Happy Family Day! Thanks to Harvard Broadcasting for giving me the day to enjoy ours. Hopefully yours is great. Sunday was good but now it’s time to crack open a new week…
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People are begging, absolutely dying for CFL and Rider news right now but teams just aren’t saying much. Free agency opens today but you wouldn’t know it. The Riders aren’t saying much but they WILL announce today that they’ve re-signed popular Canadian running back Stu Foord.

The only player talking is free agent LB Tad Kornegay who has a LOT to say on Twitter. This is what he had to say on Sunday:

From: @T2daK

“Ridernation trust in Taman. He’s a good guy that will mke good decisions 4 the team. Now if he don’t sign me then me n him will Wrestle. lol”

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B.C. receiver Geroy Simon is trying to convince Tad Kornegay to sign with the Lions. He said Tad’s only shot at a cup is with B.C., and that he should call Wally.

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There is NO Leader Post today due to the statutory holiday but I’ve discovered Rob Vanstone’s live Olympic blog here:
http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/robservations/default.aspx

Definitely worth a read.

—

It was a good trip back home from Edmonton Sunday morning after the Pats whipped the Oil Kings 6-1. They’ve still got their work cut out for them to make the playoffs but they’re still in the running. Heck, there’s still a month left in the regular season to get it done. They’re actually playing pretty good hockey right now.

The team will take some much deserved rest this week before visiting Brandon Friday and hosting Matt Delahey and the Chilliwack Bruins Saturday night.

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The guy who needs the rest the most is Jordan Eberle. He was throwing-up sick prior to Friday’s game at Red Deer but they squeezed two games out of him on the weekend, then told him to stay in bed till Wednesday. He was actually a shade of yellow after the Rebels game, and we stopped the bus at Shoppers to get him some medication. Looks like Teubert’s getting a break too.

There are comments posted here on Saturday from Jordan where he expresses his desire to suit up with the Oilers this season. He’s just being honest, saying his dream is to play in the NHL and for Edmonton but his focus is 100% on getting his Pats into the playoffs.

“I’ve never seen anything like it and we’re trying our best to guard him,” Pats coach Curtis Hunt said on CKRM Saturday, referring to the Eberle hysteria around the WHL. “There’s a lot of pressure on him from the organization and the community and it wears on him more than he realizes, I think. We had to sneak him out of the building in Red Deer and I think it upset some fans but you know what? Too bad. We’ve got to do what’s best for him and he was light-headed and under the weather.”

The Eberle-haters (doesn’t that sound dumb?) that have showed up and poisoned this blog lately have been nauseating. If they wanted to get under my skin, it worked. But I’ve realized they’re not from Regina – which we should’ve known – and I’m taking away their voice. Their comments won’t be published any longer.

I post just about everything that comes in because I feel if you’re coming here to read, I don’t want to turn you away but you also have to be reasonable.

I’ll try to cut down on the dummies this week, but their comments sure get people talking! Even if they look like fools.

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There’s a photo in the posts below of Eberle signing a table full of #14 EBERLE jerseys at Rexall Place prior to Saturday’s game. Someone wrote in wondering why Jordan will wear #14 in Edmonton rather than his traditional #7.

The answer is because Paul Coffey’s #7 is retired. Actually the Oilers have made one of the great trivia questions of all-time. Can you name the SEVEN numbers retired by Edmonton, and who they belong to?

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No other arena gives you chills like Rexall Place when you consider the 80s Oilers called that their home. The Saddledome and Pacific Coliseum are nice, but Edmonton’s where it’s at baby.

Always has been, always will be.

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Don’t call me a spoil sport, but this blog’s going to be an Olympic-free zone. I’m not anti-Olympic, in fact I’ve watched a lot of it. However I’m far from an expert and I’m certainly not a bandwagoner. Your one stop shop for the Olympics online should be www.ctvolympics.ca. I watched some of the Biathlon Saturday afternoon but it really didn’t turn my crank.

The hockey will be amazing and I’ll try to get some curling in too. But the skeleton? The moguls? I truthfully don’t even know what the heck that is.

But I read the Olympic supplement in Saturday’s Globe & Mail cover to cover and the magnitude of this thing is staggering. I’m as proud as you that Canada’s hosting this thing so let’s enjoy it. I’m sure you are.

—

A couple things jumped out from Sunday’s coverage: One was Brian Williams’ remark that “You’re watching the 2010 Winter Games on CBC, err, I mean CTV”. Brian can be forgiven for that one given the fact he’s covered 11 Olympics for CBC.

Also Sportsnet’s Rob Faulds (luge) and Jamie Campbell (moguls) shone in their play-by-play.

