives perspective teams a chance to view their skills.  What I've always failed to see is how that might make someone a great player in the end, but that's just me, there must be something to it because it's done.  It's important to note that this was the first time Global players were invited to attend and because of that there was gained exposure from both their leagues and Canadian media.

5.  Mosaic Stadium was going to be home to an NFL preseason game...on second glance, nope it's not...or maybe yes?  Between this and Olive Garden my Twitter feed was full of the ying yang of polar opposites.  Some (John Gormley) wanted to say it was the Riders who put the kibosh on the event but when they later put out a statement about how the turnaround from an NFL field to CFL field less than 24 hours later, well I believe them and let's all be honest here...would you have really gone to see the Raiders and Greenbay's 3rd stringers anyway?  I know I likely wouldn't have especially when I'd have to travel again the next day for the Rider game.  The NFL was at first reported as unwilling to change the date and was looking elsewhere, like Winnipeg and Edmonton.  Fine with me.  Bob Irving also posted his thought that CFL franchises should be pulled for supporting an NFL game...Come on Bob!  We are versitile people and can enjoy many forms of football in the world!  For the record, I also welcome Olive Garden.  The more choice the better.  

6.  The Alouettes are for sale.  Firstly, the report was denied but then the truth came out as it always does.  It's seemed to me for some time that their owners had lost interest in what was happening with their team and so I'd think new ownership would inject a much needed infusion at a time when they desperately are in need of it.  What is curious is that the CFL wants to be the middle man here and take it off the Wettenhall's hands before selling it to...?  Call me crazy if you'd like, but isn't this akin to Trudeau buying the pipeline?

7.  Remember when we all felt the CFL was threatened by the AAF?  Well Wednesday there were several stories about how the league is out of money.  There was a multitude of potential here and I think had they secured a TV deal that allowed us all to watch instead of having to subscribe to yet another channel or streaming option most of us forgot about following it all together.  Without exposure, there's little desire for anyone to attend the games and there have been some dismal crowd shots of the games that even make the Argonauts chuckle.  Let's not forget that Johnny Manziel recently signed there too and many of us thought this was his last kick at the can but when it comes down to it there may not be a can left to kick.

8.  There are some proposed rule changes surrounding the health of our players and the rolls of the referees and who and when penalties can be called.  I'm all for progress.  When you think of the end of the Riders season and the "I couldn't see" fiasco it was apparent something needed to be done besides adding more eyes on the field.  It'll be interesting if all of this does indeed come to fruition.

There you have it!  Those are the 8 CFL Stories of March.  What does April have in store for us?  We will have to wait and see.  In the meantime, don't forget to check out ABC Football's Facebook page and if you'd like to have a fun discussion with some other passionate (and slightly crazy) Rider fans, search and join ABC Rider Fans.  When the 2019 season begins, we all want to know all the latest news and I don't know a of better way to get involved.

Go Riders!

5 Reasons CFL Trumps NFL

Sunday February 3rd is Superbowl LIII (53) featuring the New England Patriots (patooey) and the Los Angeles Rams.  This is one of the biggest events in sports in the world.  It's true that I am a CFL fan and blogger so what does that have to do with the topics I generally write about most?  Well, after I saw someone comment on one of the many (and they're growing) Facebook pages that Superbowl was like the American Grey Cup, I got to thinking, first that it was a hilarious statement but secondly why do we compare the two leagues and why do us CFL fans believe our league is better?

I present to you, this weeks Football Friday 5 aka 5 (tongue in cheek) Reasons the CFL Trumps NFL.

5.  LIII  Okay I know those are Roman Numerals but did you know that they don't even teach Roman Numerals in school anymore? It's true.  Roman Numerals along with Cursive Writing has gone the way of the Dodo bird.  I had to google it myself to see what number LIII actually is and found out it's 53.  Why can't they just say Superbowl 53?  Is it more prestigious to use Roman Numerals?  Meanwhile, the last Grey Cup was 106th Grey Cup.  It's so much easier to understand and fans who don't have one foot in the grave can read it and understand how many years the Coupe de Grey has been around.

4.  The Superbowl victors call themselves World Champions.  Forgive me, but world champions of what?  The Superbowl is mostly an American game played in the United States except for the odd preseason game which is taken to Europe.  They didn't have to play different countries to gain the title only teams from other conferences.  Players in the CFL hail from many countries outside of Canada including Australia and in 2019 for the first time Mexico.  If anyone can call themselves world champions it may be players in the CFL.  However, we are far far too nice for that.  Players merely say they are Grey Cup Champions and leave it at that.  They're so humble.

