Labour Day Week

[SpeedFlex27]

6 hours ago, Noeller said:

I have a friend that I used to work with in Dauphin, but is from SW Sask.... he and his buddies were season ticket holders in high school during what he called "The Al Foord Years", and said it's just about the darkest time in Riders history. I always had a modicum of respect for the guys that stuck it out during those years until Shivers and Barrett came along and gave them at least something respectable. Having said that, all those guys became real mouthy assholes after 2007, so they can go **** themselves with a rusty fork...

It was Shivers who turned that fanbase into the assclowns they are today. He was a piece of work. In 2000, Shivers first year as Riders GM they were coming off a 3-15 season in 1999 mired in last place. They managed a surprising 52-52 tie with Calgary at Taylor Field in July of 2000. They lost the second game again at Taylor Field in late September 40-17 & going into the third game in Calgary in October.

Shivers went absolutely crazy in the media all week leading up to that game. Not just predicting a Rider win over the Stamps with just 4 wins but telling everyone how much he hated Calgary. The team, the players, the City & the fans. I had never heard an executive from any pro team go off on an opponent like that before. I was trying to find some quotes by Shivers from the 2000 season regarding the Stamps organization but couldn't as it was 20 years ago.

Meanwhile it was Wally who gave Shivers his chance to get into upper management  by hiring Shivers away from BC as a scout into the position of Stampeders Asst GM in 1990. It was like Shivers had lost his mind that entire week or was on crack or both. He was ranting & raving about his hatred of everything red & white.

Shivers fired up the fanbase in Saskatchewan into an Us vs Them thing. Turned them from a respectable group of fans into a bunch of morons during his time there. They're still a lot like that today. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by SpeedFlex27

[17to85]

Definitely Shivers who turned that gan base into raging assholes. 

 

[Y2C]

Ed Tait covered the 2003 Classic on BB.com. What a game.

The opening drive is burned in my mind.

Short kick to Harold Nash to start around the 50 or so.

Sideline pass to Milt for a first down.

Long pass to Sellers for a huge gain.

Dump it off to Charlie for another nice chunk.

Play action and Khari strolls in for the TD with the ball high in the air.

I think I have that game around on VHS. I should figure out a way to get that beauty up on youtube.

[Y2C]

On 2020-09-02 at 6:31 PM, Bomberfan85 said:

I sincerely apologize for being "that guy" but I'm pretty sure it was Kendial Lawrence on the punt return. Demski was in 2015. But man, after all those years of LDC losses, being there for this kick was one of the most euphoric moments I've experienced. The playoff wins were better overall, obviously, but this was damn special.

I bet it was! After 11 freakin' years I had my arms in the air on my couch. Being there must have shurely been special. Especially if you'd made the trip over that whole time. There had been every possible result.

A good Bomber team losing to a good Rider team.

A bad Bomber team losing to a good Rider team.

A bad bomber team losing to a bad Rider team.

And maybe the most traditional way the weekend can go, a good Bomber team losing to a bad Rider team. 🙂

[Bigblue204]

Tsn is showing the 2016 ldc.....at 3 in the fuming morning!?!?! Wtf? How? How is the only football on this weekend starting at 12am(cgy vs.edm) **** tsn

[Mr Dee]

10 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Tsn is showing the 2016 ldc.....at 3 in the fuming morning!?!?! Wtf? How? How is the only football on this weekend starting at 12am(cgy vs.edm) **** tsn

I agree. TSN is missing an opportunity to engage football craving fans with decent games at better times.

They have open channels and can maintain fan interest for their broadcasts next year, but no, amazing catches and Alex Smith’s recovery ought to do it for them...

[Noeller]

If TSN would put every CFL game they own online and allow you to access any game any time, I would pay whatever they want. Give me some kind of anytime online access.... Charge any number you want. 

[Bomberfan85]

9 hours ago, Y2C said:

I bet it was! After 11 freakin' years I had my arms in the air on my couch. Being there must have shurely been special. Especially if you'd made the trip over that whole time. There had been every possible result.

A good Bomber team losing to a good Rider team.

A bad Bomber team losing to a good Rider team.

A bad bomber team losing to a bad Rider team.

And maybe the most traditional way the weekend can go, a good Bomber team losing to a bad Rider team. 🙂

2004 was my first one. The Bombers won! It was great. I've gone every year since except for '08 and '10 so yeah, I've seen it all at the LDC. Well, except for a 1997-style beatdown of the Riders. I'd really like to witness one of those. What I like is that the Bombers won the first and the last LDCs I attended at Taylor Field. I like to forget about all the ones in between.

 

[Eternal optimist]

22 hours ago, Noeller said:

If TSN would put every CFL game they own online and allow you to access any game any time, I would pay whatever they want. Give me some kind of anytime online access.... Charge any number you want. 

I really don't understand why the CFL doesn't consider doing this. It's old footage that was previously paid to produce, and other companies in other industries are doing this in droves.

Look at Nintendo - their Switch Membership ($25 / year for online access) targets the younger and older audiences alike. Younger kids are enticed by the ability to play their fancy new games online. Older people like myself can play SNES/NES classics (Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario All-Stars) through the emulators which come as part of the package deal. $25 Nintendo gets every year from me, mostly for old content they already produced 30+ years ago.

They've even taken it a step further recently offering "3D Mario All-Stars", which is a bundling of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy for $60 for the Switch... Personally I think that is too much, but it would've cost them minimal amounts to port those old games (which have production costs that are largely sunk costs) onto the Switch. The costs are even lower for the CFL, considering the only real cost would be a secure site and website interface...

 

[SpeedFlex27]

I've always felt that TSN doesn't treat the CFL with any modicum of respect even though it is their biggest financial property. The broadcast teams have not been upgraded in years, the telecasts look the same but they keep bringing in new panel members from time to time. Some of the talking heads seem to ignore the CFL oin their broadcasts & keep focusing on the Raptors, Jays & Leafs. The CFL should be front & center on their TSN sportscasts but sometimes they're waaay down on the "depth chart" if you know what I mean. It should be a lot better.