Monday Morning Sentimonies: So Close, Yet So Far

Training Camp finally gets underway next week, which means we can finally get a taste of some actual football. However, in the interim it has been another really slow news week… and you know what that means… it’s time for another installment of Random Quasi-Coherent Thoughts.

- The Riders will induct Dan Farthing, Tom Burgess and Norm Fong into the Plaza of Honour this year. A very deserving group indeed: the 5th all-time leading Rider receiver, the guy who got us to the ’89 cup and most importantly the guy who for 30+ seasons ensured our players’ cups fit properly.

- The Riders held their State of the Franchise conference call last week. About the only thing worth passing along is that David McKoy is still hurt and Matt Dominguez has one more medical test to pass before we consider bringing him to camp. Or to put it another way, Dominguez has a better chance of being healthy enough for camp than McKoy… that’s pretty sad.

- The more I think about it, Fantuz is clearly an anomaly because all the other receivers we’ve drafted have either been perennially injured or played at a level where the fans wished they were perennially injured.

- The Riders added a couple DBs to the training camp roster, Daniel Francis and Jerron Wishom. While I wish these 2 the best, I’m guessing their stay here will be short lived.

- The Rider Prophet is adopting Gabe Nyenhuis as my favourite player heading into camp… and if history is any indication that means that his stay here will be about as short lived as those of Francis and Wishom.

- The government’s feasibility study on a new stadium is now in. While Brad Wall and Pat Fiacco are being coy and saying “they need time to examine the findings”, all that really means is that they need time to write their respective speeches for the press conference to officially announce the project.

- It took a few months longer than expected but the Blue Jays have remembered who they are and promptly fallen out of first place.

CFL Ins and Outs

BC
In: QB Travis Lulay, WR Robert Long, WR Emmanuel Arceneaux, WR Terrence Scott, DL Gary Butler, DL Xavier Mitchell, DL Jonathan Williams (free agent signing)
It’s Monday so I am unable to feign interest in these signings.

Calgary
In: RB Reggie Bradshaw, RB Cedric Thompson (free agent signing)
You may remember Bradshaw as the Rider draft pick who Tillman expected to be a contributor on special teams last year… that was until Stu Foord came along and stole the show.

Winnipeg
In: WR Romby Bryant, RB Joe Smith (contract extension), K Bradley Pierson (free agent signing)
Out: OL Bobby Singh, DB Marc Beswick, LB Anthony Maggiacomo (cut)
Normally a kicker signed this late in the offseason is nothing more than a leg for training camp but in Pierson’s case he actually has a legitimate shot… mainly because his only competition is a really bad young kicker named Serna and a really bad old kicker named Giancola.

Montreal
In: DL Stan Van Sichem, OL Mat Singer, DL Ivan Brown (2009 Draft Pick signing)
As if Van Sichem isn’t an awesome name for a defender.

Edmonton
In: WR Jason Barnes, WR Willie Thornton, WR Efrem Hill, WR Alan Turner (free agent signing)
Again… Monday… can’t feign interest.

Hamilton
In: QB Jason Boltus, LB Matt Castelo, DB Carlton Brown, DB Melvin Matlock, DB Jacob Patek, DB Desman Stephen (free agent signing)
Out: DB Jason Nedd (cut)
Man do I wish we had signed Melvin Matlock. I would be the first in line for a Riders’ Matlock jersey. I would also be the first to yell out “We want Maaattloooooccccckkk!!”