Is the CFL in danger of not getting it Wright?

CFL Commissioner Tom Wright has been given the terms of his one year extension and he should know them very well, they're the exact terms of the contract he's been serving under since taking on the job. Wright is apparently to decide this week whether he will accept the offer from the CFL's Board of Governors, but apparently there are a few who are hoping he tells the CFL to take a hike. From day one Wright has been under a microscope and in fact was almost not hired in a Grey Cup week mess that detracted from the leagues showpiece game.

Wright who has overseen a rebirth of sorts of the CFL has come under pressure from a number of sides for his desire to have an enforceable salary cap in place on all nine franchises. It seems that BC Lions owner David Braley and Montreal Alouettes owner David Wettenhall are both firmly on the side of those wishing to see the Commish vamoose.

Despite solid television numbers, increasing attendance figures and some intriguing sponsorship deals the always fractious CFL owners club continue to find ways to shoot themselves in the foot. Many of the CFL's current sponsors are suggesting they may review their investment plans with the CFL should the execution squad get ready to stand in line.

So far the only group to come out in favour of Wright retaining his job and growing with it are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who seemed to find some time while wondering what's wrong with their club to offer up support to the embattled commish.

The rest of the six are somewhere in the middle neither overly enamored of Wright, nor really willing to put the league through another search for a Commissioner, seeing as Wright replaced Michael Lysko as Commissioner in one of the bloodier of CFL coups.

The sage editor of this Twelve Men blog, suggests that the owners group take a good hard look at their present situation and find a way to make peace with Wright and lock him up for a couple of years more. He's done a pretty impressive job of returning the league to a semblance of respectability and most of his mis-steps seem to stem from conflicting messages from the gang of nine that think they have the right to dictate their own terms of operation.

The CFL which has returned to the sports fan radar after a number of rudderless years should not do anything to mess up it's current rebirth. Dismissing Wright with the smell of interference and duplicity wafting through the air, will only highlight for fans that it may be a new wrapping, but inside maybe that old CFL mindset still exists. The gang of nine should do all they can to show that forward momentum includes Wright as commissioner, to do otherwise tempts the fickle fates that may lead them back down the same side of the mountain they just climbed!

Football's alive and well in Alberta!

With week three in the books, a quick look at the CFL attendance lists shows that if you're a true CFL fan you must live in Alberta.

Both Alberta franchises had healthy crowds for their home dates in the last three weeks.
While each have only played one game thus far, a crowd of 36,912 leads the league so far. Not too far behind are the suddenly hot Calgary Stampeders, who with new management in place are bringing the fans back to McMahon, the home opener last week attracted 34,102 of the Stamp faithful.

The former wasteland of Southern Ontario is now a solid home of CFL fans, The Ti Cats home opener pulled in 29,032 to Ivor Wynn Stadium, down the 401 the two Argo games thus far have averaged 28,465.

The contender status of the BC Lions has the fans lining up again for tickets to BC Place, with Vancouver hosting the 2005 Grey Cup the smart Leos fan is getting his season ticket packages set up for the Grey Cup tickets to come. First game in the Dome at BC Place found 27,506 fans in their seats to watch the Leos take on the Renegades, with Toronto coming in on Friday many are anticipating the upper sections to be opened to the public pushing the crowd totals towards 40,000 or more.

The prairies continue to be fertile soil for the Canadian game, both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg had decent crowds for the opening weeks of the season. Two home dates for the Bombers gave them an average crowd of 22,661, while over in Regina, Rider Pride brought 23.067 to Taylor field for the season opener.

Montreal continues to play before sell out crowds at Percival Molson stadium, the usual 20,202 suspects taking to their seats at the McGill campus to cheer on their Als. If Larry Smith could wish his upper deck dream he'd have those seats in place yesterday. The always competitive Alouettes continue to be the hot ticket in Montreal, if Smith had the room he probably could sell another 10,000 seats per game.

And then there's the Renegades, mired in an off season of controversy and absentee ownership the Rens did nothing to sell season tickets, nothing to promote the team and nothing to create a sense of event a Frank Clair stadium. With the Gliebermen boys now in charge that should change, but it may take a bit of time to woo back the already snake bitten Rens fan. Fortunately for Lonnie and Bernie the Rens appear to be far more competitive than many had suspected at the start of the season. A few more efforts like that against Montreal and BC and a few more souls than the opening night crowd of 18,889 may wander down to the best little stadium in the CFL

Three weeks in and the football has been exciting and with attendance trending upwards in most cities, it may be a rewarding year for Tom Wright and the league office. With the major rivalries of Labour Day and Thanksgiving yet to come, not to mention the final weeks of the season and the divisional semis and finals, this may be a stellar year for attendance in the CFL!

Special Deliveries rule in week three

How can Canada Post be missing out on this marketing opportunity, with special teams figuring heavily in CFL action this past weekend, there surely must be a place for Canada's Postal Service. Maybe a Special Teams player of the week award, or a year end award for Special Deliveries (Returns) might be a worthwhile adventure.

In Winnipeg special teams play resulted in the only touchdown of the game as the Calgary Stampeders topped the Blue Bombers 21-15. Nik Lewis knocked down a Jon Ryan punt taking it ten yards into the endzone, opening up the scoring at CanadInn stadium on Thursday night. Sandro DeAngelis accounted for all the remaining Stampeder points with four consecutive field goals giving him a perfect 7 for 7 record thus far in the season. Troy Westwood kicked three field goals and a single and Ryan connected for singles of his own to wrap up the Bomber scoring. For Calgary it was the first win of the new season and a sign that last years Stamps are definitely gone, of course in Winnipeg the fanbase may be wondering if the bumbling Stamps of last year somehow morphed into Blue and Gold, such is the state of Blue Bomber football early in the season.

The Special teams domination of the games continued on Friday night when TSN's Friday Night football became the Ezra Landry show, the diminutive kick return specialist in Red White and blue left the Eskies green with envy and anger at what got away from their camp. Landry who used to be an Eskimo before that evil genius Don Matthews lassoed him for his Als put on the display of the week, returning not one but two kicks for touchdowns. The first one a wide field goal attempt by Sean Fleming that was taken all the way back to the Edmonton endzone after a 125 yard return, a quick recharge during halftime and Landry was ready to roll again in the third quarter and Fleming accommodated him with a punt that Landry took back 74 yards for another touchdown. Landry's first return was a Montreal record and the fourth longest return in CFL history as he carves out a hunk of the record books for his own.

Not to be outdone, the Eskimos return specialist Tony Tompkins took his own punt return to the Montreal endzone after a 93 yard of his own, but the high stepping excitement was overshadowed as the Als eked out a 32-29 victory in the last play of the game.

We moved on to Vancouver as the BC Lions prepared to take on the Ottawa Renegades and Special teams factored into this match up as well. A rather enthusiastic Renegade squad held their own against the defending Grey Cup finalists but in the end could not match the power and drive of the Lions. Aaron Lockett took a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to add to the Lions scoring and making the third quarter a miserable experience for the Rens. In the end the Leos took control and dismissed the Renegades with a 37-29 victory, but the signs for the Renegades are all good. Kerry Joseph had another excellent outing and if his front line can ever give him just a few more seconds in the pocket on each play the Rens may not be on the short end of many more games.

Saturday night the Riders and Argos got together at Rogers Centre and special teams would not be as dominant in this one but did factor in at times, all be it in a negative facet. A breakdown on the Argos special teams led to them losing the ball on downs after taking a time out that they did not have. A blunder that led to a Saskatchewan touchdown, however with Damon Allen in control the Argos overcame the miscues and went on to defeat the Riders 27-26 in a muddled but thrilling affair.

Four games all of which somehow turned on special plays. It should make practices a lot more intense over the next few weeks. In the CFL every play can make a difference, none more so that those of the Special Teams.

The final snaps of July

The quotes that made us take notice through July, we'll track them here and keep you informed on the colourful moments of the CFL.

July 29 "Moral victories only count for so much"
July 28 "That's how it's always going to be between us"
July 26 "Dave Yule has never been a fan of the Riders when he's calling our games"
July 19 "It means I have work to do"
July 18 "a step backwards"
July 17 "I think the score was flattering for the Calgary Stampeders"
July 14 "If you're down on your money, bet on us"
July 12 "It wasn't so much what they did to us, it's what we did to ourselves"
July 10 "We just stuck together as a family"
July 8 "It's an attitude"
July 4 "My irrational actions do not reflect my love and my passion for the game."

