THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

LAS VEGAS —  Yes, we’re back in Nevada for the annual Harvard Broadcasting (620 CKRM) client trip to Sin City. We’re here for eight steamy, wonderful days.  More on that later.  But first, some football discussion in the MMG.

Thanks to the results of an online poll here at rodpedersen.com during Grey Cup week, we were able to discern that the #1 villain in Saskatchewan Roughriders history is Tony Gabriel.  It stands to reason because he robbed Saskatchewan of Grey Cups in 1972 and particularly in 1976.

A close second is Henry Burris who never cost Saskatchewan any Grey Cups, but he never won any for us either.  No, he’s loathed for walking out on Saskatchewan to sign as a free agent with the Calgary Stampeders in 2005 and the Rider Nation has never forgiven him.

But the taunts have turned more to jeers over the past number of years and the famous chant “HENNNNNNNNRRRRRYYY” is becoming something of a provincial trademark.  The fact that Burris has never beaten Saskatchewan in the playoffs since leaving (including the 2013 Grey Cup), the fans’ anger seems to have subsided but they still haven’t forgotten.

As you’re about to read, Henry seems to love the rivalry every bit as much as Rider fans and when it comes to poking them with a stick, he just can’t help himself.  Maybe that’s why we get along so well.

Henry was on the SportsCage on Friday to help promote the Ottawa-Saskatchewan preseason game on Saturday, June 14 at Mosaic Stadium.  Technically it’s a REDBLACKS’ home game, even though it will be played in Regina.  It’s going to be a very fun day.  So here’s a transcript of our discussion:

CKRM: HOW WILL IT FEEL TO PLAY IN THAT GAME?

BURRIS:  It’s gonna feel great to have every single fan cheering me on!  It’s our home game so I expect the fans will be chanting, DARRRRRRRIAN!  I’m gonna have a map to show them how to get to their sideline on the other side.  It’s gonna be funny.  If there’s any place that shows their love for football, it’s Regina.  For their organization to step up and give us an opportunity to host a game there, you have to be thankful for that.

That’s why the Riders have been so successful for such a long time and to have been a part of that in the early 2000s, when it first began, it’s an honour.  Once you’re a Rider, you’re always a Rider.  But I’m a REDBLACK now and I’m looking forward to doing what it takes to get our team ready for the regular season.  If you need to baptize guys by fire, there’s no better place to do it than Mosaic Stadium.

CKRM: DID YOU GET #1 WITH THE REDBLACKS?

BURRIS:  Yah, trust me, that was one of the things I had to make sure was in the contract.  See, a lot of people don’t understand that originally the fans of Saskatchewan gave me my number 1.  My first year in 2000 when I came to Saskatchewan I went to the Leader Post and we did a poll for what number I should wear.  The staggering number that came back was #1 and I’ve worn it ever since.  That just shows my thanks to the people of Saskatchewan.  A lot of people forgot about that.

CKRM: HOW WAS REDBLACKS MINICAMP IN VIRGINIA?

BURRIS:  We had a great time.  It was a good opportunity to get know a lot of these guys.  These minicamps are great.  You get to know all these new guys and also the guys you played against for years.  I tell you though, GM Marcel Desjardins, coach Rick Campbell and the coaching staff, they found some good talent.  We’ve got a lot of great speed at the receiver position and with the running backs.  Guys were very cerebral as well. A lot of times guys have a tough time picking up the new game in just four practices over two days like we did but they guys picked it up rather quickly.  For us it was a big victory.

When people use the word ‘expansion’ it kind of gets under our skin.  With what we’re seeing, we’ll quickly shed that tag once the season begins.

CKRM: HOW’S FORMER RIDER DT KEITH SHOLOGAN MAKING OUT?

BURRIS:  It’s great to have a guy like Keith Shologan on the team.  When you talk about guys who can truly change a game, he’s definitely one of those marquee figures.  To have a guy like Keith on the team, just coming off a Grey Cup win, his leadership abilities, and just his ability to the make plays that he does on the field, he really clogs up the inside of the line.  When you try to one-on-one block him, he can wreak havoc in the backfield too.

CKRM: WHAT’S THE ATTITUDE OF THE EXPANSION DRAFT PLAYERS?

BURRIS:  A lot of guys are miffed a bit and setback because they were unprotected by the organizations they’ve done so much for.  But the REDBLACKS had a town hall event in Ottawa the same weekend I signed.  Keith Shologan was there, Eric Frazier, Patrick Lavoie, a number of different guys came in just to meet the fans.  They did an autograph signing and visited with fans, plus went to the new stadium.  I think once the guys got an opportunity see what the football atmosphere is here, and saw the turnout of fans and their passion, guys started to understand just how exciting this opportunity is.  Not many guys can walk into a fresh situation like this and leave their fingerprint on an organization for a long time.

