The lines are now open, unless of course you're calling in

"In Philadelphia and Chicago, that’s how you live. That’s how you grow up. It’s a give and take. Here if I give it back, everybody flips out."-- Blue Bomber head coach Mike Kelly reflecting on what may or may not make for good entertainment on your radio dial.

With the pressure building in Winnipeg to get things on track, the first casualty it would seem would be unfettered access to the coach via the home teams radio call in show.

Blue Bomber head coach Mike Kelly informed the media on Sunday that as of Monday he would not be taking any phone calls on his CJOB radio show, the Mike Kelly Show. The weekly radio yak machine has featured some rather caustic give and take between the coach and his callers, some apparently not overly thrilled with his stewardship of the Blue this season.

So, following the apparent advice (that of mothers everywhere) of "if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all" the coach won't be reaching for the phone lines when Monday's show comes around.

Now for former radio programmers and talk show hosts everywhere, this is not quite the disaster that it may sound like (after all a talk show without anyone to talk to quickly becomes rather pointless), there will still be questions asked and answers provided.

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While the phone lines will go silent, those that take the time to attend the show's broadcast location at Winnipeg's Upperdeck Sports Bar will stil be allowed to grab a microphone and ask away and e mail inquiries will still be accepted (though the coach will apperently pick and choose the questions he feels are pertinent and offer a less venomous outlook).

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For Kelly the edgy give and take of the phone calls has been a counterproductive exercise, callers apparently emboldened by their anonymity through the telephone, taking shots that aren't warranted or helpful to the cause, and a part of his radio program that he feels would be best left behind.

Instead, he's hoping that with the face to face nature of the studio audience the questions will be interesting and the tone civil.

Though you have to wonder if trading in a phone line for the best of the bar room crowd will provide the positive vibes that he seems to be seeking!

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Winnipeg Free Press-- Bomber coach nixes calls to radio show
Winnipeg Sun-- Kelly phoning it in

CFL Players of the Week -- Week Eight

No runners up for week eight, as all four selections were unanimous.
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Video Replay of the players of the week.
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Among the best of the league this week were:
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fred Reid -- RB-- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Unanimous selection

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Stevie Baggs -- DE -- Saskatchewan Roughriders
Unanimous selection

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Larry Taylor -- KR/WR -- Montreal Alouettes
Unanimous selection

CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matthieu Proulx -- S -- Montreal Alouettes
Unanimous selection

Week Nine (August 28, 2009)

Another short schedule for week nine as the CFL provides bye weeks for four of the member squads While the Lions, Als, Riders and Bombers all lounge around the backyard, the layabouts from last week will take to the field.

Friday, August 28-- Calgary 23 at Toronto 20 (25,329)
Saturday, August 29-- Hamilton 30 at Edmonton 31 (35,036)

All games on TSN

Gibson's Players of the Month

The Players of the Month for July were:

Offence-- Anthony Calvillo QB Montreal
Defence--Siddeeq Shabazz LB Winnipeg
Special Teams-- Larry Taylor WR Montreal
Canadian-- Calvin McCarty RB Edmonton

CFL Players of the Week -- Week Seven

The receivers shine in Week seven.
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Video Replay of the players of the week.
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Among the best of the league this week were:
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jeremaine Copeland-- R -- Calgary Stampeders
Runner Up-- QB -- Ricky Ray -- Edmonton Eskimos
Runner UP-- qb -- Henry Burris -- Calgary Stampeders

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
John Chick -- DE -- Saskatchewan Roughriders
Runner up-- Unanimous selection

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Medlock -- K -- Toronto Argonauts
Runner Up -- Unanimous selection

CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Paris Jackson -- SB -- BC Lions
Runner Up-- S -- Mathieu Proulx -- Montreal Alouettes

Week Eight (August 21, 2009)

A short schedule for week eight as the CFL provides bye weeks for four of the member squads, with the four playing this week scheduled for byes next week. Both matches make up a Friday night doubleheader on TSN.

Friday, August 21-- Saskatchewan 25 at Montreal 34 (20,202)
Friday, August 21-- Winnipeg 37 at BC 10 (27,983)

All games on TSN

There are fans... and then there are fanatics!

The past weekend provided the perfect travel connections for three dedicated CFL fans to take in as much action as possible in four days.

Week seven's geographic mix, allowed Alpesh Patel, Vipin Patel and Stephen Roth to take the kind of road trip that most CFL fans can only dream about, a weekend of football spanning four provinces and allowing them to watch all eight Canadian Football League teams in action.

The National Post outlines the trio's version of planes, trains and automobiles providing for a dream weekend of football in the summertime.