The opening kick offs of July

We bring you the highlights of our Opening kick off feature for the month of July.

July 29 Esks face another desperate team
July 29 Winnipeg's Odd Couple
July 29 42 and still not through
July 28 Swaggering Stamps
July 28 Tough time ahead for Rens at Taylor Field
July 28 Talking momentum on Maroons Road
July 26 Khari Kat
July 26 Day to Day Bruce
July 26 Cowardly Kickers or Prescient Punters?
July 19 Wright stays his course
July 19 Joseph is ready to cash in large
July 19 Glenn good to go
July 18 Wright to decide by this week
July 18 Rens find a bird dog for the south
July 18 Stickin' with Tee
July 17 Ti-Cats get rough ride in Regina
July 17 And the Rain came down
July 17 Daley on the defensive
July 14 Avery gets an unwanted week off
July 14 Ricky Ray's comfort factor
July 14 Stamps kicker remembers his lessons
July 12 A taste for the back up!
July 12 It's the Crazy Football League
July 12 A profit for the Stampeder prophets
July 10 Commander Daley stays the course at Bomber command!
July 10 Determined, not Discouraged
July 10 Als shake off slow start
July 8 Lonely Days, Lonley Nights how can I stand up in the huddle?
July 8 Running back to South of Saskatoon
July 8 Too much time on their hands
July 4 Troublesome times for the Tabbies
July 4 The walk no player wants to make
July 4 Getting his kicks in Ottawa

An architect passes on

This doesn't have anything to do with Canadian Football really, though in a way perhaps the football stylings of Hank Stram certainly had a resemblance to some of the finer points of the Canadian game. Stram the coach best known for his days on the sidelines with the Kansas City Chiefs, passed away today at the age of 82.

Stram joined the fledgling AFL in the sixties and crafted a football team that provided many a thrilling moment as football came into its own in America. His Chiefs changed some of the dynamics of the game providing for much more offence and some stellar defensive schemes.

In 1966 Stram took his Chiefs into battle in Super Bowl I taking on the legendary Green Bay Packers, the Chiefs lost that one but gained some grudging respect from the more established NFL His 1970 Chiefs brought the AFL brand to a higher plain. by winning the Super Bowl with a convincing 23-7 victory over Minnesota in the fourth inter league championship match up, giving the upstart AFL the credibility it needed. In fact Strams teams of the late sixties were awesome machines to watch, mixing traditional football ideas with some revolutionary plans that thrilled crowds across North America.

Len Dawson the Hall of fame QB who found success with the Chiefs credited Stram with many of the innovations that we enjoy in football today. While many rightfully point to Lombardi and Landry as pillars of the NFL, one should never forget the name of Stram, a guy that brought much to the table. His foundation of skills in the sixties has carried through over forty years and the success of the NFL owes a lot to the love of the game that Stram gave game in and game out!

Just one more reason why I like Pinball Clemons!

Does this guy ever make a mistake? Faced with the vision of his receiver and place kicker going toe to toe on the Calgary sidelines from Canada Day, Michael Clemons today laid down the law and laid it down just right. During Friday's Argo-Stampeder match Argo receiver Robert Baker got into a puchup with Argo kicker Noel Prefonatine. Prefontaine and a number of other Argos had tried to corral Baker who had been in an on field altercation with Stampeder Rahim Abdullah, Baker feeling that he had been spat upon during the fracus. Prefontaine and Baker came to blows as Prefontaine spoke to Baker as he came off the field.

Clemons addressed the issue quickly and correctly when he suspended the Argo wide receiver for one game and insisted that he phone the Calgary president and apologize for his actions. Baker will also have to sit down and apologize to his fellow teammates and offer up and explanation as to the whys and wherefores to his meltdown. And in true Pinball fashion, Baker will give back to the fans, assisting minor football in Toronto this year as a volunteer.

By far it is more than most teams would ask of their players and will serve to remind Baker and all the other Argos that no player is larger than the team he plays on. It also is an example as to how important Michael Clemons is to the Argonauts and to Canadian Football. We can only hope that the Gliebermans in Ottawa start to pay attention to football the Clemons way, a lot less topless and a lot more top down, might go a long way to saving football in Ottawa. In Toronto the game is in the very capable hands of Michael Clemons.

Long Night for the Big Blue, will the season be even longer?

If Saturday nights match up with Saskatchewan was any indication, the 2005 season may be one to test the faithful at CanadInn stadium. The Bombers opened up the season by renewing acquaintances with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Riders weren't particularly hospitable.

Nealon Greene took control of the Green riders offence and gave fans of the Green and white cause to forget about that guy named Henry. Greene launched a number of drives down the field during the course of the 42-15 victory finding receiver Matt Diminguez as a favourite target, Corey Holmes found success with both his running game and his special teams play and the Riders defence made life as miserable as the weather for the Blue in front of over 23,000 Rider fans (at least we assume they were Rider fans, the Bomber fans were quite quiet on the night).

The game started horribly for the Bombers and never really got any better, 12 seconds into the play Corey Holmes was in the endzone celebrating his first touchdown of the contest. Three minutes later Holmes collected 63 yards in a punt return setting up another Rider scoring play as Green carried the ball in for a touchdown himself from the four.

By the time the first quarter was over the Riders were up 16-0 and seemingly on cruise control. One of the few bright spots for Winnipeg was Keith Stokes 69 yard punt return for a touchdown for the Blue. That would account for almost half of the Bomber points on the night.

Saskatchewan look dominating on Saturday, which should give the "experts" cause to possibly reconsider the order of finish in the West. Most prognosticators have picked the Riders to finish in third, Saturday they gave notice that they just might not be willing to settle for that.

The take their undefeated record on to Hamilton on July 2nd, while the Bombers find life doesn't get any better as on Thursday night, they take on the Eskimos at their home opener in the Peg .

While it's probably not time to panic with just one game under their belts a poor performance at home against the Esks will certainly provide plenty of conversation material for the football talkshows in Winnipeg.

Lions begin their quest with a win over Grey Cup champs

The reunion of 2004 Grey Cup finalists went nicely for the boys in White and Orange. Having to sit through a banner unveiling, a Grey Cup Ring presentation and a smoke and laser show just gave BC time to focus on the pictures of Argo greats in the upper decks and on job at hand on the field. That of sending a message to the Argonauts, that the road to a Grey Cup repeat will be through their house at BC Place.

Dave Dickenson guided his offense successfully down the field to finish the game with a 27-20 victory over the defending champions. But this was no easy romp down the field. Dickenson was sacked and pressured all night long as the Lions offensive line seemed to take advice from that of Ottawa's and let the Argos roam the Lions backfield at will. If Jacques Chapdelaine doesn't get his O line on the same page as his receivers and running backs then Casey Printers may get his wish to be a starting QB. Dickenson is not mobile enough to face the onslaught of defenders night after night, he had a decent night of avoidance on Saturday but eventually those odds get shorter and shorter.

The game was an entertaining affair and delivered as promised as a rematch between division champs should provide. The Lions seemed to be in control at the half as they took an 18-6 lead, but the Argos did not back down and fought their way back into the contest, taking the lead half way through the fourth quarter at 20-19. However, Dickenson went to work marching the Lions downfield 89 yards before handing the ball off to Antonio Warren to score a major with just over a minute to go. A two point conversion added to the score and handed the game over to the Leo's defence to keep the Argos in check.

Damon Allen almost pulled one off again as time dwindled in the fourth taking the Argos down to the Lions 17, a toss to Arland Bruce III just slipped through is fingers in the deep endzone and that in the end would be the closest the Argos came to sending the game into OT. On the very next play Allen fumbled the ball after a hit by Chris Wilson, recovered by the Lions the offence took to the field and closed the game off on two plays.

The largest opening day crowd since 1992 went home disappointed no doubt, but a lack of entertainment is not something they could complain about. BC gets the bye for Canada Day weekend while the Argos head west and celebrate the nation's birthday with the folks at McMahon stadium. Their mood won't be very celebratory however, having let a home opener slip away they may wish to ruin Calgary's Canada celebration!

Rens burned by Ray

Ricky Ray returned to regular season duty in the CFL on Friday night and put in a pretty good night's work on behalf of his Edmonton Eskimos. Taking fifteen minutes to get untracked Ray finally began moving the ball for the Esks in the second quarter and didn't look back until the final gun.

