Welcome to the start of the long weekend!
- A hearty thank you to Bruce Rogers of the Conexus Credit Union South Branch for inviting us to the Rotary Club Dinner 2010 featuring keynote speaker Rider GM Brendan Taman Thursday night. Wouldn’t you know it, out of 350 people, I’d be the only guy there in jeans. Hey it’s 2010! I thought you could wear jeans to anything? Apparently not. Does it matter that they’re True Religion?
- Said Rider President Jim Hopson, “Thanks for dressing up Rod”. Taman jumped in as well saying “I had a scoop for you but you’re not dressed well enough for it!”
- Turns out Brendan had a couple scoops including the fact SB Weston Dressler won’t be ready to start training camp in 17 days. He WILL be ready for Week 1 though. And the club will be signing two QBs in the next little bit but one won’t be Kerry Joseph. Quotes from Brendan’s speech are at the bottom of the post.
- We’re almost a week into The Sports Cage on 620 CKRM, my new late day talkshow. Any initial comments on it? Here are some things I took away from the first week:
• Kelly Hrudey told us Monday his wife is a Rider fan from Coronach, Sask. How hot do you think she is? I say that not just because she’s a good Sask girl, but also because Hrudey makes women’s hearts flutter from coast to coast. I’m sure he got his pick of the litter.
• Stampeders lineman Dan Comiskey is all for a new stadium in Regina. “Just build the stands as far away from the visitors’ sidelines as possible,” Commy quipped.
• CFL Director of Officiating Tom Higgins has advice for members of the Rider Pep Band still mad that Damon Allen got them flagged for excessive noise 15 years ago. “My advice to you would be to get over it!” Tom said in the Sports Cage Wednesday.
• CJME talkhost Drew Remenda called to congratulate me on the new show. It was unexpected, but incredibly classy.
• Some TSN talent is charging for radio appearances. I don’t blame them one bit.
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Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel has interviewed for head coaching jobs in Atlanta and Columbus. Curtis Hunt’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement if he leaves Winnipeg.
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Chad Lang met with Pats President Brent Parker on Monday regarding the club’s GM position. I also heard Chad’s been offered a great opportunity OUTSIDE of hockey. The plot thickens.
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A name which has surfaced in connection to the Pats’ job as well as the Edmonton Oil Kings’ vacant head coaching job; Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Perry Pearn.
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The Edmonton Oilers have named their new AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City the “Barons”.
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Anybody want to buy an autographed Jordan Eberle Oilers #14 jersey? I’ll give it to you for a bargain of $800. What was I thinking buying that thing last week at Ken Goff Boxing?
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Pats forward Garrett Mitchell told us yesterday Jordan Eberle had a rash on his arm this season and called it his “Arash Madani” (named after the Sportsnet reporter).
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I’ll miss Bryan Hall as Voice of the Eskimos this season. CKRM ran his voice on a Tony Roma’s commercial yesterday and it brought back a flood of memories.
But his replacement, Morley Scott at 630 CHED, will be excellent. We spent 40 minutes on the phone Wednesday going over things.
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Taman was refreshing in his speech last night and the emcee, Leader Post publisher Marty Klyne, was smooth as silk.
“Brendan has a string of leaving teams just before they went to the Grey Cup,” Klyne mused. “It happened twice in Saskatchewan and once in BC. We’re stopping the string here. Fat chance Winnipeg will go to the Grey Cup this year!”
Brendan was open, honest and downright funny in his address. Here are some notes and quotes:
• “(Rams assistant coach) Larry Mueller got me into this speaking job. Thanks a lot Larry. Jerk!”
“I honestly could not stand Winnipeg growing up in Saskatoon. When I was young I hated the Bombers. I hated Cal Murphy and I even hated their colours. When I was there I hated the colours. I tried to get them changed but it didn’t work. But it was a real honour to be replaced by Mike Kelly.”
• Lost three Grey Cups. 2001 (Winnipeg), 2007 (Winnipeg), 2009 (Saskatchewan).
• “They tried to blame me for being the 13th Man but it didn’t stick!”
• 2008 Labour Day Game – went to the game with Charles Roberts. His pregame meal was a Red Bull and a Snickers bar. Two days later they traded him to B.C.
• Dexter Manley signed his contract in Ottawa three different ways (3 different signatures). He didn’t know how to read or write. He was Loni Glieberman’s favourite player, and that’s why they signed him.
• “When Troy Westwood started calling down Saskatchewan people, that was crossing the line for me 
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• “One of the best trades we ever pulled off in Winnipeg was for Kevin Glenn. Danny Barrett told us he wasn’t available so I got Adam Rita to get him to Toronto and then we sent a first round pick to the Argos for Kevin. I saw Danny a week later and said ‘I thought Kevin wasn’t available’. Danny said ‘he wasn’t’. I said, ‘yes he was. He’s playing for our team now.’”
• “Walking out onto the field against the Riders in the Grey Cup in 07, Doug Berry turned to me and said ‘Looks like we’re the road team’ and I said ‘Yep.’”
• “We’re not guaranteed of being in the Grey Cup again. But by far we have the greatest coaching staff in the league. Ken Miller is a fantastic human being and a fantastic football coach.”
• “I want to thank you for your support and it’s a huge advantage for us. I’ve been in places where we didn’t have that. You ARE a factor for the Roughriders.”
• “Weston Dressler will be held out of the start of training camp but he’ll be ready for Week 1.”
• “The ratio number will not change. Don’t worry about that too much”.
• “QBs are a popular topic! We’re going to have two guys come up to Regina soon. Kerry Joseph won’t be one of them. Darian’s our guy. Specific names we don’t have yet.”
• “I don’t expect to get John Chick (Colts) back. Rey Williams (Steelers) is hit and miss. Stevie Baggs (Cardinals) is a free agent if he gets cut that could be tough to get him.”
• “Talks are going on about the new stadium. I’m just a football guy. I want to present a Grey Cup in the old stadium first.”
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Former Milestonian Dave Wilson spoke on behalf of the Rotary Club after B.T.’s address. The interesting note about him is at the 1991 Plaza of Honour Dinner, a bunch of us from Milestone came in in a van with a designated driver and Dave was with us.
John Gregory went into the Plaza that year. Afterwards we went to Checkers for awhile, and then got in the van and went home. Trouble is we left Dave in the bathroom at Checkers!
Last night he informed me he walked home. I was stunned thinking about the 30 mile venture, then he laughed and said he had moved into Regina six months later and his house was a 10-minute walk away!
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Today’s Press Box Friday Lunch Buffet:
BUILD YOUR OWN BURGERS!!
