Saskatchewan Roughriders: 2025 Grey Cup Champions

 

WINNIPEG — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are champions once again.

Saskatchewan scored three rushing touchdowns and came down with a trio of interceptions to take down the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg.

After trailing 7-1 at the end of the first quarter, the Riders scored 24 unanswered points to take a commanding lead in the second half. Montreal battled back to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, but Saskatchewan was able to halt the Alouettes comeback attempt with a fumble forced near the goal line.

AJ Ouellette scored once and Tommy Stevens added a pair of majors at Princess Auto Stadium to help the Riders capture their first Grey Cup win since 2013.

Marcus Sayles, Rolan Milligan Jr. and Tevaughn Campbell each added an interception in a dominating night for the Green and White defence.

Montreal’s starting pivot Davis Alexander was under pressure all game, finishing with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Backup pivot Shea Patterson and running back Stevie Scott III scored Montreal’s touchdowns on the ground.

It was Alexander’s first loss a starter in the CFL.

Saskatchewan’s defence opened the game with a statement. After a quick first down for the Alouettes, Marcus Sayles jumped a deep ball from Alexander to earn the game’s first takeaway. Montreal’s defence was able to stop the Green and White’s following march, as Kabion Ento knocked down a second-and-three attempt. The Riders added one point to the board when Jesse Mirco‘s punt was downed in the end zone for a single.

Montreal’s next drive didn’t go far, but punter Joseph Zema was able to pin down the Roughriders on their own three-yard line. That made things difficult on Harris and the offence, who ended up having to punt deep into their own territory after a second-and-nine pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker fell incomplete. The return gave Montreal good field position and they immediately capitalized. Alexander aimed deep and found a streaking Tyson Philpot, who gained 37 yards before he was downed by defensive back Tevaughn Campbell at the 16-yard line. The Canadian receiver followed up with another first-down catch to set up first-and-goal, but Saskatchewan’s defence raised the wall on two straight plays to force third-and-goal from the one-yard line. Third time is the charm, though, as Patterson broke the plane of goal to score the first touchdown of the night and give Montreal a 7-1 lead late in the first quarter.

The Roughriders responded with their own long march. Harris connected with Schaffer-Baker on a jumping pass and the veteran receiver added yards-after-the-catch to move the ball into Montreal territory. The pivot then threw another dart, this time to Emilus, who also gained ground after the catch to set up first-and-10 from the 12-yard line. On second-and-five, Emilus was tackled short of the sticks, forcing the Roughriders to make a decision on third down. Harris and the offence stayed out there, but a short pass attempt fell incomplete as the Alouettes forced the turnover on downs. However, the Riders challenged the ruling on the field and upon review, the Alouettes were flagged for defensive pass interference. Stevens came in for the first-and-goal and added his own rushing touchdown to give Saskatchewan an 8-7 lead with the point after by Brett Lauther.

A punt by the Alouettes allowed the Riders a chance to add to their lead. Harris got things going by throwing a short pass to Ajou Ajou on an in-breaking route, before connecting with Schaffer-Baker for another first down across midfield. The quarterback then found a wide-open Ouellette in the flat for a 32-yard gain. A holding penalty pushed the Green and White back, but they rallied back to make it third-and-one. Stevens converted again to give Saskatchewan first-and-goal from the five, and Ouellette finished the job with his trademark tackle-breaking ability coming through on a five-yard touchdown run. The score gave Corey Mace’s squad a 15-7 lead with 2:38 to go in the first half.

After two quick punts by both teams, Montreal got the ball back with 31 seconds left in the second quarter. Alexander moved the ball with his legs, then connected with Cole Spieker over the middle to enter Saskatchewan territory with three seconds left. The pivot escaped the pocket in an attempt to throw it deep, but the pass with intercepted by Rolan Milligan Jr. to end the half.

Mario Anderson Jr. opened the third quarter with a long kickoff return that set up the Riders in Montreal territory. Harris connected with Schaffer-Baker for a quick first down, then found Tommy Nield deep between the hashes for a 34-yard gain all the way to Montreal’s one-yard line. Stevens took care of business once more, scoring his second touchdown of the night, again on a one-yard sneak. The major extended the Riders lead to 22-7 with 11:59 to go in the third quarter.

