Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Another week has flown by, mercifully! Here's a look at the highlights and lowlights (or is that low lifes?):

Cheers

• West Side Pizza (latest in a series). The J-man's birthday feast was gobbled up and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in attendance. If you haven't tried their pizza, you should.
• Oskar's Deli Meats. Seems a bit strange for someone of Polish descent to sing the praises of a German outfit, but they came through in the clutch this week.
  
• West Harvest Inn. They put on a darn good Sunday brunch. Can't go wrong with an omelet station!
• High Impact Wrestling. Goofy? Absolutely. Legions of bizarre people in the audience? Definitely. Fun? Most assuredly.
  

Jeers

• London Life/Freedom 55. Let's just hope the horribly incompetent clown my mom dealt with isn't indicative of the company as a whole. That would be very sad.
• The Vancouver Canucks "fans" who attacked former NHL star Theo Fleury for having the temerity to suggest the 'Nucks might be ripe for an early playoff exit. At least Theo had the stones to state his opinion publicly, unlike the anonymous mouth-breathers who hide behind their computer screens in their mommy's basement.
  

The cheers outnumber the jeers. Must have been an okay week!

Locker Talk lineup for March 29

Here's the batting order for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. on Access channel 7. It's a sports thing.

Locker Talk Guests for March 29/11

Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. ENG segment. A report on the return of the Amber Holland rink from the World women’s curling championships, and the final preparations for the 2011 World Men’s Curling Championships in Regina. Reporters: Mitch Blair/Pete Paczko.

2. A preview of the 2011 Regina Minor Football season. Guest: Kelly Hamilton (RMF President).

3. A preview of the 2011 Battle of the Prairies boxing event put on by the Lonsdale Boxing Club. Guest: Frank Fiacco (Lonsdale President).

4. A preview of the annual open house put on by the South Saskatchewan Kart Club. Fast toys for boys (and girls)! Guest: Keith Miller (South Sask Kart Club).

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

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Has it really been a week already? Okay, here's a quick look at who's hot, and who's not.

Cheers

• Dairy Queen (Park St.) - Anyone who will make you a Saskatchewan Roughrider ice cream birthday cake can't be all bad!
• The J-man. He posted a 3-0 record in badminton action on behalf of his school yesterday. Nice job!
• Jon "Bones" Jones. It's not often an athlete lives up to - or exceeds - the hype. The rising star of the UFC certainly did last weekend in capturing the light heavyweight belt in impressive fashion.

Jeers

• Pizza Pizza. Not only does their "food" taste like lukewarm crud, but their service is comically inept. Don't waste your money.
• The winter of 2010/11. Seriously, you've overstayed your welcome. Get out.
• Stagnation. It's time for a change of scenery. Details to come.
  

Locker Talk lineup for March 22

Here's the lineup for this week's show. I'm going on the assumption it airs tonight at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. We can hope, anyway!

Locker Talk Guests for March 22/11
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the Regina Rebels midget AAA hockey club. Guests: Doug Folk (Head Coach) & Adria Gorski (Rebels forward).

2. A preview of the 18th annual Regina Curling Classic for Parkinson’s research. Guests: Maureen Miller (Event Chair) & Brenda Kilarski (Organizing Committee).

3. Our Man Carlo. Locker Talk sports movie reviewer Carlo Palazzo reviews another cinematic classic. This time: The Mighty Ducks.

4. The Miller Marauders celebrate city and provincial championships in high school boys and girls wrestling. Guests: Mark Fitzpatrick (Miller Head Coach), Dallas Dietrich & Brett Wade (Miller wrestlers).

5. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the University of Regina track and field team. Guests: Bruce McCannel (Head Coach), Chelsea Valois & Jeremy Eckert (Cougar athletes). (www.reginacougars.com)

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

Monday musings

Here are some thoughts. They're pretty random, and may or may not be interesting. Don't say you weren't warned!

• Now that another non-playoff Regina Pats season is in the books, how long before general manager Chad Lang either endorses or jettisons head coach Curtis Hunt?
  