Edmonton kicked off the 2005 season in fine style with a 41-16 win over a game but outmatched Ottawa Renegades team. Joe Paopao's boys kept their heads up for the first half of the game, but by the third quarter it was apparent that on this night the Esks were far and away the better team.

Things started horribly for the Renegades who fumbled a punt deep in their own end of Commonwealth stadium giving the Eskimos a chance they really didn't need to put seven points on the board. But new Defensive coach Greg Smith would watch with pride as his D held up their end of the bargain by making a goal line stand, sending the Eskimos to the field goal unit, a bullet dodged for the moment, but as the game progressed there would be many more shots directed Ottawa's way.

Ray who has returned to the CFL from his NFL experiment, picked right up where he left off, throwing for 354 yards on 34 completions, throwing for two TD's and running for two on his own, he was a dominant player Friday, much like he was before he left for the US.

The problem for Ottawa was that of protection, Renegades QB Kerry Joseph was sacked seven times by Edmonton defenders, rushed for many more times resulting in incompletions, interceptions and sideline interviews explaining the breakdowns.

The Renegades won't have much time to figure out what to fix, the face Montreal at Frank Clair Stadium next Friday night and then travel to Vancouver to take on the Lions. A trifecta of hell for Joe Paopao who if nothing else will see how his team stacks up against the top echelon squads of the CFL. However the cost of these three games could be heavy, if game one is any indication points for and against may start to run wild by the time they play an improved Calgary squad in week four. By then they may very well be 0-3, something that Paopao and Marshall will be working hard to avoid.

For the Eskimos week one has been a good experience, Ricky Ray seems to be ready to roll, the defence is solid and the crowds are once again large, over 36 thousand taking in the season opener. The Esks have Winnipeg twice, Montreal and Ottawa again on their dance card for the next four weeks, many more chances for Ricky Ray to roll up the yardage and put some points on the board.

Stability

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star put together an interesting look at the 2005 CFL season finding that the current lineup of teams promises some long sought after balance.

The column in the Star is a good sign for the CFL which has made great strides in rebuilding the brand in the Big Smoke.

The attention the season kickoff has received shows that progress continues, a few years ago the CFL season was greeted with a collective yawn by Toronto sports fan and media observer alike. But with a number of stars aligning properly this year the CFL has found itself back in the media spotlight. A good omen for a league that has struggled over the years in reclaiming a portion of the Toronto sports market for itself.

Alouettes hit the record books in season opener

Montreal sure knows how to kick off a season. Even before the season opener between the Als and Ticats took place the night had a special feeling to it. The Alouettes brought back Mike Pringle to the scene of some of his greatest successes, as in a sign of class and history they signed the former Alouette back to a one day contract so he could retire from the Canadian game in a Montreal Uniform. Pringle took to the field during the opening introductions took his bows, had his sweater number retired and made a prescient comment about everyone sitting back and watching an Alouette victory.

From there it was an Anthony Calvillo show and what a show he put on. Calvillo went into the Alouette record books by passing Sam Etcheverry in the pass completion category, registering his 1,989th completion by games end, passing the Rifles' tally of 1,969. Ben Cahoon joined in on the rewrite, catching his 500th pass as an Al, one more than 50's legend Red O'Quinn. The Ti-Cats Danny McManus even got into the record books (all be it in a losing effort) as he surpassed his own GM, the lengendary Ronnie Lancaster in total yards passing, McManus moves into second place overall with 50,632 all time passing yards.

With all this destiny in the air on Wednesday, it's not surprising that for the most part the Als were in control of the game, though it wasn't until the third quarter that they got fully untracked. And once again a change of possession would prove to be a costly error for the Cats.

While you have to admire Greg Marshall's gutsy calls on third and short, perhaps taking the gamble early in the third quarter when you're still only 7 points behind may not have been the wisest choice. Marshall's gambit didn't pay off, as a Danny McManus handoff didn't get the required yardage to move the chains past the Montreal 44. The Als took over on downs and Anthony Calvillo went to work with a laser like focus. A touchdown pass to Kenny Watkins into broken Ti Cat coverage resulted in the Als taking a 14 point lead. By the end of the third quarter it appeared that the Als were home and clear with their first victory of a brand new year.

But these Ti Cats aren't the team we remember of days gone by, this crew doesn't seem to have any quit in them. Despite Calvillo hooking up with local favourite Sylvain Girard for a touchdown and a 28-7 lead these Cats came back. A remarkable punt return by Craig Yeast as time ran down in the third cut the Als lead to 14 points and put the brakes on the Als offensive momentum.

In the fourth quarter an early interception by Jason Goss moved the Cats even closer to the Alouettes as Goss took the ball all the way to the Als endzone and within ten points of a typical CFL comeback. But on this night the 55th consecutive sell out at McGill would not be denied their celebration, as the Als held off a late Ti Cat charge to win the season opener 31-21.

While the game took a bit of time to develop in the first half, the second thirty minutes was full value for the money. Montreal showing signs that they may once again be the dominant team in the East, while the Cats proved once again that with their defence the game isn't necessarily over while they're still on the field.

All in all a pretty good season opener for 2005, a rather nice preview of what is ahead for us all summer and fall!

Welcome back boys!

For the sport deprived Canadian, the opening theme to the CFL on TSN was the sweetest sound in a long time. It was like an old friend coming back from a lengthy vacation ready to entertain you with some great tales. Man if we had a Wendy's in this burg, I'd have run out and bought a burger and a Frosty in celebration. The CFL returned to our TV's on Wednesday night, kicking off the 2005 Regular season and what a welcome guest it was.

After a winter of discontent courtesy of our absent hockey obsession, the green field of McGill University was a most welcome sight. Finally something to invest our time in with a rewarding payback. A sport where money doesn't carry as much weight, where the game is still a game and the players seem to give 110% for the sheer joy of the competition. Indeed after listening to the dinosaurs in the NHL and the NHLPA try to take their league to extinction, the return of the CFL is a signal that all is well again above the 49th.

Perhaps now this league will never be taken for granted again, for it means much more to us than we may have realized. The CFL represents community and continuity of tradition, a place where Canadian homegrown college grads can line up and make the big play, just as easily as a highly touted American import. It's a league for those just beginning a professional journey, or a place for those looking for a second chance. A spot where yes, you can come up and star for awhile and take your chance on a dream in the NFL, but also a place where you know you can return and find the fun in the game again.

Yes the CFL has made some blunders over the years, they stumble, shoot themselves in the foot and give one cause for headshaking at how good a game it must be to survive those that have run it in the past. But it's also a league that rises to the occasion time and time again, with bitter rivalries that have lasted through the decades, memories of Grey Cups and Labour Days, Thanksgiving Classics and Divisional nail biters, through the years the CFL has offered up the memories for the taking.

And now more than ever perhaps we'll give it a bit more of the respect it deserves. Hockey lost a year of it's life and most likely more than a few fans with their little turf war this past winter.

For now Canadians want only to watch the wars on the Turf. As Hank Jr. might put it, "we're ready for some football"

Welcome back guys, glad you're back in the house!

Fearless Twelve Man Forecast

With the start of the CFL Regular season less than 24 hours away, it's time for the Twelve Men on the Field fearless forecast. A bit of sooth saying that will be handy to throw in my face come Grey Cup Sunday in November.

From the West we suggest the following.

First Place-BC Lions, with Dave Dickenson sercurely in at number one now the Leos will be ready to roar all season long. As the Lions host the Grey Cup this year at BC Place this is THE year for them to get this done. Close last year but just a little too short a healthy Dickenson will go a long way to pacing them all the way to a first place finish. A strong defence, balanced offence and superior coaching should help this team along the way through the West standings. Only possible cloud on the horizon is a dis-satisfied Casey Printers who having had some success this year is making a fair amount of noise about wanting a better deal and a chance to hold down a number one QB spot. Pointing to Ricky Ray, Printers has been quite vociferous in the Leos camp the last week or so, it could prove to be a distraction if it continues on into the summer.

2nd Place--Edmonton Eskimos, two top pivots and a new coach with a new direction the Eskies have reloaded and are ready to challenge once again. Never far from the top even in their lean years this Eskimo team will keep the pace with the Lions all season long. Danny Maciocia begins his career as a CFL head coach by taking on the challenge of one of the CFL's most revered franchises. Every night there will more than 30,000 other coaches watching each and every play, Edmonton is a pressure city for CFL coaches it won't be long for us to see how he handles the magnifying glass.

