Is it June Yet?

Writing is hard.  Staying current and keeping up a blog is even harder.  Doing these things during off season and CFL free agency and Superbowl is three times as hard.  Oh and I also lead a busy non-football life believe it or not!  

The last time I wrote the Calgary Stampeders won the Grey Cup. *spits in Corner Gas Woolerton fashion* After college football was all over the only thing left to look forward to was the Superbowl.  How exciting was that?  Or how depressing was that?  I was behind the Seattle Seahawks all the way.  They were going to win.  They were poised to win.  Just like us Rider fans dream of launching an epic comeback and winning in the final seconds of a game and much like those dismal comebacks we haven't launched...the hawks lost in a huge failure of a play call.  What the heck was that play call about?  UGH!  Unbelievable!  YOU HAVE THE BEST RB IN THE LEAGUE AND YOU DON'T GIVE HIM THE BALL?! 

Oh man, then Ricky Foley was traded back to Toronto for Shea Emry.  Wow.  Ridernation was in shock.  Ricky Foley was in shock.  Not discounting Shea Emry, who I'm sure is a great guy and lovely Shemar Moore lookalike, but if there was ever a guy who totally loved the fans it was Foley and Ridernation completely loved him back.  I was so sad to see him go.  Once a Rider.  Always a Rider.  (except for you know who ;)

So with all that drama finally over the CFL free agency opened.

*crickets*

And nothing really happened.  We all waited with wild anticipation.  The Roughriders had so many big names in free agency.  I'm not going to go into detail because we all watched it happen but I think one deal that got passed many and was a big score for Brendan Tamon was the signing of Alex Hall.  He flew under the radar.  He had been trying out for the NFL and nothing was working out for him.  Hall had been with the Riders for part of a season a few years ago.  

Another interesting signing was that of Kevin Glenn.  I am totally on the fence about this one.  I believe the Riders needed the insurance policy because we certainly didn't have one last year.  It upsets me slightly about what it says for Tino Sunseri who signed an extention only a week earlier.  Yet, I also think it will make training camp exciting as there will be a fight for that backup spot.  Some say Glenn is the most underated QB, but it is a little weird for him to return to being a back up for the team where he was the back up for Henry Burris and left to persue that starter spot.  I also wonder what the Lions are thinking in letting him go.  He was their insurance policy for Lulay.  It seems to leave them in an awkard spot.

One thing I loved to watch not only during free agency but always is that it almost never fails that the guys at "The New Rouge" record their podcast and then enevitably the next day or sometimes within minutes something big in the CFL happens and they've missed it.  The first time it happened was when Weston Dressler returned from the NFL and it forced them to re-record the whole podcast.  Being "Dressler-ed" makes me chuckle.  Oh and in case you didn't know the New Rouge was previously called the Swag and Stagger Show.  Obviously, I know the rouge is that extra point scored in the endzone but let's face it.  I'm a girl.  And to any girl of a certain age rouge is the french name for blush.  The name messes me up now every time I see it.  The new rouge...is it pink or red or more of a coral?  But I jest.  I've had many a great conversation (arguement) with the 3 swagger rouge guys and I wish them the best in their new podcast adventures.

Is it June yet?  Well, no, the -40*C windchill today tells me it is indeed not.  Every off season I have great plans to watch all the great football movies and read books and follow other sports and I fail horribly just like many do on their second day of new years resolutions.  You know what I've done instead?  I've been rewatching the entire series of Sex and the City.  Perhaps I aspire to be the Carrie Bradshaw of the CFL.

Well.  Ridernation, anyways.

 

Bring 'Em Out

Holy Sheets, guys!  We are headed to the 101st Grey Cup!  The Roughriders in the house that Ronny and George built.  It chokes me up.  This is what we've dreamed about all our lives as Rider fans.  Making it to the big game in our very home and winning it on Taylor Field at Mosaic Stadium.

Can this get any better?

What a euphoric week.

How did we get here?  A year ago, I believe Coach Corey Chamblin, GM Brendan Tamon and President Jim Hobson planned for this.  How do you win the Grey Cup?  First you need to build a championship team and bring in players like Geroy Simon, John Chick, Ricky Foley, Dwight Anderson and so many more. Then you employ the genius offensive mastermind of George Cortez.  You hold training camp away from home, in Saskatoon aka Riderville North, where players could bond together like brothers.

Did George Cortez hold back plays?  You bet your pants he did.  I knew it all along too.  You can't show everything you've got because then all the teams know you.  You keep those plays for play offs.  That's when you pull them out of your pack pocket and make defenses jaws drop open in surprise.  You bet that's what happened when we took over and totally dominated the line of scrimmage against the Stampeders in the Western Final.  They had no idea we were coming.