• I would suggest a decision has to be made prior to the bantam draft.
• Congrats to Pats captain Garrett Mitchell for signing his first pro contract. He has a tough road ahead of him, as the Washington Capitals organization is loaded with young prospects.
• If Mitchell moves on, who wears the C for the Pats next season? Jordan Weal would seem like a natural choice.
• Rider defensive end Brent Hawkins is working as a trainer at Gold's Gym. The dude is in some serious shape. If his injury issues are behind him, Hawk could be poised for a huge season.
  
• So, the Riders are going with Tristan Jackson as their primary kick returner - at least heading into training camp. I like it, and they only gave up a backup defensive back in the deal. Even better.
• Why do I get the feeling Craig Dickenson's special teams will be fun to watch? Let's face it, there's nowhere to go but up!
• On a personal note, it looks as though 2011 is starting to turn around. Again, nowhere to go but up!
• As of May 12th, for the first time in 33 years a certain house in London, Ontario will not be owned by someone named Paczko. Weird.
• Are you watching any of the NCAA men's basketball tournament? My Ohio State Buckeyes are alive and well heading into the sweet 16.
  
• The legends of High Impact Wrestling return to the Victoria Club Friday night. Do I dare take the J-man on a little excursion on the eve of his birthday? Darn right I dare!
• Is anyone really surprised that the winter from hell would drag into the spring? Didn't think so.
• The douche bag that lives across the street keeps parking his piece of crap pickup in front of my house. Is it wrong for me to start using it for target practice with a bb gun? Too bad, I'm doing it anyway.
  

Friday thoughts

At the very least this gives me an opportunity to think about something other than wills, estates and such for a few minutes! Here, in no particular order, are some other things that have been floating around upstairs:

• The Regina Pats have now missed the playoffs for three straight years. If next year's squad isn't at least a playoff team, I think the Pats could be in danger of becoming irrelevant to many people in this market.
• However, I'm also willing to believe Chad Lang knows what he's doing, and will get the on-ice product headed in the right direction. Gotta hope so, anyway.
• I don't know if there will be a coaching change. I also don't know if one is required.
• Jordan Weal scored over 100 points playing with the best player (Jordan Eberle) in junior hockey last season. This season, Weal will finish with around 95 points while skating with no one comparable to Eberle. Therefore, I am led to conclude that Jordan Weal is pretty darn good.
• I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate at the time, but I'm starting to enjoy the fact the Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl champs. My new Aaron Rodgers jersey is pretty sweet - way nicer than that ratty old #4 jersey hanging in the closet.
• I believe the lockout will stretch into late summer, and I think the NFL will play an abbreviated (10-12 game) regular season. And, that might actually be the best case scenario, sadly.
• Oh, Toronto Maple Leafs, why do you do this to me every season? You get my hopes up for a while after Christmas, and then dash them upon the rocks of futility. Every year.
  
• Time to dust off my Blackhawks gear again. I need some reason to watch the NHL playoffs!
• Is this the year for the Vancouver Canucks? I sure don't see a lot of holes in that lineup, to be honest.
• Our RMF team may be in the market for an offensive line coach. Interested? Let me know. It is a pretty significant time commitment (four practices and one game/week) from the start of August until mid-October. And, we'd like someone with a fair bit of o-line experience (playing, if not coaching). Still interested?
• My kid turns 12 next weekend. I'm constantly amazed at how fast the time flies/has flown by.
• Will he see a Toronto Maple Leaf Stanley Cup parade in his lifetime? Dare to dream!
  

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Okay, I suppose it's time to get back to semi-regular blogging around here. Not that anyone cried out for it, mind you!

So, for those that have forgotten, I've devoted this space on Thursdays to two lists: those people and/or organizations worthy of cheers, and those worthy of a good swift kick in the ...well, you get the idea. Feel free to add your own submissions.

Cheers

• Torchy's Sports Imaging. Torchy did a great job on the J-man's new Rider jersey, and at a sweet price too! Check him out, he does a lot more than sports jerseys.
• The Access Communications Production department. It's been a tough start to 2011 for me, and the folks at Access (even the ones who are in no way connected to Locker Talk) have been very supportive. Thanks!
• Greyhound Courier Service. Looking to ship a bunch of packages across the country? Head down to the bus depot and save yourself a lot of cash. I shipped ten boxes of varying sizes and one trunk from Ontario to Regina for just under $200. Sweet deal, I'd say.
• Regina Thunder. The J-man and I attended the Thunder's annual dinner last weekend and were treated very well! Heck, nobody threw anything at the stage while I spoke - bonus!
  

