Bye Weeks Suck

* clock ticks *

      * taps finger nails on the table *

          * pin drops *

Bye weeks suck.

I feel like I'm Charlie Brown and Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.  I need Lucy and her 5 cent psychiatrist booth stat. 

The doctor is in.

Our rebuilt Roughriders have gone into the bye week on a high note after a controversial win against the Hamilton TigerCats.  John Chick forgot where the visitors dressing room was, Doubles got bonked on the head and Angry Kent flipped out on the sidelines hitting a ref after a flag for the centre moving the ball forward at least six inches.  Who says the CFL is boring?

I'm not going to debate how or whether Filer moved the ball because I know what I saw with my own two eyes...four if you count my contacts (and no I don't own green goggles).  Yes, I saw Dan Clark do something very similar and not get flagged for it, but even if that were to happen, I'd have a hard time picturing Chris Jones throwing a tantrum of this magnitude on the sidelines.  The penalty itself, which Glen Suitor says he'd never heard of before, is found on page 33 of the CFL rules guidebook and is a section dealing with a centre who is perhaps trying to draw the opposing players offsides.  Interesting stuff!  Special thanks to @RbeesFan for delving into the rule book and finding it.  You rock!

I also see Austin's reaction as selfish.  His team had already taken the penalty then his behaviour gives his team another.  His outlandish expression of disbelief and waving his arms around looked childish and if I was a player that alone would make me embarrassed.  The second though that he decided to walk towards the referee shows he had intent for something.  Did he mean to smack the refs hand?  We'll never know.  What we do know is Kent Austin will be paying a $10,000 fine and receiving a box seat up in the booth which didn't seem to make a difference as the Calgary Stampeders steam rolled over them.  Hey Kent, $10,000 is a drop in the bucket.  Try paying $60,000 plus.

It's hard to believe Ridernation once had Kent Austin up on a pedestal for leading us to two Grey Cup championships.  Those of course being 1989 and 2007.  How far the mighty has fallen.

I wasn't at that game nor was I at the Husky's vs Rams game at New Mosaic Stadium.  I had looked at tickets months ago and for some reason Hubby and I thought there wasn't a rush.  The next thing you know the game is sold out.  I didn't get to see it on TV either because I am a Sasktel Max subscriber and not Shaw.  I can't win.  * eyeroll *  I did enjoy seeing all the photos posted on Twitter and Facebook from all the lucky ducks who were there for such a memorable day.  The sight lines look amazing and it sounds like there weren't any issues except for a few criticisms about the sound system being muffled.  This is why there are test events.  Now we just have to wait and find out what the other events are.  Rumblings around are that one event is a Metallica concert but I don't know where this rumour started and of course there is no way to know for sure.

We're movin' on up!  My Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Willy Jefferson and Jeff Fuller!  It's a Fuller House?!  No?  * crickets *  They say they just want to play and because they've played for Chris Jones before they want to play for him again.  There is something to be said for loyalty.  You know who has been the most loyal player of all?  Darian Durant.  Yet, there's been nothing much in the form of contract negotiations that we are hearing anyway.  Oh but there's rumours about the Montreal Allouettes inquiring about him.  I'm not sure they need to after their win this week with interim head coach Jacques Chapdelaine.  I know that Regina is Darian's home and I've heard him say things to the effect of how he wants to be a legendary quarterback in the history of the Roughriders much to as how we speak of Ron Lancaster.  At the same time, football is a business and you have to look out for number one...or four in this case, and go where your talents are required.  I'd really like to think it's not only about the money.  I'd really really like to think that Chris Jones (and company) knows how much Ridernation needs Doubles to be the Riders QB going in to New Mosaic Stadium.  So here we wait...

...and wait.

The next Roughrider game I'll be attending is the October 15th game in Toronto at BMO Field.  I'm pretty excited to have Row 2 tickets.  I'll be the gal in the 306 hat.  I'm bringing the 306 to the 6ix.         * wink *  Anyhow, I wish that this trip was just a cool CFL vacation but it's not.  It's a medical trip.  Hubby is having life altering high risk eye surgery to remove cataracts and repair glaucoma.  I'd appreciate all your prayers on this matter.  I know that no matter what CFL team we pull for on game day, in the end we are all fans of the same league and can accomplish incredible things when we band together.

