DAYTONA HOMES FRIDAY RODSERVATIONS

OTTAWA — 2:27 AM ET.  What a dog and pony show that was!  The Saskatchewan Roughriders finally made it to their destination of the Nation’s Capital in the wee hours of Friday morning but not without considerable hand-wringing.

Unknownst to the Roughriders, a handful of players and staff were assigned to a flight earlier in the day and by late afternoon we were informed the evening flight to Toronto, then Ottawa, was oversold.  The airline did not inform the Roughriders of the switch.  Some members of the entourage graciously offered to stay behind until Friday morning, ensuring all players on the 46-man roster were able to make it to Ottawa in time for the Friday afternoon walk-through.

I would have given up my seat, however I’ve got a Friday morning meeting at TD Place Stadium to set up the broadcast gear for Saturday’s Rider game against the RedBlacks (5:00 pm, TSN, CKRM Rider Radio Network).  Being a new stadium, it’s not entirely broadcast-ready for the visiting radio crew and we’ve got some kinks to work out.

As it was, a few of us had to fly on stand-by but I was able to dig deep into the bag of tricks in order to secure a spot on the plane.  Fortunately for me it ended up being in first class so I’m not complaining about the airline now!

The plane touched down at 1:40 AM Eastern time and as we awaited our bags, Rider defensive end Ricky Foley posed for a picture with former Canadian Prime Ministers Wilfred Laurier and John A. McDonald (above).  Foley’s American teammates were less impressed, having no idea who the statues depicted.

Regardless we’re here, and it’s time for the weekly observations:

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THE USUAL: The forecast for Saturday’s game calls for a high of 25 degrees Celsius (77 above Fahrenheit) with a 40% chance of showers.   The Riders are favoured by 5.5-points and the over/under has been set at 50 points.

WE TALKIN’ BOUT PRACTICE:  The Roughriders will hold a walk-through at TD Place Stadium early Friday afternoon and then, as you all know, will stay in Ottawa before heading to Winnipeg on Wednesday for their Thursday game against the upstart Blue Bombers.  In between, they’ll practice at a field in Gatineau, PQ.  I’m told 46 players are here for Saturday’s game and then eight or so more will fly in for the practice week.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK #1:  I asked Riders head coach Corey Chamblin what the difference was in cost between staying here in Ottawa all week versus flying home Sunday, then heading to Winnipeg on Wednesday.  “They don’t pay me (to figure out) costs!” Chamblin quipped.  He added, “What’s the cost of winning?”  Rider GM Brendan Taman said had they hired charter aircrafts, the costs would have come out as a wash.

GO REDBLACKS!:  That battle cry came from a passenger on our plane as it touched down in Ottawa.  It was strange to hear, because it’s so new.  The flight attendant wished the Riders well over the aircraft’s sound system, but pointed out he’s an Ottawa product.  While waiting for our bags at the luggage carousel, one local guy shouted, “The Roughriders suck!”  I didn’t feel it was the wisest thing to say around a bunch of tired, hungry football players.  Regardless, the CFL is alive and well in the Nation’s Capital.

A BUDDING RIVALRY:  It’s no secret they don’t like the Saskatchewan Roughriders much around here.  It all stems from us “stealing” their name, and then not allowing the franchise to use it upon their re-entry into the league in 2014.  Heck, even when they didn’t have a team over the past few years, I was getting chirped by their fans on Twitter.  Ottawa reporters have told me their fans refuse to refer to Saskatchewan as the “Roughriders”, and have opted for “the Green Riders” instead.  Which I loathe.  However it’s great to have a built-in rivalry before these two franchises even play a game.

SPEAKING OF RIVALRIES:  I’m still trying to get my head around the story that Calgary Stampeder players Shawn Lemon, Charleston Hughes, Juwan Simpson and Keon Raymond posed for a photo around the motorcycle of Eskimo coach Chris Jones in the Commonwealth Stadium parking lot after their win last week.  Hughes reportedly even put a Stampeders helmet on the bike’s seat.  I can’t imagine the outcry if someone had done that to the Stamps.

BACK TO THE REDBLACKS:  Not many of their players are known to CFL fans yet and a lot of the veterans they do have are injured.  DL Justin Phillips, REC Kierre Johnson and CB Jovon Johnson are among those who won’t play this week due to injury.

A FLIP OF THE COIN:  The RedBlacks are 0-4 on coin tosses this season, and come in with a 1-3 overall record which has them tied for first-place in the CFL’s East Division.  Incidentally the Roughriders are 2-2 on coin tosses and sport a 2-2 overall record.  When they’ve won the game, they won the coin toss at the outset of the match.

