Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Really? Has it been a week already? Okay then, let's go:

Cheers

• A website called www.thatsmyticket.com. Lots of cool stuff for sports fans. I picked up a birthday present for the J-man, and an early Christmas present for him as well!
• Gus Giannoutsos massage therapy. If you need to get worked over, might as well be by a sports fan like Gus!
• The Deli Llama. A new takeout restaurant a few doors down from my office on Scarth St. Five different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches! What's not to love?

Jeers

• The folks who wander around the new Walmart SuperCentre in awe, as if they're visiting Vegas. Or the moon. It's a big Walmart. Get over it.
• Whoever programs the Hits1 station on Sirius/XM. The J-man likes the music, and I swear they have a grand total of seven songs on their playlist! Repetitive much?

Okay, your turn! Oh, and I want to withdraw my criticism of Regina's Ryan Getzlaf from earlier in the week. He has been absolutely money in Team Canada's last two games! I'd like to take credit for the dramatic improvement, but let's get serious...

Riders and Cats swing a deal

Apparently Eric Tillman wasn't the only Saskatchewan Roughrider general manager who can fleece the Hamilton Tiger-Cats! Well done, Brendan Taman. Well done, indeed!

CFL.ca Staff

HAMILTON -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced today that the team has acquired non-import wide receiver Adam Nicolson, a third-round selection in the 2011 CFL Draft and the rights to a negotiation list player from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for import receiver Prechae Rodriguez.

"With the emergence of a few young receivers last season and the addition of Maurice Mann to our receiving corps, we felt that we could make this move to improve other areas of our team," said General Manager Bob O'Billovich. "Adam is a young Canadian receiver who has the ability to produce if given the opportunity and can also contribute on special teams."

Rodriguez spent the last two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after originally signing with the team as a free agent in May, 2008. In 26 games, the Auburn product had 115 receptions for 1,594 yards and ten touchdowns.The 25-year old had a stand out season in his rookie year in 2008 when he had 70 receptions for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games which earned him the acknowledgement as the East Division’s Most Outstanding Rookie.

Nicolson, a 6-4, 223-pound native of North Bay, Ontario was selected in the first round (8th overall) of the 2007 CFL Canadian Draft after a standout CIS career with the University of Ottawa. The 25-year-old has recorded five receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown with the Roughriders and Lions.

SportZone lineup for February 23

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., tomorrow at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7 in Regina. Only in Regina, you say? Pity!

SportZone Guests for Feb 23/10
Community Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. A preview of the 2010 season at Regina’s Lakeshore Tennis Club. Guest: Randy Semenchuck (Club President).

2. A report on the University of Regina women’s volleyball first round playoff victory over Brandon. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

3. A preview of the World Masters Indoor Track and Field championships, coming up in Kamloops next week. Guests: Carol Lafayette-Boyd & Selina Coward (Regina Masters athletes).

4. A post mortem on the 2009/10 season for the U of R swim team. Guests: Jeff Toth (Head Coach) & Mark Thomas (swimmer).

5. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports broadcaster/blogger Mitchell Blair.

6. A post mortem on the 2009/10 season for the U of R men’s volleyball team. Guest: Greg Barthel (Head Coach).

SportZone trivia: Which team/school did the U of R women's volleyball team defeat in the first round of the playoffs last weekend? Send us your answer, and your contact info, for a chance to win a free pizza from Panago!

Monday musings

Here's how the world looks to me at the start of another work week:

• Team Canada's weaknesses (ie: Chris Pronger and Joe Thornton) were absolutely exposed by the Americans in last night's Olympic men's hockey showdown.
• Pronger is a definite liability on defence against a fast team. And Thornton continued his trend of disappearing in big games.
• Regina's Ryan Getzlaf needs to pick up his game as well. His passing was....not great.
• On the flip side, Rick Nash is a beast. Imagine what he could so with any sort of a supporting cast in Columbus.
• It sounds like it was quite a gong show in Brandon Friday night, as the Wheat Kings hammered the Regina Pats 10-2. Rod Pedersen's blog may have set a new record for comments about a junior hockey game in the wake of that one.
• The Pats beat Chilliwack 5-3 the following night, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
• The J-man's hockey team took a 12-2 beating Saturday morning. I guess they were trying to emulate the performance of the Pats the night before?
• The Toronto Argos were busy cleaning house this weekend, releasing quarterbacks Kerry Joseph and Cody Pickett and linebacker Zeke Moreno.
• I wonder if KJ is regretting his decision to leave Saskatchewan after the championship season of 2007?
• Granted, it wasn't totally his decision, as he was traded by then-general manager Eric Tillman. But still...
• Do the people who come flying out of grocery store aisles without looking drive their cars the same way they operate their carts? I called two people morons at Sobeys yesterday, and I'm guessing they still haven't figured out why.
• Is it Friday yet?

Friday thoughts

A rare edition of Friday thoughts, straight from the home ice in Dilke:

• We're not exactly owning the podium in Vancouver, are we?
• Still, three gold medals are three more than we've won at the two previous Olympic Games to be held in Canada.
• I seriously doubt the men's hockey team will win gold. However, I'd be delighted to be proven wrong on that one.
• Tiger Woods will hold a news conference this morning, that will be carried live around the world. Alert me when it's over.
• The Regina Pats estimate they need to win 9-10 of their remaining 12 games to sneak into the WHL playoffs. Good luck with that.
• Somebody tell the fat lady to start warming up her vocal cords.
• And, I'd love to be proven wrong on that one too.
• Attention Roger Federer wannabees! Regina's Lakeshore Tennis Club is holding a social next week for current and potential members. Check it out, if you dare! The link to the LTC site is on the list on the right side of this page.
• You know you're getting old when the lumbar support in your new vehicle gives you a backache.
• Gordon Lightfoot may not be dead, but his career is another story...
• Did I ever tell you about the time I almost ran over Gordon Lightfoot while he was playing road hockey with his kid in Toronto? I led a much more interesting life in those days.

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

A light week, but we'll see what we can come up with:

Cheers

• The Acura division of the Honda Motor Company. The Acura MDX is a sweet ride!
• Calvin Rhead at Krazy Kiley's. My go-to guy for my automotive audio needs.
• Visions. If they don't have what you're looking for, they'll at least try to find it at one of their other stores. That's better than a lot of other places do.

Jeers

• Best Buy. Big store with no stock. How does that work, exactly?
• Smitty's on east Victoria. The J-man and I both ended up with upset stomachs after breakfast with his maternal grandparents. Not fun!
• Scotiabank main (downtown) branch. Piss poor service, simple as that!

I welcome your contributions to the above lists!

SportZone lineup for February 16

Here's the lineup for this week's show, which airs tonight at 9 p.m., tomorrow at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.

SportZone Guests for Feb 16/10
Community Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. A preview of the annual University of Regina Rams fundraising dinner. Guest: Todd Fuchs (Team President).

2. A report on University of Regina men’s basketball action against the U of S Huskies. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

3. An update on the Regina Capitals junior B hockey club, in the home stretch of the PJHL season. Guests: Don Pankewich (General Manager) & Mike Brodziak (forward).

4. A profile of the Balfour Redmen senior girls basketball team. Guests: Kabree Howard (guard) & Mackenzie Taylor (post).

5. An update on the University of Regina track and field team. Guests: Les Andersen (Pentathlete) & Amanda Ruller (Sprinter).

SportZone trivia: How many U of R Rams were selected in last year's CFL college draft?
Send us your answer, and your contact information, for a chance to win a free pizza from Panago!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

A weekly collection of salutes (and boots) to the hardworking men and women of the service industry:

Cheers

• TR Sales. Roy is hooking me up with a sweet deal on a new ride, and giving me an excellent price on my trade-in. Upfront and honest. Go figure!
• Access Communications. While customers of the other cable provider were watching lame CTV Olympic promos, my pals and I were laughing at the big budget ads during the Super Bowl. In high def.
• Odessa arena. Home-made rink burgers are definitely the way to go!

