As you know, I am a Riders fan. After the 28-27 loss in the Grey Cup to the Montreal Alouettes, I know one thing with certainty: I am strangely thrilled to be so disappointed.
Allow me to explain. Virtually for the entire duration of my life, the Riders have been bad. BRUTAL bad. "My grandma can throw/hit/run/catch better than you" bad. We hadn't won our conference (think division in the NFL) in 33 years. Thus, there has never been a serious expectation for us that our team would contend for the championship.
In my mind, this season marked the first time my team has made it to the championship and legitimately belonged there. The fact that it is our 2nd appearance in the big game in 3 years also makes me reflect that, for the first time since those great Lancaster/Reed years - aka first time in my lifetime - we have a team that is going to regularly be counted on as contenders for the championship. When we make it again, it will be no surprise. We in Saskatchewan will no longer feel like, "hey, we made it to the game! If we win, it's bonus!" No, we will expect to win and when we do not, we will be hurt. Badly. We will feel robbed, stripped of our just destiny.
And those newfound expectations to me are the greatest legacy this team left on the field tonight.
Bravo, Riders! You played valiantly, and you deserved better. I look forward to having many more chances for Grey Cup glory in the forseeable future!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
To vaccinate or NOT to vaccinate.
So, I've been poking my nose into the whole H1N1 thing. For me, I really think there is a whole lot of flawed logic on the paranoia. #1, the "swine flu" is far less harmful than the typical seasonal flu. Some even say it may go down in the record as the least dangerous flu in recorded history! #2 There is a very real potential that the fast-tracking of this vaccine will cause much more harm than it will help.
All in all, I am strongly against THIS vaccine, and have a newfound appreciation for my parents - Mom in particular - refusing to let my brother and I get vaccinated as kids. Some of the potential side-effects really leave me shaking my head.
Anyway, much of this is a matter of debate - while I personally will not willingly take this vaccine, I will merely agree to disagree with you if you choose otherwise. But it truly seems to me that the risks of the vaccine are far greater than the risks of the disease.
All in all, I am strongly against THIS vaccine, and have a newfound appreciation for my parents - Mom in particular - refusing to let my brother and I get vaccinated as kids. Some of the potential side-effects really leave me shaking my head.
Anyway, much of this is a matter of debate - while I personally will not willingly take this vaccine, I will merely agree to disagree with you if you choose otherwise. But it truly seems to me that the risks of the vaccine are far greater than the risks of the disease.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Confessions of a Packers fan
So, I must apologize. Seems like this brain is on a single track right now. After the Riders gave me hope last week, I had the long-awaited return of Brett Favre to Lambeau Field to contend with. Mighty stuff, back-to-back weekends. Luckily, inventory at work was finished Saturday afternoon allowing complete enjoyment of the "church of the NFL" Sunday.
I was more than a smidgen taken aback by the booing of Favre as he joined the field pre-game. I dare say that it did please me though. There are many more Packers fans than Favre fans in Green Bay as evidenced by this display. And as many seem to forget, if the Packers organization treated Favre unfairly and with disrespect, he returned in twofold to all who bleed Green and Gold. As nice as the good folk of the midwestern club are, they were unpologetic in letting this *ahem* legend know what they thought of him willfully donning the colours of the reviled Minnesota Vikings.
Sadly, the Vikings went on to beat the Packers, which stung in no small way. Favre played great, and Aaron Rodgers, his replacement and long-term solution at QB for Green Bay - I still say he could end up a bigger legend in Packerland than Favre will be - played pretty well. His indecisiveness in the pocket was costly with, in my opinion, a minimum of four sacks attributed to him. Favre, meanwhile, suffered no such ills. Wiley veteran play, I guess.
I also blame some horrendous game-planning and play-calling by the Packers on both sides of the ball. This offense is a dink-and-dunk, YAC yards machine. Until the 3rd quarter, no such plan was imminent. If this had been the m.o. from the outset, I believe it would have been a different result.
After a scorching pre-season, and a 3rd ranked defensive showing to this point, where was Dom Caper's attacking philosophy on defense? When he cranked up the pressure on Favre, the defense got off the field and the ball in Rodgers' hands to continue the scoring surge in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Inexplicably, the dogs were called off, and the Vikes' were able to extend the lead for good. Brilliant, just brilliant.
