Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Consider this the blogging equivalent of Santa's naughty and nice list. You do believe in Santa, don't you?


Cheers

• Mark's Mini-Tune. Mark found me a replacement bag for my leaf blower for significantly less than an online supplier wanted. Thanks Mark!
• Regina Automotive Warehouse. Roy set me up with a fantastic set of Toyo snow tires. These things are amazing in the snow, and - even more impressively - on the ice. Me like!
• Lakeview Fine Foods. They don't have the selection of a big supermarket, but it's a great place to stop for a few essentials. And the staff are super-friendly.
  
• On-line shopping. With free shipping, I no longer have to elbow your grandma out of the way in the mall. That's a plus.

Jeers

• Sears. Five weeks and still no resolution to my treadmill issue. This just in - they suck!
• Randy Moss. When I started the NFL fantasy football season with Moss and Atlanta's Roddy White as my starting receivers, I thought things looked pretty good. Apparently Moss had other ideas.
• Ron Wilson. I'm not saying a coaching change will make the Toronto Maple Leafs a contender, but it seems obvious the players hate this guy. In that case, let's welcome our next contestant.
  

Locker Talk lineup for December 7

Hey folks, we've got a brand new episode of Locker Talk for you this week! You've been waiting a while for it, but now it's finally here. (Granted, you have to watch a LOT of Access 7 programming to get the humour in that one...)

Anyway, here's the lineup for this week's show. It airs tonight at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. on Access channel 7 in Regina.

Locker Talk Guests for December 7/10
Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A look back at the 2010 CFL season for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and a look ahead to 2011. Guest: Murray McCormick (Regina Leader Post sports reporter).

2. An update on the 2010/11 season for the University of Regina men’s volleyball team. Guest: Greg Barthel (Head Coach).

3. Our Man Carlo. Locker Talk movie reviewer Carlo Palazzo gives us his thoughts on another sports movie. This time: The Replacements.

4. A preview of the 2010 Balfour Classic high school basketball tournament. Guests: Glen Fekula (Balfour Boys Head Coach), Brandon Bodnar & Jeremy Zver (Players).

5. An update on the 2010/11 season for the Regina Rebels female midget AAA hockey club. Guests: Doug Folk (Head Coach) & Nicole Mitchell (Player).

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

Monday musings

Admittedly, there's not a lot to offer today. I've been quite distracted.

• Is Dave Dickenson really ready to be a CFL head coach? Most Rider fans seem to think the cerebral ex-quarterback should take over from Ken Miller.
• Granted, the last time the Riders put a cerebral ex-quarterback in charge, things worked out pretty well. But Kent Austin had more coaching experience than Dickenson does.
• I could live with either Doug Berry or Richie Hall in that position, although I'll admit neither option excites me terribly.
• Another parallel to Austin's hiring in 2007: By the end of the 2006 season, the Riders had reached a plateau, having gone as far as Danny Barrett was capable of leading them. Some might say the team is in a similar position now. So, maybe a fresh perspective would help.
• If Montreal had to win the Grey Cup, at least it's some consolation to know Als defensive back Paul Woldu of Regina is a terrific young man. Congrats Paul!
• Hmm.....the Riders' starting Canadian corner (Leron Mitchell) suffers a devastating injury in the Grey Cup. Woldu may be ready to move into a starting position, after backing up other players in Montreal for three years. Is there a little synergy there?
  
• It's December, and the Regina Pats only have eight wins to show for their first 29 starts. Is this season still salvageable, or is it time to think seriously about unloading assets?
• I would imagine Pats forward Carter Ashton's value will only rise if he cracks Team Canada's roster for the World Junior Championships.
• Mind you, the teams ahead of Regina in the race for a playoff spot aren't exactly setting the hockey world on fire, so I'm sure that complicates things a bit.
• Ron Wilson's days with the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be numbered. Good.
• I may have to re-think my position on Leafs rookie Nazem Kadri. He's still terrible in his own end, and ridiculously easy to knock off his skates, but at least he demonstrates a bit of offensive creativity. That puts him in rare company in Toronto.
  

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

This week's installment is brought to you by the letter F (as in eff you!):

Cheers

• Ken Miller. Despite his 0-2 record as a head coach in the Grey Cup, Coach Ken was a tremendous leader for "the men", and leaves his successor with some pretty big shoes (Hush Puppies?) to fill.
• Anne Hathaway. The star of Love and Other Drugs must have saved the producers of the movie lots of money on wardrobe costs by appearing in so many scenes sans clothing. What a team player!
• EB Games (Moose Jaw). Their excellent customer service is worth the short drive to the Band City.
• Cornerstone Inn Pub & Eatery (Moose Jaw). Darn fine nachos, and apparently the rest of the menu is pretty fine as well.

Jeers

• Sears Canada. The antithesis of good customer service. Latest in a series.
• The "fans" who want to pin the latest Grey Cup loss on Riders quarterback Darian Durant, or Ken Miller.
• The classless individuals on the Montreal Alouettes who couldn't bring themselves to show their opponents any respect following the Grey Cup. Fortunately, head coach Marc Trestman made up for it with his respectful and articulate comments.

Coach Ken packs it in

I just received a text alert from TSN, saying Ken Miller is stepping down as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders have called a news conference for 11 am.