Jeers

• Super Bowl ads. Generally, the quality was way down from past years.
• Pense arena. You have heaters in the stands. Perhaps you could turn them on?
• People who agree to serve on a board of a non-profit organization, yet are determined to keep that organization in the dark ages. Useful? Not so much.

Who's on your list this week?

SportZone lineup for February 9

Here' s the lineup for this week's extravaganza, airing tonight at 9 p.m., tomorrow at 3 p.m., and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7. And, if you missed the debut last week, don't forget to tune in for Mitchell Blair's weekly rant. That's gotta be worth the price (free) of admission alone!

SportZone Guests for Feb 9/10
Community Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A recap of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts national women’s curling championship. Guest: Amber Holland (Skip, Team Saskatchewan).

2. A profile of the South Saskatchewan Kart Club, racing high-powered go karts all over western Canada! Guest: Keith Miller & Nick Ferris (South Sask Kart Club).

3. A report on high school hockey action featuring Luther College High School and Sheldon Collegiate. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. The U of R men’s curling team captures gold at the world university curling championships. Guest: Chris Busby (Skip).

5. How are those New Year’s fitness resolutions coming along? Maybe a visit to Gold’s Gym is in order. Guest: Michael Lindenbach (General Manager, Gold’s Gym Regina South).

SportZone trivia: Prior to this year, when was the last time the top seeds in the NFC and AFC met in the Super Bowl?

Congratulations to Carlo Palazzo of Regina, who wins a free Panago pizza for knowing the answer is 1993. Well, the end of the 1993 season, as technically the game was played in 1994. That Super Bowl also marked the second straight year Dallas beat Carlo's Buffalo Bills in the championship game, and the 4th of four straight Super Bowl losses for the Bills.

Monday musings

All original, all the time!

• For a change, the Super Bowl was actually pretty super. Congrats to the New Orleans Saints for reaching the summit of the NFL mountain, by upsetting Indianapolis 31-17.
• For the second straight game, Saints defensive back Tracy Porter intercepted a future Hall of Famer late in the game to help seal a victory for his team.
• With the game on the line, and needing a touchdown to tie, you'd think Peyton Manning would be the guy any team would want at quarterback.
• I suppose the discussion of whether Manning is the greatest quarterback of all-time will have to wait for another day.
• If this game happened twenty years ago, I would have LOVED the choice of performers for the halftime show.
• As it was, watching the Who did bring back memories of amazing performances by Daltry, Townsend, and the late John Entwistle and Keith Moon.
• However, yesterday's performance also served as a reminder that we're all getting older, and in this case, the band has exceeded its best before date.
• A few of the Super Bowl ads were hilarious, notably efforts by Doritos and Denny's. Some others were pretty lame (ie: Dove for Men)
• The Regina Pats collected three of a possible four points on the weekend, to move five points away from the final playoff spot in the WHL's eastern conference.
• Pats fans who criticize the recent play of Jordan Eberle must not remember the days when Matt Hubbauer was the closest thing to an offensive threat on the Pats. And that's not a slight against Hubbauer by any means.
• Eberle is special. Enjoy the show.
• Imagine my surprise to arrive at the rink in Odessa Saturday morning, to find the J-man's team was competing in a tournament at which former co-worker Michael (Ballsy) Ball was the public address announcer. Small world.
• As for the tournament, the Atom Hawks lost in the B final, and young Jacob collected a goal and two helpers in three games. No complaints.
• Tasty rink burgers too. That never hurts.

Friday thoughts

Some good, some bad, and your mama has the ugly covered off!