Lisa Laflamme is a curious part of the daytime coverage. Sportsnuts won’t know her so much because she’s a CTV newsie, but I see her regularly on Newsnet. Yes, I watch the news but don’t tell anyone. I prefer to play dumb.

—

One thing I’ve learned from 17 years in the WHL is this;

4 hours of bus sleep = 1 hour of sleep in your bed.

So if you sleep all the way home from Edmonton, your body’s only giving you credit for two hours and it takes days to recover fully.

—

I hope you didn’t come here for news today. I’m just b.s.’ing and shooting the bull. I’m sure you’ve noticed.

—

The 13th man continues to haunt. Last week in Brandon Wheat Kings penalty box custodian Al Gibbs said this: “Hey Pedersen! We haven’t seen you in ages! What’s it been, 12 months? 13 months? 12, 13, what’s the difference?!”

What do you SAY to that? I guess you just laugh it off. The other night in Edmonton, Montreal Canadiens scout Elmer Benning asked about the Grey Cup game and how that penalty could be allowed to happen. Elmer also said it would be nice for me to move up to Edmonton and be on the radio there. That was a nice thing for him to say.

—

An Edmonton radio executive said on Saturday at Starbucks on Jasper Avenue that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are “The Yankees of the CFL”. The buttons almost popped off my chest with pride over that statement.

I still remember traveling with the Riders where we were the Kansas City Royals or the Pittsburgh Pirates of the CFL. People made jokes at our expense everywhere we went. It was very demoralizing. I never forgot that, or who said it, and I’m thoroughly enjoying every second of being Voice of the Riders now. I don’t want to take any of it for granted and I think that shines through in my work.

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No Sportsline tonight because Capital Ford owner and G.M. Bruce Axelson is kind and thoughtful employer who doesn’t make his staff work on Family Day. We do the radio show live on location at that car dealership. Thanks Bruce! Solid guy.

—

My bad regarding Walmart. I guess they DO support things locally, including the Rawlco radiothon. Not surprisingly I didn’t know that because I don’t listen to them.

They’re involved in some other charities as well which is great, so I can feel good about going there.

—

I think that’s enough for now. Go Canada!
RP

Here’s the latest in our neck of the sporting woods:

The Regina Pats’ home game slated for Sunday, January 24 against Kootenay was postponed due to the poor road conditions and will be rescheduled to a later date.

It was too bad for the Pats, as they were looking to sweep a three game weekend since they swept Swift Current in a home-and-home series Friday (a 6-5 SO win in Regina) and Saturday (a 5-2 win at S.C.).

The Pats will spend the rest of the week getting ready for the Moose Jaw Warriors whom they face in another home-and-home set this weekend beginning Friday in Regina. It’s huge for the Pats as they sit six points out of a playoff spot with 22 games to go.

It’s also TransCanada Clash weekend as the Regina Pats alumni take on the Moose Jaw Warriors alumni in the 3rd edition of the Clash Saturday, January 30 at Moose Jaw’s Civic Centre. Faceoff is at 1:30.

Pats alumnus Jamie Heward is scheduled to join us on Monday’s Sportsline at 6:35pm. Also scheduled to be on the show at 6:05pm is new Roughrider GM Brendan Taman.

Happy New Year!

It truly took a full month of decompressing/recovering after the 2009 Roughrider season but the calendar has flipped to 2010 and it’s time to look forward.

December was quiet on the Roughrider front, however I was traveling with the Regina Pats for pretty much the entire month (save for a welcome week off at Christmas time.

It’s January 11 and already a ton of things have gone on on the Regina sports scene. This past Friday Eric Tillman resigned as General Manager of the Roughriders days after his summary sexual assault trial and on the same day, the Riders lost their defensive MVP John Chick to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships have come and gone and Canada won a silver medal by virtue of their 6-5 overtime loss to the USA in the championship game in Saskatoon.

The Regina Pats went 1-7 while their stars Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert were with Team Canada at the WJHC and as of today, they’ve slipped nine points out of a playoff spot.

The WHL’s trade deadline was yesterday and the Pats elected to hang onto their franchise cornerstones. Now 27 games are left for the Pats to get into a playoff spot and hopefully make a run towards the 2010 Memorial Cup in Brandon.

So here’s what’s up this week:

Tonight on Sportsline, John Lynch will join me and we’ll take calls from the Rider Nation on who they feel should be Tillman’s replacement.

We’re also hoping to be joined by Pats’ 17-year old phenom Jordan Weal and we’ll also visit with Colts’ scout Cal Murphy about the signing of John Chick.

The Pats continue their January homestand with a home date against the Brandon Wheat Kings Wednesday night at 7:00 on 620 CKRM.