Later in the third, Alexander got the Als on the move with a 24-yard pass to Charleston Rambo. Two plays later, the pivot escaped the pocket and tried to find someone deep, but instead found Campbell for the game’s third takeaway. The turnover led to three more points for the Riders via Lauther’s leg from 48 yards away.

Montreal kept fighting as Alexander threw a strike to Snead to move the ball across midfield and kickstart a scoring drive for the Als. The signal-caller then planted his back foot and threw another dart, this time to Philpot, who dodged an incoming Campbell to advance the ball into the red zone. A pass interference penalty on Saskatchewan’s defence inched the ball closer to the end zone, and Scott III capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. The point after made it 25-14 at the break between the final two quarters.

The defence forced a quick two-and-out to send Alexander and the offence back onto the field. Montreal turned to the quick passing game to move the ball, gaining a pair of first downs with Philpot and running back Travis Theis. A roughing the passer penalty against Saskatchewan moved the sticks to the 11-yard line, but the Roughriders defence was able to make a stop and force the field goal attempt. The kick made it a one-possession game with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter.

Harris quickly moved the Riders into scoring position, but Lauther’s field goal attempt sailed wide right to keep the lead at eight points. Jason Maas’ team almost made the most of it, shifting field position with a deep pass from Alexander to Snead that went for 51 yards to the Saskatchewan 24-yard line. Scott III added another first down on the ground, but a fumble near the goal line by Patterson was recovered by Campbell in the end zone, keeping Saskatchewan’s lead intact.

Harris and the offence were able to burn some of the clock, but were forced to punt it back to Montreal with a little over a minute left in the game. The Alouettes gained a couple of first downs, but a late attempt by Alexander fell incomplete as the Riders won their first Grey Cup since 2013.

Saskatchewan Roughriders: 2013 Grey Cup Champions

REGINA - There is jubilation in the Rider Nation.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the fourth Grey Cup championship in franchise history on Sunday, defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 before a sellout crowd of 44,710 at Mosaic Stadium.

The victory was the third straight by a home team in the Grey Cup, following the B.C. Lions (2011) and Toronto Argonauts (2012).

Saskatchewan also made history by winning for the first time at home, in the third Grey Cup game played in Regina. In the previous two Regina-based Grey Cups, the winning teams were the Baltimore Stallions (1995) and Edmonton Eskimos (2003).

Tailback Kory Sheets powered the Roughriders to victory, rushing for 197 yards on 20 carries to earn Grey Cup MVP honours. The game’s outstanding Canadian was Roughriders slotback Chris Getzlaf. Both awards choices were unanimous.

The Roughriders led 31-6 at halftime, setting a Grey Cup record for the most points over the first 30 minutes. 

Saskatchewan’s 25-point lead was the second-largest by a team at halftime in Grey Cup history. Hamilton set the record in 1986, when it led the Eskimos 29-0 at halftime.

The Roughriders scored four first-half touchdowns, courtesy of 15- and 42-yard scoring strikes from Darian Durant to Geroy Simon, along with short runs by Sheets and Jock Sanders. The Riders also got a 20-yard field goal by Chris Milo.

The Tiger-Cats’ Luca Congi had field goals of 45 and 24 yards in the first half.

Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris scored the only touchdown of the third quarter, running 18 yards for a major. The Tiger-Cats trailed 31-13 at three-quarter time. Congi’s 33-yard field goal on the first play of the first quarter made it 31-16.

The Riders’ offence eventually got rolling again, when Sheets punctuated an 82-yard drive with his second major of the game. Milo’s convert put the Riders ahead 38-16 with 5:02 remaining.

The Roughriders promptly recovered a fumble, whereupon Durant threw his third touchdown pass of the day – a 26-yarder to Weston Dressler.

Hamilton responded with a two-yard touchdown run by C.J. Gable, who scored with 1:56 remaining and the outcome no longer in doubt.