3.  Our balls are bigger...or are they?  A few years ago the dimensions of the CFL football was realigned to be similar to the NFL ball.  Instead we can look to other differences and how the rules differ.  The size of the field is different, goal posts are located in different places and the number of downs is different just to name a few things that sets each league apart.  The number of players on the field, the waggle and the Rouge are bigger differences.  In my opinion, players in the CFL have to be better athletes because there is far more movement and because of that pre-snap movement both receivers and defensive backs have to be far more explosive.  I also think the rouge is the most under rated part of the CFL game.  Because of this little kicking strategy it's possible for a team to win by 1 point.  1 point can be huge when it comes to heading to over time or winning in regulation time.  Oh and don't get me going on how much better over time rules are in the CFL than NFL.  We witnessed that in action in the NFL playoffs this year didn't we.

2.  The CFL Family.  We are all fans of our own CFL teams but when it comes to someone in need or helping each other out there is no family like that found in the CFL.  When it comes to picking a team we've seen posts from Joseph Lozito and Brenden Kudlo post on social media asking who they should align themselves with and oh boy does the CFL family ever respond.  It shouldn't be that hard to choose because there are only 9 teams as of right now but in the NFL how does one choose?  Colour of uniform?  Favourite city?  Warmer weather?  One place the CFL fosters comradery is the week prior to the Grey Cup game.  Every year there is a CFL festival held with each team hosting pavilions where fans can meet up, drink, eat perogies, share, win prizes and meet players.  The cost of attending these festivities is much more pocket book friendly as well because you don't have to pay your life's savings to attend the game.

1.  The number one reason that the CFL Trumps NFL is how accessible CFL players are to fans.  I'm sure NFL players support charities and do player appearances but it's nothing like the contact we have with CFL players.  In 2018, I was able to not only meet every single Saskatchewan Roughriders player at Training Camp.  My American family always ask me how I manage to meet these players and honestly it's because they are just regular people like us.  Kory Sheets needs a ride from Saskatoon to Regina and a fan steps up.  Shawn Lemon bikes to a burger joint and fans meet him there.  Duron Carter takes 50 fans to the movies.  Do you want to work out like a pro in the off season and you can talk to Jovon Johnson and have him train you.  CFL players are touchable and that's part of what endears them to us and in return we give them our hearts.  While we do cheer for the name on the front of the jersey, the name on the back does a lot for community service and that's more important to Canadian fans that the dollars in their bank account.

Friday Football 5 ~ Everything is Happening

Holy smokes what a week.  They say there's never a dull moment in Rider Nation and that has never rang more true that this 3rd week of January.  A lot of fans have been left with mouths hanging open and minds boggled.  Hopefully my thoughts will help the rest of Riderville digest all the news.

In random un-numbered order this is my Friday Football 5.

Monday the CFL's first ever draft occurred in the Mexican football league.  It would seem that this would be all the talk of the week.  Some General Managers bowed out and teams only sent representatives.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders had Jeremy O'Day and Stephen McAdoo in attendance.  We drafted an offensive lineman (Rene Brasser), a Wide Receiver (Sebastian Olverr) and Defensive Back (Francisco Gracia).  I know there are mixed feelings over this experimental CFL 2.0.  I've come to believe that if all avenues of the CFL market are exhausted in Canada then it makes sense to look elsewhere to expand viewership and participation.  The LFA draft was shown live on Facebook and at one point I saw the pure excitement on players faces as their names were called and they stood on stage wearing their new teams colours.  Imagine being able to make a dream come true and have an opportunity that wasn't there a week ago!  I'll admit that the very thought made me a bit emotional.

It's important to note that Chris Jones was not at the Mexican draft because he was holding Rider try outs.  Or that's what we were told.  Many General Managers didn't make the trip to Mexico so none of us thought anything of Jones not making the trip either.