The Pats also have home games scheduled for Friday and Saturday this week.

Regards,
Rod

The hours have turned into days, and eventually it will be weeks. Before you know it, years will have gone by since the 2009 Grey Cup game but the devastation inflicted on the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Rider Nation is going to live on forever.

Legendary Winnipeg Blue Bomber broadcaster Bob Irving said it best as we were walking out of Calgary’s McMahon Stadium that night of November 29, 2009.

“It’s great for the CFL,” Irving smiled. “But brutal for the Roughriders.”

He’s referring to the ending of the Canadian football title game this year, where a too many men penalty negated a missed 43 yard game-winning field goal by Montreal kicker Damon Duval. With no time left, Duval got another crack at it from 10 yards closer and you KNEW he wasn’t going to miss again.

From the sidelines, we on the Rider bench went from the unbridled excitement of a Grey Cup championship to the absolute depths of depression within a span of about three seconds. That was the length of time it took from the missed field goal which would’ve given the Riders the win, to the realization that there were three penalty flags down and they were all against Saskatchewan.

I’m surprised we’ve heard no reports of Rider fans across the country, or world, dying of a heart attack in the hours which followed the game.

It was great for the CFL because the game has automatically become a top ten classic in the 97-year history of the Grey Cup.

That’s little consolation for the Riders, who were still at a loss for words upon their return to Regina less than 24 hours later.

“I’m not doing all that well really,” said Rider coach Ken Miller after a somber welcome home rally. “To tell you the truth, it’s going to take me awhile to bounce back.”

At 67 years of age, Miller knows he may not have that many more opportunities to get back to the dance. His voice trembled and his eyes glistened as he recounted his team’s unspeakable disappointment.

It really was no different for the players on Canada’s Team as they cleaned out their lockers on the Tuesday after the game. They still resembled robots, or zombies, without a hint of expression on their faces.

“It’s definitely disappointing,” said star Rider slotback Andy Fantuz, who appeared to be in a trance. “I can’t compare it to losing out in ‘08 because I don’t really remember the feeling. This one’s going to be tough. It’s going to take awhile.”

Normally the onus would be to look ahead and start making plans for the 2010 season or at the very least, the off-season which is now at hand.

“I don’t know,” Fantuz continued, still at a loss for words. “Just move on, spend some time with the family I guess. I don’t know.”

The Roughriders have 16 free agents for GM Eric Tillman to deal with and it includes a large group of starters including FB Chris Szarka, RB Wes Cates and DE Stevie Baggs. However no one seemed to be in the mood to look ahead.

“I don’t know,” said 10-year veteran CB Omarr Morgan, himself an impending free agent. “I haven’t thought about it, man. I still have this game in the back of my mind. I do want to come back here and play but there may be some changes made. We’ll see, in January/February.”

In conclusion, many of us had written the epitaph long before this Grey Cup game had been played, saying the 2009 Rider season was already a success. This was because of the team’s first-place finish and West Division championship.

But because they had a 16-point lead with eight minutes to go in the Grey Cup and lost the game on a mental error, it becomes a very difficult thing to get past.

It will only compound every year at this time when we’re all reminded about it in the top ten replays.

Ya win some, ya lose some. But very rarely are they this tough to swallow.

(Rod Pedersen is the Voice of the Riders on 620 CKRM)

Welcome to the CFL off-season.
Today’s column was delayed because of travel arrangements coming back from Calgary, and the need to come to grips with Saskatchewan’s 28-27 Grey Cup loss to Montreal at McMahon Stadium.

Nobody’s over it yet. Nobody’s sure how to deal with it. And there’s a good chance we never, ever will.

Those who were around in 1976 tell me this is the same feeling as that Grey Cup loss to Ottawa. Some say it’s worse.

I don’t know, but it sucks!

It’s so bad that those who hate us are even emailing in offering their condolences. It was THAT painful of a loss for this franchise.

Here are some thoughts on the Monday after:

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Sunday’s Riders-Alouettes Grey Cup was the most-watched show on TSN ever. Details of the ratings numbers are in the post below.

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It was loud at McMahon on Sunday, but not as loud as Regina.

I don’t know if it was because of stadium configuration or what, but Mosaic Stadium is louder with 16,000 less people than were there Sunday.

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Said the cab driver as he was racing me around the McMahon Stadium parking lot three hours before game time:

“Everywhere you look is green, green, green!”

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The Alouettes estimated they had 1,000 of their own fans at the game.

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The Riders know who’s the guilty party for being the illegal 13th man on the field on Montreal’s first game-winning field goal attempt.

