Monday musings

Clear thoughts from a cloudy head:

• The Riders are auditioning Jason Armstead as a kick returner this week. Yes, that Jason Armstead. Oh my.
• Remember when the Riders used to regularly recycle former star players in the mid to late 90's? How'd that turn out again?
• Seriously? Jason Armstead? Holy desperation move.
• The atom Cougars face another stiff test tomorrow night against the Eskimos. I'd be feeling more confident if we didn't have a flu bug making its way through our team.
• Nice of the kids to share said flu bug with the head coach. I feel blessed.
• Mosaic Stadium. Monday, September 7 at 11:15 am. Cougars vs Badgers. You want to be there.
• The Regina Pats went 0-3 at the WHL preseason tournament in Edmonton on the weekend. However, rookie import Michal Poletin looks like he might be a keeper.
• Another big thumbs up for Joe, Tim and the gang at the Radio Centre. I'm loving my new universal remote and cordless phone, and loving the great deal on both even more!
• Joe did a dandy job setting up my new blu-ray player too.
• So, the first movie we picked to test out the blu-ray, home theater experience? Coraline. The J-man and I are wild party animals, that's for sure.
• It's Monday and the week feels like it's already dragging. That's not a great sign.
• Stupid flu bug.

Friday thoughts

Me noggin done be full o' stuff!

• AC/DC was a blast, even more so through the eyes of my ten year old ("Dad, this is awesome!") son.
• Generally, people were great. But, there were some real losers in the bunch - especially the two older gentlemen who decided to stand in the aisle about two feet in front of where we were standing. Maybe they thought I was cute and wanted to get close?
• I'm sorry, I just don't get the appeal of spending $100+ on concert tickets, and then getting so blasted you barely (if at all) remember the event afterwards.
• So the Riders are on their bye week, he's recuperating from a knee injury, and Marc Parenteau is asking about when he can come talk to the atom Cougars again. #57 is a heck of a guy, folks!
• Speaking of the Cougars, we lost for the first time this season on Wednesday night - dropping our record to 2-1. Hats off to the Canadians, who showed why they're the defending champs.
• Our season is only eight weeks long from the first day of practice until the final game. Is it too much to expect kids to attend practice during that period? I honestly wonder what we did to get stuck with some of the parents we have this year. Zero commitment.
• Speaking of zero commitment, Dany Heatley really is a douche bag. And what kind of name is Dany anyway? Could his parents not afford that second "n"?
• It'll be interesting to see if there are any new bodies in camp when the Riders return to the practice field on Sunday. Apparently the search is on for a legitimate kick returner. Again.
• Is anyone else having that recurring nightmare about Michael Bishop passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns on Labour Day? The horror!
• Maria Sharapova in high definition. And you don't like tennis why? Is your name Dany?

Monday musings

Living life on the razor's edge/highway to hell:

• Moral victories are for losers, literally. I'll be impressed when the Riders actually beat Montreal. Until then, it's just another loss.
• Saskatchewan's special teams are embarassingly inept. Comical, really.
• When is Belton Johnson getting back?
• Don't look now, but the Atom Cougars are 2-0, after a convincing 32-6 victory in Weyburn on Saturday.
• And guess whose kid was named the defensive player of the game? Way to go, J-man!
• I should point out the head coach didn't vote on that award, but is pretty darn proud of the recipient.
• Next up, the Cougars take on the defending champion Canadians on Wednesday night.
• But first, I take my 10 year old to the church of Angus Young tonight. And another generation of AC/DC fans is born...
• Should I invest in some ear plugs for the J-man for tonight?
• The kids go back to school Thursday. Where the heck did that summer go?
• Probably the same place the Blue Jays' playoff hopes went.
• Remember when Toronto had the best record in the majors earlier this year? Yeah, me neither.
• So, which goaltenders stay and which ones are gone when the Regina Pats break training camp? Linden Rowat would seem to have the most market value, but it's not easy to move a 20-year old goalie in the WHL.
• Prediction for the Pats' three 20-year olds: Matt Delahey, Matt Strueby and Brett Leffler.
• The re-tooled Brandt Centre is going to look pretty sharp when it's done. I'm looking forward to it.
• See you at the big show tonight. Trust me, you're gonna love the way AC/DC opens the show!

Friday thoughts

Here she comes, just a walkin' down the street, singin':

• Yeah, we get it. Flying to Montreal from Regina is a pain in the butt. Moving on.
• I'm not saying the Riders can't win in Montreal tonight. I'm just not ready to mortgage my house on it.
• Just in case it gets ugly, the Atom Cougars will practice from 6-8 p.m. tonight.
• The Cougars invade Weyburn for a showdown with the Ravens tomorrow. High noon. Should be good times.
• 28 degrees tomorrow, and I'll be on a school bus for two hours (one hour each way) with 30 kids. Okay, let me rethink the "good times" assessment.
• The Regina Pats season can only get better. In case you didn't hear, day one of training camp was scrapped yesterday, because the ice wasn't ready at the Lumsden arena. Nice.
• Does any WHL team get booted out of their home rink as often as the Pats do? Just wondering.
• Usain Bolt. Wow.
• How long before the Oakland Raiders try to sign Bolt? Or will it be the Dallas Cowboys? Bank on one of them trying to land the speedster.
• Here's hoping Andy Fantuz re-signs with the Riders. However, with Getzlaf, Dressler, Clermont et al at slotback, it wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't.
• Brett Favre is officially dead to me now. I may buy a Vikings #4 jersey, just to burn it.
• Cardiovascular exercise? What's that again?