Screenshot via Twitter of CFL News 

Tuesday brought the breaking news via a CFL News tweet that Chris Jones had resigned from the Saskatchewan Roughriders to pursue an NFL opportunity with the Cleveland Browns.  As news unfolded, it seemed the whole process was a whirlwind.  It happened over a matter of days from being phoned, interviewed and hired.  Let's all remember it was only a week ago that Chris Jones had signed a contract extension and the Roughriders coaching staff was announced.  Now what?  Official Press Release.  According to the new cap on coaching staffs, there can only be 11 coaches.  Chris Jones held 4 different titles.  This means that the Roughriders need either a Head Coach who is also a Defensive Coordinator to just step into that roll OR Stephen McAdoo is relieved of his position and the new HC is an Offensive Coordinator and then a DC would need to be hired.  Another kink is that prior to Jones leaving all coaching staff members were signed to 1 year contracts so any dismissal would mean a salary cap hit.  My personal preference and belief is that the Riders President Craig Reynolds and incoming General Manager Jeremy O'Day will promote from within and that could leave Rider fans reeling more than the news of Jones departure.  They will be looking for continuity and that's not only important for landing unsigned free agents but also bringing in a badly needed quarterback.  In my last blog post there was a poll about who the next Roughriders quarterback should be and the majority voted for Jonathon Jennings.  Will the new Head Coach make the decision that the team needs?  Keep your popcorn ready.

As I've said numerous times before, I was on the Jones bandwagon since day one.  I think our Roughriders were blessed to have someone of his calibre in the organization.  Yes, he made some very unpopular decisions but I have always believed those things were done to propel the green and white forward because keeping aging players and fan favourites wasn't getting them where they needed to be.  Some fans going on 4 season later still hold on to anger from Dressler and Durant being released and traded.  We are all entitled to our feelings and opinions.  A portion of fans wished for Chris Jones dismissal and in fact are happy that he's now gone.  Why would you wish for someone to lose their job?  For them, Jones could not do anything right.  3 minutes from the Grey Cup in 2017 and hosting a play off game in 2018 was still not anything someone in the anti-Jones camp will listen to as well as how the Roughriders record steadily improved every year Chris Jones was under contract.  Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for because now that he's gone do you see the predicament our beloved team is in?  Is that what you wanted?  I hope you also realize that it doesn't change anything.  Dressler is still a Blue Bomber and Darian Durant is still retired.

Wednesday, when we were all trying to make sense of the Chris Jones era being over after 3 seasons the news dropped that Rod Pedersen has resigned not only as Voice of the Riders but from CKRM altogether.  I'm floored.  For me Roughriders game days and Rod Pedersen goes hand in hand.  It's been the way for the last 20 years.  Training camp meant listening to Rod on location at Griffiths Stadium laughing about the track meet and moaning how their feed cuts in and out.  Summers for me are getting to listen to Sportscage live while I listen to podcasts during my teaching season.  Whether Roddy knows or not, he has been an institution in this province just as much as football has been.  Pedersen is the reason we say Winnipegish and Whaaaampeders.  He's the reason there are Lynchisms.  He's the reason we shout THAT. JUST. HAPPENED.  He was the reason to tune in at 4pm every weekday to CKRM.  Rod Pedersen is going on to a new venture just as our free agent players are and Chris Jones is and Darian Durant did when he went off to Montreal.  We are all replaceable in our professions but some people make impressions on us far deeper than they know.  We have to take 100% of the shots we get.  No regrets.  Good luck Rod in all you do.  Thank you.

All week long I've been reminiscing on my blog and posting on ABC Football Facebook about Darian Durant.  Last Sunday was the 2 year anniversary of his trade to the Montreal Alouettes.  He believed in himself and after a moderately successful experience in 2016 decided he had to take the opportunity to prove himself elsewhere.  We know that he was released and then signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and then took his signing bonus and scampered off in early 2018.  Darian did return to Saskatchewan and had spots on CKRM's Rider Game Day broadcasts called Double's Take.  This Saturday in Saskatoon Darian Durant is an honourable member of the Saskatchewan Rush.  He's been signed to a one day deal and will be on hand for the Saskatchewan Rush lacrosse game at SaskTel Centre Saturday January 19th against the Rochester Nighthawks.  It seems he does still have deep feelings for our province.

Times change.  People move on.  It's how the world works.  As of Friday January 18th the Roughriders announced Jeremy O'Day is the new General Manager and Vice President of Operations.  His first and biggest task will be finding a Head Coach. It'll be interesting what transpires next.

Friday Football 5 ~ Christmas Edition ~

🎵Tell me what you want - what you really really want!🎵

Baby Spice Image from Food & Wine Magazine via

The American Holiday Baking Show

Over the last week I poised a question to Rider fans on various social media platforms.  What are you wanting from Rider Claus this year?  Is it a quarterback, a new Roughriders jersey, the CBA to be settled or perhaps something else entirely?  The following Friday Football 5 Christmas Edition is a countdown to the number one item on every Rider fans wish list to the chubby dude who breaks and enters into all our homes on Christmas Eve.