The Roughriders had previously won Grey Cups in 1966, 1989 and 2007. Kent Austin, the Tiger-Cats’ current head coach, was the winning starting quarterback in 1989 and the victorious head coach in 2007.

Burn in hell, Ken Miller.

You ruined my Thanksgiving, and don't you fucking forget it!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Presented by

Alouettes come all the way back in Grey Cup

Sean Fitz-Gerald,  National Post 

REUTERS/Todd Korol

CALGARY -- It must have seemed safe at the time, with the roar from the stands echoing into the dressing room. Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Tad Kornegay ran to the locker room at halftime, located a mobile device and exclaimed to the digital world: "We up Rider nation! Let's put them away now!"

Not only was the team leading, it seemed to add another shovel full on the legacy of the Montreal Alouettes with every series. It was wildly premature, as the Roughriders melted down in the final seconds to lead to a 33-yard field goal from Damon Duval on the final play of the game.

Duval had sent an earlier attempt wide right, only to have the Roughriders get caught for having too many men on the field. The final moments stunned the green-themed crowd at McMahon Stadium, giving the Alouettes a 28-27 win in the 97th Grey Cup.

The Alouettes, who posted a franchise record 15-3 record over the regular season, won their second Grey Cup of the decade. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo improved his record in the big game to 2-5, exorcising the demons that had followed him for the entire week's build-up.

Calvillo had been unsettled in the first half, playing as though he had been visited by the ghost of Grey Cups past at the team hotel on Saturday night. He had spent the week discussing his renewed professional spirit, but looked an awful lot like the man who had been at the helm of five losses in six previous Grey Cup appearances.

His first pass skipped incomplete and to nobody in particular. He misfired on three of his next four passes, and compounded the team's early jitters with a fumble that handed the ball to Saskatchewan eight yards from the end zone.

Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz made a cut to his right that nearly broke the ankles of the linebacker assigned to coverage, hauling in the short pass for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead a play after Calvillo's fumble. The roar from the stands rumbled across the field like Prairie thunder.

Saskatchewan built a 17-3 lead it carried into halftime, with Durant playing with every ounce of the composure that Calvillo should have been displaying. Montreal's offence tore through the regular season, averaging a league-high 33.3 points per game, powered by a cadre of veterans whose sworn mission was to avenge their Grey Cup loss on home soil last fall.

The Alouettes managed one lonely point in the second half of a 22-14 loss to the Calgary Stampeders last year, but any lessons they might have learned seemed lost as the sun set on Southern Alberta. Montreal's drive chart in the first half could well have belonged to the hapless Toronto Argonauts, featuring six punts, two fumbles and a field goal.

Saskatchewan punted four times, but the offence seemed to be in calmer hands with Durant. The 27-year-old fielded a bad snap, evaded a fierce two-pronged pass rush and made the smart decision to throw the ball out of bounds instead of trying to force the play once the Roughriders took the lead.

Durant was clearly the second-most popular quarterback in the build-up to kickoff. In his first season at the helm, he led the team to a first place finish in the West Division and the team's first home final in three decades, and in the rare instances when he stumbled last night, his defence bailed him out.

He was intercepted late in the third quarter, only to have the Saskatchewan defence force another Montreal two-and-out. The Alouettes had been threatening to rally, with Calvillo having found Jamel Richardson at the end of a nine-play, 74-yard drive, but the defence did its best to keep it from becoming a trend.

Calvillo was sacked in back-to-back passing situations early in the third quarter, and the second knocked the Alouettes back eight yards and out of field goal range. The offence looked lost, nothing like the unit that mauled the B.C. Lions 56-18 in the East Division final, when it pounced on every mistake the Lions made.

With help from running back Wes Cates, Durant led a backbreaking drive early in the fourth quarter, marching the Roughriders 75 yards and into the end zone. The last play was the kind of run they will replay for years in Regina, with Durant running 16 yards into the end zone, bouncing off a tackler just as he crossed the line for a 27-11 lead.

