DAYTONA HOMES MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

10 MONDAY QUICK HITS

1 – THAT WOKE ‘EM UP:  Saturday’s Roughrider game in Toronto was a heckuva lot of fun however unfortunately for the road team, they got embarrassed 48-15 evening both teams’ records at 1-1.  It was fun because it was a perfect day for football with a temperature up near 30 degrees and the Rogers Centre roof was open.  The Argonauts have always put on a good game day presentation so that was a bonus, including a wonderful halftime show by country artist Brett Kissel.

The game itself left little to be desired unless you’re an Argonauts fan.  Toronto’s Ricky Ray put on a clinic, having a career day (407 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs), and clearly won the quarterback showdown we were discussing before the game.  At halftime, with Toronto leading 17-1, Ricky Ray had a quarterback efficiency rating of 135 while Darian Durant’s was 15.7!

This devastating loss will wake up both the Roughriders and the Rider Nation.  Their Week 1 triumph over Hamilton solicited only 38 comments in the Mosaic Place Recap blog story while this Week 2 blowout against the Argos has 77 comments and counting.  Or, more than double.  Such is the way of the Regina sports fan — they’re happy being miserable more often than not.

2 – AN “ANOMALY”: The definition of an anomaly is “something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected”.  That’s exactly the term used by a CFL scout when we dissected the game at the Hooters near the Toronto Airport Saturday evening.  “The Riders were an anomaly today,” he said.

It wasn’t expected and it certainly isn’t the standard.  The scout went on to rip more Roughrider players than he didn’t, saying, “So-and-so did nothing, blankety-blank didn’t show up“.  I won’t betray the scout nor the players in question by filling in the blanks but you saw the game.

For the most part, the Riders played awfully.  One of the few bright spots was John Chick, whose five tackles were second-most on the team and he had one of their two sacks.  He said after the game the Argos were “more ready” than the Riders were.  OUCH!  That’s the cardinal sin in sports;  Lack of mental preparation.  However that was the culprit on this day.

Now the Riders face the winless B.C. Lions in Regina this Saturday at 7:30 pm as they try to get back on track.  That one should be a dandy.

3 – “WHAT WAS I THINKIN’?”:  That’s the title of one of the most popular songs by country star Dierks Bentley but unfortunately we won’t be able to see him perform the tune at the Craven Country Jamboree this Saturday night.  That’s because the Rider game kicks off just before.  Oh well!  You can’t have it all.

We’ve begged Roughriders President Jim Hopson to deliver with summer home games being played under the lights so when we finally get one, we can’t bitch.  Can we?  In the early 90’s (back when I was a teenaged or early 20’s Rider fan with no media allegiance to the team) we used to come in from Craven to watch the game and return from Taylor Field afterwards.  Sometimes the entrance gates would be closed upon our return so we’d unfold a lawn chair, crack a beer and make new friends in the vehicle lineup while we sang along to Garth Brooks’ albums No Fences or Ropin’ The Wind.

Let’s suck it up and stop complaining.  The late kickoff time is likely for TV purposes anyway.

4 – THE MONCTON ARGONAUTS:  There are plenty more worthwhile things to argue about including the fact the CFL is fading into oblivion in Canada’s largest city.  Hooo boy, we could on and on about this for awhile.  I’ll try to keep it short.

The attendance at Rogers Centre on Saturday was 17,758 and while many Argo apologists referred to that as “not bad”, it certainly wasn’t good.  And of course if it wasn’t for the Rider Nation, there would have been less than 10,000 on hand.  Music festivals, road construction, blah, blah, blah were all blamed for the low attendance.

At least the Argonauts didn’t outdraw the Roughriders for their home-opener, however they were only 2,000 behind.  That’s a topic for another time.

So the evening before the game, I met a nice couple from Buffalo, NY in an Italian restaurant called Kit Kat.  They saw my Grey Cup ring and started up a conversation.  Of course, with Americans, those discussions always begin with Doug Flutie.  Regardless, these folks – both Buffalo Bills season ticket holders – were up for the weekend and staying just a few blocks from Rogers Centre.  However they had absolutely no idea the Argonauts were playing at home that weekend.  When I told them the game details, they jumped on it.  The cheapest tickets can be had for $37 while the most-expensive are $106.  I’m not sure which they chose.

But the fact these tourists didn’t even know there was a CFL game on during their stay is the quintessential example of dropping the ball.  That’s the essence of marketing; making people aware of your product.  I learned that during my studies at the School of Hard Knocks.  If you’re a sports team and people don’t know when you’re playing at home, how are they supposed to come to your games?

Now, I don’t blame the Argonauts marketing staff nor the Toronto media.  The Argos threw their hands up in the air long ago when it comes to marketing their team.  They won a Grey Cup and Torontonians still didn’t care.  TSN’s Sportscentre had CFL stories running as the #2 item behind Wimbledon all weekend.  If you didn’t know the Argos were playing at home last weekend, you likely weren’t paying attention.