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Should you get the same travel bug, we would imagine that local travel agents are standing by, ready to re route you to and fro, with seats on the fifty five for all venues.

Week Seven (August 13 - 16

Games for week seven of the 2009 season include:

Thursday, August 13-- Calgary 35 @ Edmonton 38 (33,035)
Friday, August 14-- BC 38 @ Toronto 36 (24,745)
Saturday, August 15-- Montreal 39 @ Winnipeg 12 (25,053)
Sunday, August 16-- Hamilton 23 @ Saskatchewan 33 (30,360 )

CFL Players of the Week -- Week Six

The Cats and Bombders shine on the awards list for week six.
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Video Replay of the players of the week.
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Among the best of the league this week were:
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fred Reid-- RB -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Runner Up-- QB -- Anthony Calvillo -- Montreal Alouettes

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Markeith Knowlton-- LB -- Hamilton Tiger Cats
Runners up-- DT-- Jermaine McElveen -- Montreal Alouettes

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sean Whyte -- K -- BC Lions
Runners up-- RB/KR- Arkee Whitlock –- Edmonton Eskimos,
WR -- Ryan Grice-Mullen - BC Lions

CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Doug Brown -- DT -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Runner Up-- WR -- Robb Bagg -- Saskatchewan Roughriders

CFL Players of the Week --- Week Five

The Cats, Eskimos and Riders dominate the awards list for week five.
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Video Replay of the players of the week.
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Among the best of the league this week were:
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Deandra' Cobb--Hamilton Tiger Cats
Runner Up-- QB -- Ricky Ray-- Edmonton Eskimos

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jamall Johnson -- LB -- Hamilton Tiger Cats
Runners up-- DE-- Gavin Walls -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers,
DT -- Dario Romero, Edmonton Eskimos

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Arkee Whitlock -- RB/KR -- Edmonton Eskimos
Runner up-- S - Dylan Barker – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chris Getzlaf -- SB -- Saskatchewan Roughriders
Runner Up-- Unanimous selection

Week Six (August 7 - 8)

Games for week six of the 2009 season include:

Friday, August 7-- Toronto 0 @ Montreal 25 (20.202)
Friday, August 7-- Saskatchewan 20 @ BC 35 (30.117)
Saturday, August 8-- Edmonton 21 @ Hamilton 28 (19,206)
Saturday, August 8-- Winnipeg 23 @ Calgary 31 (35,650)

The Final Snap -- August 2009

We look for the one quote of the day from the CFL that defines an interesting event or personality.

August 31-- "We have so much talent on this receiving corps, you just don't know who it's going to be"
August 30-- "As much as it means to the fans, it comes back our way, too"
August 29-- "I know they put a lot of onus on me"
August 28-- "That’s all part and parcel of being a good football team"
August 27-- "We're not gelling as quickly as we all want to, but we're going to stay the course"
August 26-- "That’s the time when you have to stand up and make plays"
August 25-- "they just didn't really do that did they?"
August 24-- "If we could get good clean charters out of here with good hours, we would be willing to bite the bullet on the cost"
August 23-- "This is not like hockey where you can bag-skate them.”
August 22-- "That was embarrassing on every level"
August 21-- "It's a delicate decision and we need to be correct in our decision-making"
August 20-- "It’s still in me, but it has been toned down. My wife’s not excited about that energy"
August 19-- "I haven't given up my whole plate yet but a couple of peas and carrots and I still have the main entree"
August 18-- "Even though we lost, I can still see a growth"
August 17-- "If you don't like it, it's time for you to go into hibernation"
August 16-- "We haven’t done anything to show him we deserve the time off.”
August 15-- "It's a game we had and we just gave it away."
August 14-- "I finally have an opportunity to play and show people what I can do"
August 13-- "If they had pinned us back it would have been a lot harder . . . so he really he set that win up for us"
August 12-- "But in any sport, you’ve got to respect a man’s space. That’s as far as this goes"
August 11-- "We're emphasizing not letting the receivers get yards after the catch"
August 10-- "Grice-Mullen can be a great returner before he can ever be a great receiver"
August 9-- "They teach you to play through the whistle, but while I'm hustling I'm thinking, 'this isn't going to count'"
August 8-- ""
August 7-- "He told me about the respect they had for me as a team"
August 6-- "When I retire, I promise you I’ll subscribe to both papers, how about that?”
August 5-- "I don't want players to think of me as somebody who can't take a hit or can't take physical defence"
August 4-- "Damn. I had fun there. I always had it in the back of my mind that I had a job if that league was still around"
August 3-- "This got his attention and he's responded so well to it"
August 2-- "But that's a matter of me going back this week and doing extra conditioning"
August 1-- "You have plays like that at different times of your season that change your season and obviously that was a huge play"

The Opening Kickoff-- August 2009

With one full month of competition under its belt, the CFL continues the march towards Grey Cup Sunday in November. We'll track our three top stories of the day from this location, providing a snapshot of the CFL in August.