Another rare Calvillo flourish led the Alouettes right back, capped with a scoring run by Avon Cobourne and a successful two-point conversion. Suddenly, it was 27-19, and the tension build when Durant made an ill-advised pass intercepted by Jerald Brown, which led to an 11-yard scoring pass to Ben Cahoon. Montreal missed the two-point conversion.

National Post
sfitzgerald@nationalpost.com 

© 2009 The National Post Company. All rights reserved.

What happened to showing up?

There are teams that I follow that lose, and there are teams that I can't help but wonder, "Why do you even bother playing if you don't even bother to show up for it? It's asinine, really. That was the case with a number of teams I follow. First, AFC Liverpool, a fledling outfit, got walloped by a team a tier blow them, called Waterloo Dock, 6-1. And this side at the top of their table...and they get thumped. Bloody wanks. I mean, at least if you're going to exit, you'd at least make the score respectable. That just gets on my bad side. Even though they are in theri first year, one would expect a scoreline better than this. Scouse fags.

Even worse, while Yankee Stadium is due to be nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble in a number months' time, the Angels, who are three wins away from 100 victories, cannot rely of Jered Weaver to help him. The rube can't pitch his way out a wet paper bag in a 9-6 loss to the Mariners. Adding a little insult, the Dodgers won that day.

And that's what drives me to bedlam here. Dodgers win, Angels lose. Send Jered back to Salt Lake, MIke Scioscia. We can't rely on him next month. We'd have to bring up the bullpen at the top of the 2nd inning.

===

Is it just me, or has the world ended? While President Bush's dementia has reached beyond Satanic levels with his plan to make the rich richer and the poor poorer (a plan that will go back to hell from whence it came), the Los Angeles Galaxy...actually WON a few days ago. DC United fell, 5-2.

About bloody time you pricks did something right. Now let's get on a streak already, you dormant rubes.

===

Two-game losingt streak, Roughriders? Get out of here.

===

Lack of consistency isn't restricted to my university's women's soccer team, apparently. The women's volleyball team suffered their first sweep of the season...to fucking Santa Clara, of all sides, a day after sweeping them on Friday.

Gimmillaro...we ought to send the New York Five Families to question you and your team's dwindling commitment to consistent play this year.

===

There are individuals and teams, though, that cut the mustard. The USA, Australian, and English squad are undefeated in their runs towards South Africa 2010. And Francisco Rodriguez became the first closer to reach 60 saves in a season. Adelaide United is the first Australian side to advance to the semifinals of the AFc Champions League, defeating the defending J.League champions Kashima Antlers 2-1. Robert Cornthwaite, who scored an own goal in the first leg in Japan, made up for it by scoring the winner at the Hindmarsh Stadium. I think Oswaldo may want to send their first team keeper, Hitoshi Sogahata, to the reserve side.

And the Sparks are still alive. Bring on San Antonio. 71-64 win over Seattle.

Quick hits, August 31, 2008

Within a couple of weeks, Francisco Rodriguez is due to not only smash Bobby Thigpen's signle-season saves record, but also become the first closer to tally 60 saves in a single season.

Chew on that, White Shox.

===

The Long Beach Armada clinch the GBL South Division 2nd half title. Nice. Now let's see if they can ACTUALLY win it all in the playoffs.

===

Volleyball and soccer at the Beach are off to a decent start. The volleyballers are 3-0, while Mauricio's bridesmaids are 2-0-1, the draw against Denver.

Let's see if they can keep it up.

===

After a two-game slump, the Saskatchewan Roughriders learn how to win again. A 19-6 victory over those Blue Bombers from Winnepeg snaps the funk..at the expense of poor Marcus Crandell being released in favor of Michael Bishop, the former Toronto Argonaut.

Time for Eric Tillman, Ken Miller and the crew to make this a habit for the rest of the season and learn to win again and again. I mean, the best thing for Saskatchewan now is: you already got a spot in the playoffs, and now it's time to tally up those W's because you want to have that good ol' home field advantage all the way to the Grey Cup.

Ride on, Riders.