3rd Place--Saskatchewan Roughriders, they had their shot at glory last year and came up a little short, since then they've lost the QB that they waited patiently for after an NFL experiment. With Henry Burris' s departure for the Stamps, Nealon Greene is thrust into the pressure cooker that is a Rider QB, with memories of Ron Lancaster still seared upon the prairie mindset, being a QB in Saskatchewan is a bit like following the pope to deliver a mass. It's been over three decades since Ronnie L strapped on the pads but he's still the gold standard in Regina. How Green fares will go along way to determine the success of the Riders. The running game will again be strong and the Green Defence will prove to be a stingy bunch, Edmonton could be within sight if things go right early in the season.

4th Place--Calgary Stampeders, a laughingstock no more the rescue from the Feterik clan is complete and finally football fans can concentrate on the game and not the circus. The first thing the new owners did was shore up the football angle of the team, Jim Barker is back in the Corrall as a player development guy the perfect spot for him, Tim Higgins brings his many years of Eskie knowledge down the Queen Elizabeth Highway as he takes over the coaching and GM reins. Two high profile acquisitions in the off season showed right away the new crew means business as Henry Burris was lured across the Saskatchewan/Alberta border and Jermaine Copeland was brought in to play catch with him. Already the offensive output in Calgary should jump. It won't be a banner year in Calgary but it's a sure bet to be a more enjoyable one than the last one was.

5th Place-Winnipeg Blue Bombers, for the Big Blue and their fans 2005 may be a very long year. The Blue stumbled badly through the year last season and while they've tried to improve their core group of players and look to revamp both offence and defence it will be a long season at CanadInn stadium. Kevin Glenn gets the ball to start the season, with Tee Martin and Spurgeon Wynn the designated followers, yet the name Khari Jones popped into conversation today when Jim Daley gave his state of the Blue talk. Suggesting that should injuries arise or a problem develop requiring immediate assistance he would have no hesitation in bringing Khari back to the scene of his greatest CFL success. If the Blue go 0-5 or so one wonders how long it takes the Jones' to pack and come home, we also wonder if they sold their home in the Peg. Regardless things seem to be rather tentative in Winnipeg a slow start there will be a death knell for the season.

OVER TO THE EAST

1st Place- Toronto Argonauts, Damon Allen's swan song (then again the ageless one seems to be like the Energizer bunny, he keeps going and going and going). As defending Grey Cup champs the Argos will be a year older, bolder and ready to defend. Solid in the receiving corps, a dangerous running game and one of the best Defences in the league defense of the Grey Cup begins with pretty much the same crew that won the thing. Pinball Clemons seems to have a way with his players and shows no ego by delegating offensive and defensive duties to his respective coaches. Kent Austin and Rich Stubler. As long as Allen stays healthy the Argos are in a great position to repeat as East Champs.

2nd Place-Montreal Alouettes, Anthony Calvillo gets another year older and his Alouettes age with him. The dominant team in the East the last ten years shows signs of slowing down from time to time and then ramp things up to dominate again. Never count out a Don Matthews team as he badgers, bullies and motivates his teams to take on challenges they haven't thought of yet. The loss of Jermaine Copeland and Bruno Hemmill may be a worry, though the running game seems secure with former Argo Michael Jenkins picking up the slack. The big question mark for the Als will be Calvillo's back up, Ted White saw little to no action last year and it cost the Als in the playoffs. An injured Calvillo could send the Als tumbling fast, for the sake of the football fan at Molson stadium the O line had better be up to the task.

3rd Place-Hamilton Tiger Cats, everything seems positive for the Black and Gold in Hamilton, the fans are back and football is once again a vital part of the entertainment scene along the Horseshoe. Ivor Wynne Stadium is no longer a graveyard for the CFL but indeed a celebration of it's success and importance to a community. With Greg Marshall's amazing run last year under his belt this is a wiser more stable Ti Cat squad which is showing some confidence as the season begins anew. Danny McManus is back to prove the nay sayers wrong as the long reigning CFL QB takes charge of his Ti Cats offense for what may be his farewell tour. The Cats caught a lot of teams by surprise last year and that won't happen this year and McManus' age is of concern. Not to mention the sour feelings that developed when the Cats were courting a Flutie family reunion. Whether that has any long term effect on the teams make up will show through early on.

4th Place, Ottawa Renegades, the good news is the franchise survived it's neglect of the off season as the CFL desperately tried to find someone to take over the financial mess that developed in Ottawa. The jury will be out for a while as to whether the return of the Gliebermen will have been the best move, but to their credit, they did step up with their cheque book ready and plan to polish up their image from the last stay in the Capital. As for the football, Joe Paopao has done an amazing job of keeping this team focused on football as training camp started. From virtually no work in the off season Paopao has at least brought in a strong group to challenge for positions. Kerry Joseph will once again be the QB for the Rens and Rens fans hope he can return to form and pick up some early wins. It will probably be a long year for the Renegades but at least they're still in business. The ball shifts to the Gliebermen, to prove their dedication to Ottawa they will have to head to the bank a few times as the season progresses to bring in some help. Ottawa fans who have for far too long had to live with substandard teams are watching intently, a show of good faith on the part of ownership may help sway some of the negativity that seems to permeate the CFL in Ottawa.


WEST

BC
EDMONTON
SASKATCHEWAN
CALGARY
WINNIPEG

SASKATCHEWAN BEATS EDMONTON
BC BEATS SASKATCHEWAN in West Final


EAST

TORONTO
MONTREAL
HAMILTON
OTTAWA

MONTREAL DEFEATS HAMILTON in Semi
TORONTO DEFEATS MONTREAL in Final


BC WINS GREY CUP, DEFEATING TORONTO IN Grey Cup 2005 at BC Place Stadium!

Controversy? What Controversy?

Three hundred yards in passing, done in less than 45 minutes of play pretty well solidified the starting QB job in BC tonight. Dave Dickenson took to the field ( a new player friendly field by the way) at BC Place Stadium and directed an awesome display of Lion offence on the way to 32-16 pre season victory over the Calgary Stampeders.

Dickenson had listened patiently during the off season and through training camp as the Vancouver media worked the QB controversy angle at the Lions den. But on Thursday night he did some talking of his own, all of it on the field and most of it at the expense of a shell shocked Calgary secondary. Dickenson completed 22 of 27 passes for his 311 yards, including a TD toss to Geroy Simon on the third play of the game. Calgary got one pass back with an interception as the first half was winding down. In addition to the aerial assault on the Stamps the Leos used the run to full advantage sending Antonio Warren into the endzone twice on short runs for fourteen points. Duncan O'Mahony tallied the rest of the Lion points of his foots with three field goals and singles off of impressive punts. With his domination over the Stamps complete, back up Buck Pierce took the ball in the third, sitting in for the ailing Casey Printers.

Henry Burris continued to work on his game plan for the Stamps, once again finding Jermaine Copeland's hands to his liking as he launched a fifty yard rocket to Copeland for a TD. Sandro DeAngelis kicked three field goals to wrap up the Stamps scoring, all of it in the first half as they were shut down by the Leos in the second half.

The tune up for both teams completes the pre season, the Stamps can kick back relax (and practice) until the Canada Day holiday when they open their season at home to the Argos. The Leos now put the finishing touches on the roster lineup, with the QB situation taken care of quite nicely at the moment. With Printers nursing a sore shoulder and an occasional toe problem, the ball is going to be Dickenson's to take charge of for the next little while, with a display like the one tonight, one suspects that he won't be relinquishing the job upon Printer's return to full health.

Eskimos beat up on Big Blue

Jason Maas returned to the Green and Gold lineup on Thursday night and concerns over his off season shoulder surgery recovery were put to a quick rest. Maas took charge of the Eskimo offence as he passed 9 of 11 times successfully for 120 yards including a 22 yard TD pass to Trevor Gaylord, for a final exhibition of readiness Maas ran the ball himself four times for fourteen yards giving his reconstructed shoulder a solid workout. Maas began the scoring for the Eskies but it was Khari Jones who received the bulk of the work Thursday at his old stomping grounds of CanadInn stadium.

Jones took over with seven minutes to go in the second quarter and went 11 for 15, tossing for 151 yards giving up one interception and feeling the heat from a Bomber defence that put him on the turf five times, including a safety.

