Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Once again this week, we take a look at the memorable performances from the world of customer service, and other folks deserving praise or criticism. Feel free to add your own to the list!

Cheers

• Regina Minor Football. The lousy weather in September made for some scheduling challenges, but once again Kelly, Len and the gang came through. It's a very well-run league, despite allowing people with dubious credentials (ie: me) to coach!
• Regina real estate agent Merv Andersen and the town of Southey. Their generous sponsorship made the atom Cougars' year-end windup even more of a success. Thanks folks!
• Eriksen Construction. Dave did a great job with my new garage. I've already got him booked to replace my deck in the spring.

Jeers

• City Wide Security Systems. They installed the alarm system in my house, so I called them to do the same with my garage. Weeks later, I still haven't had the pleasure of talking to anyone - so let's move on to our next contestant!
• Toronto Maple Leafs. They're teasing us long-suffering fans with some decent performances in the NHL preseason. But I won't be fooled - I've seen this movie before!
• Sears (Cornwall Centre). I was thinking about buying a pair of shoes from there yesterday. I spent about a half hour in the shoe department. You'd think that would be enough time for a salesperson to make their way over to me. Guess not!

Okay, who or what is on your list this week?

Locker Talk lineup for September 28th

Barring any last minute changes, here is the lineup for this week's show. It airs tonight at 9 pm and Thursday at 6 pm on Access channel 7 in Regina.

Locker Talk Guests for September 28/10
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A preview of the 2010/11 WHL season for the Regina Pats. Guest: Shaun Sutter (Assistant Coach).

2. A Regina resident captures his first national championship in the Highland Games heavy events competition. Guest: Jason Johnston (2010 Canadian Heavy Events Champion).

3. A preview of the 2010/11 season for the Regina Rebels female midget AAA hockey club. Guests: Bob Brennan (Assistant Coach) & Brooklyn Moskowy (Rebels forward).

4. ENG segment. An update on the 2010 season for the University of Regina Rams football club.

5. A preview of the Horizon Laser Vision Center Curling Classic at Regina’s Tartan Curling Club. Guest: Clint Krismer (Tartan Club President).

6. The Blair Necessities. Mitch’s weekly sports commentary.

Monday musings

A few thoughts on a few things:

• Don't look now, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders have closed to just two points back of Calgary in the CFL's west division. Kudos to the Riders for a comeback victory in Hamilton Saturday.
• Weston Dressler's touchdown catch at the end of the first half was pretty sweet, but Montreal's SJ Green still has the catch of the year in the CFL.
• While the Riders were roaring back against the Tabbies, the atom Cougars were taking one on the chin in their RMF playoff/bowl game against the Bears.
• Despite that, congrats to the J-man and all the Cougars for a terrific season. A 5-2 record is nothing to hang our heads about!
• Also, thanks to the assistant coaches and team managers for making me look better than I deserve to.
• Next year we move up to the pee wee ranks. A longer season and an extra practice a week. Should be fun!
• Don't look now, but the U of R Rams are tied for top spot in the Canada West standings, and will likely be in the top five in this week's CIS top-ten rankings. Nice!
• The Regina Thunder have slipped to 3rd place in the PFC standings, after back-to-back losses in Saskatoon and Calgary.
• The Regina Pats have been awful on the powerplay, which is a major reason why they've opened the WHL season with two losses.
• You would have to think the Pats will be better on the PP with Carton Ashton and Jordan Weal back from their respective NHL training camps.
• I suggest we are owed this nice weather, after that miserable excuse for a summer we just endured. Let's get outside and enjoy it!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Has it really been a week already? Alright, here's my list. Feel free to contribute your own!

Cheers

• Andy Fantuz and Darian Durant. This dynamic duo led the way in the Riders' stirring 43-37 overtime victory over league-leading Calgary last Friday night.
• The atom Cougars. The dream of an undefeated season died last weekend, but the kids returned to practice last night fired up and determined to finish the year on a high note this week.
• The atom Bengals. Great job by those kids and coaches in handing us our first loss of the year. Very impressive.

Jeers

• An atom football coach who would scream out "these guys are NOTHING!" in reference to their opponents during a game. Uh, those are 9-11 year old kids you're trashing. Settle down there, Vince Lombardi.
• The Ken Miller-bashing brigade. The Rider coaches' strategy of trying to punt through the end zone for a win didn't pan out. However, they still won the game. Let's move on.
• Jason Jimenez. The Ti-Cats o-lineman has no respect for the game, or his opponents. I can't wait until karma catches up with this clown.
• People who have already written off the Regina Pats before the puck drops for the first regular season game. I'm not expecting much, but let's let them play a few games before passing judgement!