===

I not only follow the Chelsea (that's the only team I follow from the EPL), but I also follow a few non-league sides.

All good things have to come to an end for AFC Wimbledon. Their win streak was halted by the likes of Bath City in a 2-2 draw. If Jon Main gets healthy, and some other players step up, these guys will be back in business as they continue their promotion push in the Blue Square South.

Meanwhile, out at Gigg Lane, the likes of FC United of Manchester are having a test in the Unibond League PRemier Division. They are in the middle of the table, and it's early, but a 3-1 win over Whitby is the way to go.

And down in little old Prescot, a suburb of Liverpool, AFC Liverpool is enjoying their maiden year in the Vodkat LEague Division One. They are where FC United was three years ago. Whether or not a promotion push is in the works remains to be seen, but a 3-0 win over Ashton Town, as part of a 4-game win streak in the Vodkat Division One is a sign that they intend to stay at the top of the table...at least until they get promoted.

Will it happen? We'll find out...

===

On Pali Blues and Calgary's woes

And now, BoBA presents the Top 5 reasons why You Can't Blame umpire Bill Hagans for ruining Calgary's chances of dealing Saskatchewan their first defeat of the season on my birthday:

5. Stampeders head coach John Hufnagel to snub QB Henry Burris to do a QB sneak on 3rd down with 64 seconds to go in the game, opting to hand-off to Joffrey Reynolds.
4. The return of Marcus Crandell. He delivered on his return from injury.
3. Wes Cates. Always reliable.
2. Saskatchewan riding on a successful Grey Cup campaign. The Roughriders played as a team in spite of injuries, and found a way to win.
1. Sandro DeAngelis. His leg failed him on a 54-yard attempt to win it for the Stamps.

---

Well, it's not very often, if ever, that a sports club/franchise can say "In my expansion year, we ended up winning the championship." The last team to do that was the Colorado Avalanche, who, in their first year out of Quebec, took home ste Stanley Cup. But it's not often you seen a first-year club go undefeated while winning the title.

Pali Blues Soccer Club, a women's side from the Pacific Palisades part of Los Angeles, is an example of this. A 2-1 come-from-behind victory over FC Indiana gave them their first-ever W-League Championship.

Pali win W-League Championship
Expansion Blues rally from first deficit of the season to win title

USL News Release

Saturday, August 2, 2008

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- It’s not always the case that a game can live up to the hype, but the Pali Blues 2-1 victory over FC Indiana in the W-League Championship game will be remembered for ages.

The Pali Blues came out loose and relax and it showed early in the contest. Pali was in control of the game early, dominating possession and getting everyone involved. On the other hand, FC Indiana looked nervous and the big game jitters definitely contributed to early FC Indiana miscues.

Although FC Indiana could not keep possession for any period of time, their defense was solid and Pali could not create any true scoring chances. Jessica O’Rourke was key in FC Indiana’s early defensive play as Head Coach Shek Borkowski unleashed a defensive strategy which clogged up the space that the athletic Blues desperately needed.

“Shek did an excellent coaching job tonight,” said Pali Head Coach Charlie Naimo. “He was able to take away our athleticism and we were really in trouble.”

The first big moment of the match came in the 30th minute when FC Indiana thought they took the early lead. Laura Del Rio played a beautiful curling ball in the front of the Pali goalmouth, where the awaiting Lauren Sesselmann headed into the goal. However, Sesselmann was whistled for being a step offside.

Pali responded quickly to FC Indiana’s scoring chance with one of their own. US youth international Danesha Adams sent a through ball to India Trotter, who looked to have a good shot on goal. However, Trotter tried one too many moves and the retreating FC Indiana defense deflected Trotter’s shot wide.

Right before the end of the first half it looked again like FC Indiana would take a 1-0 lead when midfielder Lena Mosebo blew past a defender on the wing and found an open Spain international Laura Del Rio at the top of the box. Del Rio’s shot was pushed aside by Pali goalie Val Henderson and the deflection went towards the direction of the back post and also towards the direction of a sliding Lauren Sesselmann. However, the sliding Sesselmann was unable to connect as the ball went safely out of play. The two teams headed to the half level, but with the momentum clearly in FC Indiana’s favor.

