The 13th fan will have to go into intense training before the 2009 season starts. We lost Richie Hall, and Tillman might be in the crowbar hotel by June, so management won't be the same.
Regina kid Jason Clermont might help the receivers, and give Darian Durant a nice target, but our defence has been gutted. Mo Lloyd has gone to the Eskies, Anton McKenzie jumped to the Lions, and now the Riders have traded James Johnson to the Bombers.
The last couple of seasons in Riderville have been a blast. I'm kinda worried, however, that the good times might be over for another 20 years.
The West might be more interesting now that Jesse Lumsden has become an Eskimo.
there's a cfl outside the riders?
Yeah, they're the guys we scream "______ sucks!" at and target with beer cans when they visit Taylor Field.
right! lol
Geez, I wish I'da been at Taylor Field on Friday night. Eight sacks against the Leos in one game? That's about a quarter the total they gave up all last year. Beating the Lions is always special to me, as I lived in BC during the early 70s. I'm still a little bitter about Eagle Keys and Ted Dushinski jumping ship...but still nothing compares with the spectre of Tony Gabriel.
A woman from Regina told me thet she knew another girl who had been harrassed by Tillman, so I suspect the charges against him might be true. I also recently heard from the mother of a friend of a girl who dated Sidney Crosby a couple of times that he isn't quite as wholesome as his Timbits image suggests.
The talkshow heads were talking about how many people had picked Lumsden to be a quick injury. One person went as far as saying that the last minute of the first quarter was a bit unexpected, as he had thought it would be the first minute of the first quarter.
Clearly the Riders and the Lions will both need to pick up their game if either wants to go far.
When did Ottawa get it's team back? My Alouettes all the way.
The West is pretty well a three-way tie for first, with the fourth team going to the Eastern playoffs.
I get the impression that the CFL doesn't mean as much to people down east as it does here in God's country.
I got a kick out of that Argo from Florida who was on TV yesterday saying he had never seen it snow before.
Toronto is the city of champions......Argos, Leafs and Blue Jays. The jury is still out on the Raptors and TFC. Anyone want cheap tickets?
That was some barn-burner between the Riders and the Stamps yesterday: a tie after double overtime.
Has anyone else noticed a pro-Calgary bias by the officials this year? I watched a BC-Calgary game a couple of weeks ago where I thought the Leos were robbed by the refs on a few calls (I say this as someone who likes to see the Lions lose).
There was a roughing the passer call in overtime yesterday in which John Chick pinned Henry Burris, who tripped and fell in the backfield, before he could get up and keep scrambling. Had that call not been made, Calgary probably wouldn't have been able to score, and hence would have lost the game.
There have been some mistakes for sure, but that's every year, remember B.C. was the benefactor a few weeks ago when the officials admititly messed up a critical call in the Al's game at B.C. Place, I would say on the whole the officiating has been pretty good in recent years and the "challenge" rules have been a good thing for the league so far as well. There seems to be a constant stream of good games week after week, quite amazing in our small league.
My nephew rights columns for a sports website. He listed off about a half dozen instances in the past where games have been manipulated by the officials. Usually there is a clear financial reason for the manipulations (a couple of times it has been to ensure the LA Lakers advance).
Can we see an example of the sports website your nephew writes for?
http://www.crunchsports.com/
Two words:
Kerry.
Fraser.
Well, I sure never would have predicted a first-place finish, but I'm still not going to get too excited yet. The last time we were first in the West was the year of Tony Gabriel (AKA "The Antichrist"). I still haven't recovered from that one.
The Lions are another matter. 5 quarter backs and the only one not injured only plays in the last game. If Hamilton wins and they do play the crossover, I think it will only so we can see what they do when #5 goes down.
Damn. The Bombers just suck this year. Enjoy the playoffs from your couch, guys.
Bombers suck? Ha, you know not from suckitude. The centre of the universe has a black hole and is imploding. :)
Can anyone stop Montreal?
Als by 13.
Of course Montreal has gone to the Grey Cup lots of times this decade and have won only once. They may choke again. Funny that Sask/Mon have never played for the cup before.
Go Als!
Got this message from a friend:
RIDER NATION TRAVELS TO CALGARY
[IMG]http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt355/KASCII/image001.jpg[/IMG]
Great pic sknguy II
But I usually go by who wins the most CFL Awards in the week leading up to Grey Cup Day.
Doesn't look like it's going to be much of a contest to me.
The punishment melted out to the Lions last week will probably be repeated to the Riders this week.
The 13th player on the field will have to go into hiding before the 2010 season starts.
Alas, it happened again.
Wow. They had it in the bag and let it go. It's going to be an unpleasant drive back to Saskstchewan.
What a lousy way to win the Grey Cup!
I'm an Als fan, but the Riders played better and should have won.
The Alouettes should low-ball their victory celebrations.
