DAYTONA HOMES MONDAY MORNING GOALIE
Welcome to Tampa Bay! The Saskatchewan Roughriders have wrapped up their 2014 free agent camp in Bradenton, Florida and here are some post-camp photos. Enjoy!
Broadcasting the SportsCage live from the IMG Academy in Bradenton with my good friend Dan Plaster on 620 CKRM and Riderville.com. Updated web stats show 2707 viewers watched us online from the Riders’ website. Today’s SportsCage will feature live video streaming as well.
Riders offensive coordinator George Cortez is apparently very popular in this area of the world. This is the main drag.
A random shot of Bradenton…
Folks enjoy the local sports facilities….
A lot of water awaits between Bradenton and Tampa Bay…
The home of the Tampa Bay Rays. We could’ve stopped in for the Rays and Rangers but Hogan’s Beach Bar awaits…
Entering Tampa Bay. It took an hour to move a mile.
We’re back!!! I never thought I’d get to Florida but we’ve been here twice in the past five months. They were happy to see us…
The Mouth of the South is in attendance…
That’s where we’ll broadcast Monday’s SportsCage live on 620 CKRM. Those who were on our SportsCage Marlin Travel Ultimate Sports Trip III will remember this spot from December.
Hogan’s is rockin’….
What can I say? Dan Plaster’s right arm makes a cameo in this pic…
JUST NOTES:
– ONE MORE DAY: It’s our last day in Florida. Many of the Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches and staff actually headed back to Regina right after Sunday morning’s workout. All agree the 2014 free agent camp was incredibly successful. Head coach Corey Chamblin feels this is the best group of talent assembled at a rookie camp since he’s been with the team. He joked that the scouting and management must be getting better. You’re likely excited to see them for yourself at training camp in Saskatoon but as yet, no one knows how many of these players will be invited.
– ROLLING WITH THE CHAMPS: One thing that was very evident to me is that the rookies, almost entirely American, were very much aware of the fact the Saskatchewan Roughriders are defending Grey Cup champions. Just about everyone of the players brought it up in our visits and you got the sense they didn’t want to let the team down. It means a lot. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in here next weekend and when the recruits ask how they did last year, the Bombers will have to say, “We finished in last place”.
And this may not surprise you but the staff at IMG Academy in Bradenton said four CFL teams use their facility but the Riders are the only team which has fans show up! They’re certainly the only team which has their radio crew come and broadcast live as well. The Riders continue to be a big deal and are getting bigger.
As a matter of fact somebody asked if I ever imagined during my first season with the Riders in 1999 that I’d be broadcasting from these facilities in this beautiful state one day. I admitted the notion never even crossed my mind. In my wildest dreams a weekend like this was unimaginable. It just goes to show you never know what your future has in store for you.
– RIDER COACHING MOVES: When the Roughriders announced their coaching staff for 2014, two names from last year’s Grey Cup team were missing. Special teams assistant Cory McDiarmid and secondary assistant Richard Kent are not back with the Roughriders. McDiarmid, I’m told, has joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers staff.
– DIFFERENT WILDLIFE: On our drive out to Melville to broadcast Wednesday’s SportsCage from the Millionaires game, passenger Curtis Hunt was amazed to see Buffalo roaming the plans. 24 hours later I was in a rental car in Florida driving past alligators and geckos. It’s crazy. Rider defensive line coach Todd Howard said during the mini-camp he kept looking under his car for snakes after all of his years living in Jacksonville, FL. He said “big ‘ol poisonous” snakes would lurk under cars and bite your ankles from time to time. It’s amazing the things you learn.
– SIMON SAYS: I was on the air with Michael Ball on the Wolf 104.9 FM in Regina this morning and he said that Geroy Simon told him on the weekend he plans to be the oldest player in CFL history to have a 1000-yard season. I say hey, why not?
– SPORTSCAGE ULTIMATE SPORTS TRIP IV?: The notion’s been tossed around that perhaps a spring Marlin Travel sports trip to his area should be offered. You could easily catch the Tampa Bay Rays and Lightning, and coincide it with the Roughrider free agent camp. Does that sound interesting?
– DITCHED!: Some of our favourite sports figures down here had to decline our invitation to join at Hogan’s Beach Bar. Rouleau, SK’s Keith Aulie of the Tampa Bay Lightning had to attend a birthday party for teammate Valtteri Filppula while former Roughrider lineman Dan Goodspeed spent Sunday recovering from the retirement party for NFL cornerback Ronde Barber. They were teammates on the Buccaneers. The nerve!