This truck could be yours for $34.99 via The Rider Store

5.  Are you dreaming of a green and white Christmas?  If that answer is heck yeah!  Then you better check out the Rider Store's 13 days of Christmas for the deal of the day.  Right now there is free shipping in Canada with orders over $100.  I've purchased many Christmas items in this fashion over the years.  I noticed there is a Rider Santa tee shirt, trimmings for the tree, a nutcracker and the super popular truck with a tree in the back.  Hmmm....I might have to place another order!  Don't forget those Hillberk & Berk sparkle ball earrings for that special lady on your Christmas list.

4.  Rider fans want an announcement prior to Christmas with a number of the teams players who will be Free Agents in February re-signed with the team.  One big name on this list is Willie Jefferson who had 2 top 10 defensive plays in the CFL in 2018 and was seemingly snubbed in the CFL awards.  He doesn't have any NFL workouts planned and says his film stands for itself.  Since he is one of my favourite players it would be amazing to hear he'd be back with the Riders for 2019.

A previous Rider Store purchase

3.  It would stand to reason that many players on that Free Agent list likely don't want to sign because of the upcoming CFLPA negotiations.  It was announced early in the week that the CFL General Managers and Head Coaches will meet on January 10th, 2019 in Mount-Tremblant, Quebec.  They will meet with the media January 8th.  Wouldn't it be nice if all of these CBA issues were settled early in 2019 so the season can get underway?  Read the CFL's announcement HERE.

2.  Rider fans are not known for their/our/my ability to accept change.  Randy Ambrosie has instituted a coaching cap for 2019.  While it seems that Ambrosie has mostly changed things in the CFL for the better lot's of fans are seeing the detrimental effects of this "Rider Rule" since many teams have already had to part ways with staff.  If Randy doesn't shout Bazinga! then we all have to learn to accept this new situation.  While that's not really something Santa can bring us - it can strengthen our belief, hope and will to support our team through the next year and hopefully the number of coaches on staff has nothing to do with coaching a team to winning the Grey Cup...which is ultimately what Rider Nation wants in 2019.

1.  "I want a frickin' healthy QB and he stays around for awhile" are the exact words used by Twitters @trbltmd.  It's true.  The number one item on every Rider fans Christmas wish list is a healthy quarterback who not only leads the team for 2019 but stays loyal to the Riders for several years and leads us to the promised land.  While we'd like to think Mike Reilly is this guy, I've changed my thinking because I don't think the Riders want to throw the bank at him and sacrifice the rest of the team.  Collaros was a time bomb and that's not to say he wasn't well liked, it was just that he just wasn't able to take another hit and when that did happen (no thanks to Odell Willis) just when the Riders really had momentum in late October early November well, all hope was dashed.  Lot's of people think Jonathon Jennings is this teams best hope.  I'm remaining patient.  You never know when the person emerges as *that* guy when you didn't even know his name.  After all, in 2007 Darian Durant held a clip board and look how that turned out.  No matter the name of the quarterback, he's going to have to be strong of character because Rider Nation has HUGE expectations.

Dear Rider Claus... ($39.99 @ The Rider Store)

Thank you for being a reader of ABC Football and supporting all my adventures.  You can always find me on twitter (@smilingsandra), on facebook and instagram (@smilingriderfan) and don't forget to join ABC Rider Fans to get the scoop in 2019. I hope you find magic and sparkle over this holiday season and may Rider Claus bring us all our deepest hearts desire.  Go Riders!

Ten Thought Tuesday

It's been a long time since I've done a blog like this and a bit of time since I've blogged period.  What can I say? Life gets busy.

1.  Did you hear that the Riders are bidding on the 2020 Grey Cup?!  I am thrilled!  Why wouldn't we want to bring the Grey Cup to the best facility in the league?  I can't think of one reason not to.  Sure, that means it would have been in western stadiums 3 years in a row but I don't have a problem with that at all.  If you look historically, the Grey Cup never came West in the first several years of the leagues inception.  We all know that Regina and the province of Saskatchewan throws a heck of a party.  A word from my witty husband - we better pray for global warming.  LOL 

2.  What is the deal with TSN and particularly Rod Black's love affair with Johnny Manziel?  TSN should be embarrassed for not only the telecast but the follow up highlight package.  Guess what?  The Alouettes lost!  The team that won was barely mentioned.  Don't go blaming Rider fans for the outrage either.  CFL fans from far and wide are sick of the bias.  If you say his name is good hype for the league, I'd say competitive games and successful teams garner more interest south of the border.  I do recall the Riders name being hyped and mentioned during NFL broadcasts...