But they’re not saying.

And they tell me it’s not Jason Armstead.

Does someone lose their job over this? In the NFL they would. I don’t know about here.

Maybe the Regina media will be able to dig it out of them Tuesday morning at the team’s final get-together.

**UPDATE — you’ll see in the Comments section below that TSN’s Dave Naylor has “outed” the player he feels is responsible for the penalty.

I’m not entirely certain he’s correct.

—-

Sorry I couldn’t post photos from the welcome home at Mosaic Stadium.

Our plane landed at Regina Airport just before 3:00 and I had to get to school for a pickup so I missed it all together.

I’m sure it was a somber affair.

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In THOUSANDS of game broadcasts over the years, I have NEVER seen a team so devastated after a game.

Never. It’s to the point where I hope I never see it again.

Today, the look on the players’ faces was completely blank. They looked like zombies wandering around the Calgary Airport. The usual jokes, kibitzing and chat wasn’t there.

Everybody just stared straight ahead.

Ken Miller’s right; they’ll be forever scarred over this loss.

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BUT, it’s also a learning lesson. It’s an obstacle on the way to get back to the top of the mountain.

Hey, the Alouettes have suffered many of these over the years but they overcame and are quite rightfully are on top.

The Riders will be back in the dance many times in this new decade which begins in 2010.

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Once the 46,020 fans filled McMahon Stadium on Sunday, everybody’s cell phone crapped out.

So after calling the first half on the Corus Radio Network across Canada, I wandered down to the Riders’ sidelines. It’s a place I haven’t been for 11 years and I forgot how chaotic it is. Maybe too chaotic.

Anyways, it turns out Carm Carteri texted me late in the game saying “we’ve discussed it in the booth and we want you to call the final 3:00 since the Riders will win.”

I never got that text till after the game.

Can you imagine? CAN YOU IMAGINE??

I don’t know what I would’ve said, but I might’ve sworn. But I’m definitely GLAD I didn’t get that text in time.

—-

Montreal Alouettes broadcaster Rick Moffatt is also the Voice of the Montreal Canadiens so he took heat from the Habs for missing their Saturday night game.

“You’re saying this football game is more important than ours?” the hockey team poked at Rick.

He’s in a constant tug-of-war just like me and it’s brutal.

Heading down to the USA for a couple Pats broadcasts Friday and Saturday was stressful but it afforded me the chance to get some much-needed rest rather than doing God-knows-what at Grey Cup.

But I don’t think I’ll do it again. All the stress hit a breaking point Sunday night when I got hit with a nasty sleepwalking episode.

I’m not 25 anymore. I don’t know how long I can continue to do this.

—-

I’d like to personally thank four people who went out of their way to make sure I could get from Spokane to Calgary Sunday in time for the game:

- Travel agent Tom Bellamy of Carlson Wagonlit Travel

- Pats coach Curtis Hunt, who was afraid I’d get stalled in the U.S. on the biggest travel day of the year, so he was figuring out alternate plans and arrangements for me.

- Sportscaster Peter Watts of CHQR Radio in Calgary, who offered to be waiting for me at the Calgary Airport once I arrived in order to get me to the stadium as quickly as possible.

- And Spokane Chiefs G.M. Tim Speltz who came by my booth Saturday night and offered whatever tips he could since he’s made that milkrun from Spokane to Calgary, through Seattle, a million times.

It’s great to have friends like this.

—-

Some guy wrote in yesterday saying the 2009 Roughriders pulled the province together and I couldn’t agree more.

And the popularity of this team across Canada is positively staggering. It’s a lot of fun being a part of it and I’ve learned it’s not just Saskatchewan’s team anymore.

On my layover in Seattle Sunday morning, there was a young couple sitting across from me. She had a black Rider bunny-hug on.

I asked them where they’re from and she said Edmonton. I said “so why are you a Rider fan?”

She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Later I got up to go to the washroom and asked them if they’d mind watching my stuff.

He said, “you trust us?”

I said “that /=S=/ logo is the international sign of good people. Yes I trust you.”

—-

Have a great week and thanks for reading.
RP

There will be a new Grey Cup champion in 2009.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders ousted the defending champion Calgary Stampeders 27-17 in the West Division Final Sunday in Regina to punch their ticket to the 97th Grey Cup game this Sunday at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

In the West Final, 30,945 fans crammed Mosaic Stadium to watch the Riders and Stamps meet for the fourth time this year. The Riders had two wins and a tie in three regular season games but the playoff tilt got off to a rough start for the Green & White.