I suppose I am therefore still on the fence as to the development of Rodgers in Favre's stead. He has faced two big games against the old QB and borne his fair share of the blame due to a distinct and worrisome inability to see, feel, sense the approaching pressure on the pocket. Still, the "Mr. Hyde" side of the club that has appeared against the hated rivals of Minnesota has contributed as well. In the end, this is a young quarterback, on the youngest team in the NFL, both of whom show signs of how great they can be. Clerly, they aren't there yet.
So, I hold to my pre-season beliefs that this team is capable of greatness, even now. My true prediction remains that they will be contenders and start making regular runs for Super Bowls in 2-5 years. As for how Mr. Rodgers can leap over Favre in Lambeau lore? Win a minimum of 2 Super Bowls. As gaudy as the stats are for Brett, he only got one Super Bowl in his Green Bay tenure. In Packerland, that's the most important stat of all.
Let the true runs start next year!
I was more than a smidgen taken aback by the booing of Favre as he joined the field pre-game. I dare say that it did please me though. There are many more Packers fans than Favre fans in Green Bay as evidenced by this display. And as many seem to forget, if the Packers organization treated Favre unfairly and with disrespect, he returned in twofold to all who bleed Green and Gold. As nice as the good folk of the midwestern club are, they were unpologetic in letting this *ahem* legend know what they thought of him willfully donning the colours of the reviled Minnesota Vikings.
Sadly, the Vikings went on to beat the Packers, which stung in no small way. Favre played great, and Aaron Rodgers, his replacement and long-term solution at QB for Green Bay - I still say he could end up a bigger legend in Packerland than Favre will be - played pretty well. His indecisiveness in the pocket was costly with, in my opinion, a minimum of four sacks attributed to him. Favre, meanwhile, suffered no such ills. Wiley veteran play, I guess.
I also blame some horrendous game-planning and play-calling by the Packers on both sides of the ball. This offense is a dink-and-dunk, YAC yards machine. Until the 3rd quarter, no such plan was imminent. If this had been the m.o. from the outset, I believe it would have been a different result.
After a scorching pre-season, and a 3rd ranked defensive showing to this point, where was Dom Caper's attacking philosophy on defense? When he cranked up the pressure on Favre, the defense got off the field and the ball in Rodgers' hands to continue the scoring surge in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Inexplicably, the dogs were called off, and the Vikes' were able to extend the lead for good. Brilliant, just brilliant.
I suppose I am therefore still on the fence as to the development of Rodgers in Favre's stead. He has faced two big games against the old QB and borne his fair share of the blame due to a distinct and worrisome inability to see, feel, sense the approaching pressure on the pocket. Still, the "Mr. Hyde" side of the club that has appeared against the hated rivals of Minnesota has contributed as well. In the end, this is a young quarterback, on the youngest team in the NFL, both of whom show signs of how great they can be. Clerly, they aren't there yet.
So, I hold to my pre-season beliefs that this team is capable of greatness, even now. My true prediction remains that they will be contenders and start making regular runs for Super Bowls in 2-5 years. As for how Mr. Rodgers can leap over Favre in Lambeau lore? Win a minimum of 2 Super Bowls. As gaudy as the stats are for Brett, he only got one Super Bowl in his Green Bay tenure. In Packerland, that's the most important stat of all.
Let the true runs start next year!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The 13th Man
If any more proof be needed, it was provided tonight at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. If not for the influence of the present Rider fans, it is likely that the BC Lions would have won tonight's CFL matchup. Instead, Saskatchewan pulled out a 33-30 Overtime victory to remain tied with the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division.
On the final drive by BC, they were guilty of two illegal procedure penalties, which can be attributed to the crowd noise spewed forth by the Green-and-White faithful. The noise caused the Lions to modify their offensive line technique so they could get off the ball on time instead of relying on looking back to the football. On the final play, with a cacophony of noise avalanching upon them from the Mosaic stands, Casey Printers was pressured heavily by the Roughriders defense and threw a prayer into the endzone, which fell happily into the arms of James Patrick. All with BC in position to kick an easy field goal - if any field goals can be called easy with Paul McCallum kicking them - to tie mini-game number 1.