3.  Stupid questions.  If you are going to do a sideline report with a player during a game or intermission then you better be asking him good questions.  Asking Tre Mason in one of his best performances of the season about his college alliances is disrespecting to the CFL game.  I loved his answer - all he cared about was the Roughriders and the Alouettes game.

4.  The Edmonton Eskimos fired their special teams coordinator.  Why?  Was he to blame for their recent losing skid?  That poor man was nothing more than a scapegoat.  There needed to be "consequences" and that fella was the one to pay the price.  Perhaps the Eskimos need to look at their offensive and defensive schemes before throwing someone else under the bus.  But don't do it this week...please wait until after Week 17 to do that.

5.  Monday is Thanksgiving and the Eskimos take on the Roughriders at beautiful Mosaic Stadium.  The temperature is forecasted to be zero.  Most of us are wondering what happened to autumn.  If you are heading to the game you might want to pull out your winter woollies and hot pockets.

6.  Another head coach who should be under the microscope is Blue Bombers Mike O'Shea.  He's been in the organization for 6 years now and only got 1 play off game.  They might be lucky enough to be the crossover team but as we know, no western team has ever made it to the Grey Cup through the east. 1990.

7.  The Riders have a bye in the last week of the season.  For this reason I've decided they are far better off to finish 2nd in the West.  There's no way we'd want our team to sit 2 weeks and then play in a play off game.  That being said, is it possible for the Riders to win out?  Is it possible for the Stamps to win out?  The ending of this season is pretty exciting.

8.  I am looking forward to New Era taking over the CFL merchandise.  I hope their have comfortable clothing made for real CFL fans and affordably priced.  I was in the Rider Store last weekend and spied a really great bunnyhug.  A quick look at the price tag? $70.  Why bother when a jersey is only $40 more?  

9.  Speaking of clothing, as long as I keep wearing my Rider shirt purchased at Giant Tiger the Riders keep winning.  I'm superstitious although my husband keeps informing me that my clothing/fashion choices have no impact on how the Riders play.  If that's the case, then why does Chris Jones stick with the green Diversity is Strength shirt?  Maybe, just maybe, there's something to it.

10.  We pvr a lot of sporting events just so we can fast forward through the commercials.  It usually puts me in a tough position because I also love to follow and post on ABC Rider Fans game threads.  If I don't watch it live how can I join in with the rest of the community?!  This reminds me of my favourite quote from the TV show Instinct - "If I don't watch it live I have no control over it."

Happy Turkey Day Rider Fans!

Game of Numbers

23, 34, 1, 4, 81, 89, 7....

When the Saskatchewan Roughriders brought in Zach Collaros to compete for starting quarterback of the Saskatchewan Roughriders we all wondered if he'd be wearing number 4.  Cameron Judge is the current rookie player to don that jersey number and then we watched Zach in Regina unveil his 17 jersey, a number which Crezdon Butler wore in 2017.   Butler said he'll wear #5 in 2018 since it has now become available.  It all made me think about the attachment fans have to the numbers CFL players wear, how they change over the years and our memories and feelings.

There was a contest in the LeaderPost to choose a number for Quarterback Henry Burris. Ridernation chose the number 1. It's a number Hank wore throughout his career while Ridernation jeered at him at every game.  Flash forward to Kory Sheets...  his name evokes instant visions of #1 scooping up DD4's near fumble in the 2013 Grey Cup game which likely completely changed the momentum of that game. I wonder if anyone remembers that Marshay Green also wore number 1 and that one of his missed tackles (stood and watched the receiver run by)  had a distinct flavour in a game against Ottawa in 2015.  Jovon Johnson is the current #1 and is a proud member for the second time of the Roughriders who does incredible things for the community through fund raising for Lyme Disease.  His first tour of the Riders was in 2007 but because he felt he didn't deserve it, he regretfully sold his Grey Cup ring. 

Is Rider Nation ready to see another quarterback wear the number four? Part of me is relieved that Collaros didn't take that number.  There's just so many feelings associated with it and I don't think enough time has passed for any of us to see it without evoking some sort of feelings. Now here is another aspect of football numbers - Darian Durant is reportedly due a bonus from the Alouettes and by the time this blog is posted we will likely all know the outcome. He had another dismal season after he failed to negotiate in Saskatchewan he chased the money to Montreal. Now he finds himself in an even tougher situation. Will he take less money this time? That answer was no as later on January 15th it was announced the Montreal Alouettes released the 2013 champ only a year and 2 days after he was traded from Saskatchewan. 