Locker Talk lineup for September 21st

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 pm on Access channel 7.

Locker Talk Guests for September 21/10
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A discussion with the new Commissioner of Regina high school athletics. Guest: Chuck Toth (RHSAA Commissioner).

2. A profile of the University of Regina women’s softball team. Guests: Mike Smith (Head Coach) & Amanda Foraie (Cougars Catcher).

3. A member of Regina’s kart racing community gets set to race at an event in Italy. Guest: Keith Miller (South Sask Kart Club).

4. Regina’s Lonsdale Boxing Club hosts a Canada Games tune-up competition this weekend. Guests: Frank Fiacco (Lonsdale Club President) & Don Racette (Head Official, Boxing Saskatchewan).

5. A preview of the annual Sandra Schmirler Charity Curling Classic. Guest: Amber Holland (Organizing committee co-chair).

6. The Blair Necessities. Mitch’s weekly sports commentary.

Friday thoughts

Let's call these thoughts, for lack of a better word:

• There's no real reason to think the Saskatchewan Roughriders will beat the Calgary Stampeders tonight. So, they probably will.
• All Rider receiver Cary Koch has to do tonight is catch one pass and actually fight for a first-down, and he'll probably get a standing ovation. You know, because he's replacing PR.
• The atom Cougars will try to cap off an undefeated regular season tomorrow afternoon against the Bengals. I'm so nervous it's ridiculous.
• I'd be feeling a lot better about tomorrow's matchup if we had decent practices this week. Oh well, I hope 1/3 of our offense enjoyed the Justin Bieber concert last night!
• A couple of great provincial football rivalries are renewed tomorrow night, when the U of R Rams host the U of S, and the Regina Thunder visits the Saskatoon Huskies.
• I'd put the quality of post-secondary football in Saskatchewan up against any other province in Canada.
• Meantime, Regina Pats training camp continues. Hurray.
• It's official, my offspring is hanging up the blades (at least for this season) in favour of basketball sneakers. I have to admit, I'm not heart-broken!
• I suppose it was a good idea to put that backboard up over the garage door this week after all!
• Yes, the great garage-building caper (scheduled to start right after the May long weekend) is finally drawing to a close. Amazing!
• I almost forgot: Do you fancy yourself as Canada's next great sports journalist? Or, do you have an interest in sports and a little time on your hands? Locker Talk is looking for someone (or a couple of someones) to file one story a week for our Access 7 sports show. Interested? Let me know through the comments section and I'll get you the contact information.
• Enjoy the weekend. Hopefully it doesn't snow or anything ridiculous like that!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

We're back with another wildly popular installment of Cheers and Jeers, where we get to draw attention to noteworthy performances (positive and negative) over the past week. Here's my list:

Cheers

• Access 7. I'm really liking the new set and new graphics for Locker Talk. Now I guess the hosts have to pick up their game accordingly!
• Saskatchewan Roughriders. For finally admitting defeat on the Prechae Rodriguez and Dominique Dorsey experiments. Now, about that o-line upgrade...

Jeers

• The never-ending debate over Eric Tillman's departure from the Roughriders. He's in Edmonton now. Let's all try to move on.
• Justin Bieber. 4-5 of our players are skipping football practice because of Bieber fever tonight. Further proof that JB is the antichrist!

Locker Talk lineup for September 14th

Yes, that's right. A new name. A new set too, I'm told. But one thing that hasn't changed is our commitment to local sports coverage. Check it out for yourselves, if you are so inclined!

Locker Talk Guests for September 14/10
Co-host: Mitchell Blair

1. An update on the red-hot Regina Thunder junior football club. Guests: Stefan Endsin (Offensive Coordinator) & Shawn McCall (Defensive Coordinator).

2. A look back at a very successful season for the Regina Red Sox, including the team’s first appearance in the WMBL final. Guest: Bernie Eiswirth (General Manager).

3. The University of Regina Rams and Regina Minor Football join forces on the “Future Stars” program. Young RMF players will participate in skills competitions at Rams home games this season. Guests: Len Antonini (Regina Minor Football) & Dennis Losie (Rams Board Member).

4. The SJHL gets set to kick off the 2010/11 season, including the Game of the Week on Access 7. Guest: Laury Ryan (SJHL President).