Henry Burris led the Stamps to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and they upped their edge to 10-0 early in the second thanks to a Joffrey Reynolds rushing touchdown. However the Riders found a groove and a Chris Getzlaf touchdown and a Luca Congi field goal made the score 10-10 at halftime.

“I told them at halftime they’re 30 minutes away from the Grey Cup,” Rider coach Ken Miller told CKRM just prior to the second half kickoff.

That was all the Riders needed to hear. Saskatchewan’s Jason Armstead returned the second half kickoff 75 yards to the Calgary 19-yard line and four plays later quarterback Darian Durant found Andy Fantuz for a 10-yard pass and the Riders never looked back.

Burris threw three second half interceptions as he failed to rally his team to a comeback.

Game over: Riders 27 Stamps 17

“It’s a great feeling,” said Rider centre Jeremy O’Day. “We can’t wait to get back to work. We have one more win to get. Just listen to this crowd! This is it baby!

The Riders terrorized Burris, sacking him five times in the victory.

“It’s awesome,” said Rider defensive end Stevie Baggs. “They’re a great team. You gotta beat the champs to be the champs. Now we gotta get a win next week. We’re on our way.”

The Riders will meet Montreal in the 97th Grey Cup Sunday at 5:30pm Saskatchewan time in Calgary. The Alouettes advanced with a 56-18 blowout of B.C. in the Eastern Final.

These two teams have never met in the Grey Cup however in 1931, the Montreal Winged Wheelers beat Al Ritchie’s Regina Roughriders 22-0 for the CFL championship.

“Darian was absolutely marvelous in this game,” said Miller. “He’s done things no one thought he could do but us. He’s been great.”

The Riders had precious little time to celebrate as their attention immediately turned to the Alouettes.

“Man we have a tremendous task at hand in Montreal,” said Durant. “Those guys beat us twice this year. They are potent on offense and defense but it’s Grey Cup or bust for us. We’re not satisfied.”

Montreal beat the Riders 43-10 in Week 3 at Regina and 34-25 in Week 8 at Montreal. That’s a combined 42 points.

This time it’s for all the marbles.

The 2009 Grey Cup can be seen on TSN across Canada, and heard on radio across Saskatchewan on 620 CKRM Regina, 600 CJWW Saskatoon and GX94 Yorkton.

Here we go.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in brand new territory.

The Green & White clinched first place in the CFL West for the first time since 1976 Saturday night when they toppled the Calgary Stampeders 30-14 in Regina in a winner-take-all battle for top spot.

On a better-than-average November evening on the prairies, another sellout crowd of 30,945 fans crammed Mosaic Stadium to witness the third and final meeting of the year between the Riders and Stamps. It was a balmy +4 degrees Celsius with a mild south wind at the 6:00 kickoff and right from the get-go, it seemed to be the Riders’ night.

Saskatchewan scored a touchdown on their opening drive when Darian Durant found Chris Getzlaf in the endzone for an early 7-0 advantage. They would hold onto the lead throughout the entire game although the Stampeders threatened at every turn. Saskatchewan kept that 7-0 lead into the second quarter and upped their edge to 21-8 by halftime thanks to a Rob Bagg receiving touchdown, a Luca Congi field goal and a kickoff single by rookie Louie Sakoda.

John Hufnagel’s Stampeders closed the gap to 21-14 entering the fourth quarter however a one yard rushing touchdown by fullback Chris Szarka with 0:47 left to play gave Saskatchewan a 30-14 lead and proved to be the final dagger. The Riders clinched first place for the first time in 33 years, and a much-needed bye into the West Division Final.

“I was three years old the last time this happened!” gushed Rider lineman Gene Makowsky. “Finally! These fans deserve it. But we’re not done yet. We gotta prepare for the biggest game of the season but this is a great feeling. It’s a dream come true. It’s the last thing left I had to accomplish in my career.”

The importance, and relief, of finishing first can not be understated for the Roughriders especially for head coach Ken Miller and quarterback Darian Durant. As coach, Miller is endlessly second-guessed at every turn by the Rider Nation but in the end he came out on top.

“I am just so proud of the men,” Miller smiled. “It was a nail-biter. We jumped out ahead and then they controlled in the third quarter some but we were dynamite on offense late and our defense was consistent throughout the night.”

Miller’s preseason decision to go with the unproven Durant at quarterback turned out to be the right one, as Durant was named team MOP two days prior to the game. Durant became the first quarterback since the great Ron Lancaster to lead the Riders to a first-place finish. Miller is the first coach to do it since John Payne in 1976.

“Man this is huge,” Durant revealed. “To be a part of history and do something that hasn’t been done for a long time, is great. Jeremy (O’Day), Eddie (Davis) and Geno (Makowsky), those guys deserve this so much.”