Contracts in the CFL are a big deal. CFL players make far less than American football players and often have second careers to help them make it through the offseason. Players are signing shorter term contracts which is resulting in more movement between teams. It's possible that my 89 may be your 89 in 2018.  Of course I'm thinking about this with Free Agency on the horizon and there are fewer Rider players signed on that list than I'd like. This is the business of football.  Players come, we get attached and often they go on to careers elsewhere. Duron Carter comes to mind as he was the latest player to wear 89 and is currently not signed. The last notable player to wear that number was Chris Getzlaf who upon his arrival back in Regina wore number 84. Getzlaf - a Saskatchewan native,  was very lucky to retire a Rider after 11 seasons in the CFL.

Kevin Glenn triple-ex-Rider number 5 was released shortly after the signing of Zach Collaros. Last year he played in tandem with Canadian number 16 Brandon Bridge. I thought it was cool that the last time the Riders used a tandem style was in 1989 with #5 Kent Austin and #16 Tom Burgess. Monday Kevin Glenn was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos making them the 9th (all of 'em) team to hold Glenn's rights in the CFL.  That's a pretty awesome thing to have happen and will go into the record books for that reason I am sure. Lot's of people like to knock Glenn for not winning a Grey Cup in his career and when you browse his CFL career you'll see that he's missed some championships by just a year.  I don't think it's understood how difficult it is to win a championship in this league. Omar Morgan #1 played his entire career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders except for 2007 in which he was an Eskimo. He retired not winning a Grey Cup and yet Omar and Eddie (Davis #29) are a legendary Riders backfield duo.

Eighty-One.  Superman. Was it a dream or was Geroy Simon really a Saskatchewan Roughrider? It's no matter because 30 year old Bakari Grant holds the number now. Just think, he was 2 years old when Ray Elgaard wore it in 1989.

Lucky number seven. It was worn for many years by Weston Dressler and for a time his jersey was the highest selling jersey in the Rider store. Next came Justin Cappiocotti and well...that didn't turn out.  Then came in a player newly released from the NFL in the form of Willie Jefferson and the #7 has never looked so good.  We often rush to buy the jerseys while merchandisers lick their salivating lips as they rake in the money for a customized jersey. But not so fast! Remember when players like Maurice Price, Shawn Lemon, Keith Toston or even Vince Young were signed and fans rushed to get their jersey's only to have them abruptly get released or traded.  For this reason I've always found it hard to justify a custom jersey in my life.

I've never played sports.  As much as I love football I am pretty uncoordinated in real life. If I had to choose a number though? Thirteen is my number. 13 because I am a member of Rider Nation. I love the team and the players. I attend Training Camp and am a Season Ticket holder.  I cheer through the painfully bad times and the amazing glorious times.  I am from the team of fans - my people.  I am 13 because even though I cannot be on the field my support is loud and clear and unwavering from my living room chair or my seat in section 126. 

Years pass, players change and numbers change but we can hold those special times in our hearts and minds always. Free Agency opens at noon Valentine's Day Eve aka February 13th.  I like the sound of that number.

The Commish

Congratulations to me!  I've been made the new Commissioner of the CFL!  My first order of business is to refund the Riders for all their fines and issue a statement saying they are in fact the envy of the league.  I'd immediately expand the CFL and put a team in the Maritime's.  Their team colours cannot be red or black...we've got enough confusion there, nor should their name contain 'rider' in any form.  I'd fine Wally Buono for always being in the refs ear.  I'd ban the Lions from wearing the all black uniforms because OUCH my eyes.  I'd hire an incredible marketing person and put up billboards across Canada and outside every stadium peddling our Canadian game.  I'd ban the Eskimo's Punter mascot because it looks like a damn angry potato.  I'd have a meeting with the Bombers and tell them to get their stadium fixed properly once and for all because their fans (ick) deserve better.  I'd get rid of all the new contact rules and let our players play football or at the very least institute the Dressler rule where a receiver cannot intentionally run into a DB to draw a penalty.  I'd hire a song writer and get the TiCats a new fight song because what is "oskee wee wee" anyway?   For the sanity of @RBeesFan I'd prevent any Redblack player from signing with the "stinky" Argo's.  I'd have to do something to the Stampeders for just being the Stamps. Oh yes...and I'd make sure people knew punters/kickers are players too.

