SportZone lineup for June 29

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7:

SportZone Guests for June 29/10
Co-Host: Mitch Blair

1. A preview of the annual Jon Ryan Kicking and Punting football camp in Regina. Guest: Jon Ryan (Seattle Seahawks punter).

2. A preview of the annual Canada Day regatta hosted by the Wascana Racing Canoe Club. Guest: Dave Robertson (WRCC Head Coach).

3. A preview of the annual Saskatchewan Credit Unions Queen City Marathon. Still haven’t registered? You’ve missed your chance! Guest: Doug Russell (Race Director).

4. A report on Prairie Midget Baseball League action between the Regina White Sox and the Southey Eagles. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

5. A profile of the sport of Sepak Takraw (kick volleyball), and a preview of a couple of upcoming Takraw events in Regina. Guest: Emily Fornwald (Summer Program Coordinator, Sepak Takraw Saskatchewan).

6. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

SportZone trivia: Which team did Regina's Jon Ryan start his NFL career with? Send us your answer, and you could claim the title of SportZone trivia champ for the week!

Monday musings

This is what I think about on a morning such as this:

• All hail the champs! Defying the experts and the odds-makers, our Major A Twins are North Regina Little League champs, thanks to a thrilling 9-8 victory over the Red Sox in yesterday's final.
• The winning run was scored with two out and two on (including the J-man) in the bottom of the sixth (and final) inning. That's enough tension for this guy!
• Thanks to Curtis Pelletier for bringing me onto the coaching staff. It was challenging (some parents should be required to pass an IQ test before being permitted to breed) at times, but in the end, very rewarding.
• I learned one very important thing this season. When it comes to coaching baseball, I really do know a fair bit about football...
• Speaking of, plans are coming together very well for the 2010 edition of the RMF atom Cougars.
• The J-man starts speed training for football tonight. I imagine he'll be thrilled with that development. Yes, dad will do the training with him.
• The Riders' home opener on Thursday night still isn't sold out? Granted, it's not the ideal night for a football game, but it is a Grey Cup rematch for Piffles' sake! EDIT: It is a sellout now. Excellent!
• If you haven't had the pleasure yet, you really should get out to watch the next High Impact Wrestling extravaganza (July 16). It is. . . an experience.
• And to be inducted into Principal Richard Pound's Honour Roll is indeed an honour. One I will do my best to live up to for the remainder of my days.
• However, I suspect the organizers won't repeat their mistake of putting a microphone in my hands, as they did Friday night.
• As a result, my apologies to Rob Vanstone and Mitchell Blair for casting public aspersions on their otherwise rock-solid reputations...

Friday thoughts

An assortment of thoughts from a water-logged brain:

• The choice between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin for top pick in the NHL draft is sort of like picking between a (Seguin) Cadillac (solid, well-built, stylish and reliable), and a used (Hall) Ferrari (exciting as hell, but you're not entirely sure what it will do a thousand miles from now).
• I think the Oilers will go for the Ferrari with the first overall pick, even though they could probably use a centre more than a winger.
• I sure hope Pats' sniper Jordan Weal hears his name called early at the draft.
• The latest rumour has Weal being selected with the last pick of the first round by Chicago.
• Chicago? Isn't that the team that "Brokeback Brouwer" kid plays for?
• It's interesting how selective some memories are about certain infamous incidents in local radio history.
• So, does this week's roster moves mean Brent Hawkins and Luc Mullinder will start at defensive end when the Riders host Montreal next Thursday night?
• If the Riders encounter injury troubles along the offensive line, will Kelly Bates come off the 9-game injury list early? Don't bet against it.
• The North Regina Little League season comes to a merciful end this weekend.
• Our Major A Twins take on the Red Sox in the league final. We only need to win one game, while the Sox have to beat us twice.
• So, do I start our best pitcher in game one and ride him to the finish line? Or save him for a potential second game?
• Is this the kind of stress Cito has to deal with?
• So, on the basis of all the rain we've received, how bad are the mosquitos going to be at this time next week? Yikes.
• Only 28 more days until a southern Ontario holiday with the J-man. Only 28 more days...

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

A weekly look at the bright lights, and the dim bulbs, in the world of customer service:

Cheers

• Press Box Sports Bar - two enjoyable lunches in the past week. With Rod Pedersen sightings each time!
• Animal Clinic of Regina - Dexter the dog must have enjoyed the visit, since he decided to mark the waiting room afterwards! Oops, sorry.
• Koko Patisserie - tasty treats!