Supposedly the league is criticising our players for not touching the Western Division trophy.  As elite quarterback Darian Durant said on the sidelines, "I don't want that one."  Nope we don't either!  Ridernation wants the cup!  We want the cup!

We want the cup in the name of Sir Earl Grey.  Even if he thought he was donating a hockey trophy.  The story I recall is that he heard about Sir Stanley donating a cup and he wanted to do the same thing.  Well, Sir Grey, I am so glad this happened. What a beautiful cup she is.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are hosting the 101st Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium.  Our home.  The visiting team?  The Hamilton Tiger Cats.  They finished second in the east and beat the defending 2012 Grey Cup champions the Toronto Argonauts to get to the cup.  The Hamilton head coach is ex-Rider and coach Kent Austin.  Kent Austin quarterbacked the Roughriders in the 1989 Grey Cup win and he coached the Riders to the 2007 Grey Cup win.  His banner hangs on our stadium.  The Hamilton quarterback is Henry Burris, also an ex-Rider, who left us when he was going to be demoted as quarterback.  There are several other ex-Riders on the TiCat team: Andy Fantuz; Luca Congi.

But hold the Grey Cup train!  Our offensive coach, quarterback whisperer, George Cortez is the Hamilton ex-head coach.  Our linebacker, although now injured, Rey Williams was dismissed in the off season.  He has a huge chip on his shoulder.  Our head coach, Corey Chamblin was a defensive coach not all that long ago with the TiCats.

This will be the last big hurrah for Taylor Field.  We are building a new stadium for 2015.  Mosaic is a wonderful old girl.  I hope she gets to party like she's never before.

There are all kinds of storylines here.

This week is going to go fast and yet drag along at the same time.  Game time is 5pm Sunday.  I plan on savoring each moment.  I plan on wearing green all week.  It's going to be crazy.  And I am ready!

BRING 'EM OUT!  BRING 'EM OUT!  WE WANT THE CUP!!  WE WANT THE CUP!!!!

Go get it boys.

Out There at Rider Practice

This is a cross over post from my other blog Life, Donuts & the Crazy Music Lady.  If you want to read it in it's entirety please feel free as it has my entire account of the Paul McCartney concert, which, by the way, I am still reeling from.   LINK.   It was a phenomenal concert.  Up until now the best concert I'd been to was the Eagles.  The only downside was the transit set up and how it was strongly discouraged to drive and park.  Regina needs to have a look at how Saskatoon does it because I've never stood in a line up as long before as I did for the concert in Regina.

The day after the concert we went to Rider practice.

Rider practice!!!!!  We got a little lost trying to find Leibel Field but finally found it.  I have to say, Regina has the worst street signage I have ever seen and I've driven in some pretty large American cities too.   It was 32*C so we didn't stay as long as originally planned.  It was fun to watch the team practice.  It was cool to hear the 'wolf pack' howl in unison a number of times.  Weston Dressler got a beautiful catch.  I snapped a few shots before we left for lunch at the Star Italian Deli.

Green & White Day 2013

 Technically, they were calling it Riderville North Fan Fest Day.  It's all part of the 101st Grey Cup festivities, however, the Riders do usually travel this way for a special day of autographs and practice.

Last year it rained.

This year it rained cats and dogs.

Does it matter to Rider Nation?  Not one single bit.

Hubby and I arrived a good half hour early.  We stood in line for about 45 minutes.  Unfortunately, due to the conditions the Riders only had 'select' players signing autographs and they were in a tent.  The lineup to see them could have wrapped all around the track at Griffith Stadium.  As one of my Tweeps mentioned I just wish someone would have told us it was hopeless. 

Gainer walked down the line entertaining kids.

 I managed to make it to the tent and had my specially purchased green nerf football signed.  I had wanted to meet Geroy Simon and have him sign it but he was taken away to get ready for practice.  *disappointed face*  But, happily, I did get to meet Dwight Anderson who, strangely enough, was seated beside Weston Dressler.  Weston didn't appear worried about his eyes at all.

Dwight Anderson, Weston Dressler & Chris Getzlaf

A little farther down the line I managed to talk to Ricky Foley and Kory Sheets.  I mentioned to Kory that I'd talked to him on Twitter the night before.  "For real?" he said.  Then he asked my twitter name and he said he actually remembered me.  <swoon>

We stood around for a little while waiting for the scrimmage to start but it was raining heavy again.  Many did stay.  I felt since, I had attended the two previous practices it wasn't necessary. 

That wraps up my week of Rider Training Camp and Fan Day.  This week some of the practices are held at the SaskTel soccer centre and due to work, I can't attend the afternoons at Griffiths.  Work always gets in the way of fun doesn't it?!