TrueBlue4ever

I am convinced that "pigseye" is a bot, meant to spam people, giving the selective cherry-picking of facts, willful ignorance of countering facts and information, and blatant one-sided propaganda in simple one sentence blurbs. This reads like the Twitter nonsense from the so called "silent majority". Perhaps the mods should remove this Russian trolling machine lest it corrupt the site with a virus.

It's somewhat astonishing after all of Trump's lying, highly questionable moral behaviour, allegations of conspiracy, suspect financial manouvres, and general political shock tactics including, but hardly limited to: - perpetuating a conspiracy theory about the birth origin of a sitting US President, withholding his tax returns, insulting other politicians with everything from childish nicknames to out and out accusations of their parents' involvement in Presidential assassinations, repeated unproven accusations of criminal activity by his political opponent, made regular demeaning comments about women, their appearance, their intelligence, their character, their menstrual cycles, and their date-ability, up to boasting about openly sexually assaulting them just because he could as a rich guy, mocked a disabled reporter, mocked the family (especially the mother) of a deceased Iraq war soldier, insulted military veterans, military generals, transgender military personnel, a sitting US senator who was a POW, praised neo-Nazis as good people, would not denounce hate groups that supported him, even after one of them committed a murder by ramming their car into a group of people, encouraged a foreign power to hack his political rival's e-mail server, associated with a host of now convicted felons regarding his election campaign, encouraged citizens at his rallies to incite violence against those who spoke up against him, encouraged an NRA member to "take care" of his chief political rival, pulled out of a worldwide climate agreement, met with a dictator who had threated nuclear annihilation against the USA and brokered away US military presence in the region for a vague promise of nuclear de-escalation with no oversight to ensure its progress, bowed down to another dictator who corrupted the US elections and undermined his own intelligence reports in the process, used the government and his foreign political connections to line his own pockets financially, insulted, discredited, and out and out lied about and to the media at almost every turn, supported a foreign leader who was complicit in the murder of an American citizen by all accounts, has bashed his intelligence and police service for corruption and "witch hunts", and has essentially admitted to obstructing justice, that the one thing that has stuck is his one big attempt at accountability: "I will proudly shut down the Government for border security. I will own the shutdown, and I won't blame you for it" This is his "Read my lips, no new taxes" moment Just shows that money rules all - be a sexist, bigoted, criminal, morally bankrupt, corrupt individual, and citizens can overlook it if their personal circumstances are good enough (more money in my pocket from a tax break, and my job isn't threatened by outsiders), but hit them in the pocketbook (higher taxes, or put me out of a job and withhold my paycheck) and there is no forgiveness.

This Schumer look when Trump owns the shutdown (and any blame) on live TV says it all

Exactly what he tweets every day. Economy great, historic lows on unemployment, all-time high number of people working, great trade deals, America first. But dangerous times, fake news, media unfair coverage, caravan crisis, border security including a barrier, need to come together to open government with a sensible plan to reduce crime, secure our borders, keep out drugs, and protect Americans without playing politics. There'd be no chanting "Build the wall" or "lock her up:" from his rally cronies, but the sycophant Republicans would jump up every few sentences to offer a standing ovation. Don't imagine Democrats would stoop to heckling and badgering the Commander in Chief in that venue during his speech, for fear of looking petty. Base would be energized, opponents would be unimpressed, media talking heads on both sides would offer their partisan takes in round table opinion forums, actual news would not be reported. Shutdown would continue, 800,000 would still go without paychecks. Lather, rinse, repeat.

FIFY.

Since Jpan85 wants to kill this new poll quickly, and yet because I am a slave to procedure, I will post the General Manager candidates at the same time as the head coach candidates, so that we may possibly have a little debate. GM nominations to consider would be Joe Ryan, Jim Ausley, Earl Lunsford (whatever you may think of his success, he was the longest tenured), and Cal Murphy. Will also add Reg Threllfall to the head coaching mix. Will put up both categories on Friday.

BUZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!