FC Indiana used that momentum to come out strong in the second half. They dominated the early play and used that advantage to score the first goal of the match. Midfielder and Mexican international Fatima Leyva sent a dangerous curling corner in the 47th minute that found the head of Jessica O’Rourke to make it 1-0 FC Indiana.

This was the first time all season that Pali trailed in a match and it took awhile for the Blues to regain their focus and command of the game.

FC Indiana continued on the offensive following the goal and in the 57th minute almost made the score 2-0 when Lauren Sesselmann went down the sidelines and sent in a cross the Del Rio just headed wide of the goal. Del Rio was at it again in the 70th minute, when she sent another beautiful cross that FC Indiana forward Mexican international Monica Ocampo got too, but was unable to put on goal.

“We were really struggling to make anything happen in the first part of the second half,” said Naimo. “We switched our formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3 to try and get some energy up top.”

The switch worked magically for Naimo and in the 83rd minute Pali leveled the match. Pali defender Amy LePeilbet beat all FC Indiana players in the air to the ball from a corner sent in by Rosie Tantillo and smoothly deflected the ball past FC Indiana goalie Kristen Luckenbill.

The equalizing goal sent waves of confidence through the Blues players and sent FC Indiana into a state of shock they could not recover from. Pali used the bounce in their step just five minutes later to score the game-winning goal. Defender Kandace Wilson, who was moved up top by Naimo in the second half, beat her defender on the wing and sent in a cross that went over the outstretched hands of Luckenbill. Italian international Ilaria Pasqui jumped at the opportunity and sent a diving header into the back of the net for only her second goal of the year.

FC Indiana frantically tried to gather themselves to find the equalizer, but none came, and Pali rode the strength of two goals in the final 10 minutes to win the 2008 W-League Championship.

“Our depth was a huge reason why we won this game,” said Naimo. “Our bench gave us the energy we needed and helped put us on top.”

FC Indiana’s loss was especially devastating to midfielder Kelly Parker, who is now 0-3 in W-League Championship games.

“To have the game in our hands, to be able to see the trophy right in front of us, this just hurts a lot,” said an obviously dejected Parker. “With the 1-0 goal lead we played a little bit safer but the momentum swing at the end of the game was too much to overcome.”

Kelly Parker was arguably the best player on the field tonight. She made tireless runs up and down the field and was a constant thorn in the side of the Pali Blues.

“I have never seen Kelly play this well,” said Naimo. “I can’t say enough good things about her.”

With the win the Pali Blues finished their season with a perfect 14-0-0 record, trailing only for a period of 36 minutes – as about a perfect a season as any team could produce. Star defender Amy LePeilbet was named the Most Valuable Player of the W-League Championship as she scored the goal that breathed life back to Pali.

This year’s W-League Championship tournament may have a larger impact off the field over the months to come as players are selected for the debut season of Women’s Professional Soccer. In 2000, the W-League final four would see 23 players go on to be drafted by the Women’s United Soccer Association as it embarked on its first year, including star players like Charmaine Hooper, Marci Miller, Lisa Krzykowski, Thori Bryan and Nel Fettig. Five players with WUSA experience were in the Virginia Beach this weekend with Seattle’s Michelle French and Washington foursome of Kele Golebiowski, Emily Janss, Lori Lindsey and Christie Welsh.

A great day for Team USA...and Saskatchewan

It's been a great day for the national teams. First, Team USA wrapped up the gold medal in the FIVB World League (men's volleyball), downing Serbia in four games. The USA Collegiate National Team outlasted Japan in Brno, Czech Republic for the 4th World Collegiate Baseball title. And the women's U-17 national football (soccer) team crushed Costa Rica, 4-1, a few days after edging Mexico in the last minute of stoppage time, 1-0.

