Monday musings

The start of a new week. For some, the start of a new school year. What better time to wipe the slate clean?

• Judging from the reaction of the less lucid residents of Rider AbomiNation, you would think Saturday night's loss in Edmonton was the seventh sign of the Apocalypse.
• Granted, it was a nose-plugger. But, it was game eight of an 18 game regular season. Stuff happens.
• The offensive gameplan (assuming there was one) seemed to be to get Prechae Rodriguez the ball as many times as possible. Darian Durant's performance (such as it was) was not helped by a case of tunnel vision.
• While everyone rushes to condemn the offensive line for what they perceive as porous pass blocking, here's another perspective to consider: maybe the quarterback hangs onto the ball too long?
• While it was obvious to anyone watching that Durant was having an off night, would pulling him have been a good move? Without a proven back-up, and in a tight game, I'm not so sure.
• Fun fact: Three of the teams in the CFL's west division have exciting up-and-coming back-up quarterbacks. Drew Tate in Calgary, Jared Zabransky in Edmonton and Travis Lulay in B.C. The Riders have a journeyman (Ryan Dinwiddie) at #2 on the depth chart.
• The Riders were pretty good on kick coverage in Edmonton. Kick returns remain a rumour.
• The atom Cougars improved to 3-0 with a 30-14 victory over the Panthers at Mosaic Stadium Saturday morning. We're back on the Taylor turf this Saturday for a showdown with the Lions.
• The J-man continues to improve daily at fullback. He had a strong game Saturday, including crashing into the end zone on a two-point convert. Atta boy!
• Dexter the dog continues to be an absolutely delightful addition to the Paczko clan. I can't believe you guys were stressed about it!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Once again this week, we look at impressive (and not so impressive) performers from the world of customer service - and elsewhere.

Cheers

• The atom Cougars. The harder we work them, the harder they (well, most of them) work. Sounds simple, but it really isn't.
• Southland Safeway. They actually stock the products they have listed on the shelves! I know, it shouldn't be a radical concept, but for some retailers (Hi Walmart!), it is.
• A little guy (first year player) on the Cougars, who comes up to the coaches after EVERY practice - just to thank us for putting the team through their paces. That's very, very cool.

Jeers

• The lower life forms who race around downtown Regina (generally on the sidewalks) on their (very likely stolen) bicycles. Called one a douche bag this morning. Felt pretty good.
• Petcetera. If you never have any of a particular dog food in stock, perhaps you might want to order more of it? Just a thought.
• The various individuals and businesses listed under "Appliance Repair" in the Yellow Pages. I need my stove fixed. You fix stoves. Any reason you can't return a phone call? Too busy riding your bikes downtown? Douches.

Monday musings

It must be a rainy Monday, because there just isn't much happening upstairs! Here's a glimpse at what little there is:

• Don't look now, but the atom Cougars are 2-0, following a 28-12 victory over the Eskimos. The victory would have been even more one-sided if we hadn't been stopped inside the opponents' five yard line on a couple of occasions.
• Oh well, that gives us something to work on in practice this week.
• As we dispose of the Eskimos, the Riders prepare to do the same Saturday in Edmonton.
• This is the sort of game that used to scare me under the Danny Barrett regime, when the Riders had a penchant for losing to the CFL's weaker sisters.
• And really, you shouldn't look past any team that has Ricky Ray at quarterback, regardless of how bad the Schmoes have looked this season.
• With games against Edmonton, Winnipeg and Winnipeg again the next three weeks, the Riders are poised to run their winning streak to four games, heading into a huge home date against Calgary on September 17th.
• That's good, because Calgary has an awfully soft schedule between now and then as well.
• Does Montreal fall back to the rest of the pack in the east if Anthony Calvillo is out of action for up to a month? Probably.
• Congrats to the Regina Thunder, who opened the PFC season with a 32-14 win over the defending champion Edmonton Wildcats.
• The Regina Pats open their training camp in a few days. And hope springs eternal.
• Know anybody that repairs appliances? My stove could use a little help.

Friday thoughts

We all have our own thoughts and ideas. Here's a few of mine:

• Really? That haze over the city is smoke from forest fires in B.C.? Either that or a Cheech and Chong concert, I suppose.
• Because of the haze, will the highly anticipated RMF showdown between the Cougars and Eskimos tomorrow morning turn into a fog bowl?
• Doesn't it seem highly coincidental that a kid would call in sick for football practice the night after getting bawled out for not paying attention at practice? Yes, it must be a coincidence.
• Anthony Calvillo was taken off the field on a cart during last night's CFL game. Will Montreal turn to Kerry Joseph as an emergency replacement?
• Which team is worse: Winnipeg, B.C. or Edmonton? The Eskimos get my vote.
• I think a team with 4-6 wins will get into the CFL playoffs this year. That ain't good!
• Will anyone be surprised when Garrett Mitchell is named the new captain of the Regina Pats? Didn't think so. He's been the captain-in-waiting for three years.
• What do you think of the Pats' new heritage/retro jerseys? I like 'em. I could see the J-man getting one for Christmas.
• If Dan Plaster didn't get a significant raise for adding the radio play-by-play duties to his workload with the Pats, there should be an inquest.
• I am reminded on at least a weekly basis how much I do not miss working in the media full-time.
• I almost turned my furnace on a couple of nights this week. It's August. That is unacceptable.
• Is it just me, or are there more douchebags than normal driving around town these days? You know, the type of organism that drives a 1990 Sunfire like it's a Formula One race car? Yeah, they're awesome.
• I'm really busy these days. Could I maybe just pay you to work out for me? Thanks, that'd be great.