Jeers

• Dairy Producers - bought a container of milk with an expiration date of July 1st. Opened it this morning. Already sour! Nice.
• Whiny parents of lazy kids. Yes, I'll be very glad when this baseball season ends this weekend.

C'mon people, if you've run into some lousy service lately, let the rest of us know!

Shameless plug: If you're looking for a great place for lunch, in a great setting, check out the Lakeshore Tennis Club! The club is located in Wascana Park, just behind the legislature, and offers a wide selection of tasty eats - all catered by Fresh and Sweet. And no, you don't have to be a member, or even play tennis, to eat there!

SportZone lineup for June 22

Are you ready for some. . . wrestling? We're heading into some uncharted territory on this week's show. It should be interesting! As per usual, the show airs tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7. Here's the lineup:

SportZone Guests for June 22/10
Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. The SJHL draws a line in the sand on the issue of fighting in junior A hockey. Guest: Laury Ryan (SJHL President).

2. A preview of the 2010 season for the TRY (Touch Regina Youth) Football League. Guest: Mark Budinski (League Commissioner).

3. A report on the Regina Red Sox, who are off to a hot start to the WMBL season. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. A profile of Regina’s Hoop Factory summer basketball camps. Guest: Craig Perrault (Camp instructor).

5. A preview of the June 25th High Impact Wrestling extravaganza in Regina, to be shown on Access 7. Guests: Principal Pound & Todd “Tailormade” Myers (HIW wrestlers)

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

No, I'm not going to advocate for the public flogging of tv weatherpersons and/or meteorologists. It's not their fault! With that in mind, here is this week's list:

Cheers

• North Regina Little League - despite the weather challenges, the regular season is winding to a close with no games lost - although many were postponed. And they fixed the standings, at last.
• Venice Tailors - Anyone that helps me get a few more miles out of "gently used" clothing is okay with me! I'm even willing to overlook their fondness for that Portugese soccer team of theirs.
• Toronto Maple Leafs. I don't know if Dion Phaneuf will be a great captain or not, but at least they finally have one!

Jeers

• People who wail and moan about a football team introducing a retro jersey in non-traditional colours. Don't like it? Don't buy it.
• Spammers. It's hard for me to imagine a lower life form. Perhaps telemarketers, but it's close!
• SaskEnergy. I appreciate them moving my gas line to facilitate the building of a garage. But the resulting carnage in my yard and back alley I could do without.

Alright, so who or what is on your list this week?

SportZone lineup for June 15

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7:

SportZone Guests for June 15/10
Co-Host: Mitch Blair

1. An update on the early season exploits of the Regina Red Sox baseball club. Guests: Shawn Wilyman (Pitcher) & Jordan Mitchelhill (2B).

2. The University of Regina is hoping to host several CIS national championship tournaments in the next few years. Plus, reaction to the steroid scandal involving the Waterloo Warriors football team. Guest: Dick White (U of R Athletic Director).

3. A report on the Winston Knoll Wolverines’ victory in the city high school baseball championship final. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. Not sure what to do with the kids this summer? How about putting them in a fitness summer camp? Guest: Brittany Warren (Owner, Wellness on the Way).

5. The Campbell Tartans celebrate a 3rd straight city high school track and field championship. Guests: Darren Peters (Head Coach), Shaylyn Kowalchuk & Taryn Latimer (Campbell track athletes).

6. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

SportZone trivia: Two U of R teams have combined for a total of three CIS national championships. Name the two teams. Send us your answer, and your contact information, for a chance to be named SportZone's smartest viewer of the week!

Monday musings

Well, I'm sitting at the computer. May as well write something!

