A few months ago my wife and I planned a weekend in Winnipeg to visit her sister, her husband, and their newborn baby.It was convenient because my brother-in-law has Blue Bomber season tickets and was offering up a chance for me to go watch the Banjo Bowl. After what I witnessed on Sunday, I won't ever go again. I'd be big-time peeved if I had spent money on a ticket and other expenses with the sole purpose of watching the game. I figure the least the Saskatchewan Roughriders could do, out of respect for the fans that make a major effort to show up, would be to show up themselves. It is, after all, their job.
Some say it's an overreaction to criticize the Riders as much as I have, but the reality is that when you are supposed to be in the top two in the league and lose the way they have on the road in each of the last two games, embarrassing doesn't even begin to explain the emotion felt by fans. The Riders are, quickly, squandering a tremendous opportunity and have not taken advantage of the fact this league is weak this year. I've only been cheering for them for the last ten years, I can't imagine how agonizing it must be to root for a team that has won only three times in a hundred years in an eight-team league. I'm close to turning in my card!
One thing the Saskatchewan Roughriders do extremely well is sell 50/50 tickets. At the Labour Day Classic, the prize was over $47,000. Most games, the prize hovers around $30,000.In Winnipeg for a sold out Banjo Bowl, the 50/50 was $20,000. Are game day staff members not selling as much? Are the tickets less money? Is there something else at play?
Darian Durant has regressed as a quarterback, but don't tell me the Riders should have kept Steven Jyles. Jyles turned the ball over three times on Sunday, but Saskatchewan gift-wrapped penalties every time he did.
Enough sports.If there is one complaint I get from folks who read the column, it's too much sports. So, I won't mention that I think the Yorkton Terriers are going to surprise, even themselves, by finishing in second place in the Sherwood Conference.
In Winnipeg over the weekend, 47-year-old Gerald Dumas was assaulted and set on fire by an attacker.Dumas is an uncle of Matthew Dumas, who was shot and killed by police after he refused to drop a screwdriver. The Dumas family has been marred by tragedy. Of 11 siblings, four have committed suicide and two died in their infancy. Quote of the week comes from an investigating officer in Winnipeg who said something along the lines of, "This kind of crime doesn't happen very often in Winnipeg." Actually, this type of crime doesn't, and shouldn't, happen very often period!
I'm going to get with the times and get a PVR this month. I was educated on it over the weekend and can't believe what I've been missing.
Nice person mentions this week to Ken Miller (who's so nice to his players, he wouldn't dream of ever benching someone), Bonnie Penner, Rick Bradshaw, Dusty Gulash, and Terry Ortynsky.