The only downers were my Galaxy (weaklings couldn't lay a finger to soon-to-be player of the year in MLS, Kenny Cooper and FC Dallas, 3-0) and the Angels, who saw Baltimore snap a four-game winning streak. But that couldn't take away from Sparks finding their winning track after dropping a couple of stinkers due to a brawl in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Or the fact that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are 5-0 after getting the benefit of the doubt in a 28-22 win over the Toronto Argonauts. The funny thing about that touchdown by Wes Cates was that the priopr play should have been a touchdown, but was not, even after head coach Ken Miller challenged it.

It makes you wonder if the officlas wanted to make up for it.

Mac is back and Austin heads south

As I left the Walter Pyramid after we swept Irvine, the winds of change were blowing, and they were strong. This morning, I wake up to the news that Greg McMackin, the defensive coordinator for the Hawaii Warriors, is now the head coach. On the other side of the country, Kent Austin, the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

I'm thinking to myself...could this be the end of the January from hell for the Warriors? And how will the Roughriders adapt to not having their head coach who led them to their first Grey Cup title in nearly two decade call the shots? Stay tuned...

v(^_^)>

Saskatchewan gave me a nice birthday present. The Roughriders defeated the then-undefeated BC Lions, 21-9, on my birthday. Awesome job, Green and White.

I got an unexpected reprieve for my case brief. Yay. I can now kill a number of birds with one stone until Thursday.

Mike Bacsik, pray that our corrupted government intervenes like the schmucks they are. Just pray. You too, Hank Aaron.

Oy.

Oh Lord, not another weekend from hell...

I am steaming.

Man, I hope this isn’t the start of a weekend from hell. The USA lost to Cuba, 3-1, in the gold medal game at the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games. We can’t even win at our own national pastime. I wonder if Mike Weathers was coaching that team. That might explain it, as well as the fact that Oregon State’s 2007 squad could smash the bombs out of this team early. What a half-assed effort.

Speaking of Pan-Am, why the hell are we bringing incompetent footballers in group play? Our USA women lost to Mexico today. Usually, we own these guys, but not today, it seems. What a bloody shocker. I so hope Canada crushes them for not getting the job done.

The Saskatchewan vs. Edmonton game confirmed that things are not looking up for my teams so far (the Eskimos won, 21-20). Those damn Roughriders let Edmonton back into the game to rally. Come on Kent Austin, BC was last week. Wake your guys up! Are you gonna be giving more of the same, chokers?

Oh, and those Angels. Again, they fail to impress, this time against the Twins. They lose 5-7. And I think I’m seeing some more futility from the Galaxy, even with Beckham, because if they can’t lift a finger to Tigres, not even God can save them from Chelsea. The world will turn upside down if we defeat Mourinho’s boys. Galaxy defeating Chelsea? Fuhgeddaboutit!

Tim Donaghy, you oughta be shot for your actions outside of officiating in the NBA. Gambling, and keeping books while officiating? Boy, you are as bad as they come in a league already seeing its ratings sink. Watch yourself.

If I were to write a Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic, one of the chapters would have a section like this.

The SOS Brigade jumped up and let out a huge roar. Everyone patted each other on the back, hugging, partying like the New Year had started. Meanwhile, Yuki Nagato was still in her corner, reading the last Harry Potter novel.

Kyon went over to her as the group continued their reveling in the distance. “Hey Nagato, Japan won.”

She looked up, adjusted her reading classes and nodded.

“Was this…you prediction?”

He remembered a few hours ago her saying, “I am going to predict that the winner of the match to be the one who wins the penalty shootout.”

“And who might that be?” Haruhi asked with a smug look on her face.

“As Mikuru-san likes to allude, it’s classified information.”

She snuck a dirty look, then said, “Well, we all are calling for Japan to win. The game’s live. Are you gonna watch?”

“I will watch with me ears,” she said silently.

Kyon asked Yuki again. “Did you predict Japan to win the penalty shootout?”

She said in her trademark monotone voice, “They won, did they not?” He continued to stare at Yuki, who later gave a smile as she adjusted her glasses again, the lenses glinting in the light.

“So you did.” She nodded, the smile a bit wider.

