Monday, July 30, 2007

Monday Headlines

BEST FANS IN THE WORLD WILL SUPPORT THEIR TEAM AGAIN
- AT LEAST FOR THIS WEEK

I'm not entirely sure how/why/when the fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders claimed the title of Best Fans in the World or the CFL but I'm beginning to think that neither title should apply. After every loss people here in Regina are on 24 hour suicide watch and sales of Prozac increase 10 fold. They rip everybody from the quarterback to the mascot. And then after every win, like Saturday's, those same people celebrate in the streets like the Berlin Wall just came down. Perspective, I suppose, is not high on the list here. More on this later in the week.


PUNS ARE THE HIGHEST FORM OF SPORTS JOURNALISM

Anybody who wrote one of the 28,193 articles (my estimate) over the last week titled Tour de Farce - including the one published in the Leader Post today - should never be allowed to allowed to write anything again - ever. They should have their journalism degrees from their community college's revoked and never be allowed to possess writing instruments again. This goes for anyone who makes a pun on a team or athlete name too. Can't you do any better than this?


100 MILLION OF YOUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS

As much as I dislike the local media (and I do), I've got to say that I like Rod Pedersen's blog. He had a an interesting bit today about a new football stadium for Regina - you can see it here. And while it's all well and good to dream big, rest assured if this ever came to pass and the team/city/province tried to build it with public funds (i.e - your tax dollars) I would be leading the revolt. Is there any reason to build a stadium like this? Unless the Roughriders can find a sugar daddy, like the Asper family in Winnipeg, to fund at least the majority of the stadium privately, I don't see any reason for it.


KEVIN LOWE SINGLE-HANDEDLY RUINS THE NHL

Last Thursday Edmonton Oiler General Manager signed restricted free-agent Dustin Penner to an offer sheet worth $21.25 million over 5 years - a move reeking so strongly of desperation it will linger for years. Penner made $450,000 last year with Anaheim and scored 45 points. Apparently 45 point players are now worth $4.25 million a year. One Oiler fan said to me, "Great another Duck to come over and do absolutely nothing." Can you feel the excitement Edmonton?

To no one's surprise, Duck's GM Brian Burke had strong words for Lowe. Now I have no problem with Lowe trying to sign restricted free agents but this salary is ridiculous. This is precisely the reason there was a lock out 3 years ago. I'm not sure how a league with absolutely no TV revenue and no exposure in the United States thinks it can sustain this kind of spending - ticket revenues will only take you so far. I'm not saying I guarantee it, but I can foresee a scenario in which the NHL no longer exists in 5-7 years.



I always liked Tom Snyder on the Late, Late Show. Although in all honesty I thought he passed away a couple years ago.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love the look of that stadium. Heck the Riders could play there, and the Rams...and the uhhhh, Regina gladitorial games could take place there. It is nice, perhaps too nice for this place. It wouldnt fit in with any of the other 'architecture' featured in this city (although we love to destroy any kind of nice building from the past that we have ever had and put up new modern buildings...like the galleria mall, which is a triumph of modern architecture).
No, our team would have to be a world leader in sports to warrent a stadium like that...and they aren't and ticket prices would rise to 100's of dollars to see a .500 team...pass. I do however really like the look of that stadium, perhaps if we started to hold gladitorial fights it should be built here (we could have local celebrities fight to the death, and any rider team that doesn't make the playoffs would be fed to the lions...only the strong shall survive).
TH