The former Bomber pivot played through until late in the fourth quarter when he turned the ball over to Jason Johnson, leaving the game with a 20-9 lead. Johnson took the Esks down to the four yard line before coach Maccocia settled for a Sean Fleming field goal to finish off the scoring for the night and securing the 23-9 victory for the Eskies.

Troy Westwood accounted for the bulk of the Bomber scoring, nailing two field goals while the safety and a single wrapped up the scoring for the Blue in their final pre season game.

Kevin Glenn started the night at QB for the Blue, tossing 12 passes, 6 of them successfully for 90 yards. One of his unsuccessful passes ended up as an interception for Donny Brady who took advantage of a stumble by receiver Wane McGarrity, Brady's pick turned into a turnover quickly capitalized on by Jason Maas.

Tee Martin and Spurgeon Wynn took turns to finish off the night at QB for the Blue, as they battle it out for the back up spot behind Glenn in Winnipeg.

The Bombers now prepare for the regular season opener on Saturday night June 25th at Taylor Field in Regina, a game featured on TSN. The Eskimos will await the arrival of the Ottawa Renegades who kick off the 2005 season at Commonwealth Stadium on June 24th, the debut of Friday Night Football on TSN for another year.

Als to Rens: Curb your enthusiasm

With the Renegades riding a one win streak heading into Thursday nights CFL exhibition contest at Frank Clair Stadium, the Montreal Alouettes felt it proper to remind them of the pecking order in the East.

With Anthony Calvillo taking the helm at QB for three quarters the Alouettes launched an air assault on the Rens on the way to a 37-16 victory. The tune up for Calvillo provided him with ample opportunity to test his arm as he passed for 280 yards, completing 20 of 36 passes, one of which went for a TD and Calvillo kept the interceptions at zero. Free agent acquisition Michael Jenkins tallied up fourteen points one on the TD pass from Calvillo the other on a run, field goals and a fumble recovery in the Ottawa endzone accounted for the other Alouette points. Back up Ted White was handed the ball for mop up duty in the fourth quarter.

Kerry Joseph played one half of football for the Renegades as Joe Paopao continued to experiment with his lineup against a pretty set Montreal roster. Joseph's numbers on the night were 10 passes for 82 yards and no interceptions, Joseph hooked up with Jason Armstead on the second play of the game to pick up the first seven points of the night for the Renegades. Darnell Kennedy fresh from his return from Calgary saw action; as did rookie Paul Peterson as they spelled Joseph in the second half.

For the Rens it was an important barometer for how they shape up against a perennial powerhouse in the CFL east, for Montreal it was vindication after last weeks surprise loss to the Rens at Molson stadium.

Montreal now prepares for the season opener on Wednesday when the Ti-cats make the trek to the McGill campus, Ottawa will travel west to Edmonton to take on the always daunting Eskimos.

The final snaps of June

Like my entries in the opening kick off, we'll also recap all our final snap features for the month right here. Some of the quotables that make the CFL interesting will be offered up for your perusal.


June 28 "I don't know why you can't have fun"
June 26 "We've got to find a way to protcet our Quarterback better"
June 24 "He understands my situation and has no problems with me"
June 22 "I know I can't jump in a game this week. But I want to start preparing"
June 21 "I hope people pick us to be dead last all the way up until the playoffs"
June 20 "We're rewarding him"
June 17 "We had our highs and lows tonight"
June 16 "This is the most I've ever played in pre-season, ever!"
June 15 "They've treated me like a first class citizen"
June 14 "Sometimes you get wear and tear!"
June 11 "Between myself and the Board of Governors we''ll do what's right"

Hey Halifax! Moncton begs to differ.

With all the post mortems of last weekends Exhibition game at Halifax's Husky stadium apparently very positive, one would think that a tenth franchise for the CFL is not far away for Halifax.

But hold on a minute say the folks in New Brunswick, (to read more you have to pay, so get the gist and save your cash) as the group looking to bring a franchise to Moncton says they're on the ground running and running hard. And while Halifax may have won the first skirmish, could it be that Moncton will win the war.

Moncton is about to put in a bid to place a ten thousand seat stadium for the 2008 IAAF track and field championships, once up and established it won't be a stretch to expand that structure to the 25,000 seats required to make a go of a pro franchise. Add to the mix that Moncton while less populated, is actually more central to the entire Atlantic region and well dream the dream folks. Moncton by its location can bring more people to the game in a shorter traveling distance than Halifax can from it's far southern locale.

In addition to those basic points, the New Brunswick government seems more inclined to offer assistance to the fledgling group, which is always a positive moves in the eyes of the cost wary CFL.

While the competing groups make their noise and set up their ducks, the prospect of one city or the other landing the franchise has Atlantic Football fans talking, talking and talking.


So while Halifax put on a terrific show and has been patiently waiting for the CFL to arrive for over fifteen years, there is still a lot of work to be done. The stadium issue is the Achilles heel in any bid, indeed this is one situation where if they build the CFL will come, all that remains to be seen is if they keep on traveling down the road to the port city, or hang the CFL shingle in the middle of New Brunswick.

The Opening Kickoffs of June

We begin the 2005 season with a return to our Opening kickoff format for those stories that give us a snapshot of the CFL that day. This will link you up to the stories as the season progresses, each story archived here for the month listed.

So as we head to opening day, here are the Opening Kickoffs of June.

June 28 Khari from afar
June 28 Perhaps add this to the skills competition
June 28 Talkin' tough if not looking it in Winnipeg
June 26 Rens begin job of putting bums in the seats
June 26 Icons in the upper decks
June 26 No Maas for the media
June 24 The flight home will be a dry one!
June 24 Ready to put a bad memory to rest
June 24 Argos want to show Leos who's the boss
June 22 The Lions Cup to lose?
June 22 In praise of Pringle!
June 22 The weakest link?
June 21 Wallys' door is always open
June 21 Pringle to retire as an Alouette
June 21 Peek a boo time in the Peg
June 20 Stamps look forward to work these days
June 20 Casey takes his bat
June 20 If they build it, who will pay?
June 17 A flag before the play
June 17 The long, long road
June 17 A roast, a toast and a Ring!
June 16 Boys on the Bubble
June 16 This guy is no dog!
June 16 Est ce que tu prepare pour le football?
June 15 Stegall in Blue and Gold for Life
June 15 A well done (and well done) Leo the Lip
June 15 Addition by suspension
June 14 Who gets all the reps?
June 14 In BC it's what have you done for us lately!
June 14 Count Kerry as a believer
June 11 Argos and Ti-Cats kiss their sisters in Halifax
June 11 Ricky X-ray
June 11 Stamps add to the air attack in their arsenal

Ray's returned marred by injury

The return of Edmonton Eskimo Ricky Ray to the Green and Gold provided for a brief show Friday night, as Ray left the game in the first quarter with a leg injury. A huge pre-season crowd of over 37,000 watched on at the Eskimo pre season debut, as Ray was helped off the field, surrendering the QB duties to Khari Jones who has quickly returned to number one status with Jason Maas still on the sidelines due to injury.

After further review it was determined that Ray has suffered a hyper-extnded knee and will most likely miss the rest of training camp and perhaps the season opener. For Jones the game presented an opportunity to remind football fans that he's still starting material and certainly should not be pegged as the number three guy as he was prior to the game.

Facing his old team the Bombers the Esks pivot quickly got into the groove of the game leading the Esks down the field to take a 13-10 lead into the half. Kevin Glenn and Spurgeon Wynn split the duties for the blue and Gold while Jason Johnson finished the game for the Esks, leading Edmonton down the field to set up the tying field goal by Sean Fleming with not time left in the fourth.

With the 20 - 20 tie both teams picked up a few ideas on what needs to be addressed in training camp before the two sqauds renew acquaintances on Thursday night in Winnipeg. With Ricky Ray out for the camp and Jason Maas still on the Injured list it will Khari Jones taking the snaps as he returns to the city he once owned.

For both teams Thursday will provide one final test before rosters are set for the regular season, suddenly Edmonton's depth at Quarterback has proven to be a bonus. Something rookie head coach Danny Macocia didn't think he'd need this early in the season, but must be thankful for as the Esks continue to work off the off season rust.

One win does not a season make, but……………….

For Joe Paopao, Father’s Day has arrived early. Papa Joe’s boyos from Ottawa tossed aside the disorganized start of a training camp and gave the coach cause for hope for the 2005 CFL season.

