The overconfident Saskatchewan Roughriders lost to one of the worst teams in CFL history on Sunday as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat them 25-13. Fans on the radio call-in show afterward put the blame on the shoulders of Darian Durant, of course, failing to recognize Kory Sheets had a subpar game, as did the offensive line. The receivers weren't exactly wide open for Durant either. Head coach Corey Chamblin will fix it and I think you will see a way better effort on Saturday against Toronto.
With the abuse Durant takes on a weekly basis, win or lose, it has gotten me to think that it wouldn't be a shock to find out a lot of good quarterbacks would pass on playing for the Roughriders, simply, because of the flack handed out by the vocal minority. It's harsh, unfair, and inaccurate.
Listening to the game on the radio on Sunday was painful. They take the same commercial breaks as TSN and there were a few times that there were two commercial islands sandwiched around one piddly little play. There is no rhythm. And, when you have two quarterbacks struggling to combine for 300 passing yards, while on another channel the much better produced NFL game features Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers shooting the lights out, it's a no brainer for a fan of football. He's not watching the CFL. If you are already a fan of the CFL, sure the surplus of ads isn't going to turn you away; but TSN isn't winning any new fans prostituting spot after spot for commercials.
The SJHL starts a new season in less than two weeks. Here's all you need to know about the two clubs in our immediate area: Yorkton will contend for a second straight Canalta Cup. Melville will not.
In the NHL, Canada's best met in Calgary a couple of weeks ago and played ball hockey as a means of prepping for the Olympics. We over think a lot in this country, but over thinking hockey might be on the top of the mountain. I don't know why they can't just invite 26 or 27 players (instead of 40) since the majority of the team is picked without holding a single practice anyway. Further to that, I don't know how a Norris Trophy winner (PK Subban) isn't considered more of a lock for the team than a guy like Jay Bouwmeester, who was under whelmed and failed to live up to expectations every year since he was a rookie in Medicine Hat fifteen or so years ago. I don't know how Bouwmeester or Marc Methot are even at camp. Again. Overthinking.
A spoof story from a, relatively unknown, CBC radio program got incredible mileage on Facebook and Twitter last week regarding a minor soccer organization that has removed the ball from soccer in an effort to keep kids positive and feeling good about themselves. You can relax. This was an April Fool's Day joke played in September. It's clear we've reached a new low in society when a story like this could be believable. I feel competition is healthy for kids and helps create passion in the things they like to do. Meanwhile, the CBC needs to do a better job of marketing their goofy, pointless program. I haven't run across anyone yet who has heard of it. I think it's called This Is That, but I could be wrong.
Saskatchewan does a lot of things better than Manitoba and cell phone coverage is one of them. I went to Flin Flon a couple of weeks ago and had spotty service from the moment I crossed provincial borders. I understand it, to some degree, once you get north of Swan River. There are not a lot of communities to make it worthwhile, I suppose. However, on the weekend I also had inconsistent cell service in Riding Mountain National Park as well as on the highway that runs through Sandy Lake, Rossburn, Waywayseecappo, and into Russell. Once you get passed Russell and into Saskatchewan, it's perfectly fine. Last year, I got my eyes opened wide on the difference each province commits to snow removal on highways. Stay out of Manitoba during a snowfall, if you know what's good for you.
I wasn't, at all, saddened to learn kidnapper Ariel Castro committed suicide on Thursday night in his prison cell with a bed sheet. In fact, I thought it was fitting to put in perspective that he tortured three girls for over ten years in his house, but he couldn't live more than 33 days in a jail cell. It proved how, incredibly, weak he is. The taxpayer isn't going to save any money on this, though. Castro's death raises questions with the touchy-feely people of this world so there will have to be an investigation to see if Castro was watched close enough and also to determine if he was provided the proper care after going into State custody.