– JOSE CAN YOU SEE?: What are the reports on Jose Canseco’s speech at the Regina Red Sox dinner on Saturday? I’ve received nothing but outstanding reports on the job he did, along with hosts Mitchell Blair and Lee Jones. Did any of you readers go?
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THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY! We’ll be on the air one last time from Florida today at 4:00 pm on 620 CKRM and there will be a live videostream at Riderville.com. Also check out the Riders’ official website today for a camp recap with Dan Plaster and me.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK,
RP
@sportscage
Put me down for the Marlin Travel spring trip. I would love to see that place.
Scruffy and Jonesy did a great job with Canseco. He hit a homer! Your wife seemed impressed with him.
Great shows this weekend. I heard a lot of Fridays and part of Saturdays before going to RS dinner.
So Rod, has Ryan Smith heard the legend of Weston Dressler?
He is very much aware of Weston yes.
Game 1 of the Yorkton-Melville final is on Friday here in Yorkton. You guys should bring the Cage for the occasion!
Gunderson
Red Sox dinner (with Jose Canseco and Jon Ryan) was great. I thought Jose answered honestly and wasn't ashamed to have "spilled it all" in his book. I felt a little sorry for Jose when Jon outbid him for the opportunity to have them sit at table for the evening. Oh well we must support our local talent!!
Go Terriers Go!
Bob Nixon
Terriers win in 6!
Bill W
City is Tampa, Tampa Bay is the name of the bay.
Go to Scruffy's Blog and the picture of Scruff with Jose. If Jose would have got ahold of Mitch in the early 90s, and put him on 'roids my goodness.
Also I think Scruffy's Blog would do much better hit wise if he just rolled it into this Blog as an opinion piece i.e., Jim Lang, Ardith, etc.
Also it is ridiculous to even consider the thought of Jose Canseco as a Hall of Fame player. This guy was essentially Dave Kingman or Kurt Belavaqua at about 50 lbs heavier.
If you ever want to wonder did steroids affect career and what would be would be? If that's what Canseco is peddling he is completely full of garbage. Jose Canseco off the juice could do absolutely nothing on a baseball diamond. He was a liability in the O.F., and you couldn't put him at 1B as he can't field a ground ball. Occassionally he had the bat speed to pound a ball 600 ft. That's great, but insignificant because he wasn't a situational hitter. There has to be a statistic that shows the majority of his Home Runs came in… Read more »
Hmmm. Sounds like something BLOWBAMA would say.
Could it be, could it ? why yes it is.
Shut up Obama!!!!!!!
Canseco the man, my Atari game console says so. Jose Jose Jose.
Obama sitting on his roids.
Hey Rod you forgot to mention the King's big win last night too. George Strait adds to his huge trophy case and cements his place as the greatest of all time.
Once again reading these anti-Obama comments leaves me with a most distasteful feeling. The original comment weather I agree or not was an opinion and worthy of my read. The follow-up Anti-Obama comments are nothing more than Internet Bullying and waste my precious internet time. Stop being a bully. If you think Obama's comments are not worthy of a read move on and stop the attack.
Obama is just as much of a bully as anyone else on here!
Think about the way he presents himself on here he comes across as a bit of a bully himself & condescending so that goes both ways.
Hi, You are all wrong as I am not a Bully on this Blog. Not in the least. I'm a Truth Teller, but by OHS definition before you defined bullying, you have to define what it is not. Not bullying listThis incidents on this list are NOT considered bullying: Not liking someone – I don't like any of you, and that is not bullying. Being excluded – I outright refuse to prescribe to the group think mentality on this Blog. ALL things are good or ALL things are bad. Sorry, but I don't buy that so I exclude many of… Read more »
You just don't get it…..comments like Blowbamma, are personal attacks….is that necessary…..what I read above is an opinion about Canseco's use of Steroids,its someone's thoughts on Canseco, his carear and right to HOF entry…..how can you read that as a Bullying attack….the personal attacks are not necessary. If you have a contribution to the discussion, I am going to read it especially if it is Rider Related,I may just read your thoughts and I may even add to the discussion, but a personal attack is nothing more than Bullying……and for what it is worth I cannot remember Obama ever making… Read more »
Pfft…….Almost sorry I took exception to the Blowbama type comments…..lets all be nice to one another and go home……I come here to Read fans thoughts on the Riders…..nothing more and nothing less……anything else is a waste of my time.
A truth teller. Riiiight. Stop trying to tell everyone you are the only one that knows what is right! That's an insult to others integrity. Which leads to the insults. You are not always right and you know it!
GWB