Also revealed pre-game were the "Saskatchewan Roughrider" Hockey Canada jerseys that the Junior team will wear twice for the World Junior Hockey Championships over the Christmas season. Count me in as one who is horrified by this decision. The team is national in scope. And why are we honouring a football team in a hockey tournament? Yes, the Riders are Saskatchewan's lone (semi) professional sporting club, but how do they connect to hockey again? Please! This smacks of a clear money-grab by Hockey Canada, pure and simple.
On the final drive by BC, they were guilty of two illegal procedure penalties, which can be attributed to the crowd noise spewed forth by the Green-and-White faithful. The noise caused the Lions to modify their offensive line technique so they could get off the ball on time instead of relying on looking back to the football. On the final play, with a cacophony of noise avalanching upon them from the Mosaic stands, Casey Printers was pressured heavily by the Roughriders defense and threw a prayer into the endzone, which fell happily into the arms of James Patrick. All with BC in position to kick an easy field goal - if any field goals can be called easy with Paul McCallum kicking them - to tie mini-game number 1.
Also revealed pre-game were the "Saskatchewan Roughrider" Hockey Canada jerseys that the Junior team will wear twice for the World Junior Hockey Championships over the Christmas season. Count me in as one who is horrified by this decision. The team is national in scope. And why are we honouring a football team in a hockey tournament? Yes, the Riders are Saskatchewan's lone (semi) professional sporting club, but how do they connect to hockey again? Please! This smacks of a clear money-grab by Hockey Canada, pure and simple.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Politico in the making
A dear friend of mine recently reminded me of a music video making the YouTube rounds called "Canadian Please." This spawned a wholly unrelated spin into the world of, well, spin. I started off on a suggested piece about from the Fox News network's satire show called "Red Eye" about Canadian troops pulling out of Afghanistan. An upsetting piece for us Canadians, to be sure. This spilled into a whole bunch of Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson video evidences, along with some diverging into The Daily Show, particularly with the tete a tete he had with Jim Cramer of Mad Money over the economic meltdown. The merry-go-round of economic/political discourse I encountered did not merely contain such nuggets, of course.
Now, I am not writing to debate the intelligence levels of any of the parties involved. I most certainly have my opinion there. But this is not the point of my blog here: it is simply to share that a small bit of entertainment has created in me, well, striking levels of intellectual entertainments. I find myself thinking differently. I feel inquisitive. I have discovered something out of all these "experts" disagreeing with one another: it's called curiosity. I am searching, probing, analyzing, cross-referencing, back-checking, validating, counterpointing all over the place. This has been up to now a sadly lacking activity for me.
I also discovered something else: I feel more informed. It is an empowering thing, and the more informed I get, the more I feel enabled to form my own opinion, to defend that view, and to begin to help educate my peers on these things.
So, my dear friend merely attempted to entertain me for a moment. It worked. However, it opened a new sense of curiosity in me that has sprung open, for lack of a better metaphor, a pandora's box of consequence. I fully expect it to be a major positive influence in the road that lays ahead presuming that I shall continue to pursue this course of action.
Now, I am not writing to debate the intelligence levels of any of the parties involved. I most certainly have my opinion there. But this is not the point of my blog here: it is simply to share that a small bit of entertainment has created in me, well, striking levels of intellectual entertainments. I find myself thinking differently. I feel inquisitive. I have discovered something out of all these "experts" disagreeing with one another: it's called curiosity. I am searching, probing, analyzing, cross-referencing, back-checking, validating, counterpointing all over the place. This has been up to now a sadly lacking activity for me.
I also discovered something else: I feel more informed. It is an empowering thing, and the more informed I get, the more I feel enabled to form my own opinion, to defend that view, and to begin to help educate my peers on these things.
So, my dear friend merely attempted to entertain me for a moment. It worked. However, it opened a new sense of curiosity in me that has sprung open, for lack of a better metaphor, a pandora's box of consequence. I fully expect it to be a major positive influence in the road that lays ahead presuming that I shall continue to pursue this course of action.
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