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.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
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.
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.
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