Monday Morning Sentimonies: This and That

This is generally the most excruciating part of the CFL offseason. The initial surge of free agency has passed and the next real notable event is the draft in 2 months. We don’t even have a schedule to discuss… though I’m convinced the delay is because the League is still waiting to hear back from Ivor Wynne and Canad Inns stadiums on availability.

Actually for those of you complaining about the delay in finalizing the schedule, consider just how ridiculous of a job it must be. It may only be an 8 team league but Hamilton is playing their “home games” in a different town that apparently cannot accommodate televised night games, Winnipeg games must be scheduled around potentially windy days or the new stadium might collapse and Toronto games must be scheduled around Blue Jay games, concerts, conferences, bar mitzvahs, coffee breaks for Rogers Centre employees and pretty much every other conceivable occurrence that would trump the Argos time in the stadium. Good luck with that.

The only real bit of Rider news was the signing of WR Lyle Leong and DB Carlo Thomas. Thomas actually broke into the league on our practice roster and dressed for a solitary game in 2009. Both guys are in tough to make it beyond training camp. Our receivers are pretty much set and there is a ton of competition at DB with the like of Brown, Anderson, Russ, Collins, Jackson, Harris, Turenne and Maze already in the mix. For me it will once again be weird to see a C Thomas out on the field and not see him whiffing on his pass blocking assignments.

The Commissioner and other team big wigs will be in town for the League Congress. Cohon has extended a public invitation for people to join him at the Press Box for a drink on Wednesday night. Cohon is just enjoying the perks of being pretty much the only sports commissioner that people don’t hate. While I’m sure a similar event involving the like of Goodell, Bettman or Selig would be well attended, I’m fairly certain that a beer is not what people would want to share with them… profanity and fists would likely be higher on the list. I think our collective goal should be to get the commish smashed and convince him to go streaking and wake up the next day with an unexplained Rider logo tramp stamp tattoo.