DAYTONA HOMES: FRIDAY RODSERVATIONS

ODDS ‘N ENDS

* First, a book review.  The new book by Vancouver sports writer Ed Willes, End Zones & Border Wars; The Era of American Expansion in the CFL, is a MUST for the CFL fan on your Christmas list.  I read it cover-to-cover on our trip to Florida and it literally had me roaring with laughter and gasping for air!

You feel like you’re right there alongside Ron Meyer and Jeff Reinebold cruising The Strip in Las Vegas, missing the start of Posse practice because they got hot at the roulette tables.  Or you’re right there with the Pirates players in Shreveport, sharing their dorms with circus animals who performed on the same fairgrounds as the local CFL team thanks to the Gliebermans.  Or, you feel like you’re right in the heart of Baltimore as Jim Speros, Jim Popp and Don Mathews re-instill football pride in a heartbroken city.

Author Ed Willes’s trademark sneer and dry wit is evident throughout the book as you’re reading but you don’t need to know him to find these stories hilarious and side-splitting.  It’s a shame the CFL tries to bury the memory of US expansion but after reading this book and re-living the raucous stories, you can see why!

If you don’t know what to get that special CFL fan for Christmas, pick up a copy of Ed’s book at your local bookstore or order it at Amazon.com.

* Next up; Darrell Davis’s Fire On Ice.  I’ve got plenty of reading to do on three weeks’ vacation which begins on Monday.

* That’s the precise day of the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft for the Ottawa RedBlacks.  What an interesting scenario this has become just days away from the selection process.  Sportsnet’s Arash Madani said on the SportsCage on Thursday that the approach of the other eight teams towards the draft is “short-sighted”.  That is, that they’ve all colluded to screw over the new Ottawa team by leaving a hundred or so free agents dangling in the wind.  In the end the RedBlacks will get a decent team but not as good as the CFL would have liked.  Arash feels it’s better for all these teams in the end if Ottawa is good from the get-go, but if they’re birth is stunted, the franchise could be shortlived again.

* Regarding the collusion of the other CFL teams, I get what Madani is saying but I also understand what the coaches and GMs are doing.  Would you bend over to help your competitor when your job is on the line every day?  Not likely.

* The two players the Riders lost in the 2002 CFL Expansion Draft to Ottawa were Shawn Gallant and Troy Asbell.  They also lost a second round pick to Renegades GM Eric Tillman.  I recall at the time that Gallant, a Western Kentucky product, was furious that the Riders left him unprotected but he quickly grew to like Ottawa and was a key member of their team.  Asbell just wanted a chance to play and he wasn’t getting it here.  I have no idea who the second round pick turned out to be.

* One thing I’ve noticed about everyone’s Protected List for the Riders; Mike McCullough isn’t on any of them.  Does the 11-year veteran get snatched up by the RedBlacks?  If they’re smart, they will.  Michael’s future with the Roughriders is very much up in the air.

* More CFL scuttlebutt from Madani: Mike Gibson will be the RedBlacks’ first-ever offensive coordinator while Mark Nelson will be named their defensive coordinator.  Also new Edmonton Eskimos head coach Chris Jones is in talks with two Rider assistant coaches to join his staff.  They are Bob Wylie (offensive line) and Craig Dickenson (special teams).

* Meanwhile in BC the Lions are down to four candidates for their vacant offensive coordinator position.  Two of them are known: Khari Jones, who was the Riders’ QB coach last year and Doug Sams, who was Edmonton’s offensive coordinator last season.

* The Winnipeg Sun’s Kirk Penton says it’s likely Rich Stubler will be named the defensive coordinator for Mike O’Shea’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  Stubler was canned from that position in BC last weekend.  There are reports Stubler has had discussions with the Calgary Stampeders as well.

* Touch wood, the Roughriders coaching staff has remained intact so far.  Madani further reported that he expects offensive coordinator George Cortez will remain with the team despite only agreeing to a one-year contract for 2013.  However many expect some assistants to be on the move like: Khari Jones (BC or Winnipeg), Jason Tucker (Edmonton) and/or Barron Miles (BC).  Don’t forget special teams coordinator Bob Dyce is a son of Winnipeg and might be looking for a return to the Bombers.