One man's take: Doug Brown is the easy top choice here. All-time CFL great, and as pointed out arguably the greatest defensive tackle in CFL history. I think we banned Nasty Nate as much for saying Brown was nothing more than a slow moving, bull rushing gap-filler than for any of his other indiscretions. As for who lines up beside him, well...... My also-rans: Joe Critchlow - sorry, Speedflex, know you have an affinity for the 1970's players, but he does not measure up to the others when considering all-time best. Limited numbers and league recognition for all-star noms and awards. Bryant Turner Jr. - same analysis as Critchlow, just advance 40 years. Not a big enough body of work or notable numbers or awards to merit "all-time" consideration. Joe Fleming - the best of a bad bunch in the late '90's, but the pinnacle of his career came in Calgary between his 2 Bomber stints, and limited games with the Blue and Gold, so not a top 2 candidate, despite a ridiculous 15 sack performance as an interior defensive lineman in 1998. Denny Fortney - might be neat to see the other "twin tower" who played next to Brown get the all-timer spot beside him, but there are better candidates on this list. put him in with Critchlow and Turner for comparables The incomplete selection: Steve Patrick - Big longevity, played in the golden era of Bomber football history, and the rings. Lack of available tackle and sack stats hurt his comparison to the others. Unfortunately, his Hall of Fame bio for the Blue Bombers focuses as much on his political career as his playing days and does not give any huge accolades, so he falls short of the grade for me. Anyone with more knowledge of him, please fill in the gaps. The "should be picked, but not here" category: Buddy Tinsley - an all-time Bomber great, made the 75th anniversary team, and a brilliant 2 way player. Very good as a d-lineman as his 2 all-star noms suggest, but he really was more renowned as an offensive lineman, so I will place him in that category and more carefully scrutinize him later. My 3 candidates - hard to pick from this list, each has merit to be selected, and knocks against them. I will list pros and cons rather than rank them. The "Gretzky in LA" template: John Helton - He is Brown's competition for greatest all-time defensive tackle in CFL history, but he is known as a Stampeder great first. His unreal career there makes his Bomber achievements seem like an afterthought. If this was about his whole body of work and the fact he was a Blue Bomber, for part of it, he is a no-brainer for this list. But this team is about Blue Bomber achievements only devoid of success elsewhere (the Geroy Simon corollary), so it is a much tougher call. Still, despite limited time with the team and only partial stats that hurt his comparibles, his first few years with the team were fantastic and helped rebuild the defence to the powerhouse it would become in the 1980's. The career man: Stan Mikawos - the most tenured member of this group, #4 all-time in Bomber games played behind only Walby, Westwood and Cameron. Limited league recognition, more team success than individual glory (with the huge exception of that fumble recovery touchdown in the 1984 Grey Cup, which was in fact the winning score in that game, and a fine time to score your only career CFL touchdown). Not as flashy as the others, played the nose tackle position like Nasty Nate defined it - a gap plugger who tied up 2 o-linemen and let others get the path to the QB. Because of that style, he is easily overlooked and under appreciated by anyone who isn't a teammate. But you don't knock heads for a decade and a half at that position without some serious talent. The two-way threat: D-i-c-k Huffman - I think his CFL Hall of Fame bio sums it up best: "Sports reports suggested that enemy quarterbacks simply ran their plays away from D-i-c-k Huffman" so any player who individually forces an offence to change their schemes is an all-timer. He also has the distinction of being the rare player who was a CFL all-star on offence and defence in the same year. Again, lack of stats from that era make a one-on-one numbers comparison tough. More all-star noms than the other 2, but that includes his offensive noms. In the end, your choice probably comes down to what you place the greatest value in. Mikawos was a rock and helped others excel, but not flashy or "the man". Helton was the veteran presence who starred in the twilight of his Hall of fame career, but was not the supernova he was earlier on another team, when he was just a man against boys. And Huffman was a star, but at multiple positions and in a different era when the game was fundamentally different and players were not as athletically gifted as the freak specimens they are today. I lean towards Helton personally, as at his best he was still a superstar, but I say that having never seen Huffman play. Coin flip here.

