So The 13th Man Really Does Make A Difference

If you live under a rock, well you probably don't read this blog, otherwise you probably know that the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't properly count their players on what should have been the last play of the game. As because of this horrible gaff, they did not win the Grey Cup.

Well there may be a bit more to it than that.

They were up by 16 points going into the fourth quarter. If they really deserved the cup there is no way they should have let the Alouettes come back to the point where they could kick a reasonable length field goal to win on the last play of the game. Yes Damon Duval missed wide right on what should have been the last play of the game but, the two touchdowns and the two point convert in the fourth quarter and to get the ball into field goal range should never have happened.

Most football games are won and lost in the fourth quarter. Teams play the whole game to set it up so they have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. The only time the score really matters is at the end of the fourth quarter. Players live to play in the fourth quarter. When the game is on the line is when stars and winners shine. The game is on the line in the fourth quarter. So even though the focus of the jokes and commentary will be on the 13th man on the field for (what should have been) the last play of the game, I think the Roughrider organization, both coaches and players, should take a long hard look at themselves and ask how they could have allowed the very good Montreal Alouettes back into it in the fourth quarter.

Their problems could also have been eliminated if they had just watched Sesame Street when they were growing up. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12........

Thanksgiving Football in Vegas

I was just in Las Vegas over American Thanksgiving. Football is central to this time of year and is even bigger in Sin City. There are plenty of opportunities to lay down a couple of bucks on a game there and plenty of games to bet on.

We have legalized sports betting in Canada in the form of Sport Select. It's ok. There are a few drawbacks to legal Canadian Sports betting. You can't bet on a single game and you can't put a

really big bet down. Us Canadians like moderation.

However in Las Vegas you can pretty much bet as much as you want, however you want. So I put down a bet on the late afternoon NFL game on Thanksgiving.

As you can see on the bet ticket I bet $100 on the Oakland Raider. The odds-maker gave me 13.5 points and the ticket would have paid $90.90 and I would have got my original $100 back if The Raiders won, the Cowboys and the Raiders tied, or The Raiders lost by less than 13.5 points. This was a big bet for me but I'm sure it was peanuts for what you see down there.

I can see how people get addicted to sports betting. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I told my bet to the bet writer. I also was wired as the game was coming to a close. The Cowboys were up 24-7 but the Raiders had the ball inside the Cowboys 20 at the 2 minute warning. If the Raiders were able to punch the ball in for a touchdown I would have won the bet.

The Raiders did not score.

The Cowboys won 24-7. I'll save you the math, that is 17 points.

I lost.

It definitely changed the experience of watching football. Even though the game was out of hand I still had a fairly realistic chance of winning my bet. It made it exciting.

Adding to the experience we watched most of the game in two different sports books. Much of the first half we watched in a fairly small sports book in Harrah's. For the second half we watched in the cavernous sports book in Caesar's Palace. As far as I could find this was the biggest sports book in Vegas. It definitely added to the experience.

Overall it was a good experience, it would have been better if the Raiders could have covered.

Out of the Finals into the Grey Cup

So once again I was one for two predicting CFL outcomes this week-end. Montreal looked great, and the Riders were good enough.

The Als drove over the Lions as if they were an earthworm on the interstate. The offence lit it up in the first half and the defence and special teams were amazing in the second half, not really allowing the offence to do much since they didn't even get onto the field a couple of times.

The Riders played good but Smiling Hank pretty much threw the game away. He did not play at a championship level and because of that he doesn't get to play for a championship. The Green and White did make plays but I think the Stamps definitely did not do enough to win.

So now we are headed to the Grey Cup in Calgary. The Montreal Alouettes will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders for all the marbles. If the Riders want to win they will have to play the perfect game. Montreal is real good. If you score over 50 points in a playoff game and give up under 20, you are real good. So the way I see it is the Als will beat the Riders. They seem to be really good this year. They had the best record by a lot, and put on a clinic yesterday.

At about 9:30 pm on Sunday we will know. It will be all over but the crying.

Football Baby

I am headed to fabulous Las Vegas next week. I will be in Sin City for the American version of Thanksgiving. Being Canadian this is not a holiday at all for me but their turkey day mean one thing to me. Football.

Since I will be in the only place in America you can legally bet on football, I may just have to lay down a bet on a game.

Here is Canada we have the government sponsored Sport Select. You can bet on sports however you can not bet on a single game. Down there that option is available. I'm sure a single game could be rather exciting if there is some money riding on it.