The Renegades went into Montreal and took advantage of some uncharacteristic giveaways and penalties to take the first win of the 2005 campaign, albeit a pre-season and thus meaningless game but a win is a win is a win. And for a team that finished 2004 in a flameout of epic proportions, the win on Thursday at Molson Stadium is certainly a sign of better days to come.

Granted Anthony Cavillo the Al’s perennial all star and accomplished starter didn’t get much work, but neither did Rens QB Kerry Joseph for the first half so on this night it would seem that the Renegade auditions outperformed their Montreal counterparts. Joseph however, would enter the game in the third quarter and be the determining factor on this night.

Paopao must be particularly pleased with the effort of his players for it has been he and he alone that have held this Renegade squad together through the training camp and the swirling mess that was the ownership transfer. With new bosses only in place by a couple of weeks, Paopao managed to keep his players focused on the football a task that surely must have tested him often.

For the new (then again are they the old?) owners the Glieberman’s the victory of game number one must surely give them cause for celebration. It may be that their investment may not be a rusty old car after all but just something that needs a bit of attention in the garage, a tune up, a couple of coats of paint, some new tires and brakes and hey this baby is ready for the road.

Ottawa fans that have been burned a few times by the numerous teams that called the capital home have been hesitant to jump on the team’s wagon this time. But perhaps this team will win them over. The work ethic seemed to be in place Thursday, the defence in particular taking the play to the Al’s offence time and time again. Listening to the game on the Team 1200 you got the impression that talk of the Rens being pushed around this year may not be quite on track.

Cut down day comes up on Monday at midnight, 18 players will be issued their walking papers at that time as the team pares down to a 50 man interim roster. Part of the hard fought battles on Thursday were with that deadline in mind, players trying to make that lasting impression on the coaches to perhaps tide them over from the initial cuts. It no doubt will be a gut wrenching time for Paopao as he shakes hands and wishes the eighteen his best, it’s the nature of the game. But with the effort of his team Thursday the job just got a little bit harder, a situation that Papa Joe will no doubt be glad for.

The players in camp battle for positions while the team battles for a little respect from its CFL peers, for one game anyways they earned some respect. One game does not a season make, but it’s a hell of a start….

Waiting for Noah to lead the animals two by two

The Calgary Stampeders kicked off their 2005 season with a splash, possibly a tidal wave. Torrential rains played havoc with the Stamps and Saskatchewan Roughrider plans for Tuesday night as the nasty weather made playbooks seem irrelevant for the debut of the two teams this year.

Henry Burris returned to Calgary and faces high expectations as the Stamps retool for the New Year, his first play from scrimmage a surprise play that saw him flip the ball off to newcomer Jermaine Copeland who tossed the ball downfield to Nik Lewis catching the Rider secondary sleeping. Considering the state of the conditions it was possibly the perfect call, rather than feeling out the Riders defence the Stamps went right at them. Perhaps it serves as an announcement to the Stamp faithful that last years miscues won’t be repeated, the Stamps are going to go for it from the opening whistle and they did. With a TD reception before the folks could wipe off their seats, the Stamps were 7 up on the Green Riders.

From then on it was like a prize fight as each team slogged through the rain to put points on the board and showcase their talents for the coaches. With CFL training camps limited to two pre season games, the amount of time to impress your coach and secure employment for the year is limited.

Rocky Butler gave comfort to the Rider faithful engineering a 60 yard drive capped by a one yard dive into the end zone to take the lead in the third quarter, but in the end the Stamps would take the lead for good.

The horrid conditions resulted in the kicking game making a difference and Calgary’s Sandro DeAngelis had a heck of a baptism by fire as he nailed four field goals to ensure the Stamps would prevail 18-14 at McMahon Stadium.

The Stamps who are trying to erase the misery of last years debacle are off to a good start, with Burris back in Cowtown and Copeland joining the offence the Stamps have some threats for downfield success. The Riders who just missed heading for a Grey Cup berth last year will once again compete in the West, but the question now may be did they miss their chance at the prize last year. With a rejuvenated Stamps squad and some powerhouses in Edmonton and BC the Riders may be in tough this season.

One game into a preseason and every play seems to count. Not a bad way to kick off the 2005 season!

Flutie Fantasy finished!

The two weeks or so of courtship Doug Flutie by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats came to an end on Saturday. As the New England Patriots bellied up to the bar and offered the diminutive little field general a one year contract and a chance to end his career back in his beloved New England from whence it all began.

And with that bit of business taken care of, Darren Flutie could head for a Tim Horton's instead of a Gold's Gym. The fantasy camp of the Flutie Brothers will not take place in Southern Ontario this year, there will be no Flutie to Flutie finish in the CFL.

Darren had stated he would come out of retirement to join his brother Doug should he decide to return to the CFL for a grand finale tour. To that end he had started the necessary wind sprints and strength work to survive a training camp in less than one months time.

But the chance to play in front of the hometown fans of Massachusetts proved to be more of a lure than the opportunity to play pitch and catch with brother Darren in Hamilton. So Darren will head back to the press box, while Doug carries the clipboard in Foxboro.

And perhaps that's all for the best, while no doubt an exciting possibility for CFL fans to see Flutie back in the passing league, there's also the idea that you can't really go back in time to recapture some magic. The Flutie years in the CFL were filled with some pretty impressive moments, perhaps they would be tarnished just a little by a slower Darren and an older Doug.

With the Flutie boys taking their skills in other directions, Danny McManus can now concentrate on getting things in line for what will most likely be his farewell tour of the CFL. McManus was kind of lost in the excitement these last few weeks and that's not particularly fair. Danny Mac has been just as important to the CFL and surely deserved a bit more respect than the vision of the baggage on the side of the field.

He should slip easily into a mentor role and the Tiger-Cats would be foolish not to take advantage of all that accumulated knowledge from his many years in CFL combat. As he prepares for the Hamilton camp, perhaps now he can receive a bit of appreciation from the Black and Yellow faithful. Never complaining in the dark days of the franchise, he should be provided with some gratitude for keeping his team on an even keel when all around him were looking for the lifeboats.

While it may have been fun to have had the Fluties together for one final run, it's just as important to respect a guy that has stayed with the CFL through thick and thin. Now the problem for the Cats is how to spin all of this into a positive, besides this Flutie/McManus melodrama the Cats also let the popular Joe Montford go in the off season. Interestingly enough, Montford suggested as he was leaving that while it may be all and shiny on the surface, inside the Ti-Catss offices it's the same old atmosphere regarding player management. Before they hit the field, Ti-Cat management have some fence mending to deal with in the dressing room.

The professor gets an A

Frank Clair passed away this week, the football icon of Bank Street who brought many, many great moments to a stadium that would finally bear his name.

Known as the Professor (and an absent minded one at that) Clair resuscitated a floundering franchise in the Capital in the late fifties and into the sixties and turned it into the kind of team that the word dynasty is used about. He has been described as possibly the best coach to ever prowl the sidelines of a CFL franchise and it would be hard to come up with many other names to add to the list. His team appeared in four of ten Grey Cups in the 1960-1970 period, winning three, losing two.

Clair's Rough Rider teams of the late sixties were by far probably the best assembled squad to every play the three down game. With Russ Jackson, Whit Tucker, Ron Stewart, Margene Adkins, Bo Scott, Vic Washington to name a few, the Black and White unis of the Rough Riders put fear into the hearts of those that made the mistake of traveling to Lansdowne Park. Back in the day the Defense was known as Capital Punishment, the Riders were a well rounded machine that should have won more than those two Grey Cups they collected in the last half of the sixties.

Somewhere in a pile of papers I have a yellowed newspaper clipping, the Riders have just returned home to the Airport in Ottawa with the Holy Grail, the Grey Cup. A wide eyed ten year old is in among the crowd watching his heros bring the treasured trophy home. My Dad had taken me down to the airport to welcome the Riders back home, the wait was long, the arrival seemed far too short, but for a brief moment there I felt on top of the world. It was a much simpler time I guess, the athletes seemed to play the game for the love of the game, not for the endorsement value or the chance to move on to greener pastures.

The Riders would win only one more Grey Cup after Frank Clair's spectacular teams of the sixties, the team would eventually fold, return and now linger in some kind of limbo not quite broke but certainly not stable nor solid at the moment.

Once again the team needs someone like the Professor to take charge and return Ottawa to football glory. Unfortunately, someone like Frank Clair doesn't pop up every day. He was truly one of those "one of a kind" characters that seem impossible to measure up to. His ability to beat the bushes and find talent had no equal, his knowledge of the game and his respect for the Canadian player changed the face of the CFL.