Happy Thanksgiving and I'll catch ya on the flip side.  In the mean time...is the bye week over yet?  

Man, bye weeks suck.

 

Labour of Love

Here we are again.

One and Nine.

We've become dear old friends over the last two seasons. It's a love hate relationship really. We love our Saskatchewan Roughriders and desperately hate the losing record. Then to lose Sunday to our most hated rival after eleven years of winning the Labour Day Classic...well, it's rough.

In 2014, Darian Durant suffered an injury in the Labour Day game on a play which should have been a penalty but wasn't. The Riders won the game. In 2015, Darian Durant wasn't playing the game due to the Achilles injury and the Roughriders had just fired Taman and Chamblin. They named Bob Dyce Head Coach and the Riders went on to win the game. This year, under the Jones regime, Doubles single handedly brought the team back from a dismal first half, scored a touchdown himself then scored the 2 point conversion using the same play. It wasn't enough to win the game but it was more than enough to reaffirm just why Darian Durant is our starting quarterback. I turned to my husband and said “THAT'S why he's our starting quarterback.” I've never seen a player with so much heart. He wants nothing more than to win for the fans. When I heard him in the post game interview...my heart broke for him. Darian's contract was only for 2016. I am afraid to think of what might happen in 2017. I don't want to know a Riders team without this man.

Obviously, it'll happen at some point in the future. I'm not crazy. I just want it to be down the road and after the rebuild and on Darian Durant's terms.

As far as “why didn't the Riders win that game”, I don't believe it comes down to the referree's mistakes. I surely would like to blame Andre “turd an tree” Proulx for blown calls, phantom calls and anything else I could but I'm too rational for that. Our Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't play very well in the first half of the game but rebounded in the second half. There are many young players and rookies on our team due to rebuilding and injuries. When penalties and stupid mistakes happen we simply aren't good enough (yet) to over come them. Losing a game shouldn't come down to a missed kick or a controversial penalty decision and for good and great teams it doesn't. Just because I think this doesn't mean I'm blind to what's happening in the CFL with everything from the officials right on up to the commissioner. It's just not logical to say the Riders got screwed when it's happening in every CFL game every week. However, when players of the likes of Nik Lewis are tweeting saying the Riders got screwed...well, you know there's big issues. Is it embarrassing? Naw, not for me. It's freaking maddening. Just as I say the Riders aren't good enough neither are the officials. I don't believe they just want to get it right – I believe they don't know what is right.

Enough dwelling.

Hubby and I were in Section 43 Row 1 which is located on the West Gate (which I still sometimes think says Wes Cates). This is the last time we will be on this side of the stadium during this Farewell Season. We had great fans sitting around us and that includes Blue Bomber fans. Every one was well behaved and we all had a great time.

How about the play of Naaman 'the President' Roosevelt and Caleb Holley? These guys have been impressive and I am very encouraged as they continue to develop.

Dressler who? We let him have a couple plays but we didn't let him score a touchdown in spite of Paul LaPolice's insistence of continually trying to get him the ball. I love that we were almost able to shut him down.

Kendial Lawrence. After weeks of harsh criticism, he finally broke loose and scored a touchdown. We nearly went berserk. I was jumping up and down and shaking my cowbell and screaming then seconds later high five-ing everyone around us. It was amazing and down deep in my heart I felt a sensation of relief. Seeing the back flips in the end zone was pretty cool and made me think back to the Hugh Charles days. The only thing more amazing than witnessing this in person was hearing the play call by The Voice of the Riders Rod Pederson. It was right up there with “that just happened” and “they just don't stop”. That thing that it makes me feel while I sit here writing this is essentially Rider Pride at its very nucleus in my little green heart. Man, that feels good.

And that's about the best way to describe it.

Saturday is the big rematch. The Banjo Bowl. I have no idea who will win but of course I hope my Roughriders do. I'm happy for the Blue Bombers to be having a more successful season but not happy enough to hand them another win. No matter the outcome, it'll be entertaining. We can always count on our Riders to put on a great show.  Go Riders! //=S=//