Okay, so maybe it's not a good idea to hand over the reigns of the Canadian football league to a rabid Saskatchewan Roughrider fan.  However, when it was announced that Jeffrey Orridge would be stepping down from CFL Commissioner on June 30th, it got me to thinking about the qualities we really need at this position.

First and foremost the new Commish needs to be someone who knows and understands the league in all it's glory and issues.  They either need to be Canadian or someone who has played/coached/worked for the league.  They need to be fair in all judgements by treating all the teams equally and at the same time reserving judgement of issues covered by law up to the law makers.  None of this 'grey' rules for you while black and white rules for others.  They need to be in the public promoting the brand and attending games regularly so that fans see that he/she has our best interests at heart...which of course they must have always.

Names like Michael Clemons, Duane Forde and Glen Suitor have been thrown around in conversation when fans and media discuss who should hold office next. We always like to provide names of people we are familiar with even though the CFL usually chooses names of people we don't know at all.  It's a tough line to walk.  We need someone who has a dynamic personality but who knows how to reign himself in and apply business rules and technique at the same time.  He/She should be logical, supportive and inspirational in their comments.  I don't think holding a designation for the CBC would be helpful while perhaps owning your own chain of stores or restaurants might better apply.

This is the Canadian Football League.  Let's make it truly Canadian...really show What We're Made Of... by having football teams located coast to coast.  The fan base is already in the Maritimes, willing and waiting.  The new Commissioner and his board needs to get the ball rolling on this.  It will unite fans from across the nation and bring everyone together in a great big CFL family.  I know this kind of thing takes time but I believe we are passed ready for a 10 team league.  Having 10 teams also makes us look better across the border, if that's an image we should be concerned with.  I personally have trouble following the NFL because there's so many teams...but the CFL?  Well, 10 is a really nice number for people unfamiliar with our funky 3 down game to follow.  This is the best way to #BringItIn and grow appeal everywhere.

Player safety is incredibly important and with new research coming out constantly on concussions and this has to be something the new commissioner supports.  We've seen over the last few years players who are still in their prime deciding to retire because of concussion issues.  We've also seen outgoing Jeffrey Orridge provide statements where he denies concussion issues exist.  We've reached the time where we just can't do that anymore.  CFL players deserve someone who understands the research and...excuse the pun...is willing to face it head on.

Just as that candidate needs to know about health they should be developing a video game and online streaming for fans as well.  Is there a better way to appeal to young people than provide a way for them to play or watch games right on their phones or tablets?  "I can be Chad Owens in this cool new CFL game on my ipod".  Now how awesome would that be?  This season the NLL let fans stream a game on social media.  This is the way of the future.  We aren't always plugged in front of our televisions anymore...we're busy, sometimes we pvr (especially to ffwd through the nasal drainage commercials) and sometimes we are traveling and want to watch the game and many people don't even have cable packages anymore.  These idea's alone would catapult the league to another level.  This is the next relationship the commissioner needs to foster.  How can we bring these ideas to fruition?  I hope the next Commish knows!

These are a few of the items I've compiled about the qualities the new Commissioner of the CFL should have, how they should operate and things they should do.  After scouring the interweb, wondering what the actual duties entail I found a few pages in the CFL Constitution found here ---> CFL Bylaws & scroll to page 30.  Jeffrey Orridge is still commissioner until the beginning of the 2017 season June 30th.  Good luck to him in his future endeavors and good luck to the people searching for his replacement. The fans of this league have high expectations...please don't let us down.

Turd an Tree

It's the end of April. The purgatory of the off season. It's not quite over yet it's still a month until the 2016 session of Training Camp opens. At this point we are all yearning for Rod Blackisms and the franglish melody of Andre Proulx's voice. Or maybe you've already turned your attentions to hockey, basketball, lacrosse or even the go-fast-turn-left allure of Nascar. Yup. The CFL season can't get here soon enough.

Here are a few things which piqued my interest since my arrival home from the big apple.

