dewline | Entries tagged with canadian football

I am a Saskatchewan-born kid, so regardless of where I live, I consider myself part of "Rider Nation".

While I am pleased at the results of last night's game against Ottawa - 23-10 for Saskatchewan's third win of a truncated-by-Pandemic season - I am worried by the things I've heard about that outbreak at Saskatchewan's home opener. Nine COVID infections, if memory serves? And it's not being acknowledged as an outbreak by the local health authorities.

I would really prefer that the CFL run this season the way the Japanese authorities ran the Tokyo Games this past July: no fans in the stands. At all. We have media companies with broadcast rights agreements in place, so we can make do with that arrangement. It may not earn as much money as the League and its teams want and need...but I prefer that public health and safety concerns be respected.

Current Mood: uncomfortable
Current Location: Home-for-now
Current Music: The Sunday Magazine on CBC Radio

Since Saskatchewan's not in the game today, I care just enough to hope that Hamilton cleans Winnipeg's scoreboard clock for revenge's sake.

May everyone playing manage to avoid CTE injuries. I know how unlikely that is, and feel growing guilt over that fact, but I guess I'm still not done with the CFL just yet.

Current Mood: busy

Job search resumes after the latest weekend.

Not happy with how the Banjo Bowl game went for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but these things are indeed fleeting.

Getting the sense of fall kicking into gear in Ottawa-Gatineau. Leaves are falling, yet bees and butterflies are still zipping around.

More as it comes to mind.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Margaret Atwood interview on CBC Radio

Yeah, so the Roughriders are playing against the Redblacks in Ottawa tonight. Switching the TV on for background noise at the recommendation of one of my cousins out west, of course.

More on other topics later...

Current Mood: blah

Okay, I've downloaded an update for Gaia Sky to my "new"-ish MacBook (not-Pro), along with an expanded star catalogue (2 % downloaded so far as I type these words) because I'm still interested in playing the "mapping our Galaxy" game to whatever degree I can as a science-fiction nerd and non-astronomer. I read and watch too much space opera to be able to not give a damn or a blessing about this stuff at this point in life.

Getting some laundry done because it's Sunday, so why not?

Did some snack shopping too because it's Grey Cup weekend, and since Saskatchewan isn't playing, I get to cheer for Ottawa with as clean a conscience as I can given that chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a real problem for everyone who's going to be on the field. I hope everyone gets away with playing more safely than they used to today.

More later...

Current Mood: busy

I think I will leave my part in the discussion of the Canadian Football League's Eastern Final yesterday afternoon at that. Fair enough?

Current Mood: disappointed

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have just informed their Facebook followers that this year's edition of their training camp was sponsored to some degree by Molson-Coors.

For some reason, seeing that connection disturbs me deeply.

Yes, I know that beer and CFL football have a long history together. But there's that political history of the Coors family that I've been hearing about in recent years. I don't know how much truth there is to what I've heard to date, but it worries me.

And the Roughriders are the CFL team I've followed since childhood. So there's that.

Thinking that this has been a very good weekend. First, "Day of the Doctor" last night. Now the results of tonight's Grey Cup game in Regina.

A very good weekend.

Current Mood: satisfied

I was hoping to gather with friends at a local pub for the game tonight.

The response to the Facebook event I posted, however, has been underwhelmingly clear. So...staying home tonight.

Apologies to anyone who was planning to show up...but one maybe and nine no-votes on Facebook made it clear that the event was going to fizzle.

Current Mood: sad

Just found out about this league this morning!

http://www.wwcfl.com/p/teams.html

Current Mood: pleased

Some things I shall note for the amusement of those outside Canada who give a hoot:

1) Being originally from Saskatchewan, I am a fan of their resident Canadian Football League team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

(Yes, I remember: what we call "soccer", the rest of the world calls "football", and as for what we call "football", either in Canada or the States? Well, we're not going there tonight.)