5. An update on the women’s soccer team at the University of Regina, fresh off their first weekend of the regular season. Guests: Dana Renneberg, Adrianna Bonutti & Megan Florizone (Cougars Players).

6. The Blair Necessities. Mitch’s weekly sports commentary.

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Really? It's Thursday already? Alright then, here's my list:

Cheers

• My chiropractor, Scott Bitz and his lovely bride Shyla. Congrats you two - have a blast in Europe!
• Regina Automotive Warehouse. An excellent choice if your vehicle needs repairs, or just routine maintenance.
• The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Thanks for the two points. Can we trouble you for another two this weekend?

Jeers

• The nightmarish driving and parking conditions due to the construction projects in downtown Regina. Yeah, I know - short-term pain for long-term gain. But it still sucks royally.
• Mother Nature. Seriously, enough. Last winter was miserable. Spring was a myth. The summer was virtually non-existent. Can we please have a break you crotchety old bag?
• Walmart SuperCentre in Harbour Landing. Big store. Lots of space. Nothing in stock.

Don't be shy, let's see your list!

Over to you, green dudes

The atom Cougars continued the Labour Day football festivities with a dominating 62-0 win over the Lions Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium. The J-man was a force at fullback, steamrolling through the Lions defense for big yardage. He also notched his first ever touchdown, and got back into the end zone on a two-point convert. His efforts earned him the nod as Cougars Offensive Player of the Game. Way to go son!

So, let's review how the Labour Day weekend has gone. Rams beat the U of M. Check. Cougars knock off the Lions. Check.

Now, it's up to the Saskatchewan Roughriders to complete the hat trick by taking care of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this afternoon. Let's get 'er done, green guys. See you there!

Friday thoughts

Another week chugs toward an inevitable conclusion, and the world keeps on spinning...

• Is there any reason the Riders shouldn't lay waste to the Bombers in Sunday's Labour Day Classic? None spring to mind immediately.
• The Riders have a healthy, but struggling, quarterback. Winnipeg has reasonably effective, but injured, quarterbacks. Edge goes to the Riders.
• They might want to move the start time of the game back a couple of hours. The turf should still be scorching hot from the atom Cougars' game on Saturday night.
• The Cougars will look to run their record to an unprecedented 4-0 by (hopefully!) knocking off the Lions on the Taylor turf.
• I think it's also time for the J-man to celebrate his first touchdown. He got a taste of the end zone last week by scoring on a two-point convert. Now it's time to take it up a notch.
• I really, really enjoy coaching minor sports. A lot.
• I have also thoroughly enjoyed (from a distance) the squabbles between warring factions of Rider zealots over the past week. The Scruffy vs BigSexyDawg battle is shaping up to be a classic, followed closely by Obama vs Scott. Good times...
• The Bombers are coming to town and Rider fans are fighting amongst themselves? WTH?
• Mind you, the battle of the media bloggers (Pedersen vs Drinnan) has been pretty heated too. Maybe the whole world needs just an enema or something.
• Good luck to Cougars Offensive Coordinator John Makie, as he gets set to lead his "other" team (Miller high school) into battle against Notre Dame today.
• Access 7's new sports talk show will be on the air in less than two weeks. It was a nice break, albeit a brief one!
• The 9th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up in less than a week. It still seems like it happened just yesterday.
• Do you have any songs that instantly take you back to another time in your life? Apparently "If You Leave" (OMD - Pretty in Pink soundtrack) is one of those tunes for me. Who knew?

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Yet again, a look at bright lights and dim bulbs encountered over the past week:

Cheers

• The atom Cougars. They're buying what we coaches are selling, as our record currently sits at 3-0.
• The J-man. Took it upon himself to hold a players-only meeting to get the Cougars back on track after a couple of bad practices. Not bad for an 11 year old!
• Transmission Warehouse. Looking for a good place to get your vehicle serviced? Look no further. Roy, Ken and the crew will take good care of you.

Jeers

• The ridiculously angst-ridden segment of the local fanbase I've taken to calling Rider AbomiNation. Seriously, relax. Football teams occasionally lose. It'll be okay.
• Online retailers who process your purchase, then send an email after the fact advising the product you ordered is no longer in stock. So why exactly is it still advertised on your site?
• TSN. Your new smartphone app looks pretty cool. Any reason you only made it available for iPhone users?

That's my list. Who or what is on yours?