It’s been pretty crazy I’ll tell ya.  Just to go around town, we had an autograph signing at the Canadian Tire Centre, the home of the Senators, and 10,000 people came out.  Just to see all the people come out, it shows how elated they are to have football back.  They’re very appreciative that we’re there to help bring football back.  I’m moving my whole family out.  We’ve sold our place in Calgary and found a place in the nation’s capital.

CKRM: WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH TO THE 2014 SEASON?

BURRIS:  I go out there with that chip on my shoulder as always.  People always seem to find a way to throw logs on your fire and motivate you.  With everything that happened in Hamilton, that motivates me.  For me, I’m going out to make my team better.  To say I’m trying to stick out ahead of our other quarterbacks, that’s kind of an inner battle that makes your team better.  I’m all about getting our team ready for Week 1 in Winnipeg.

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For tickets the Roughriders and REDBLACKS on Saturday, June 14/2014 at Mosaic Stadium, visit www.riderville.com, call 1-888-4-RIDERS or visit the Mosaic Stadium box office in person.

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MONDAY POTSHOTS

1 – WHAT, ME WORRY?:  It was minus-4 degrees Celsius with one of the strongest winds I’d ever felt on Saturday when we piled into a cab bound for the Regina Airport and this Las Vegas trip.  A Westjet agent, I believe a new one, was affixing the proper tags to our luggage as he said, “So … should we be worried about the Roughriders this year?”  That didn’t take long.  “No not at all,” I replied.  “Unless you want to.  Are you a worrier by nature?”  He laughed and came to the realization that the team is going to have to lineup in Week 1 at home against Hamilton whether its fanbase is comfortable with their roster or not.  By my count there are 49 days between now and the start of training camp on June 1 in Saskatoon.  49 agonizing days until we start to see how this 2014 campaign will unfold.  They will not fly by.

This is habitually the slowest time of the year on the Regina sports calendar however I have some tricks up my sleeve to help pass the time before training camp.  One of those is a Rider Monday in the SportsCage on 620 CKRM at 4 pm on Monday.  Phil Andrews will host the show, I’ll be on the line from Las Vegas, and Rider greats John Lynch and Norm Fong will be in studio.  We’ll also hear from Roughrider President Jim Hopson.  We’ve got you covered.

2 – WHAT’S NEW IN LAS VEGAS:  Quite a bit actually.  Even since we were here just a year ago when we chatted with Rider Hall of Famer Ray Elgaard for the SportsCage live from the New York, New York casino.  They’ve added an absolutely massive ferris wheel – believed to be the world’s biggest – just off The Strip.  I’ll have to dig into the details on just how big it is.

When I first started coming here it was right around the start of the Great Recession and the eight million visitors the city enjoyed per month had dipped to two million.  But I proclaim Las Vegas is back!  There are lineups for everything morning, noon and night, and the gambling tables are full.  The famous shows are habitually sold out and traffic jams are the norm.

As far as hockey goes, we’re out of luck again.  The ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers are on the road this week ending their regular season in Bakersfield, CA before opening the playoffs at Anchorage, AK.  One day we’ll get to see them play live.  The Wranglers play in the Orleans Hotel and it’s a set-up I’ve got to see for myself.

3 – WE WALK AMONG YOU:  As you can well imagine, there’s tons of Rider fans here.  Some are on our trip, others are not.  You don’t see that Rider “kelly green” much in Florida but you see it all over the southwestern U.S.  So it came as no surprise early Sunday morning when I was standing in line for the front desk when a guy came up wearing a Rider hat and introduced himself as Kevin Guy.  “How did you sleep?” he questioned, and actually seemed to care.  He proudly reported that he and his buddy were off to drive dune buggies all day in the desert.  There’s plenty to do here.

And I still think the CFL should host a Grey Cup here in Las Vegas.  It would be absolutely epic.  Especially if the Roughriders were the host team, if not in the big game.

4 – PLAYOFFS?  YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT PLAYOFFS?:  The NHL regular season marathon is behind us and now the spring to the finish line begins.  The 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  We held the annual SportsCage draft Friday evening and it features our analysts plus CKRM staff and SportsCage clients.  The ace up my sleeve were the Colorado Avalanche so I was a little miffed when Daniel Fink of the Regina Pats showed up in an Avalanche jersey.  However it was a ruse.  He selected players from other teams and I got 10 Avalanche players.   Hey, 50 wins can’t be wrong can they?  We’ll see over the next couple of months.

5 – A NEW DEAL FOR C.C.:  You’ll be hearing a lot from TSN play-by-play man Chris Cuthbert over the next few months as well.  This is the time of year that he really shines, calling NHL playoff games on a nightly basis all over the continent.  Over the weekend we learned Cuthbert signed a six-year extension with TSN so congratulations on that.  With the NHL regular season now over, the dominoes may start to fall in the broadcasting industry.

For details visit www.daytonahomes.ca