THE MONDAY MORNING GOALIE
Indeed.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will meet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Sunday’s 101st Grey Cup after both teams advanced out of their respective CFL Division Finals this past weekend. Welcome to the Monday Morning Goalie. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure….
The scene outside the stadium as the Riders boarded their buses to the airport..
Rider President Jim Hopson addresses the team on the charter…..
The team returned to Regina at 10:51 pm. The club regretfully asked Rider fans NOT to come to the stadium because they weren’t going anyways. Fans came anyways…
“The Silver Fox” Kelly Remple sent in some photos from the celebration at Albert Street and Victoria Avenue…
I’m sure these fans know the Grey Cup has not yet been awarded … but there’s nothing wrong with them letting off a little steam after the big win….
For those coming to Regina, you’ll see evidence of the 101st Grey Cup and Rider Pride everywhere. Here are some photos of local businesses I took for today’s column…
The Grey Cup party tent downtown is ready to go……..
A ladies wear store gets in the spirit…
Victoria Park downtown getting ready to be the hub of the excitement…
Of course homes are decorated to the hilt. This guy lives right around the corner from me….
Our friends the Durovicks showing their support for the Riders and John Chick at Saturday night’s Leafs-Sabres game. Rider Pride is coast-to-coast!
***
WHAT I’M THINKING
* This is already the best Grey Cup-ever and the game hasn’t even kicked off yet. However the magnititude of what lays before us over the next seven days has not yet sunk in. The 2013 Grey Cup is the biggest game in the 103 years of the Saskatchewan Roughriders!!! I’m not sure when it will sink in. Perhaps when the Roughriders are running out of the tunnel for the 101st Grey Cup. This will undoubtedly be the most-watched Grey Cup ever and the CFL has to be happy; it’s Canada’s Team vs southern Ontario. Ratings gold.
* One thing is disturbing me mightily so I’ll mention it now. What about the Kent Austin banner which adorns the west side of Mosaic Stadium? It’s been suggested that it be taken down this week or at least covered up. I was okay with it being up there all season, even when Kent’s Ticats came to town in July, but maybe not now. Your thoughts?
* Host teams in the West Division Final are now 5-6 over the past 11 seasons. One key thing Corey Chamblin said in his Saturday news conference is that his team put their nerves behind them in the Western Semifinal while Calgary had yet to deal with theirs. That was evident on Sunday.
* There were some long faces in the press box at McMahon Stadium after Sunday’s game. Most of them admitted to having a bad vibe about the game long before kickoff, for whatever the reason. For sure those key injuries in Game 18 played a HUGE part in the West Division Final but injuries didn’t cause the Stamps to turn the ball over seven times. They just weren’t ready to play.
* The funniest thing? Dwight Anderson was right. We were getting on the plane together to come home and this is how the conversation went:
ME: “I guess you were right.”
DA: “About what?”
ME: “Coming back to Calgary to win the West Final. Period.”
DA: “Oh yah! I guess I was! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaha!”
* Saw referee Murray Clarke in the hotel lobby the night before the game. He said he was the back-up to Kim Murphy, and was just headed into the hotel restaurant to spike Murphy’s meal. All-in-all the crew did a good job but there were roughing-the-passer and roughing-the-kicker penalties against the Riders which were missed.
* It says here Chamblin just nudged past John Hufnagel as the favourite for the 2013 Annis Stukus Trophy as CFL Coach of the Year. Over Hamilton, Kent Austin has done no less of a job so the winner will likely be whomever captures the 101st Grey Cup.
* A contract extension for Chamblin? Give the man what he wants. He’s earned it.
* Darian Durant rushed for 18 yards in the West Division Final. Privately he thinks the talk of his rushing is overblown. He does not see himself as a Kerry Joseph-type quarterback and when he’s out of the pocket, that’s when he becomes susceptible. He was DRILLED on a north-south rush on Sunday after hook-sliding. If he can be as accurate as he was on Sunday, it’s fine with me if he wants to stay in the pocket.
* Got a zillion text messages after the game. First, NO, I don’t have any Grey Cup tickets. Second, everybody asked what the flight home was like. It was relatively subdued, perhaps because we spent almost an hour on the plane getting ready for takeoff due to de-icing. But I’ve said all year this is a mature, veteran group. They weren’t jumping around, acting like hyenas. They were talking about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and what time kickoff is next Sunday. By the way it’s 5:30 pm Sask time.
* A newspaper writer said the Riders were chanting “Hennnnnnry! Hennnnnnnry!” in their locker room after the game in Calgary. 11-year veteran linebacker Mike McCullough said if that’s the case, he never heard it. But what the heck? It’s a great story. I have a tough time thinking there’s that much angst against Burris within this Rider locker room. Only McCullough and Neal Hughes played with Henry Burris while with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
* It’s a different story with the fans. Somebody said this weekend, “Can you imagine 45,000 fans chanting ‘HENNNNNNNRY! HENNNNNNNNRY!” in the Grey Cup?” I don’t have to imagine it. We’ll see it on Sunday.
* For the broadcast and media types who read this blog, YES, we’ll get to broadcast the 101st Grey Cup on the Cooperators Rider Radio Network! That’s all part of the new broadcast contract with TSN so we couldn’t be more thrilled. It’ll be my fourth Grey Cup broadcast and Carm’s seventh. We also get to keep our own booth and the City of Regina guys say they’ve got the heater fixed.
* That’s not as big of a deal as two weeks ago when the Riders played in minus-23. The early forecast for the 2013 Grey Cup is sunshine and zero degrees Celsius. What a dream!
* Rider President Jim Hopson told the team this will be his fifth Grey Cup with the Roughriders (1976, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013).
