The CFL season has come to a merciful end with the Calgary Stampeders winning a tainted title by virtue of a flag thrown on a Brandon Banks punt return that should have resulted in Hamilton taking a 23-20 lead. Ti-Cat fans have done the honorable thing and said the penalty was just; but I'm not so sure I agree. The infraction was there, but I'm betting you could find similar acts on just about every punt return. Furthermore, the block to the back didn't have an impact on Banks as he was already past the player in question. The last point on this is that a video still of Banks catching the ball shows the Stampeders are within five yards and should also have been flagged. It's a fitting end to a CFL year that saw way too many flags thrown by officials and too many games were just plain sloppy and boring. This one didn't hold my interest either. I watched the first quarter for five minutes and then checked the score late and came back to see how the final six minutes would unfold. Let's hope for better next season.
I noted to a number of folks after the game that one big fundamental difference when it comes to hockey and other sports is that referees in hockey tend to let players decide the outcome of games the best they can. We may not always like decisions made by officials, but in hockey you will often see things in the third period not be called penalties even though they were penalties in the first two periods. Is this a good thing? That's open for debate. I do feel some discretion should be used by referees, but to completely put the whistle or flag away just because there isn't a lot of time left on the clock isn't the best thing to do either. CFL refs call infractions as they see them, regardless of game situation, except for offensive offside. For whatever reason, they are letting receivers get a good three yard headstart. I don't get it. Call them all or change the rule to actually allow the receivers to go early.
I did not see the half time show, but read plenty of complaints. The main beef with the Imagine Dragons is that they are not Canadian. The secondary complaint was that they are not up tempo enough. To me, the Grey Cup halftime show is a sucker for punishment. When has it ever been, universally, accepted as a great performance? I can't think of a time. I'd like to know what it is that people want. As far as the top Canadian acts are concerned, every time one is booked, we feel the need to crush them (Nickelback, Justin Bieber, and Hedley to name a few). I don't see why the half time show needs to be a Canadian act. If it is, great. If it's not, that's okay too. Yes, it's the Canadian Football League, but not all the players and coaches are Canadian so the music doesn't have to be either.
The media has a great way of angling stories. The Toronto Star says an 18-year-old man is on trial for forcing a 16-year-old girl into a life of prostitution. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old male is referred to as a teenager or boy in the Ferguson, Missouri case of Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. A few people have asked me what I think about the Ferguson situation and I really don't know what to make of the shooting. I feel Officer Wilson, likely, did fear for his life but that doesn't mean he isn't to blame either. There are a lot of outstanding questions for me to offer opinions. What I do know is that protesting by way of breaking into businesses, beating people up, and burning cop cars does nothing to earn my sympathy nor should it do anything to help their cause.
I read a news story about the sex assault case involving Jian Ghomeshi being a classic case of he said/she said. Well that's partially true. It's a case of he said/fifteen she saids. And, don't let a lawyer smoke screen you here. This is not a smear campaign. Remember, this announcer was wildly popular and the biggest star on CBC. So, fifteen random women, all with similar yet different stories, couldn't possibly put themselves out there for public shaming could they? You will see the defence do a lot of deflecting and try to change the focus of the issue. Hopefully, those making the ultimate call on whether or not he's guilty will stay focused.
Winter doesn't, officially, arrive until December 21st but it is here now. The nice weather held off until late November; but it came with a fury. Those expecting a break in Arctic temperatures can circle May Long Weekend on their calendar.
Nice person mentions this week to: Gord Lees, Barry Cooper, Lindsey Leik, Penny Castle, and Sarah Ruf.