Durant put up with endless criticism from some corners of the Rider Nation throughout the season, but he shrugged it off and used it as fuel for the fire.

“I feel great,” said Durant. “There were a lot of doubts about me at the beginning of the season and people thought I wasn’t the guy for this team. I’m not an internet guy, but my Mom is and she tells me. When we people say bad things, she tells me and that motivates me.”

Earning a bye into the West Final is new ground for the Riders, and Miller said the coaching staff would take a day off after the game and then plan the strategy ahead. They won’t play again until the WDF on Sunday, November 22 at Mosaic Stadium against the winner of Sunday’s Western Semifinal between Calgary and Edmonton at McMahon Stadium.

“We are off until Wednesday and it’s going to be good for these guys who’ve been battling so hard to have a few days to heal some bumps and bruises,” Miller said.As for Saturday night, it was celebration time for the Riders and their fans. It kicked off with Miller getting the Gatorade shower, and the party went well into the night.

“Oh my goodness, you could just feel it the last few minutes,” reported Rider defensive end John Chick. “It’s pure joy in that locker room right now. But we won’t get too high. We saw things that we have to improve on. Guys have their heads on straight and we’ll be back to work as soon as we can be.”

RIDER NOTES: The Western Final is not yet soldout. Tickets are available at the Rider ticket office, or online at www.riderville.com … Veteran defensive back Eddie Davis missed the last two games with a miniscus tear in his knee, but is expected to be in the lineup for the West Final … Rookie WR Johnny Quinn left the Calgary game with a miniscus tear and the severity of the injury has not yet been determined … The Riders announced their Most Outstanding Player list on the Thursday before the game. They are QB Darian Durant (MVP), OL Gene Makowsky (Lineman), DE John Chick (Defense), LB Jerrell Freeman (Rookie) and KOR/PR Jason Armstead (Special Teams).

Whoops.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ final road game of the 2009 regular season didn’t exactly go according to plan. Quarterback Darian Durant was on the hook for three first quarter turnovers and it set the tone for the day as the Riders were blown out 24-6 in Hamilton Saturday afternoon. That included back-to-back fumbles lost on Saskatchewan’s first two drives and a later first quarter interception. As a matter of fact, the Riders turned the ball over on three of their first nine offensive plays.

Fortunately for the green guys, the loss turned out to be meaningless as they clinched at least second-place later that night with Calgary’s 28-26 win at B.C. setting up a one game showdown for first-place in the CFL West this Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium between the Riders and Stampeders in a 6:00pm CT kickoff (TSN, CKRM Rider Radio Network).

The underlying story in the Hamilton game — a story not publicized by the Riders — was that the club was ravaged by the flu leading up to to the game and they traveled with 48 players in the event of last minute scratches due to illness. Defensive back Lance Frazier was a game day deletion and was replaced by WR Chris Jones on the 42-man active roster. Frazier had been hospitalized the week before due to dehyrdation from the illness. In fact half a dozen players missed practice leading up to the game due to sickness including kicker Luca Congi, who missed field goals from 55 and 50 yards against the Ticats.

“Frankly it didn’t seem like our heart was into it,” said Rider linebacker Mike McCullough, who missed Tuesday’s practice with the flu. “It’s just one of those games where you just want to forget about it the second it’s over. We want to look ahead to Calgary. As long as we’re the team we know we can be, we’ll be okay.”

Durant wasn’t one of the players affected by the flu bug, but he had one his worst offensive showings of the season. He was replaced in the fourth quarter by backup Steven Jyles, but Jyles was unable to rally the club to victory. However Durant will be back under centre for this week’s game against Calgary.

“Well Darian Durant is still the #1 quarterback and certainly I would expect him to play much better,” said Rider coach Ken Miller. “He turned the ball over so ball security is, as always, a major thing. And the other thing is we just have to manage the game better.”

Durant, who may be the leading candidate to win the team’s 2009 MVP honour, saw a silver-lining in the loss.

“We needed a game like that to bring us back down, to show us what we need to do to get better, and to give us something to work towards,” Durant explained.

Mike McCullough doesn’t necessarily agree with that perspective.

“Yes and no,” the Kingston, Ontario product reasoned. “You never want to lose a game. I suppose we can use it as fuel for next game if you want to take some positives out of it but at the same time no one wants to get beat, especially that way.”

Miller admitted the team is concerned about its inability to move the ball along the ground of late and tailback Wes Cates had only 20 yards rushing against Hamilton and 58 yards the week before against the B.C. Lions. However Cates will continue to be the warhorse the rest of the way.