Not many people truly deserve the title of Legend, but in the case of Clair the title is more than appropriate. The halcyon days of the CFL were those riveting years of the late sixties, the league owes a huge debt of gratitude to "The Professor", perhaps the latest team to wear Black, White and Red, can go back and learn from his study plans, a great game has lost a great architect.

I think I'll go look for a yellow dog eared clipping, I lived and died with my Riders from the sixties to their very end. It's said that the Clair family plans on sharing his ashes with the people of Ottawa, bringing them to the park he loved so much. I'll raise a glass in toast to the man who made football the sport to watch in Ottawa. Here's a hope that the current team can find a way to live up to that spirit that will be watching from the stadium that has his name!

Three months and counting til Football's back!

The CFL has released its 2005 Schedule and once again TSN will devote a good portion of its telecast time to following our Great old game. Bringing Canadians 54 CFL contests this year including 20 in HIGH DEFINITION!

The Sports Network will also for the first time bring us some pre season football, as they follow the Argonauts to Halifax on June 11th for the exhibition match against the Alouettes. That game quickly is becoming a litmus test for football interest in the Maritimes, an audition if you will for the folks down east to make their best presentation for the much discussed and often threatened 10th franchise. Other candidates for that fifth Eastern division franchise are Quebec City, Moncton and London. Halifax is generally considered the most likely to receive the eventual nod, though Quebec City has been making a case for expansion the last few years, based on the amazing success of college ball in the historic city.

While expansion is probably still a few years away, this years schedule promises many of the usual gems that make CFL football so popular. The traditional Labour Day classics, The Thanksgiving Day Weekend matchups and a newcomer to the rivalry game the Banjo classic, where the prairie kin get to battle for bragging rights.

CBC once again will gladly accept some CFL broadcasts (though sadly without their number one play by play guy Chris Cuthbert, unceremoniously dumped by the pork barrel network) filling in the spot formerly held by HockeyNight in Canada (and most recently Movie Night in Canada) with a Saturday night game of the week. The French cable outlet RDS will follow the Alouettes all season long, with all 18 games televised back into once again football mad Quebec.

Our TV coverage begins June 11th with that Argos and Alouette pre season matchup in Nova Scotia, TV then kicks off the regular season on June 22nd with the Ti Cats and Alouettes, followed three days later by a Grey Cup rematch between BC and Toronto, from there it's through the summer and into the fall, leading to the always exciting finale on November 27th and the 2005 Grey Cup Game from Vancouver.

All in all, only five games will not be broadcast this year on television in Canada, providing Canadians with a wide selection of football to follow. Having spent a cold winter and a miserable spring without any NHL Hockey, the CFL should benefit from a Canadian public starving for a sport to send some emotional attachment towards. While training camps are still a few months away, we're already reserving our space on the couch, right beside the beer cooler for the hot summer of action just ahead!

CBC paints a giant bulls eye on its back

(The CBC has let go veteran play by play pro Chris Cuthbert, who of course has helped to make CFL broadcasts into a popular Saturday night viewing habit on the Mother Corp!)

You would think that in a week that the Federal Government increased its budget and smiled kindly on the Mother Corporation of Canadian Broadcasting, that they would be feeling pretty good. But nope at the CBC it's circle the wagons time as they find incoming shots from all directions.

First there is this curling fiasco, now in normal times the status of the roaring game would hardly generate the kind of negative press that the CBC is suffering these days, but with no NHL hockey to broadcast the glare of sport beats down on the corporations Curling Coverage and the judgment is that the CBC is messing up a pretty good game. I'll direct you to the seanincognito site for the wonderful expose of CBC incompetence in covering a rather easy to follow sport, sean has been having a field day over the last week or so tracking the backlash, the backlash, the backlash and the backlash over the unusual broadcast strategy employed by CBC Sports regarding curling. Did I mention there was a bit of a backlash!

But should one think this is a one time only faux pas, think again. Perhaps it's the disappointment over losing the rights to the Olympics to those evil specialty folk at TSN, Rogers Sportsnet and Bell Globe media (including arch rival CTV) but the CBC are on a serious losing streak. If this were Vegas even the pit boss would suggest they move on to the lounge for a break and rethink their plans.

In the last month the CBC has cancelled the most popular Hockey Day in Canada feature, which was one of those feel good tell a story about Canada that is supposed to be the network's mandate. Citing a lack of hockey and lack of revenue the suits in the Barbara Frum broadcast centre said small town Canada could do without a tribute to the grassroots this year.

Of course, one idiots decision is another guys brainstorm and the folks at TSN were quick to jump on the idea and put together their own version of Hockey Day, called Canada's Game: Hockey Lives Here. And it was just as good if not better than the previous versions on the CBC and that's without benefit of the triple header of professional hockey. In fact, the absence of the pros was hardly noticed as we traveled from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the great game. Why the CBC didn't think this would be a worthwhile idea is beyond me and beyond their own employees, or in the latest development their ex employee.

It seems one of the CBC broadcasters who spoke out loudly against the cancellation of the day of hockey was Chris Cuthbert, who spoke his mind in a planning meeting, no doubt suggesting that perhaps in a year without hockey this would be the perfect vehicle to show the game was more than just a bunch of professionals making obscene amounts of money.

For his intervention, Cuthbert was cut adrift earlier this week. The head of Sports Nancy Lee sending him packing, supposedly due to the lack of NHL hockey on the network this year. An interesting decision, as Cuthbert not only was on Hockey Night in Canada, he also was the voice of CFL football on the CBC. The CFL of course now can claim to be the only professional sport left on the CBC, with ratings rising over the last number of years, Cuthbert and Chris Walby brought the Saturday broadcast into prime time and made it every much as popular as the Hockey boys did on Saturday nights for the NHL.

The CBC fired Cuthbert without even bothering to inform it's partner in CFL broadcasts, the league. Something that no doubt will be addressed when the CFL contract comes up for renewal. The CFL has made great strides in its presentation due in no small part to Cuthbert's contribution, they won't be happy with his departure. For the CBC to eliminate such a versatile and talented broadcaster as Cuthbert under such a feeble excuse, smells of something that reaches far deeper into the politics of the CBC.

The Cuthbert firing has once again brought the CBC to the newspapers and like the Curling mess, the CBC comes up on the losing side of any PR agenda. With the various mis-steps of the last few months, one has to wonder if the people that run the CBC are really paying attention to who is getting fired around there, seems to an outside observer that the folks at the top of the food chain should be walking the plank before the network suffers any further embarrassment.

And unlike Cuthbert who shouldn't be out of work for any length of time (unless he wants to be) ,the bureaucratic morons making these questionable calls won't fare quite as well. Having taken a much respected department into this state of farce will not look particularly good on a CV.

Many times the criticism of the CBC is unwarranted, bordering on a blood lust from it's private industry competitors. But in this case everyone so far has been spot on, CBC sports is a mess, there's no vision, no competence and if things keep up like this there will be no viewers.

The above item first appeared in my A Town Called Podunk blog, for more general interest items check it out!

Crazy Foolish Lunatics?

Stability it's the goal of any organization, something that's even more important to an organization that has suffered some rather shaky years in the last decade. So can only wonder as to what madness has gripped some of the owners of franchises of the Canadian Football League.

Reports this week have been leaked out that some of the CFL franchisees are not particularly fond of current CFL commissioner Tom Wright. Wright who is in the final year of his three year contract has been a rather steadying influence over the normally Neanderthal nine. Over the years keeping the nine separate interests that call themselves owners on the same page has been about as easy as herding cats. Each ownernship group tends to go off on their own thing, occasionally considering the good of the whole but for the most part exhibiting some serious me me me attitudes.

The ringleaders in this particular possible coup are BC Lions owner David Braley, Hamilton Tiger Cats owner Bob Young and Montreal Alouettes owner Robert Wetenhall. While Braley has for the most part been a busy guy making his opinion known since buying the Leos, he has also ponied up the cash to keep the Lions alive on the coast for a number of years now. But if memory serves correct he was the lead headhunter when they went looking for a new commissioner, so if he's unhappy with Wright one wonder just what it may take to please him. Perhaps he wants the job himself, that way at least he'll quit finding fault with the guy at the helm.