• The curse is lifted! The J-man scored once (and almost notched a couple of others), as the Atom Blackhawks skated to a 5-1 win over the Pirates last night. That ends a 13 game winless skid for the Hawks.
• The New Jersey Devils traded for Ilya Kovalchuk. I guess the Devils are planning to take the playoffs off too?
• The Regina Pats take on Saskatoon and Kootenay tonight and tomorrow at the Brandt Centre. If the Pats lose both, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye.
• However, if they win both - tell the fat lady to hold off on warming up her singing voice for a while.
• Does this officially constitute an exodus from the Saskatchewan Roughriders?
• Paul LaPolice may very well be the biggest offseason departure, even bigger than Stevie Baggs and John Chick.
• Someone made an interesting point yesterday. You don't suppose Brendan Taman's ascension to the general manager's position had anything to do with LaPo's desire to leave Riderville, do you?
• You may recall that Taman was the assistant GM in Winnipeg when LaPolice was unceremoniously dumped as the Bombers offensive coordinator in 2003.
• In light of that, I suppose it wouldn't be out of the question for LaPo to feel a little uneasy with the Riders new management structure.
• Or maybe the Bombers just made him a really good offer!
• I should get bonus points for even trying to work out with a head cold. I figure that should shave five pounds off me, just for effort.
• I have nothing against the Colts, but I'll be cheering for the Saints on Sunday. How about you?

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

The latest look at who is getting the job done, and who - quite frankly - isn't:

Cheers

• Co-operators Centre - the new rinks on the exhibition grounds are looking great. I can't wait until all the work is done.
• Cross the Line Football Camp - it's happening Easter weekend, also at Evraz Place. A great learning opportunity for kids aged 10-18.
• Hill Avenue Drugs - remember when pharmacies offered friendly, personalized service? This one still does.

Jeers

• Co-operators Centre - could we get a little seating in those nice new rinks for those of us who come to watch our kids play/practice?
• Painfully stupid people - yeah, I think you can guess where that one comes from!
• Companies who expect you to pay them promptly, but take a completely different approach when they owe you money!

There, I've shown you mine. Now show me yours!

SportZone lineup for February 2

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., tomorrow at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7 in Regina. We are sans co-host this week - could be scary!

SportZone Guests for Feb 2/10

1. (Event profile) A preview of Cross the Line football camp, happening next month in Regina. Guest: Brian Murray (Camp Director) & Wes Cates (Camp instructor/Rider running back).

2. (Event profile) A preview of a boxing event being held at the Cornwall Centre shopping mall. Guests: Moses Alli (New Line Boxing Academy) & Victoria Flores (Event Coordinator).

3. (High school segment - ENG) A report on high school basketball action featuring Lumsden High School and Martin Collegiate. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw

4. (U of R segment) An update on the University of Regina women’s wrestling team. Guests: Jasmine Slinn & Lisa McKibben (Cougar wrestlers).

5. (U of R segment) An update on the University of Regina men’s hockey team. Guests: Jared Jagow & Devon LeBlanc (Cougars forwards).

SportZone trivia: Who is the all-time scoring (points) leader for the U of R Cougar men's hockey team? Send us your answer, and your contact information, for a chance to win a free medium pizza from Panago!

Monday musings

Where the heck did that weekend go? Well, time to clear out a few thoughts, I suppose:

• As much as I'd like to see New Orleans win, I can't see them knocking off Peyton Manning and the Colts in the Super Bowl.
• If the Colts win, does Manning (a record 4-time league MVP) start being referred to as the best quarterback of all time?
• At the very least, he moves onto a short list that also includes Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas and - maybe - Brett Favre.
• Dion Phaneuf is a Toronto Maple Leaf. Excuse me while I don't do backflips about the Leafs acquiring another big defenceman who doesn't skate overly well.
• The weekend moves still don't address the fact Toronto doesn't have a first round draft pick in 2010 or 2011.
• And, after Nazem Kadri's performance at the World Juniors (particularly the gold medal game), I'm not too excited about their first rounder from the 2009 draft either.
• I never thought I'd be envious of the folks (both of them) who cheer for the L.A. Kings. Go figure.
• The Regina Pats just can't seem to close any ground on the teams they need to catch for a WHL playoff spot. And there's only 20 games left for a final push.
• She's not singing yet, but the heavy-set lady is definitely warming up.
• The J-man erupted for four points in three games on the weekend. His team lost two and tied one.
• The tie snapped a lengthy losing skid for the Atom T3 Hawks.
• What's a bigsexydawg, and why should I care?