“Really, his load has been monitored pretty closely this year,” Miller said. “His number of carries are down so we feel like he’s ready to carry the load. Wes is a thoroughbred and now’s his time to run.”

RIDER NOTES: Saturday’s game at Mosaic Stadium is not yet a sellout, however only single tickets remain available in most sections … Early in the week, the forecast for the game calls for +8 degrees Celsius and sunny … Clinching homefield in at least the division final means the Riders will host a playoff game for a third straight season which hasn’t happened since the 1970s … A win over the Stampeders Saturday night will ensure first place for Saskatchewan for the first time since 1976 … Defensive back Eddie Davis missed the Hamilton game with a torn miniscus (knee) and likely won’t be back until playoffs … Rider head trainer Ivan Gutfriend confirmed on the weekend SB Weston Dressler (fractured fibula) and punter Jamie Boreham (herniated disc in his neck) will not return this season.

RIDER INSIDER OCT. 26/2009
With the Voice of the Riders
Rod Pedersen

The 2009 Saskatchewan Roughriders are a special football team.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better for excitement after the 44-44 overtime tie in Calgary two weeks ago, the Green & White come out and top it the very next week.

A sellout crowd of 30,945 fans were on at Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon for another first-place showdown as the Riders entertained Wally Buono’s B.C. Lions. B.C. went into Week 17 just one point behind the first-place Riders and Calgary Stampeders for first-place in the CFL West. There was so much intrigue going into Saturday’s game. Calgary beat Edmonton 30-7 the night before meaning the Riders needed a win just to keep pace with 9-6-1 Stamps for first. However a loss to B.C. would mean the Riders would slip to third place for the first time all season. Add to all this fact Casey Printers was making his first start of the year at quarterback for the Lions, and it was almost too much to handle!

It was a cool +4 degrees at kickoff (3:30pm) with a north wind at 9 km/h. It was slow-going at first, as the Lions led 3-0 after the first quarter courtesy of a Paul McCallum field goal. However a pair of touchdowns by the Riders’ Steven Jyles and Rob Bagg and a Luca Congi field goal made it 17-6 Saskatchewan at halftime. A pair of single points from Congi and another field goal gave the Riders a 22-16 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Printers looked sharp all game but he really turned it on in the fourth and his 29-yard touchdown pass with 6:41 to go gave the Lions a 23-22 lead and subsequent interception return for a touchdown by safety Barron Miles gave B.C. a 30-22 advantage. With three minutes to go, Darian Durant was charged with leading the Riders to another comeback. No problem. The Riders drove the field and Durant found rookie WR Johnny Quinn for a 30-yard touchdown strike and the two point convert attempt was good thanks to a Durant endzone toss to Chris Getzlaf. That tied the game at 30-30 and on we went to overtime for a second straight week!

Saskatchewan scored a 29-yard field goal from Congi in the first overtime mini-game and Lions needed a touchdown to win the game. They got to 2nd-and-goal at the Rider eight yard line but Printers was picked off by Rider safety James Patrick to end the game.

Final score: Saskatchewan 33 B.C. 30.

“I’ll tell you what I’m excited and I’m happy,” smiled Rider coach Ken Miller. “There’s not an ounce of quit in this team. They will play till the end and do whatever it takes to get the victory.”

The loss upped the Riders’ record to 9-6-1 and they remain deadlocked in a first-place tie with Calgary while the Lions dropped to 8-8 and sit in third, still a point back of the Riders and Stamps. It was a tough loss for B.C., but they still own the tie-breaker on the Riders if it should come down to that in the end.

“That was two good football teams,” admitted Lions kicker Paul McCallum. “It was good for the fans but unfortunately we didn’t come out on top. Hats off to them. Who knows what’s going to happen the rest of the way? There’s lots of football left so we’ll see what happens. We’ve got two more home games so who knows?”

The Patrick interception touched off a wild celebration amongst the Rider Nation. There isn’t a team in pro sports tied so closely to its fans, and they all basked in the glow of another improbable comeback and victory.

“Thank you Jesus!” yelled Rider running back Wes Cates. “We needed this win and the Lord blessed us with the W. I bet there’s a lot of people who counted us out but if you watched us last week against Calgary, you knew we could do this.”

The hero of the game was Patrick, the sophomore Rider from Stillman College who was not intimidated by Printers’ stature or impressive resume.

“It was a great game, up and down all game,” Patrick observed. “We came out and fought hard. Printers did exactly what we thought he’d do. For him to not to play all season, we knew he was going to run on his second read and he did it a lot.”