HOW ‘BOUT THOSE BOMBERS?:  Any West Division team would have been pulling for Hamilton in the Week 6 lid-lifter against Winnipeg Thursday evening.  However the Blue Bombers eaked out a last-second 27-26 victory to improve to an astounding 5-1.  You can’t tell me anyone predicted this start by Winnipeg in 2014 but hats off to them.  They made the right hires with Wade Miller (President), Kyle Walters (GM), Mike O’Shea (Head Coach) and Danny McManus (Head Scout) so they were respectable before they even opened camp.  I told any Bomber fans who asked that they were getting a franchise quarterback in Drew Willy and he’s let no one down.  However if someone moans to you about Drew not being with the Riders over the next few days, smack them upside the head.  The Riders traded the University of Buffalo product ahead of free agency and he likely would’ve ended up with the Blue Bombers anyway.  He wasn’t coming back to Saskatchewan regardless, because he’d grown tired of being the back-up.

FREE WILLY:  After Thursday’s result, Drew Willy is on pace for 4986 passing yards yet the Blue Bombers don’t have a single receiver on pace for 1000 yards receiving.  That’s ball distribution!  On the defensive side of the ball, first-year coordinator Gary Etcheverry is drawing rave reviews for his schemes but unfortunately he can’t discuss them.  I’m told Mike O’Shea won’t let his assistants speak to the media.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK #2:  This one comes from long-time Rider athletic therapist Ivan Gutfriend when discussing the torrid start of the Blue Bombers.  “If they were in the East they’d have a playoff spot locked up right now,” Ivan smirked.  Of course the weak records of the eastern teams have the deep-thinkers bringing up the possibility of going to one division for playoff seeding.  Commissioner Mark Cohon declined to comment on that scenario when asked by the Winnipeg Sun’s Kirk Penton this week.  Let’s leave it the way it is — the CFL always goes in cycles.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK #3:  This one comes from Ottawa Citizen sports reporter Wayne Scanlan regarding everyone jumping to conclusions so early in the season: “ANCIENT CFL PROVERB:  Real contenders don’t emerge until Labour Day.”

WELCOME ABOARD LAPO:  The newest rising star with TSN has joined the SportsCage.  Paul Lapolice will have the Coach’s Playbook, the radio edition, every Wednesday at 4:10 pm on 620 CKRM.  If your business would like to sponsor the show, drop me a line.

DRESSLER UPDATE:  A guy stopped me at Queen City Ex/Buffalo Days on Wednesday evening and said, “I heard the Chiefs cut Dressler today.  Can you check that out?”  He was a silver-haired man in his 50’s or 60’s who clearly doesn’t have a Twitter account.  A quick search showed that, no, Weston has not been cut or waived.  However the reports from Day 9 of Chiefs camp weren’t entirely favourable regarding Weston’s play.  They said he had too many drops, however he did come up with some nice catches as well.  I had planned to buy NFL Sunday Ticket from Access for the sole purpose of reporting on Chiefs games (and still likely will), but perhaps I’ll hold off until they declare their final roster.  You’ve got to think he’ll at least hold on until the preseason.

SOCIAL MEDIA:  Believe it or not there are people who don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account but they seem to be surviving quite nicely.  Perhaps they’re even happier than us.

BUFFALO DAYS:  Thank goodness the Fair opened on Wednesday which allowed me to take my family for a stroll down the midway and through the exhibits.  I punished myself with two corndogs, a slab of pizza, a wedge of fudge (Reese’s Peanut Butter) and two Root Beer.   Mission accomplished.

ON TO HOCKEY:  Some well-respected hockey people have told me that at least three potential head coaches for the Regina Pats have turned down offers.  However that was clarified by one phone call from one of the Pats owners who emphatically told me on Tuesday, “NO ONE has turned down an offer because we haven’t offered anyone a contract yet!”  Case-in-point: Jim Hiller, who was fired by Tri-City this spring, was approached by the Pats but said he had his sights set on an NHL job.  On Tuesday he was hired as an assistant coach by the Detroit Red Wings.  Does that mean he turned the Pats down?  No.  I’m told the Pats will have their new coach in place by the middle of next week.

BAD MOON ON THE RISE:  Lorne Molleken was spotted having a coffee at the Credit Union Eventplex Tim Hortons this week.  The plot thickens…

THEY DID HIRE SOMEONE:  The BCHL’s Vernon Vipers announced on Thursday that trainer/equipment manager Gord Cochran has left the team to join the Regina Pats in a similar role.  Cochran had been with the Vipers since 2009 and Coach/GM Jason Williamson had nothing but good things to say about him.

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS:  For the first time in 20 years Canada was interested in Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is the Toronto Blue Jays, winners of their last six in a row, stood pat.  TSN baseball analyst Steve Phillips called Thursday “a horrible day for the Blue Jays fans”.

RED SOX OPEN UP TONIGHT:  The Regina Red Sox open the 2014 WMBL playoffs Friday evening with Game 1 of a best-of-five series against the Yorkton Cardinals at Currie Field.  First pitch is 7:05 pm.

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THAT’S ALL! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND
RP
@sportscage