Young who has been described as nice guy if a tad eccentric at times, has a vision as to where he wants to take the Tiger Cats, so maybe he just wants to broaden the horizon. Regardless with only a year on the job, is it time for him to start to flex a muscle? Wetenhall on the other hand has been a pretty faithful owner of the Als over the years, silently taking some hits financially as he tries to expand Molson stadium to bring in some cash relief.

There has been no word on what exactly Wright has done to annoy the trio, (perhaps salary cap controversies are the lightning rod who knows) but the timing of it all seems rather strange. After so many years in the wilderness struggling for its very survival, the CFL has finally become a high visibility product in Canada. With excellent TV numbers, increasingly fuller stadiums and a buzz that has people actually talking football over bank accounts the league hasn't been this strong in years. Why they would want to mess up a good thing is anyone's guess.

We would hate to the think that the CFL is returning to the bad old days where every step forward was followed by six or seven steps backwards. The league has come so far in the fast few years, it would be a shame if they threw it all away on pointless ego games.

Shine time at the Shrine!

Three Canadians took to the field in San Francisco Saturday afternoon, taking part in College Football's East/West Shrine game, a mixture of exhibition football and talent pool combine. And while they didn't rack up much in the way of points, they did make a contribution to the highly competitive talent pool of US college football.

Nick Kaczur from Brantford, Ontario plays his college ball in the States and was representing the University of Toledo at Saturday's affair. Kaczur an offensive tackled held his own in the muddy bog that became the field saturated by rains the last two weeks or so. Kaczur is expected to be drafted in the first few rounds of the upcoming NFL draft, so his performance today certainly didn't do any damage to that potential scenario.

Nick Johanson of the UBC Thunderbirds represented the Western half of Canadian college ball, the defensive lineman found the talent pool rather impressive and got a full aerobic workout chasing the running game during his stint on the field. While he got a look see by the NFL scouts it's expected he'll begin is pro career somewhere in a CFL city.

But the most heralded of Canucks invading the US field on Saturday was McMaster Marauder's Jesse Lumsden, who dominated Canadian college ball this year. Lumsden accounted well for himself on the US field today, leading the East in rushing, picking up 41 yards on five carries. Lumsden was not put into the game until the third quarter, but once in the line up certainly made the best of his "show time", one run in particular highlighted his power running status as he blasted through the line and galloped for 21 yards.

He more than likely opened a few eyes in the scouting world and probably has increased his draft potential in the upcoming NFL draft. Lumsden has made no secret of his hope to at least get a shot at an NFL training camp, and he may get his wish. ESPN seemed to have a lot of his stats and background on hand for the broadcast, a sure sign that there is some interest in his name below the 49th.

Well worth the trip to the city by the bay!

Farewell to the F troop!

Football sanity has returned to the Stampede city. With the stroke of a pen and the transfer of a few million dollars the days of the Feterik's in Calgary have come to an end. Hallelujah Stamp fans, and indeed CFL fans, the F troop is no more!

The Stampeders were sold Wednesday to a group of local Calgarians, who plan to do something that hasn't been seen in Calgary for three years, allow the football people to run the football team.

Michael Feterik made his farewell bows, ran to the bank and cashed his cheque. Leaving behind a bending, but not broken football team in his wake. Feterik a self made millionaire a number of times over will return to the box building business from whence he came. Leaving behind a football team that seem to lurch from one crisis to another during his three year tenure. Chasing away to the shores of the Pacific, one of the most successful football minds in the country while taking a Grey Cup championship squad and turning it into a West division doormat. All while telling anyone to listen just how smart a business mind he had.

And while the bills were paid on time and no salaries were ever missed, the sense of turmoil never seemed far from the surface during the Feterik years. From insisting that his son Kevin be on the depth chart at Quarterback, to the many questionable personnel decisions over the three years the Stamps went from a template franchise to a tumbling franchise.

As Feterik exits the Stampeder stable, the new crew have a great deal of work to do and fortunately for Calgarians hard work is something the new ownership group thrives on. Led by John Forzani, Dave Sapunjis, Doug Mitchell and Ted Hellard the new ownership has deep ties to the city and will be quick to bring the franchise into good books with a city that has remained loyal if worried about their team.

It's expected that Head coach and GM Matt Dunigan will be bought out of his commitment to the franchise as will team President Ron Rooke. Expected to join the Stamps shortly are former coach JIm Barker who is expected to be given charge of the team personnel department. Joining him at McMahon stadium will be Tom Higgins who spent the last three years as Head Coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. Higgins of course has a deep history with the Stamps, having been an assistant coach in Calgary for nine seasons before hopping on the Red Arrow north.

While the Feterik funhouse was in full operation, Higgins was busy winning in Edmonton. Something that the Calgary faithful will forgive quite easily, should he deliver their first winning season since Wallyball played on the turf at McMahon.

CFL Commissioner Tom Wright said it all with some simple words, said Wright "I'm excited about this". Football fans across the country can share in his excitement, a proud CFL Franchise has been delivered to some sure hands. Whether you're a Stamps fan or not, the circus days are gone in Calgary, for that all CFL fans should say Thanks.

Huge Hole to fill in Hamilton

Welcome to the job to Hamilton's newly hired Personnel Director Craig Smith, the recent hire from BC has just been handed his first official headache. Find a replacement for Tim Cheatwood!

The Cats lost their dominant defensive player Friday, when Cheatwood signed a deal with the Houston Texans of the NFL. Cheatwood had been showcased for the Denver Broncos prior to signing his contract with the Texans.

The sack leader for the CFL in 2004 was in his option year with the Cats, so if the Texans don't keep him around after training camp in September he could be back in Ti Cat black and gold. However, not too many are expecting him to be making the trek to Ivor Wynne in 2005.

Smith's first goal is to increase the scouting staff in the USA, the first job they probably will be given is to identify some hidden gems for the Defensive Line. Cheatwood became a diamond, the Cats have to get back into the mine and find another one.

Confusing signals from the Renegade brigade

Just when you think things are going oh so smoothly, up pops a bit of confusion to make you think oh, oh here we go again.

With the glow of the good times, good football and positive vibes of Grey Cup weekend now long gone. It's the cold wind off the Rideau canal that blows through the Renegade offices. With ownership in apparent disarray, the Rens at least managed to get someone onboard to make a few player personnel decisions for the CFL team.

Welcome Back Joe Paopao, we guess that Winnipeg Head Coach Jim Daley can now scratch your name from his possibles list, with your decision to not only return as head coach of the Rens, but to add on the duties of General Manager to your resume.

With some massive indecision that had started to resemble a rather sad joke, the Rens finally made up their mind regarding the status of former GM Eric Tilman and the hanging in the wind Paopao. Tilman was left to explain that no he hadn't been negotiating for another job (though as things turned out he might have wished he had tried a little harder one guesses) and had unfinished business in Ottawa. It would seem now that the unfinished business is to pack up the house and buy the tickets back to the States.

With Tilman exiting, Paopao takes centre stage of the Rens. His task now is to reassure the current Rens that things are stable, that the team has a plan and probably most importantly that the paycheques will keep flowing.

Now the last one is a pretty easy one, Brad Watters co-owner (for now) of the Rens has said that there is no question of the Renegades continuing on with their CFL experience in the next year. Which will be welcome news from the once jilted CFL fans of the capital.

Of course the rumours of the return of the Glieberman's will keep the team in the headlines over the cold cold months of winter. Lonnie and Bernie are ready and willing to pony up the cash to take on equity with the team that was once theirs. And perhaps that is the most tangible signal that things may not be all okey dokey in Ottawa. With a reported loss of 2 million dollars (and that comes on the heels of hosting the money making Grey Cup) the Rens are in a bit of a cash squeeze it seems. Some owners want out, but are holding up their departure for just the right deal.

For now fans of the Rens should just be thankful that the throwin' Samoan is back in the game, it's a signal of some stability and the popular coach will offer a calming influence to things while the business details work out. With players to sign, players to scout and on field plans to make, Paopao may be the busiest guy on Bank street for the next few months.

Keeping a watchful eye on things is the league office in Toronto, Commissioner Tom Wright has been prodding the current owners to get on with the job, lest the noise of a league on the cusp of trouble start to get louder. So far the only other forward move besides signing Paopao has been to jack up the price of tickets, not exactly a reward for loyalty for the long suffering Rens fans.

For the CFL it's run of positives of 2004 are still being used to create some buzz about the league, the last thing they need is an internal feud breaking out into the open taking the franchise to the mat with it.