RIDER NOTES: The Riders now go on the road to battle Hamilton in a Hallowe’en clash at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday. Marcel Bellefeuille’s Ticats are in a battle in the CFL East, tied with Winnipeg for second-place … The Riders were missing halfbacks Lance Frazier (dehydration) and Eddie Davis (knee) against the Lions but rookies Chris McKenzie and Daniel Francis stepped up big-time in their place … Rider OT Gene Makowsky officially moved past Ron Lancaster in the B.C. game for second-most career games played as a Roughrider at 246 … The Riders’ final game of the season is a home date against Calgary Saturday November 7 at Mosaic Stadium in a 6:00 kickoff. The game will almost assuredly be for first-place in the West. The Riders haven’t finished in first since 1976.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders just got finished with an emotional and scrappy first-place showdown in the CFL West Division and now they have to get ready for another.

38,683 fans poured into Calgary’s McMahon Stadium Saturday afternoon on a beautiful autumn day to watch the 8-6 Riders battle the 8-6 Stampeders with first-place in the CFL West on the line. Henry Burris’s Stampeders scored on their opening two drives in the first quarter and led throughout the entire game with quarter-by-quarter leads of 10-1, 20-18 and 23-18. However the resilient Riders fought back with a last minute touchdown drive and successful two point conversion engineered by quarterback Darian Durant to tie the game at 30-30 and send it to overtime.

Every last fan was on the edge of their seat as the teams continued to slug away at each other like a heavyweight bout. Perhaps the Riders got too aggressive, as Rider DE John Chick got nailed with an unnecessary roughness penalty on Burris with the Stamps in 2nd and long on the first Calgary series. It gave the Stamps an automatic first down and an extra 15 yards. Burris found Rob Cote in the endzone for a touchdown in the first mini-game, but the Riders answered back with a Chris Szarka rushing touchdown, his third of the day.

The Riders were beyond livid at the call on Chick, as Burris had slipped on the turf and referee Kim Murphy deemed Chick’s tackle to be too severe. Saskatchewan composed themselves in time for the second overtime mini-game and Chris Getzlaf caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Durant to make it 44-37 for Saskatchewan. Calgary came back to tie the game when Burris found Brock Ralph in the endzone to make the final score 44-44 and leave the teams deadlocked for first-place with identical 8-6-1 records with three games left to play. The Riders and Stamps will meet in the final game of the regular season Saturday, November 7 in Regina in a 6:00pm kickoff.

“It’s tough when guys go out and play their butts off and leave it all on the field, and then we still gotta earn respect every week,” fumed Rider DB Lance Frazier, referring to the officiating. “We’re just getting tired of having to playing football outside of what we do. You can read into that what you may. But it gives us more drive to get better so it doesn’t come down to plays like that. We still got a few games left to get things right.”

Rider coach Ken Miller was more reserved with his comments upon the team’s return to Regina later that night.

“You know there’s a mandate in the league to protect quarterbacks,” Miller explained. “But from my point of view, John was just trying to make a play and was closer than I think he thought he was to the quarterback so the hit was a little bit harder than maybe what he intended it to be.”

“(The players) are frustrated. But they look ahead as opposed to looking back.”

Indeed they do have to look ahead, as they have the B.C. Lions coming into Mosaic Stadium this Saturday for another first-place showdown at 3:30pm MT (TSN, CKRM Rider Radio Network). With the Lions’ 24-21 comeback win at Winnipeg on Sunday, they have pulled to within a point of the first-place Riders and Stampeders. Should they pull out the road win on Saturday, B.C. could find themselves in first-place if Edmonton’s able to knock off Calgary in this upcoming Week 17.

“We can’t take any team lightly the rest of the way,” reasoned Rider FB Neal Hughes. “Every team’s going to be fighting for their playoff lives.”

RIDER NOTES: Additional temporary seating for the 2009 Grey Cup has pushed McMahon Stadium’s seating capacity to 46,500. In Saturday’s game, the crowd was it’s usual near 50/50 split of Riders and Stamps fans. “There were times in the game where we actually thought we were playing at home,” offered Hughes. “When they were on offense, our fans made as much noise as they could. It was awesome.” … Injured Rider slotback Weston Dressler (fractured fibula) did not make the trip with the Riders as therapist Ivan Gutfriend said Dressler is in no condition to travel. His return for the playoffs is questionable … P Jamie Boreham did make the trip however, as he missed a second straight game with a herniated disc injury in his neck. He is slated to see a specialist and his return date is unknown. For the second straight game, kicker Luca Congi handled all kicking chores and had a 45.0 average on five punts and a 63.3 yard average on seven kickoffs and was 2/3 on field goals … The Riders need to beat B.C. by 15 points or more to win the season series. The Lions are 2-1 against Saskatchewan this year and have outscored them 78-64.