While I was walking the High Line with Kelsey Grammar.... (Okay, not really, but I did see the Frasier actor himself walking down the street near the High Line, he just wasn't with me....) Rod Pederson was making CFL predictions. He apparently got all of social media abuzz and angered Eskimo fans. Who really knows how the CFL will shape up this season? They're all just pie in the sky pull 'em out of your butt predictions but you cannot deny one thing and that's the marketing genius of the voice of Canada's Team himself. This lesson was not lost on Luc Mullinder who posted a podcast with Coach Etchevarry saying some interesting comments about Darian Durant. He said something to the effect of “Darian Durant is an unproven commodity.” Like, wha? All he's done is be a Rider on 2 Grey Cup winning teams, led the Riders to back to back Grey Cup appearances in 09/10, put the whole entire team on his back in 2013. What does Darian Durant have to do to earn some respect around here? I don't see any other quarterback merely questioned about his abilities in this way in the Canadian Football League.

Here's a shocker. Ben Heenan retired from football. Wow. No one knows exactly why but in this day and age there is a lot of discussion over concussions and mental health and you have to believe it's a valid concern of his. Quality over quantity right? I wish him well in his future endeavours. In contrast, Maurice Price announced his retirement last week. Ugh. The Riders had traded some draft picks and given a signing bonus to win the guy over from Ottawa. Some say he was supposed to be the replacement for Weston Dressler. I had to keep reminding myself the whole time to a) not make fun of his fumbles anymore and b) that he was in fact a Rider in the first place. I can't help but be miffed at the guy. In his retirement address he didn't mention a team at all but thanked God for his abilities. Everyone was surprised including the Roughriders organization who basically said 'well, this opens up an opportunity for someone else.' I guess the Price wasn't right after all.

My life always seems to revolve in crazy circles involving music and football. To paraphrase a new favourite sitcom Crowded - “As long as I can watch football and eat chocolate, hook me up to every machine they've got!” Aging is not fun but I've recently started using a skin care line called Nerium. A piano students mom started me with it and I really love it. Since I started my skin tone has evened out and some light eczema I had has disappeared. What I didn't know was that football players CFL and NFL alike are using this line too. It's not really for the night cream but more for a new product called EHT which is a supplement that is supposed to help brain health and cognitive function. Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis mentioned it on Twitter. I wonder how they feel about chocolate.

Last November the CFL launched a new logo which puzzled some who didn't find anything wrong with the old one. Personally, I like the new version. It's simple and clean and probably much easier to stitch on jerseys. The new Adidas jerseys will

be unveiled May 12^th. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have already announced they will be returning to their royal blue. My Saskatchewan Roughriders cleaned up their own logo and trimmed off the silver. Justin Capicciotti said they look great and he can't wait to put it on and go to battle. All of this means that before the end of May we will all be Rushing to the stores throwing financial caution to the wind and buying up all the new gear for Training Camp. Do I need another jersey? Of course!

Just don't tell my accountant.

So while the NFL is still pondering their deflated balls those of us in the CFL turned our attention to the stripes. Should CFL balls have stripes? Should they be white or black? Should we really care? Apparently the stripes have something to do with grip and some players use them as a guide on the field too. We've prided ourselves on being different in the CFL. We have the rouge. We have different sized fields and more players. For the love of Taylor Field leave our balls alone. Now if you mean, The Guys in Stripes aka the Officials, yes they do need some improvement. In fact, it was announced last week that the NFL and CFL have joined together to improve the officiating in a development program. So if you don't like the PI calls this 2016 season...blame the NFL because they're the ones making the major calls. Fair catch? Rouge? Offside? False start? This could get really confusing.

Did you know that in 1971 New York City pursued a CFL expansion team? I wonder how that would have worked out and what they would have been named. I can't help but wonder because I have such a fondness for the city. It would have given me a whole other reason to visit year after year. Andre Proulx might have had a Bronx accent (Andre from the Bloc) instead ... still leaving us to wonder what turd an tree truly means. Thankfully, their $25,000 down payment wasn't enough to make it happen and the CFL went on to create a league of fans who care about what Chris Jones is wearing.

Black.

He's wearing black.

Two newsworthy crumbs before I post:

Holy Sheets! Rod Pederson broke news that the Montreal Alouettes have confirmed Kory Sheets will be at their mini camp in Florida. I'm a huge Sheets fan and know he'll crack the roster somewhere.

Shawn #Lemondrops Lemon and Justin Capicciotti will be at the Northgate Mall in Regina Saturday April 30 1-3pm and in Saskatoon at the Lawson Heights Mall Sunday May 1^st 1-3pm. Go see them. Take them Smarties and M&M's. Tell them I said "hi".  Then get 15% off at the Rider Store. Some purchases qualify for a draw for tickets and sideline passes to the final game at Mosaic Stadium.

As always, thanks for reading.  You can find me on Twitter @smilingsandra 

All comments are appreciated!