• I hate sitting through exhibition football games. Especially the second half, where I have to try to assess the performances of players none of us will ever see again!
• I'm sure the Riders are disappointed with yesterday's 19-17 loss to the B.C. Lions, but it really doesn't matter. Except of course to the players who get sent home as a result of their performances. Or lack thereof.
• Did you see former Rider GM Roy Shivers on the Lions' sideline? I wonder what the leather-lunged denizens of the lower rows on the east side were saying to "the Shiv"?
• Hugh Charles looks ready to take on a bigger role in the running game this year.
• Ryan Dinwiddie looks to have a firm grasp on the #2 quarterback job.
• Kent Smith actually beat out Todd Reesing in training camp? How bad must Reesing have been?
• Aaron Fairooz might be a heck of a receiver, but he went down with his second injury of training camp yesterday. Hopefully he's not made of glass, but I have to wonder.
• Joe Sykes showed me nothing at defensive end yesterday. The best ends were Luc Mullinder and Shomari Williams. Brent Hawkins gets his chance to shine next Sunday in Calgary.
• Rookie LB Byron Bullock earned himself a job yesterday, in my opinion.
• Luca Congi outpunted Louie Sakoda. Go figure.
• It's time to start weeding out some offensive linemen, so that the guys who are actually going to play can develop some chemistry. The Rider running game was a rumour yesterday, and the pass protection wasn't much better.
• The slice of Western Pizza the J-man and I shared before the game was also mediocre. Mind you, it is the preseason!
• The between-play public address audio levels were all over the place! The ads for the Wolf were painfully loud/overmodulated.
• Evan Bray was his usual dulcet self on public address, but I think his spotter has lost a step. Or three.
• The North Regina Little League regular season ends with the Twins in first place in the Major A division. Go figure.
• Dexter the dog is developing a bit of a stubborn streak. No idea where he gets that from!
• You should definitely sign up for a membership at Gold's Gym, and tell them I referred you. No really, you should.
• I think I want some Under Armour sunglasses for football season (watching and coaching). Where in Regina can I get some?

Friday thoughts

Seriously, this is what passes (substitutes?) for intelligent thought some days:

• Yes, I too have had enough of the rain.
• High Impact Wrestling on SportZone. Is the world ready for that?
• Darian Durant wore a fake cast on his hand to practice today. What a zany jokester!
• When's the last time a digit caused so much angst in this part of the world? I guess that would be Pierre Trudeau's infamous one-fingered salute!
• Will there really be CFL football at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday? Can't wait!
• If the game were held on a rainy day, wouldn't it be nice to have the option of closing the roof? Well? Wouldn't it?
• The Chicago Blackhawks are deserving Stanley Cup champions. They play the game with style and intensity. Definitely a winning formula.
• By virtue of Chicago's win, the Toronto Maple Leafs now own the longest Stanley Cup drought, at 43 years (and counting).
• And the Leafs look poised to hang onto that claim to fame for a while yet!
• My record as interim head coach of the Major A Twins improved to 3-1 last night. It's a baseball dynasty in the making!
• However, I'm quite happy to go back to the stress-free existence of an assistant coach for the remainder of the season!
• I don't really have strong feelings about the graffiti-esque tribute to the 17 year old skateboarder who died in Regina last week. I guess cleaning it up is the right thing to do, though.
• My question is: did any of his friends learn anything from this tragedy? I hope so.
• Dogs make neat pets. Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?
• Speaking of lower life forms, some people will stoop as low as required to cover their own butts. Sad, really. But also not surprising. Or news to any of you, I'm sure.
• Have a dry weekend, if you can!
• Wow, I just read on Gregg Drinnan's blog that long-time (and now former) Leader-Post football reporter Darrell Davis suffered a heart attack earlier this week. Get well soon, Double D!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

A weekly look at the stars, and the duds, of customer service and other...stuff.

Cheers

• Pawzitive Attitudes - who knew doggie obedience classes could be fun? I sure didn't.
• The online Learn to Run program at the Running Room. Slowly, but surely, at my own pace and on my own time, I'm inching closer to returning to some semblance of shape. A shape that isn't round, I might add!
• Bailey Handyman Services. Phelan does good work, for a reasonable price. What more do you want?

Jeers

• North Regina Little League. The season is almost over, and they still haven't figured out how to post the standings on their website. Ouch.
• Suds Full Service Car Wash. They used to do a great job. Those days appear to be over. A poor wash job is one thing, but scuff marks and scratches? That's not cool.
• Mother Nature. Sure, it sucks to have so many ball games/tennis matches postponed or cancelled, but now I'm hearing some farmers won't even be able to seed their fields this year. That really, really sucks.

SportZone lineup for June 8

Here's the lineup for this week's show, which airs tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7:

SportZone Guests for June 8/10
Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. A local boxing coach/club owner unveils a revolutionary new development in amateur boxing. Guest: Moses Alli (Head Coach, New Line Boxing Academy).