August 31-- Freak injury sidelines Alouettes' Josh Bourke
August 31-- It's back to the drawing board for Ticats
August 31-- Lions run defence to be tested again
August 30-- It's my fault, Argos' Andrus admits
August 30-- Bomber coach nixes calls to radio show
August 30-- Ricky dodges a bullet
August 29-- Als legend Sam Etcheverry dies at 79
August 29-- Inappropriate gesture irks Buono
August 29-- Edmonton Eskimos beat Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-30
August 28-- Roughriders' Darian Durant recognizes importance of personal sacrifices for good of team
August 28-- Stamps beef up run defence
August 28-- Lions homecoming for UBC's McCuaig
August 27-- Argos' offence continues to stall
August 27-- Esks’ Lumsden to limit physical contact for six months
August 27-- Hogtown jitters
August 26-- Glenn on call as Porter hurt
August 26-- Record Numbers
August 26-- Edmonton signs running back to practice roster
August 25-- Hamstring injury sidelines Edmonton Eskimos’ McCarty
August 25-- Eubanks ready to get his mitts on Argos
August 25-- Time to challenge wisdom of summoning the short-yardage offence
August 24-- Are Bombers foolish to risk Reid on returns?
August 24-- 'Mid-term' report card for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
August 24-- Romero cracks up fans with antics
August 23-- Extra! Extra! REID ALL IT'S ABOUT
August 23-- Stampeder jolts back to reality
August 23-- Eskimos get back to work
August 22-- Bombers defuse Lions
August 22-- Riders vow to make changes after break
August 22-- Stamps’ Arthur itching to return to action
August 21-- Alouettes hold off Roughriders
August 21-- Ticats take show to London in effort to expand fan base
August 21-- Barrin mind
August 20-- Roughriders looking for revenge
August 20-- BC Lion Jarious Jackson showed true character, channeled his anger
August 20-- Kelly's scheme no dream
August 19-- Ex-Al may bolster Stamps defence
August 19-- Als' Larry Taylor a victim of his own success
August 19-- Riders still searching for an identity
August 18-- Perseverance pays off for Als' Bowman
August 18-- Paris Jackson lights it up
August 18-- Think Tank in session
August 17-- Ticat rally falls short
August 17-- Bombers add returner, dump Giles
August 17-- Jarious Jackson looking out for No. 1
August 16-- Als dine on turnovers
August 16-- Lumsden 'laying low' until next week
August 16-- Brief CFL career opened doors for `Cool Hand Luc'
August 15-- Lions-Argos QB quandry
August 15-- Calvillo leads Als over Bombers
August 15-- An uplifting of the spirit
August 14-- Bombers focus on consistency
August 14-- McPherson prepared to wait for his turn
August 14-- Student, teacher square off for real
August 13-- Eskimos capture Battle of Alberta over Stamps
August 13-- Argos' Murphy anxious to meet former teammates
August 13-- Roughriders don't have history of developing quarterbacks
August 12-- Mallett runs into high praise
August 12-- Johnson leading Ticats defence
August 12-- Romby lets play do his talking... he hasn't had much to say
August 11-- Argos turn to Pickett to spark offence
August 11-- 'We still have a legitimate shot'
August 11-- B.C. Lions: Yurichuk making up for mistakes
August 10-- Argos ponder change at pivot
August 10-- Short passes work, for now
August 10-- Huff lays down law on stamps penalty parade
August 9--
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August 6-- Cobourne and Robertson ready to face off
August 6-- Ticats look for support outside Hamilton
August 6-- Frustrated Lewis wants more action
August 5-- Lions can't afford more mistakes
August 5-- Argos coach Andrus not sweating so-so start
August 5-- Siddeeq the Freak gets his props
August 4-- Schultz decides to leave Roughriders
August 4-- Alouettes' offence stuck in neutral
August 4-- Bombers' linebacker Shabazz nurses ankle injury
August 3-- Edmonton Eskimos’ coach says team should focus on improving
August 3-- Thelwell joins Stamps receivers in sick bay
August 3-- Argos close to bringing back Sam
August 2-- Well, at least they're being honest
August 2-- Michael Bishop in pain but happy to take over as Bombers' new starting QB
August 2-- Rider pride runs wild at McMahon
August 1-- Cobb carries Ticats
August 1-- Argos lose ugly to Bombers
August 1-- Esks block out trouble