And therefore, I blame Torontonians.  Sunday was a slow day on Twitter so I fired up the notion, along with @FakeGainer, that the Argos should be moved to Moncton.  Well that got people in Toronto all fired up, not the least of which are long-time Toronto football reporters Dan Ralph of the Canadian Press and Mike Hogan, the Voice of the Argos on TSN Radio.

Hogan wrote on Twitter, “Yep, move ’em.  Should have moved the Riders there in the late 80’s too.  Smh”.  (Shake my head)

Of course we all know that’s an Apples and Oranges discussion and I don’t have it in me to argue with Hogan at my advanced age.  We would have won that argument without even breaking a sweat but for now, we’ll let it die.  Comparing the Riders to the Argos is like comparing Jenny McCarthy to her cousin Melissa.

And that’s exactly what’s happening to the Toronto Argonauts.  They’re dying.  The once proud franchise – the oldest pro football team in North America – is withering up like a weed right before our very eyes.  You can blame the traffic or whatever you want all day long.  However the Blue Jays, Raptors, Maple Leafs and Toronto FC all play downtown and nobody complains about going to those games.  It’s like people griping about Sask Place being on the outskirts of Saskatoon.  Either you want to go, or you don’t.

The Argos are sliding right off the page and within a few years they won’t even have a place to play because they’re being booted out of Rogers Centre.

However the feeling I got in Toronto over the weekend was a notion of, “What? Me Worry?”  If the football people in that city aren’t concerned, then why the hell should I be?

The legendary Marty York will be on the SportsCage with us today to discuss this further so tune in for that.

5 – ARE YOU SIRIUS?:  It’s all part and parcel of what’s going on these days.  The CFL announced a new television agreement with ESPN in the USA right in the middle of Week 1.  Perhaps they didn’t get it done until a week ago Friday so who are we to criticize?

And now we’re fielding questions about whether or not CFL radio broadcasts have returned to Sirius/XM Satellite Radio for another season.  I asked around and three CFL play-by-play men got back to me with the answer, “I have no idea”.

Good grief.  So no, I too have no idea if CFL radio broadcasts are on Sirius/XM in 2014.  For now, download the Tunein App on your smartphone and search out the CFL radio rightsholder radio stations (BC: Team 1040, Edmonton: 630 CHED, Calgary: CHQR 770, Regina: 620 CKRM, Winnipeg: 680 CJOB, Ottawa: TSN 1200, Toronto: TSN 1050, Hamilton: 900 CHML, Montreal: TSN 690).

6 – THESE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE QUICK HITS:  I’ll speed it up.  As mentioned, a CFL scout referred to the Riders as “an anomoly”.  In his Week 2 recap, TSN’s Chris Schultz referred to the Riders’ performance as “a mystery”.  One thing’s certain — the Riders won’t likely wear that hideous combo of white jerseys and helmets with green pants again.  They looked real strange.  And as superstitious as the Rider braintrust is, they likely won’t be appearing in them again.  Why go away from the Stormtrooper look anyway?  It worked out real well last year.

7 – ARE YOU FOR R.E.A.L.?:  Sunday was a day of relaxation, for the most part, and after doing some yardwork in our small backyard area, I searched through the PVR and watched a bit of Saturday’s Rider game again along with Thursday’s Ottawa-Winnipeg contest on TSN.  They kept cutting to shots from the REAL Sports Bar in Ottawa where fans had gathered to watch the game.  BUT IT WAS HALF FULL!  It looked like the last place you’d want to be to watch the game. Clearly they’re trying to capitalize on the popularity of Toronto’s R.E.A.L. sports bar (voted #1 in North America), or perhaps they even have the same owners.  We’ll have to investigate when we’re in Ottawa next month.

8 – NO ASSISTANT INTERVIEWS:  For the time being the City of Winnipeg seems to be the nerve centre of the CFL.  Their Blue Bombers have looked impressive during their 2-0 start and they’ve drawn the largest CFL crowds of the season to Investors Group Field.  So, a lot of people are talking about Winnipeg.  We learned late last week that first year Blue Bomber head coach Mike O’Shea is not allowing the media to talk to his coaching staff.  He handles all interviews so no one can ask Gary Etcheverry what the secret of his defense is.  When I heard that, I figured this arrangement suits Etcheverry just fine.  He didn’t have much time for the media until he was part of it!

9 – CAUSE FOR CONCERN?:  Correct me if I’m wrong – and someone assuredly will – but I don’t believe there’s been one single sellout through the opening two weeks of the Canadian Football League season.  What’s going on?

10 – HOCKEY HATERS, NOW’S YOUR TIME:  You won’t hear much about hockey between now and mid-August.  The stick-and-puck game goes almost year round but after July 1st’s Free Agent Frenzy, the league generally goes dormant for a month or a little longer.  Hopefully you saved up some games on your PVR.  Having said that, the vacant head coaching position with the Regina Pats will still be a hot topic over the next couple of weeks to keep it right here for that.

UNTIL THEN — TRY TO ENJOY DOWN WEEK!
RP
@sportscage