Jeers

• I'm not impressed with the folks at another workplace I frequent. Let's just leave it at that.
• The humanoids whose idea of being sympathetic consists of "What are you doing with the house? Need a real estate agent? I know a guy!" Yeah, thanks. Because it's soooo hard to find someone in real estate in southern Ontario.
  
• Regina Pats. I'm holding out hope that Chad Lang has the rebuild project on the right track, but three straight years out of the playoffs is still an embarrassment. The Pats need to get things turned around quickly, or risk becoming irrelevant.

That's my list for this week. Feel free to submit yours!

Locker Talk lineup for March 15

Here's the lineup for this week's show. It aired last night at 9 p.m. and will repeat Thursday night at 6 p.m. Only on Access 7!

Locker Talk Guests for March 15/11
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the University of Regina women’s basketball team. Guest: Dave Taylor (Head Coach).

2. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the University of Regina men’s hockey team. Guest: Blaine Sautner (Head Coach).

3. A review of Saskatchewan’s performance at the recent Canada Winter Games in Halifax. Guests: Lorne Lasuita (Team Sask Chef de Mission) & Amanda Dacey (Ringette player).

4. The NFL labour situation is on the mind of at least one player with the U of R Rams. Guest: Akiem Hicks (Rams import defenslve lineman).

5. A preview of the 2011 Regina Soccer Association outdoor season. Registrations are this week. Guest: Dennis Morse (RSA Executive Director).

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

Locker Talk lineup for week of March 9

Here's the lineup for this week's show. Since Access' program schedule hasn't been updated on the company website, I'm assuming the show only airs Thursday night (6 p.m.) this week.

Locker Talk Guests for March 10/11
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. ENG segment. The Amber Holland rink celebrates a Canadian curling championship, and gets set to take on the world in Denmark later this month. Reporter: Mitchell Blair.

2. A preview of the 2011 Baseball Regina season. Get those registrations in! Guest: Jean MacDonald (League Vice President).

3. Our Man Carlo. Locker Talk sports movie reviewer Carlo Palazzo shares his thoughts on another cinematic classic. This time: The Love Guru.

4. An update on preparations for the 2011 World Men’s Curling Championships, coming up in Regina next month. Guest: Scott Comfort (Organizing Committee).

5. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the University of Regina men’s wrestling team. Guests: Gilbert Musonza & Gaelan Malloy (Wrestlers).

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

Locker Talk news de jour

Let's face it, we don't break a lot of sports stories on Locker Talk, which I'm hoping is more a reflection of the format of the show than the journalistic abilities of the hosts!

Anyhow, when we do uncover a little nugget of news, we like to pass it along it you - seems like the right thing to do!

In this case, we learned during tonight's taping of the show that Regina's Mitch MacDonald, the reigning MVP of the Western Major Baseball League with the Regina Red Sox, may not be back in Regina this summer. Mitch is en route to Florida, where he'll join the spring training camp of the St. Louis Cardinals. Mitch's summer to remember (he won the triple crown in the WMBL in 2010) apparently revived his major league aspirations. You may remember he spent a couple of years in the farm system of the Florida Marlins before leaving that organization. Good luck with the Cards, Mitch!

Locker Talk lineup for the week of March 1

I suppose it's time to get back to semi-regular blogging. Here's the lineup for this week. Although we taped the show last night, it won't air until Thursday at 6 p.m. As always, it can only be found on Access channel 7 in Regina.

Locker Talk Guests for March 1/11
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair


1. A preview of the annual Regina Thunder Sports Dinner, and a look ahead to the 2011 season. Guests: Erwin Klempner (Head Coach) & Chuck Toth (Team President).

2. A young Regina athlete will paddle her way across Canada this summer. Guest: Stephanie Robertson (Regina canoeist).

3. ENG segment. An interview with Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive coordinator Richie Hall, back in Rider green after a two-year absence. Reporter: Mitchell Blair.

4. A preview of the 2011 Regina Minor Softball League season. Guest: Mark Haidl (League President).

5. A post mortem on the 2010/11 season for the U of R men’s basketball team. Guests: Kris Heshka & Lynn Gee (graduating players).

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