Choose 2. Here are the bios: Doug Brown – 188 games in 11 seasons (2001-11), 11 fumble recoveries, 24 yards, 1 TD, 426 tackles, 52 sacks, 8 time divisional all-star (2001, 02, 06-11), 7 time CFL all-star (2001, 02, 06-10), 6 time CFLPA all-star (2006-10), 8 time team nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian (2001, 02, 04, 06-10), 2 time Eastern Division Most Outstanding Canadian (2001, 07), 2001 CFL Most Outstanding Canadian, 3 time team nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player (2004, 08, 09), 2008 East Division Most Outstanding Defensive Player, 2008 team nominee for Most Outstanding Player, 3 Grey Cup appearances (2001, 07, 11), CFL Hall of Fame Joe Critchlow – 80 games in 5 seasons (1969-73), 1 Int., 2 yards, 3 fumble recoveries, 0 yards, no tackle or sack stats available, 1972 divisional all-star Joe Fleming – 49 games in 4 seasons (1998, 99, 2004, 05), 1 fumble recovery, 0 yards, 101 tackles, 24 sacks, 2 time divisional and CFLPA all-star (1998, 2004* - season split with Calgary), 1998 CFL all-star, 1998 team nominee Most Outstanding Defensive Player (15 sacks that year) Denny Fortney – 56 games in 4 seasons (2001-04), 1 Int., 3 yards, 6 fumble recoveries, 4 yards, 90 tackles, 8 sacks, 2002 divisional and CFL all-star, 2002 team nominee Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Grey Cup appearance in 2001 John Helton – 61 games in 4 seasons (1979-82), 6 fumble recoveries, 5 yards, no tackle stats available, 16 sacks from 1981-82 (no other yearly stats available), 3 time divisional all-star (1979, 81, 82), 2 time CFL all-star (1979, 82), team nominee for Most Outstanding Player 1979, 2 time team nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player (1979, 80), 1979 West Division Most Outstanding Defensive Player, 1979 Tom Pate Memorial Award (community service), CFL Hall of Fame D-i-c-k Huffman – 58 games in 5 seasons (1951-55), 4 fumble recoveries, 0 yards, no tackle or sack stats available, 3 time defensive divisional all-star (1953-55), also divisional all-star on offence (1952 and 1954) and 2nd team all-star in 1951, 1954 team nominee for outstanding player, 1953 Grey Cup appearance, CFL Hall of Fame Stan Mikawos – 220 games (#4 all-time on the club) in 15 seasons (1982-96), 2 Int., 28 yards, 14 fumble recoveries, 5 yards, 226 tackles from 1987-96, 32.5 sacks, 1993 divisional all-star, 3 time Grey Cup champion (1984, 88, 90), 5 Grey Cup appearances (1984, 88, 90, 92, 93) Steve Patrick – 172 games in 13 seasons (1952-64), 13 fumble recoveries, 41 yards, no tackle or sack stats available, 2 time divisional all-star (1958, 59), 1958 team nominee Most Outstanding Lineman, 1959 team nominee Most Outstanding Canadian, 4 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59, 61, 62), 6 Grey Cup appearances (1953, 57-59, 61, 62) Robert “Buddy” Tinsley – 171 games in 11 seasons (1950-60), 2 Int., 21 yards, 5 fumble recoveries, 4 yards, no tackle or sack stats available, 2 time defensive divisional all-star (1957, 58), also 5 time all-star as offensive lineman, 2 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59), 5 Grey Cup appearances (1950, 53, 57-59), CFL Hall of Fame Bryant Turner Jr. – 71 games in 5 seasons (2011-15), 2 fumble recoveries, 5 yards, 89 tackles, 26 sacks, 2012 CFL all-star, 2 time divisional all-star (2012, 13) 2 time CFLPA all-star (2013, 14), 2011 Grey Cup appearance

Killjoy.

So the defensive end voting is done and Tony Norman edges out Michael Gray to join Herb Gray as an all-timer. Gavin Walls also had a strong showing in the most competitive category to date. I will have the bios for defensive tackle up later today and open the polls, but before we dive into the special teams players, we will focus on the head coaches this week for nominations. Obviously Bud Grant and Cal Murphy are on the list, would add Mike Riley and possibly Dave Ritchie, and without looking not sure who coached in the 1930’s and ‘40’s.

Oh, I don’t need to ask. That information comes free of charge. Seriously, though, she is absolutely lovely (OK, she’s not looking over my shoulder now). We have a great relationship. She walks on the ground I worship.

I welcome all input and bio additions, especially those who cite their sources. For everyone’s information, I am gleaning my stats from cfldb.ca and justsportsstats.com (or their sister site Stats Crew) as well as bluebombers.com and cfl.ca. My sources did not have the tackle stats attributed to the Houston Gamblers website, and the sack totals there do not jibe with my sources, but we are limited to what the internet will tell us absent actual game sheets, which I don’t have access to. I strive for accuracy, but recognize my limitations.

That will be the plan. Probably shorten the voting to just the weekend.

Just under 12 hours left to get your votes in, and a real barn burner for the second spot here. For the first time in any of the position polls, every nominee in the category has at least one vote.

No doubt, but don't give him any ammo for his base by letting him say "I want to work this out, the Dems are now ignoring me - their fault, they own the shutdown" Trump is so quick to anger there is really no danger to accepting the meeting. He will walk out first. The Dems can't just sit back and be quiet. In today's world noise and spin control a lot of what the public believes to be true. Keep pointing out the fact that he had 2 years with a Republican controlled House and still couldn't get the votes then. People who are out of work want to see at least one side trying to negotiate .Trump says so much garbage you forget what he said last week, so get him to repeat some of his rants for a fresh week of attack.