There are three choices on Thanksgiving for my betting pleasure:

Green Bay at Detroit

Oakland at Dallas

NY Giants at Denver.

I will probably lay a bet on the middle game. Here's my logic. I will probably not be up in time to bet on the first game and I don't want to wait for the end of the last game so it is Oakland at Dallas. I don't know who I will bet on yet. It depends on the spread when I lay the bet. I hope to place this bet in the famous sports book in Caesar's Palace. These teams still have to play this week and what happens this week may change what should happen next week.

It is exciting and I am glad I will have the opportunity in fabulous Las Vegas Nevada.

CFL Playoffs - Round Two

Well I was one for two last week-end on an overtime loss by the Ti-Cats after they came back in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. The good part is this does not change my predictions for the finals this week-end.

East Final. The mighty machine known as the Montreal Alouettes will beat the BC Lions. The Leos had to go to overtime to beat Hamilton. They had to fly back to the left coast, prep and fly to Montreal for the game. The Als were relaxing and often win the East final.

West Final. This will go the way I though last week. The Calgary Stampeders will beat the Riders. Football is the only game in Regina and the city will be so wound up, it will be difficult for young Durant to live up to a win starved province's lofty expectations.

As for the Grey Cup I still think the Als will win. They are good no matter who is in the line-up. The two teams who really racked up yards against their defence are out of the playoffs.

We will know by suppertime on Sunday if I got it right this week.

Leafs Get Burned by Flames

The Calgary Flames beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in front of a national audience on Hockey Night in Canada. The Flames didn't look real good. For a lot of the game they were playing flat footed and running around in their own end. Additionally, Calgary was out shot 40-22. So how did they win?

A couple of superstars came and played. Mikka Kiprusoff played very well making 38 saves and Jarome Iginla scored 2 goals on three shots tonight. That's really all you need to get the rest of the team through.

A bigger problem is the Leafs are not very good. They do not have very good goal tending. They do not have much for offence. Their defence does not prevent attackers from getting to good scoring chances. I don't want to keep ragging on the Leafs but they are just getting worse.

On the flip side, the Calgary Flames look like they have what it takes to go places. They have a coach who demands performance and is not afraid to let you know if you are not performing. They have a good defensive corps. They have scoring. They stand up for each other. They are physical. They are a team. Maybe we should see a lot more of Calgary on Hockey Night in Canada. It is becoming apparent to me they have a lot more going for them than the lowly Leafs.

When I really look at it I think there are two key problems with the Leafs.

They are the most valuable franchise in the NHL and put out one of the least valuable products.

They have an arrogant blowhard as a General Manager. Brian Burke sure likes to talk and be argumentative, but has not produced any results in Toronto.

I am going to continue to cheer for the Flames and rag on the Leafs as I see no other way.

CFL - How It Will Shake Out

I think part of having a sports blog is to look out to the future and prognosticate on some games, especially in the playoffs. On Sunday the CFL will start 3 weeks of excitement and here's how I see it shaking out.

East Semi-Final BC at Hamilton

BC has rotated enough guys through the quarterback position to ice a hockey team. Casey Printers thumb was smacked up last week but they say it is ok. The Ti-Cats have looked good the last two weeks and have found a way to win. I see Hamilton taking this one.

West Semi-Final Edmonton at Calgary

The battle of Alberta will heat up but ultimately the Eskimos have not looked so good since Labour Day and realistically don't have much of a chance against the the Stamps, who have been a bit streaky. I'll take streaky over tanking. Stampeders are going to win.

East Final Hamilton at Montreal.

Hamilton is much improved but the Als have shown it really doesn't matter who is in, when they want to win they win. Allouettes are headed back to the big game.

West Final Calgary at Saskatchewan

There is usually one upset in the playoffs every year in every sport. Sorry Rider Nation it will be your beloved Green Riders. I don't think that team has the fortitude to get though the West Final. The last time they finished first in the West I was still in my mother's womb. You are the only game in town and after two weeks of hype the team will be too set up to get it done.

Grey Cup Montreal at Calgary

Montreal is really good and Calgary will have the added pressure of playing at home. I see the Allouette machine taking this one.

There you go, this is my prediction of how things will go, on November 29, we will know if I was right.

Looking Back at the Season

Now that I am done licking my wounds from a Bomber failure I can look back at the season and see what really transpired.

One team won a lot of games.

One team lost a lot of games.

Six teams finished with seven to ten wins. There is a lot of parity if you have seventy-five percent of your league within that range. Seven wins will not get you into the playoffs. It probably shouldn't. This year an 8 and 10 record will get you into the playoffs. Maybe it should maybe it shouldn't, it is definitely on the line at the best of times.