2. A preview of the annual Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum induction ceremonies. Guests: Sheila Kelly (SSHFM Executive Director) & Don Kent (2010 inductee).

3. Hockey Regina elects a new board, and starts planning for the 2010/11 season. Guests: Blair Watson (HRI Executive Director) & Sheila Anderson (HRI President).

4. An update on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp, and preview of the 2010 CFL season. Guest: John Lynch (Rider broadcaster).

5. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

SportZone trivia: In which year was broadcaster John Lynch inducted into the Saskatchewan Rural Sports Hall of Fame? Send us your answer, along with your contact information, for a chance at weekly bragging rights!

Monday musings

These are my thoughts. Go get your own!

• Many Rider fans are left scratching their heads about the trade that sent OL prospect Jonathan St. Pierre to the Toronto Argos for Canadian receiver Obed Cetoute. It's not that much of a mystery. St. Pierre had fallen behind other younger players (ie: Nick Hutchins) on the depth chart, and likely would have been released anyway.
• Granted, the Riders aren't exactly hurting for Canadian receivers, but Cetoute is an intriguing prospect.
• The Montreal Alouettes have an opening on the OL, after the retirement of centre Bryan Chiu. I wonder if the Riders dangled St. Pierre at the Als before sending him to Toronto?
• Good news! The Riders will have their #1 fan (the J-man) in attendance for most, if not all, of their home games this season. For a while there, it looked as if he was only going to make it to two games this season. That would have been unacceptable!
• The J-man's baseball team had an interim head coach (ie: me) for two games yesterday. We knocked off the number one team in the league (must have been the brilliant coaching), before reverting back to the same old Twins in the second game.
• I welcome the pending return to assistant coach status tonight.
• That's really poor planning to have game two of the NBA finals on tv at the same time as game five of the Stanley Cup final. Apparently Gary Bettman has zero pull with his former employer, NBA commissioner David Stern. What a surprise.
• I will consider it a very successful spring if the Blackhawks and Celtics win their respective championships.
• Don't look now, but the Blue Jays haven't crashed to earth yet. I may just have to get the J-man and I to a game when we're back home this summer.
• In the meantime, the Regina Red Sox aren't a bad entertainment option either. The Sox have opened the season with four wins in five starts.
• I had a misadventure at Suds car wash this weekend. Suffice to say I wasn't happy with the service. Have they gone downhill the last couple of years?
• Big thanks to faithful reader Bev and her dog Missy for providing Dexter with some much-needed tutelage this weekend! Now, if only he retains the information...
• I might be one of about four people who still haven't seen the movie Avatar. I should probably do something about that.

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Back, even without popular demand, is our weekly installment of Cheers and Jeers. C'mon, where else are you gonna find an opportunity to anonymously slag people on the internet? Here's the list from the home office:

Cheers

• Lil' Kritter's Dog Grooming. The business name could use a little linguistic help, but Kendra does a darn fine job! Dexter looks like a new dog.
• Calvin Rhead at Krazy Kiley's. The patience of a saint, if not the car audio installation skills!
• Eriksen Construction. One of these days the rain will stop and Dave will start building my garage. What a glorious day that will be!

Jeers

• Air Canada. The J-man and I are relying on you to get us to Ontario for our annual trip this summer. Don't you dare be shut down by job action!
• Ridergirl. What the hell, everyone else is!
• 4 Seasons Sports Palace. Still a great place to catch a game or a PPV, but their lunch buffet has become a bit disappointing.
• Former broadcasting executives with secret agendas. Oh, I think you know who you are!

SportZone lineup for June 1

Here's the lineup for tonight's show. The show airs tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7.

SportZone Guests for June 1/10
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A preview of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 2010 training camp. Guest: Murray McCormick (Regina Leader-Post).

2. A preview of the annual Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion fundraiser for spinal cord research. Guest: Shauna Stanley (Organizing committee).

3. A report on the city high school softball (large schools) final. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. A couple of local rugby squads will do battle at halftime of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ June 13th exhibition game against B.C. Guest: Karl Fix (Dog River Howlers/Prairie Fire rugby clubs).

5. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

SportZone trivia: What was the name of Regina's entry in the now defunct Rugby Canada Super League? Send us your answer, for the opportunity to claim SportZone trivia bragging rights for a week!