You know, going back to the video of the day Trump invited Pelosi and Schumer to the Oval office, you can just see the smug glee on Schumer's face the moment Trump says "I will own the shutdown, be proud to shut down the government, and won't blame you for it". They knew his ego would not allow him to lose an argument in front of the cameras for fear of looking weak, and totally baited him with the shutdown option. Trump, rather than getting into a debate about what type of security was needed, jumped right to the options of "keep the government open while we negotiate and you'll never give it to me, so I look weak and not the dealmaker I claim to be", or "I say I don't want a shutdown and (a) show that I am agreeing with Dems, which I can't do ,and (b) then stonewall, and I'm a liar", so he went for the nuclear option of "I will be a leader and shut down until I get what I want, because I am the Commander in Chief and I am in control, and you can't show me to be weak by agreeing that I'm afraid to shut it down" not thinking the Dems would call his bluff. Schumer almost seemed surprised that it was so easy to trap him this way. No wonder Trump's handlers were deathly afraid of him testifying in person to Mueller and demanded written questions that Trump could take his time with to consider his answers, imagine how quickly Trump would have folded under THAT questioning. I think the Dems should accept the invite to the White House. Let Trump meet them, say they have a spending Bill in the House to re-open the government that has already passed, and want McConnell to do his job and put it before the Senate for a vote. Trump will parrot his same line of "if I open Government will you give me my wall", they say no we want a proper vote on our bill first and he storms out again. Same effect as not going, but it looks like you at least are prepared to meet and re-open discussions and Trump is just doing the same blocking. At this point, everyone knows there is no negotiating to be had, it's all about who is working to open Government and who is working to keep it closed. Trump is trying to change the narrative with his "I am in the White House waiting and they don't want to negotiate" tweets, so cut that argument off at the knees by agreeing to meet - you know he will storm out angrily within 2 minutes, then re-tweet his message with the follow-up "WE did try again, but who walked out again with no discussion? We are not the problem" It's not overkill, public has short attention span, and the media wants a new story, so re-play the old one to keep it fresh. JMO.

Wow.

And this guy too for G.M.

On what basis do you say the FBI has no authority to investigate a President, only Congress? The FBI is a police agency, and last I checked, police open criminal investigations all the time. So far, your only justification for your position is "that's not the way I see it". Cite me a passage from the Constitution, the U.S, Criminal Code, a binding case from the Supreme Court, or the FBI field manual, please. Not trying (too much) to be argumentative, seriously want to know what prevents the FBI from doing this if you know, because I don't. An FBI investigation into a person (any person) acting as an agent for a foreign power would fall under the criminal offence of treason, would it not?

Saw a little twitter war between Trump and Pelosi this morning: Trump tweet: "Nancy and Cryin' Chuck can end the Shutdown in 15 minutes. At this point it has become their, and the Democrats, fault!" Pelosi, tweeting in response: "The truth? Republicans started the #TrumpShutdown - and the Democrats are working to end it. @realDonaldTrump, it's time for you to stop standing in the way of re-opening the government. Let the Senate vote! #EndTheShutdown" (complete with the video of Trump telling Schumer that HE will shut down the Government if he doesn't get his way). Politics in the 21st century. Robert's Rules of Order and Parliamentary procedure be damned. One interesting tweet from a random citizen as a possible solution that showed up in this thread. The gist of it was: Democrats put up a spending bill to re-open the Government that includes the $5.7 billion for the wall, but also includes full protections for DACA once and for all, and also full protection for the Mueller investigation from any interference, allows it complete control to finish the investigation without the threat of closure or firings, and forces it to be made fully public to the American people with no editing or redactions. Would Trump sign that bill? Would the Dems write such a bill? Should they add the rider that Trump must produce his tax returns in full immediately, or submit to questioning in person from the Mueller investigation? (Too much?)

"More clearly and forcefully" = "at all"

I hope that the mid-term results show that Americans are not fatigued by the Trump circus and would not be willing to just brush it off as "meh" news. Dems best hope long term is to wrest control of both houses and the Presidency and then pass bills eliminating the electoral college system. Most polls (at least the ones I've seen, and yes I know polls can be skewed, so I'm happy to be pointed to other sources) show a liberal bent in the U.S. with respect to same sex marriage. abortion rights, gender pay equality, and gun control. Democrats have won 6 of the last 7 popular votes for President.

This bio from bluebombers.com and the Hall of Fame section regarding Jeff Nicklin. A true hero whom we can thank for our freedom today. "Nicklin was sent overseas to Europe as part of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and was then named the Commanding Officer of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was one of the first Canadians to jump on D-Day in 1944, led his division in the Battle of the Bulge and was among the first to jump into Germany as part of Operation Varsity in March of 1945. Alas, his chute got tangled up in a tree and he was shot and killed as he tried to wrestle free. As a tribute to Nicklin, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion donated the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy to the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1946, and it is awarded annually to the top player in the Canadian Football League’s West Division."

Yes, you. I’ll add him in.