* Speaking of Rider coaches, I spent a good deal of time with former Rider offensive lineman and offensive line coach Dan Goodspeed down in Tampa Bay last weekend.  In typical Goodspeed fashion, he harbours no ill will towards the Riders for not bringing him back as an assistant coach for 2013.  “That’s football,” Goodspeed shrugged.  “It happens”.  Dan and his college roommate started a business in Florida three months ago and it’s been mind-bogglingly successful.  While he’s received some offers to coach, it would be difficult to see Dan getting back into football.  But never say never.

* While reading CFL news articles online last weekend in Tampa Bay, I noticed in Hamilton they’re scoffing at my rumour that Henry Burris is done with the Ticats.  Hmmmm.  I seem to remember them scoffing when I reported Kent Austin would be taking over the Tiger-Cats as well.  Oh well.

* I’ve learned which NFL team Weston Dressler is talking with.  And let me tell you these are significant talks which explain why it’s taking so long to get the details arranged.  It’s more than just a piddly tryout agreement.  It’s a contract with, likely, a healthy bonus.  I’d dearly love to report which team it is but more importantly, I don’t want to screw it up for Dressler.  So just sit tight – the news should be coming out once the Dressler camp is ready.

* Last night at Duane Wolbaum’s Christmas Party in White City, I spoke at length with a Rider alumnus from the 1989 Grey Cup team.  We discussed Dressler and how some Rider fans will be upset at him if he leaves for the NFL or another CFL team.  “They don’t understand,” the ex-player said.  “He’s just looking after himself.  These are the same people that are working at Sobey’s but if Safeway offered them a dollar-an-hour more, they’d be gone in a second.”

Had to laugh at that one.  So true.

* That ex-Rider also said he’d hate to have Brendan Taman’s job right now.  It’s not like building the 2013 Grey Cup champion Roughrider was easy, but it will be a nearly impossible task to keep them together and remain at-or-near the salary cap in 2014.  Plus they’re expected to be a contender again.  Everyone wants a raise after the Grey Cup victory and there are 19 free agents.

* It has finally sunk in that the Roughriders are Grey Cup champions.  A few things led to that delayed revelation for me but mostly it was spending a week in Tampa and having the locals ask who the Canadian Football League champions were this year.  It was nice to say, “We are”.

* One last thing on Tampa Bay: it was amazing to see that city’s love affair with long-time Buccaneers radio play-by-play man Gene Deckerhoff.  The stadium has his sayings painted all around the facade like his trademark, “TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!” or his favourites, “Fire the Cannons!“, “Ready the Crew!” and “Hoist the Flag!”.   What a legend.

* One thing you’ll learn from reading Ed Willes’s CFL book is that the league might not be alive if not for Tim Hortons.  In the 1990s, the donut shop chain was writing six-figure cheques to the CFL to keep it alive.  AMAZING!  I’ve become more of a Tim Hortons guy now.  They sponsor everything in sports in this country.  Starbucks doesn’t do squat for anybody but themselves.

* Tweet of the Week: It comes from Kelowna Rockets broadcaster Regan Bartel: “@ReganRant: Comparing old Moose Jaw Civic Centre to state of the art Mosaic Place is like driving a 60’s Pinto and now getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari”

The Warriors truly went from worst-to-first in terms of arenas.  At least, in the Eastern Conference they did.  The Spokane Arena is still #1 for me in the Dub.

* The Kelowna Rockets will make a stop in the Queen City Saturday night to take on the Regina Pats.  Kelowna is the #1 team in the WHL.  I’ll have the call on Access 7 television but at this point  I have no idea who my colour commentator will be.  The Pats are rotating a different alumni in there each game.

* The Kamloops Blazers’ visit to Regina this week (a 3-2 Blazers’ shootout victory on Wednesday) had alumni of both teams recalling a January of 2006 game in the Brandt Centre between these two.  A six-on-six brawl erupted featuring goaltenders Devan Dubnyk and David Reekie and it’s all captured on YouTube if you search “Kamloops Regina Brawl”.  I can’t believe what came out of my mouth while calling that donnybrook.  It was like WWF in the 1980s.  I sounded like “Jimmy Hart”.  Those were the days.

SOME PHOTOS

Rider equipment man Michael MacNeil with Justin Durant of the Dallas Cowboys in Chicago last weekend.  Justin is, of course, Darian Durant’s brother.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina looking less-than-enthused wearing a Rider jersey in City Hall this week.  Looks good on ya Bob!!
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THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY.  HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
RP
@sportscage