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10 GAME DAY NOTES & QUOTES and COATS FOR KIDS

1 – IT’S GONNA BE A WAR:  The 9-4 Saskatchewan Roughriders host the 11-2 Calgary Stampeders tonight at 8:00 (TSN, CKRM).  Glad we have the Mounties are our side!!  That goes along with being Canada’s Team.  Regardless, the Stampeders are now 4.5-point favourites for the game and the forecast calls for a few clouds and +1 degree.  At least there shouldn’t be much wind, unlike Thursday.

2 – ALWAYS GET THEIR MAN: It was a distinct honour to deliver the Reply from the Roughriders at Wednesday’s 2nd Annual RCMP Rough Rider to Roughrider Regimental Dinner at Depot.  Particularly since there were tons of current and former Rider players there along with high-ranking staff.  Last year’s dinner had 100 patrons and this year it was upped to 350, all to raise money for the RCMP Heritage Centre.  It was an evening filled with tradition and revelry as we celebrate two of Canada’s most iconic institutions: the RCMP and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  In 140+ years of the RCMP’s existence, and 104 years of our own, the past two years are the only two times in history the two groups have sat down together.  Incredible!

3 – DOEGE TIME:  Are you surprised the Stampeders are only 4.5-point favourites for tonight’s West Division collision at Mosaic Stadium?  I am, considering Rider quarterback Seth Doege is making his first pro start.  Remember, he spent 2013 with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons but never saw the field.  He even watched last year’s Grey Cup on the NBC Sports Network but never dreamt he’d be starting for Saskatchewan within a year.  I expect he’ll tear it up tonight, and am predicting an upset of the Stampeders who seem to have their own set of internal problems.

4 – QUOTE OF THE WEEK 1:  “It’s the best place to play football in Canada!” smiled Calgary quarterback Drew Tate when asked about taking the field in Regina tonight.  However his quote from earlier in the week regarding Calgary’s struggles on offense, and placing the blame on offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson, is one they’d rather forget.  Tate’s not a bad guy.  He’s just a little aloof and spacy.  However he can get the job done, as evidenced by his late heroics in the 2012 WSF when the Stamps beat the Riders at McMahon Stadium.

5 – QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2: ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd on New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s truculence with the Boston media regarding their implosion on Monday Night Football: “Bill Belichick makes Bobby Knight and Gregg Poppovich look like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld.  I just don’t get why you have to act like that.  I’d be embarrassed if my son talked like that in 30 years”.  I truly feel sorry for the Boston media.  Belichick may be the biggest jerk to deal with in sports.

6 – IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING:  The Roughriders, since 2012 under Corey Chamblin, are 26-16 with Darian Durant at quarterback.  However in his absence, they are 2-5.  That tells you why Saskatchewan made Darian one of the top three highest-paid quarterbacks in the CFL this off-season and he’s easily the highest-paid Roughrider of all-time.  We expect he’ll win a second Grey Cup – maybe even this year – to cinch his place as the greatest Roughrider pivot of all-time, but of course we’ll never forget Ronnie.

7 – GOOD NEWS:  A snippet from this week’s CFL Game Notes – “A Saskatchewan win combined with Winnipeg or Toronto losses this week creates a virtural assurance of a playoff spot for the Riders”.  This all comes with four games remaining after this one and Durant possibly set to return by Game 17.  This season is going to have an amazing ending.

8 – WE’RE GOING STREAKING:  Notes from across the CFL ….. There have been 73 Coach’s Challenges this season via video replay and 20 have been successful.  What’s that say about CFL officiating?  It says almost a third of their calls are wrong …… There are an average of just 37.1 first downs per game this season which is the lowest in the CFL since 1980 ….. Week 14 featured just six offensive touchdowns and 94 points scored which is the lowest since 1974 … BC’s Paul McCallum enters Saturday’s game in Hamilton just 21 points away from becoming the CFL’s #2 all-time scorer.  Saturday night he’ll also move into a tie with Miles Gorrell for #5 on the all-time games-played list ….. The Riders were 8-5 after 13 games last year and 7-6 in the 2012 season … The Stampeders have won nine of the past 11 games against the Riders but have lost in their last two trips to Mosaic Stadium.

9 – THE ANNUAL RANT: The Imagine Dragons were named as the halftime act for the 2014 Grey Cup in Vancouver.  They’re decent.  In fact I didn’t know they were the ones who sang Radioactive.  But they’re from Las Vegas which means they’re imports, not non-imports.  Why am I one of the few who feels the Grey Cup halftime act should be CANADIAN??  Goodness knows we have enough talent from this country, even if we have to recycle Shania Twain or Bryan Adams.  How about dusting off Alannis Morrissette, or an Avril Lavigne/Nickelback collaboration?  It’s a travesty Celine Dion has never sang at a Montreal Grey Cup.  Let’s get with it!!!!!!


10 – PATCHAT:  What a spotty schedule for the Regina Pats so far in 2014-15.  They’ve played four games (2-2) but have only played at home once and that was on Sept. 20.  However they’re home Saturday to Prince Albert and Sunday to Red Deer and the MMG plans to take in both games ….. Strange comment from Pats coach John Paddock on Thursday regarding goaltender Tyler Brown who’s been called up from the Winnipeg Blues to replace Tyler Fuhr who’s left the team for person reasons.  Paddock said he didn’t remember Brown in training camp!  At least he’s honest … The Queen City Kids enter the weekend in a four-way tie for second-place in the WHL East while the Wheat Kings (4-0) are on top and the Blades (0-4) are on the bottom.

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COATS FOR KIDS:  One last note — please stop in at a department store or somewhere today and pick up a new coat or two for Geroy Simon’s Coats For Kids effort.  Last year 14,000 coats were collected thanks to Geroy and the Huddle Up Foundation but they weren’t enough and that’s just for Regina and area!  I picked up three at Walmart on Thursday and they ranged in price from $30 to $69.  It will make you feel real good to help out a local youngster whose family can’t afford a good winter jacket.  There will be clearly-marked drop-off points at tonight’s game.  THANKS!

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ENJOY THE GAME AND DRESS WARM
RP
@sportscage