2) I currently live in Ottawa, which used to have its own CFL team. Twice. First, the original Rough Riders, then the Renegades. I will not dwell overmuch on how each of those teams suffered their falls from solvency, save to say that I think Ottawa's suffered an injustice. Twice.

3) The same applies to the rest of the League, as a direct consequence.

4) I'd like to see a CFL team in Ottawa again.

5) Owing to nativist sentimentality on my part, I want Saskatchewan to be the only team in the CFL to have the "Roughriders" name once Ottawa gets back into the League.

6) We'll save the debate over how Ottawa's getting back into the game for another posting.

(Glares 'round the room to warn off any fellow Ottawans looking to bring their argument to this posting.)

Current Mood: groggy

Okay. So I'm going downtown again this morning to honour the occasion. There's a parade organized by a coalition of various unions' locals set to start at noon at Ottawa City Hall and run from there to McNabb Park. It seems proper to be there for this. Also, I'd recommend reading John Doyle's latest for the Globe and Mail on TV drama and comedy and the lack of material covering certain aspects of modern working life. On either side of the US-Canada border.

Preparations for CAN-CON 2011 continue and I'm confirmed to participate in several panel discussions there. I do not have a dealers' room table this year, but may consider it for next year's edition depending on scheduling and other factors yet to be figured out.

About yesterday's CFL (Canadian-rules football) match between Saskatchewan and Winnipeg(nicknamed the "Labour Day Classic"): I'm glad to see Saskatchewan break their losing streak. It was long overdue. But I remain disturbed by the anger that got vented at several points in the game. One Winnipeg player was ejected from the game, and towards the end of the final quarter, I was shocked by hostilities that reminded me of the bench-clearing brawls that often marked NHL playoff games in the mid-1970's. Scary.

And over to you for the moment. I'll be back later today.

Current Mood: busy

I saw the Grey Cup Game with about a hundred other Saskatchewan fans in exile per the Facebook invite of the alumni association of my Dad's alma mater at the Prescott last night. I think Stuart Immonen speaks for me very effectively indeed over the "Charlie Brown moment" of the last five seconds of the game.

The Ottawa Small Press Book Fair was lively and busy. I hope to post photos to Flickr later in the week.

Good to see

duncanmac at the OSFS AGM before I went to the Grey Cup party mentioned above!

Back to you!

Current Mood: busy

...but wishing all my US friends well nonetheless. I'll be indulging in a similar ritual this afternoon by meeting up with a very local, very unofficial Saskatchewan Roughriders fan club branch down in the Glebe for the Western Division Final of the CFL playoffs. The Riders are one of two or three things I've regretting leaving behind when I moved to Ottawa with the rest of my family, so keeping an eye on what they're up to during the Canadian football season still matters to me.

Hoping to see the Calgary Stampeders properly rounded up at today's game!

Current Mood: busy

Longtime Saskatchewan Roughriders fan am I. And yet, for all I rack my brains, I cannot recall seeing even in 1960's archival footage and still photos a helmet with ye aulde "football, wheat stalks and ribbon" insignia on them such as we see at assorted Riders games this year. The not-so-old Spaulding-logo-derived "S" with laurel wreathing, yes. I remember that very well!

But not this design I've been seeing on TV on the Riders' "retro" suits this year.

How'd that happen? Anyone?

I lost another piece of my childhood today.

Ron Lancaster is dead.

When I was a kid, Lancaster and running back George Reed were the Saskatchewan Roughriders for me. Sure, there were about thirty or forty other players on the team, and one or two dozen support staff, all of whom did their parts to keep the team ticking over at Taylor Field every year. But those two players personified the 'Riders for me, defined them for me.

That they both moved on to others things in the decades since they wore the Green and White...well, it mattered. Somewhat. Not a whole lot, though.

If you're interested in additional info...

CBC Sports
Canadian Press via Google News
Background via Wikipedia
Background via Canadian Encyclopedia

Thanks for putting up with this.