Monday musings

Another assortment of thoughts and opinions from a water-logged cranium:

• A quality win by the Riders over Hamilton yesterday, even if I had to watch half the game from home.
• What 10 year old kid wouldn't want to watch the second half in the rain? C'mon!
• Or, maybe the J-man sensed what was coming in the third quarter. Seriously, how can Saskatchewan consistently get steamrolled in the third quarter of every game?
• Perhaps it's time to stop serving turkey sandwiches and Nyquil to the players at halftime.
• Reports of Jason Clermont's demise were a tad premature, don't you think?
• The same goes for Wes Cates!
• Darian Durant wasn't great, but he moved the ball when he absolutely had to - and was better than either Hamilton quarterback.
• Jamie Boreham's punting? Not so much.
• The Riders are simply terrible on kick return teams. Blocking is non-existent most times.
• A big thumbs-up for the Regina Thunder, who knocked off Saskatoon 26-23 in junior football action on the weekend. That's only the 2nd time the Thunder have beaten the Hilltops. Ever.
• Hey, it's the season opener for the Atom Cougars tonight! Now that's exciting!
• I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get any non-football work done today, but I'll try.
• I make my first-ever visit to an optometrist today. And the aging process continues...
• Hmm, out of shape...failing eyesight...maybe I should forget about coaching and get into officiating instead!

Monday musings

A little of this, and a dash of that:

• Blown call or not, the Riders didn't deserve to win Friday night in B.C.
• The way this year's team is resurrecting other team's (Edmonton, now B.C.) seasons reminds me of the Danny Barrett years. His teams often found a way to lose to the CFL's weak sisters.
• I'm not ready to toss Darian Durant under the bus yet. But I am pretty sure Steven Jyles isn't the answer.
• Which is unfortunate, because Jyles definitely has all the physical tools you want in a CFL quarterback.
• The Gerran Walker experiment at punt returner needs to end immediately.
• It's time to give Stu Foord a shot at returning kicks.
• Congrats to Stu's old team, the Regina Thunder, who hammered the Edmonton Huskies 51-11 in their PFC season opener.
• A good time was had by all in attendance at the WWE show at the Brandt Centre Saturday night. Our 4th row seats were outstanding!
• Picking a long blonde hair out of my salad during the pre-match meal at Tumblers was not such a treat, however. Gross!
• The WWE's Chris Jericho is an exceptional performer, and a master showman.
• The divas weren't so hard on the eyes either. I'm pretty sure Maria wanted me.
• Only seven more days until the season opener for the RMF Atom Cougars!
• Regina product Chris Kunitz of the Pittsburgh Penguins is touring the city with the Stanley Cup today. I met Chris in the summer of '07 (right after he won his first Cup with Anaheim) and can verify that he is a class act.

Friday thoughts

Idle thoughts from the ghost town that is downtown Regina on a summer Friday:

• Nice to see we've imported Vancouver's weather for tonight's Rider game. It feels like we're there with the team. Hurray.
• There's really no reason for the Riders to lose to the Lions tonight. Wally Buono's crew is struggling mightily. Now is not the time to resurrect their season.
• This is precisely the type of game the Danny Barrett-led Riders would have lost.
• Speaking of weak head coaches, the Pete Paczko-led Atom Cougars are coming along nicely, despite a serious lack of depth in the trenches.
• The J-man has earned one of the defensive captain's spots. His dad is very, very proud.
• If you're the parent of a 9-11 year old between 100-110 lbs in the Uplands/Northeast Regina area - we should talk!
• Sidney Crosby gets to celebrate his 22nd birthday in his hometown today, as captain of the Stanley Cup champions. Uh.....that's not too bad.
• One more month until SportZone returns to the airwaves. How are you managing without it?
• Everyone whining about Scott Schultz retiring during the CFL season should get the hell over it. Listen up kiddies - professional athletes owe you NOTHING. Understand? Zilch.
• CFL athletes bust their butts to provide a (not all that lucrative) living for their families, and some thrills for the paying customers. If your favourite player's career were to end abruptly tomorrow, will you still be willing to cut them a cheque each month? You know, as thanks for their previous efforts? No? Then get over your misplaced moral outrage and delusional sense of entitlement. NOW.
• That felt pretty good. Maybe rants should become a more frequent element of this blog.
• An online columnist suggested this week that Michael Vick would be a good fit with the Green Bay Packers. I threw up a little.
• Everyone knows Vick will sign with Cleveland, where he'll become a favourite of the rabid fans who sit in the end zone section known as the Dawg Pound.

Tuesday ponderings

Time to settle into some sort of routine, including semi-occasional blogging:

• Depending on what career opportunity he's been offered, why wouldn't the Riders' Scott Schultz retire? He's been reduced to a spare part in Gary Etcheverry's "unique" defensive scheme. Frustration combined with opportunity have fueled more than a few career decisions over the years.
• Good luck Schultzie. You were always great to deal with. A little out there sometimes, but that's what made it fun.
• Are there any non-import defensive tackles the Riders can bring in for depth purposes? I'm drawing a blank right now.
• That's because I'm focused on the really big news - training camp starts tonight for the RMF Atom Cougars!
• Yep, my life will revolve around minor football for the next two months. Which is just fine with me!
• Who did we piss off at the RMF office? Our schedule for this year is. . . not great.
• What is great is the way the Riders responded to adversity Saturday night in Calgary. That was a great character win for a team that desperately needed it.
• Chris Getzlaf is a pretty decent fill-in for Andy Fantuz, huh?
• I enjoyed getting out and playing a few sets of tennis last week at the Lakeshore Tennis Club. I have no idea when I'll do it again, but we'll always have the memories!
• I wonder what sort of reception Dany Heatley will get the next time he plays in Edmonton? What a douche bag.