Wasn't one of the football TV sports commentators making some kind of comment about Saskatchewan's 13th man a few minutes before the incident happened that cost them the Grey Cup.
Overdoing it a tad perhaps.
Riders' shocking loss will haunt Saskatchewan for years to come
http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/cfl/greycup/article/732474--riders-shocking-loss-will-haunt-saskatchewan-for-years-to-come
Armstead, you see, wasn't even supposed to be on the field. The Riders, knowing that giving up a single point didn't matter, had lined up 12 men to try to block the kick.
But isn't the ball still live on a missed field goal? Don't you have to have someone back there to prevent a touchdown?
No kidding NorthReport. Holly, whomever wrote that article doesn't know Rider fans, and doesn't know how much Saskatchewan loves its Riders. Even though they've lost, there'll probably be a big greeting for them at the airport, and probably a year end rally.
I don't know what this blaming the 13th player is all about. One of the coaches already took the blame for the screwup. But you know the media though... sensational conjectures and all.
Even though they were underdogs, it turned out to be the Rider's game to lose, really. But the coronation was hanging in the balance there for a while. Actually, for 60 minutes to be exact. Can't end the game on a penalty, so with regulation time over and 0 seconds on the clock Montreal kicked the fieldgoal to win by one point. Moooaaaaannnn. lol.
Alas, Saskatchewan is next year country anyway.
Having no returner was probably a calculated risk bekayne. A missed fieldgoal and the ball would've gone through the endzone anyway for a single point (I think a single?). Hitting the uprights would've meant a dead ball. A blocked kick would've meant all hell breaking loose in a scramble for the ball.
big Als fans here,
did not see the game, out of the country and not shown on ESPN Europe (as in other years),
but somehow justice comes with Alouettes getting just 2nd Cup in 7 recent appearances after a bad loss or two themselves ....
shades of Brett Hull (goal crease) Stanley Cup '99 !!
or even Habs Cup (width of blade call) '93 
This rates right up there, with the best Grey Cups, I look at it differently, I thought Montreal got screwed on the "non-call" for pass int. on the second convert, also the catch that was ruled a skip, only to make gutsy play after gutsy play to have a chance to win, like so many Grey Cups this did not disappoint,
that is one perennial of the CFL, that the Grey Cup game is usually a barnburner, often the game of the year
while for years the Superbowl was not a great game, just a great event
Duval went from being the game's goat to the game's hero.
His kicking was a disaster for parts of the game.
For awhile I thought he singlehandedly was going to lose the game for the Als.
Some notes from the sports show I listened to this am.
Many have said best fans in pro sport.
Who is this Damien Cox sportswriter anyway. I don't think I've ever seen such idiotic comments.
I'm worried about Al'Q. He hasn't been seen since the incident. Al'Q, if you're out there: remember, there are people who care about you. We can help you through these difficult times.
Think of the bright side: Rue Ste Catherines will be overrun with traffic problems on Wednesday. Regina can consider that a bullet dodged.
You are cruell catch fire, I see the # 13 mentioned at the start of the thread, (very ironic), even I felt bad for them a bit until they replayed the shit eating grin of the DB that interfered with Richardson in the end zone and got away with it, I'm a Lions fan but I too hope Al Q is OK
What did he say? link?
Having the 97th Grey Cup championship ripped out of their hands Sunday night in stunning, nearly unbelievable fashion, then, is something that will linger in Saskatchewan for years and years. Decades, probably.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/cfl/greycup/article/732474--riders-shocking-loss-will-haunt-saskatchewan-for-years-to-come
Hamilton Tiger-Cat fan here...And a former football player...The 'Riders are my 2nd favourite..
Too many men on the field on the last play of the last game of the year is the most inexcusable pre season penalty of all time.Everyone knws who is on the defensive special teams when blocking a field goal.They've known it since June!!!
No excuses!!!
Frankly,it should never have gotten to that point.Luca Congi missed a makeable field goal in the 1st quarter that would have rendered the situation moot.With 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter,Saskatchewan was up 27-11 and they were dominating Montreal in the trenches on offense.In fact,I was shocked at how easily Wes Cates was running the ball on the Als D.
The fact of the matter is that Saskatchewan pulled an El Foldo of Ruthian proportions!They gave up 19 unanswered points in 10 minutes.Montreal started to do what they do on offense,which is play in space,and the Sask O went to sleep.
And then they got called for possibly one of the most incomprehensibly stupid penalties possible at tat time....
Isn't it amazin' how many CFL games are decided within the last minute or two of the game.
Duval was all set to be the game's goat after several of his inept kicks during the game, until he finally put it through the uprights on that last play. What was his problem anyway? I'd give serious consideration to getting rid of him.
Duval proved time after time that he is the best in the CFL. He is not tho only one that played below par in that game. Including the Regina coaches. They made very strange decisions.