* The odds have not yet been set but my guess is the Riders will be five point favourites. We nailed it last week if you remember.
* Very, VERY happy for Ticats play-by-play man Rick Zamprien. He’s been calling their games since, I believe 2006, and I’m sure he thought they’d never get to a Grey Cup. They haven’t since 1999 when they beat Calgary. See you soon Rick!!
* It’s a HUGE advantage for the Roughriders not to have to travel to the Grey Cup. The coaches said will give them a massive advantage in terms of prep time. Meanwhile the Ticats are going through a blur right now. Coach Kent Austin will meet with Hamilton media at 11 am and they’ll arrive in town tomorrow. There aren’t many on that Hamilton staff who’ve been through this Grey Cup thing before.
* Frankly all things point to a Roughrider victory in this one. Saskatchewan beat Hamilton 37-0 and 32-20 in the regular season. The home crowd will be huge!
* It’s time to bring it home. I’m hoping this blog will be your Grey Cup headquarters for all this week’s goings-on.
* For those interested, or care, the SportsCage will be broadcast from in studio today and Tuesday and then will be live from Riderville on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. My Grey Cup Week involves MC’ing the Breakfast of Champions on Friday with Damon and Marcus Allen and George Reed at Casino Regina, the CFL Alumni Association luncheon Friday at Queensbury and Saturday’s Riderville luncheon at the Ramada. Also we’ll be broadcasting the Grey Cup Parade live on Access province-wide and around the world on CFL.ca.
ENJOY GREY CUP WEEK!
RP
@sportscage
Hey Calgary, kiss my, backward, inbred, stinky farmer boots, prider going to the grey cup ass.
Are people aware that the team did not win the Grey Cup and just the western final?
Just curious.
That tent on near Victoria Park Street is hardly big enough for merchandise sales let alone a party tent for Rider Nation…..expect long line ups in the cold, fans. Go Riders!!
Glad to see that the Riders have already forgotten about this game yesterday and are focused on Hamilton. You could see it in DD's face how locked in he is and how badly he wants that Cup. I think it's important for the fans to remember as well. We're not done yet. There's no point in winning the west final if you're not going to win the Grey Cup. Hamilton is a darn good team and you know that Smilin' Bank, Kent, Fantuz et al will be hungry to beat their old team in their ballpark. However, I've watched a… Read more »
There's nothing wrong with Calgary fans, everybody should own one.
Kent Austin's poster banner is put up there because he is football royalty here and in the CFL. As Corey Chamblin said, " He earned it."….I say leave it up.
I'm glad you will get to call the game, Rod. I never watch a game in person or at home without you on. How will you contain Carm's bias throughout the game though?..
Don't you have to kinda be neutral if its national?
RP:
I am so glad CKRM will bring this game to the people who won't be able to watch and for those in the stands. I, and many others that I know, have chortled mightily over what your competitors have done. They are so transparent and so sad. They are begging for listeners. 620 CKRM has been and always will be my source for Rider info and that won't change after you are gone.
Don
Take the Austin banner down. The only banners that should be up are Grey Cup banners. It’s a league event, not a Rider game (even thought the Riders will be playing in it)
Bulletin Board material for the guys in the locker room:
“I signed here because I feel I have an opportunity to win a Grey Cup quicker here” – Andy Fantuz on why he signed with Hamilton.
Time to make him eat crow and I hope it’s as flaky as he is!
Fantastic game for the Riders! Grey Cup here we come! Why on earth would there even be a discussion on the Kent Austin banner! this week of all weeks is a celebration for Saskatchewan and Hamilton and for Saskatchewan it is of course going to be a tribute to their history as a team, Kent Austin was a part of that history, enough said about it! I am so excited for the weekend! The week won't go fast enough for me!
I say leave Austins banner up. 2 reasons:
1 – Respect for what he's done here.
2 – Don't need to fuel the fire of him or his team going into this week by 'slighting' their head coach.
I would like to see George Reed and Ron Lancaster back up as well.
GO Riders!!
I watched one of the players being interviewed in the locker room, and you could hear "Hennnrrryyy" being chanted in the background. Not sure who was doing that. But, I was yelling "Hennnnrrrryyy" last night on the Green Mile. I hardly slept last night and have been absorbing all the news this morning on tv; internet; etc. Go Riders!
Pinch me! Am I dreaming? This is what it's all about folks…our Riders, in our stadium, in the Grey Cup…
I am so proud of the team and what they have accomplished to this point…ONE MORE WIN!!!
GO RIDERS!!!
LA
Kent Austin did wonderful things for the Rider org. This weekend will be the 2nd of 4 grey cups he did not win for us. Im very grateful for the 2 he did win for us and therefore his banner is deserving.
Leave the banner up. It is about honouring what he did in the past for us and it has nothing to do with this game or the team he is with now. Taking it down would seem petty and cheap on our part. Stay classy, take the high road and leave it up.
Mr. Kent Austin The Sk. Football God, personally responsible for 2 of 3 CFLeague Grey Cup Championships on behalf of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club 100 plus year history.
Darian Durant is one win away from becoming arguably the greatest Rider quarterback ever. for anyone under 40 there wouldn't even be a conversation.
Will John Lynch be staying home watching the NFL since the Hamilton Tiger Cats are playing In the Grey Cup ? The basement a good place for that know it all loud mouth this up and coming week of festivities at Regina.
It is time to give Henry some respect. If Roy and Danny hadn't been so enamoured with Nealon (where is he now and who cares?) Greene, they would have signed Henry and he never would have gone to Calgary. He loved it here and he always respected the fans. Let's give him some respect in return. He is a great ambassador for the CFL and a great team-mate.
Bob in Bethune