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Has it been a week already? Okay, it's time to list those that impressed/depressed us over the past week. Here's my list:

Cheers

• The atom Cougars, for opening the RMF season with a win. About half of our players were playing their first ever game of tackle football. That's pretty cool.
• My son. For reasons too numerous to list.
• Track and Trail. An excellent selection of running shoes (among many other things) and very good service as an added bonus!

Jeers

• Brett Favre. I worshipped him in green and gold. Now he's just an annoying diva.
• People who air their personal dirty laundry on Facebook. It's a website, not a therapist's office!
• The CFL bye week. Good for the players and coaches. Sucks for the fans.

Now, the interactive portion of our program. Who or what is on your list this week?

Monday musings

Time to start the week with a clear cranial slate! So, here goes:

• The Edmonton Eskimos are bad, and getting worse. The Riders visit Edmonton next week. This could be fun.
• It's time to call a spade a spade. The Riders goofed by getting rid of quarterback Drew Tate. He provides Calgary with a very solid back-up to smiling Hank.
• I guess the Toronto Argos are for real. The question is: does anyone in Toronto care?
• The atom Cougars opened the Regina Minor Football season with an 18-8 victory over Weyburn. The J-man was a solid contributor on offense from the fullback position.
• Next up, we take on a very tough (unlike their CFL namesakes) Eskimos squad this weekend.
• After watching some of the final round of the PGA championship, I can conclude that football has far better looking sideline reporters than golf.
• It's the middle of August, and I have yet to play tennis at the club I belong to this summer. Something is not right with that picture!
• Access Communications will have a local sports program in the new broadcast season and yours truly will be involved. However, SportZone is dead. Further details to come.
• I'm afraid to go visit my friend Kelly in Moose Jaw now. He has a new big screen LED tv. Of course I'm going to want one after I watch sports on his.
• Dexter the dog looks like he lost half his body weight during his latest visit to the groomer. He's looking lean and mean. Great job Kendra!
• Who knew Platinum Blonde song lyrics could cause such controversy in the blogosphere? Perhaps next week I'll quote Glass Tiger or something...

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

A long overdue post-vacation edition of Cheers and Jeers! Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin: (bonus points for whomever can name the song lyric the last two lines were "borrowed" from)

Cheers

• Regina Minor Football. Kelly, Len and the rest of the crew really do a fine job. I can't wait to see/coach on the new Leibel Field!
• The businesses/individuals who have donated prizes in support of our team's Cougar of the Week program.
• STC/Greyhound courier service. I shipped a parcel by bus from Ontario on a Sunday, and it arrived in Regina two days later! Not bad.

Jeers

• Parents who sign their kids up for minor football, pay the deposit, talk to the coach, and then drop out without bothering to inform anyone. You suck. Hard.
• Air Canada. A better flight schedule into/out of Regina than WestJet these days, but I could do without the three hour delays!
• Blue Bird Cafe at Regina Beach. The quality of the legendary fish and chips is down under the new ownership.

Monday musings

Back in the saddle, after two weeks away. Here's a collection of thoughts. Do with them what you will.

• I had a feeling Darian Durant was "off" the past few games. Now I guess we know why!
• Having said that, Durant's performance was not the reason the Riders lost in Montreal on the weekend. Granted, he missed a few throws, and made a really awful decision/throw that resulted in one of two interceptions.
• So, here's a question for you: Is the offense better off with DD at 80%, or with a bit of relief work from a 100% healthy Ryan Dinwiddie?
• Three practices into the season, and it looks to be a challenging year for the atom Cougars. Players are dropping out, and others are having trouble making the weight limit. Fun.
• And I fail to understand why people take holidays during the very time-compressed RMF season. Here's a helpful tip: if your kid is going to miss an entire week of football practice, he/she won't be playing that week! Got it? Good!
• The J-man and I enjoyed our vacation immensely, including the almost 11 days spent in southern Ontario.
• No broken bones or other injuries for me this year, for a change. Although my boy did suffer a badly sprained finger while we were tossing the pigskin around on grandma's front yard. The Paczko holiday curse continues!
• Anyone who thinks London is a possible location for an expansion CFL franchise some day has never lived there. Then again, I never thought the (OHL) London Knights would draw 9,000 people a game either!
• Thanks to LL for taking such great care of Dexter the dog while we were away. I think he misses his three new lady friends. Is it okay to call them Dexter's bitches if they're dogs?
• I'll be meeting with the folks at Access this week to talk about the new show that will succeed SportZone on Access 7. I assume that means they want me to be a part of it!
• A very interesting email was waiting for me in my inbox at work today. Can't say much more right now, other than I may need to brush up on what's happening in CFL markets outside of Saskatchewan. Could be interesting!
• Alright, time to resume catching up on emails and other exciting things...