“Hey Yuki, we’re going to get some food to celebrate,” said Haruhi. “And Kyon’s paying. You coming?”

“Haruhi! When did anyone say I was gonna pay for the food?”

“You’re one to talk, Kyon. So,” she said, turning back to the gray-hair girl reading in her corner, “are you going with us?”

Putting down the book, she paused, and said, “Relatively.” She rose from her chair and followed the congregation down the hall, who were still in cheers from Team Japan getting their hard-earned payback. And as Haruhi and Kyon debated the issue, the favorite won, but it took a penalty lottery to do it.

Thanks a lot, Mom. You just had to open your big complaining mouth, and indirectly change the outcome considerably. Well, I know who my personal scapegoat will be.

Friday the 13th

“Hmmm…A haunted house…”

So pondered Utena Tenjou before going on a spree, defeating every opponent, save for a slight hiccup that was rectified.

Speaking of haunted houses, for Australia’s Socceroos, they met their undoing in a house of horrors earlier today, also known simply as…Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where Iraq entered the Twilight Zone as foretold by Rod Serling, 3-1.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders saw their own house, Mosaic Stadium, turn into a house of horrors on Friday the 13^th, as the defending Grey Cup champs BC Lions continued from where they left off, soundly smothering the Green and White through some savvy ballhawking, 42-12.

One wonders if the USA U-20s are poised to see their impending doom against the Austrians in Toronto later today.

David Beckham is now officially with the G’s. Good. Now crush Tigres for me, please.

News flash: The AL East is still up for grabs.

In my mind, nobody cares about the MLB All-Star Break, unless you are a retired, obese baby-boomer or a spoiled, fugly wife of one of the players who will be taking part. That said, those who are calling the race for the AL East pennant to Boston are fools, and for good reason: the New York Yankees are catching up. Right now, they are literally crushing the Los Angeles Angels, 12-0, heading into the late innings. As if things weren’t bad enough for my favorite teams. Mike Scoscia going to have to get these players more focused on the task at hand, and that’s win games. We’re still on top of the AL West, but by the seat of our asses.

That said, I’m more interested on the football: the arena football (the Avengers face the defending ArenaBowl champion Chicago Rush tomorrow), the Canadian football (Saskatchewan takes on Calgary in a few hours), and the associated football (can Team USA U-20 go far in the knockout stages, and will the Socceroos rebound from their dismal performance against Oman? And what of the Galaxy? Can they dispose of the Richmond Kickers on the 10^th, while seeing David Beckham take care of things as he jumps aboard?).

One thing is for sure: those Damn Yankees are back. Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo. and Lola send help!

Bryan Brothers choke in the final. The world turned upside down.

All you doubles teams playing tennis right now, whether competitively or for recreation, here is a perfect example of what not to do: give up three straight sets while winning the first. I seriously have to question Bob and Mark Bryan’s preparation against Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the gentlemen’s double final at Wimbledon. After steamrolling through most of the bracket, the last thing you want is to give up three straight sets in the final after not dropping a single one until then.

Overconfidence? Divine intervention? Karma being a bitch after Venus Williams defeated Frenchie Marion Bertoli? The conspiracies, accusations, and water cooler double talk will no doubt linger in the local tennis circles regarding this match. It’s an unpredictable game, tennis is. And a loss of this magnitude is something the local papers love to rip apart.

Speaking of choking, a few of my favorite soccer teams came out with draws. Ties. Not victory or a loss. Melbourne Victory ties Tianjin Teda 1-1, Australia drew 1-1 with Oman, the LA Galaxy tied 2-2 with Kansas City, Toronto FC tied Chicago Fire 1-1, and the Japan U-20 played to a scoreless draw with Nigeria’s U-20’s. What a drag. This means the only new torrent downloading right now (outside of Toronto’s victory over doormats Real Salt Lake and USA humbling Brazil in the U-20 world cup) is Saskatchewan starting their season off right with a victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL.

Well, my Angels won, the Dodgers choked, and the Armada got back on the winning track after Orange County prevented a 5-game sweep. Not the best weekend for me, but not the worst in terms of futility, either.