Other good points to the season is the last game had playoff implications for both teams in the game and for teams not playing. That produces some good drama. Coming down to a win and you are in situation is all any team or league could ask for.

There were some great plays and some bad ones. There were old stars doing like they always do and some new stars emerging with promise to bring a lot more. Some teams are getting better, some are not. There will be a lot of off season searching, for souls and talent and will and pride.

Soon the snows will come and blanket our great nation, we will look to other sports for a while but when it warms up in the spring we will look to the grid-iron for another year of drama, excitement and debate. I hope next year will bring another great season and I hope the Bombers do a bit better.

Well, That's Over

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers dropped the ball yesterday at Canad Inns Stadium. They really couldn't have hoped for a better situation. All you you have to do is win and you are in. This is what you play for. The Bombers couldn't get it done. They let the Hamilton Tiger-Cats walk all over them. It wasn't even close at the end.

It was definitely an interesting year in Bomberland. A new coach came to town with a promise to change the Bombers. Well he did change them. They didn't make the playoffs this year. Two years ago they were in the Grey Cup now they don't even have a chance to be there. There is definitely change. Attendance is down and there is just a feeling the boat is about to sink. The team needs a consistent quarterback. The team needs an offensive system that works. The team needs logical play calling. The team needs to win more games than it loses.

I'm sure there will be a lot of head scratching at the corner of St James and Maroons Road. There will be promises to fix what was wrong. The good part is they have an extra week or two over most of the league to get it done, hopefully they will put the extra time to good use.

Yankees Win .... Again

The New York Yankees won Game 6 of the World Series 7-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies to win the Fall Classic for the 27th time.

Is this good for baseball?

Maybe.

The Yankees are dedicated to winning and take the necessary steps to give themselves a realistic chance of winning every year. They must be admired for this dedication. Players go to the Yankees not only for the money but they know that the team will be strong and they will have a shot at a title.

However, there is no parity in baseball. Several teams do not have the financial wherewithal to even consider competing with the Yankees and have written off the season before the first pitch is thrown on opening day.

Your position on this comes down to if you believe there should be parity in professional sport. If you believe every team should have a realistic chance if they run their organization properly then you will think the Yankees winning again is not good for baseball. If you think we should have epic dynasties that tower over the teams that play in fly-overs then you think the Yankees winning is good for baseball. Both sides have their merits and drawbacks.

I know this The New York Yankees are very good at what they do and for that, they should be applauded. The rest is a debate that will go on for a long time to come.

Fire the Coach

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did not look very good as they were crushed in Montreal yesterday. They were sloppy, and appeared to have their minds elsewhere. Mike Kelly, coach of the Bombers took exception to being asked if the Bombers were lacking focus on the game they were currently in.

Here's the facts.

The game next week versus Hamilton is much more important to win. The winner of that game hosts the East Division Semi-Final. The loser may be out of the playoffs. After the Bombers performance on Sunday and the Eskimos winning the Bombers are out if they lose.

They were in Montreal, probably the best party city in the CFL maybe in all of Canada. Temptation is everywhere in that city. The women are beautiful and liberal. The adult entertainment is over the top. The language is entrancing. The party never stops. Now, I have no hard evidence to say there were some team members down on St Catherine's the night before the game but the Alouettes were undefeated at home. I'm sure the lure of the party probably got the better of a few players. I know it would be difficult to resist if I was there. I'm sure some of their focus may have been elsewhere.

The Bombers straight up did not play well. They couldn't move the ball or stop their very good opponents from moving the ball. That is usually due to a lack of focus.

I understand Mike Kelly's desire to defend the heart and determination of his team. I love how much passion he brings to his job. I've heard that and believe that he is a really good guy. Sitting having a couple of beers talking football with him would probably be an enjoyable experience.

I don't know if he is the right guy for the job. This blow up last night on the radio is just the latest in a long list of blunders the team, and most notably the coach seem to be making this year. I'm not in the dressing room, I don't know if they are a happy group, but when you barely show up and don't admit publicly that your head was not in the game I do hope that in the room they are honest with themselves and own up to each other that they were not focused or next week will be the last week that group of guys will call themselves a team.

The NHL Needs to Stop Rewarding Failure

Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a shoot-out. This was the Leafs first shoot-out of the season. They lost three other games in the five minute four-on-four overtime period. They have one only one win so far this season in twelve games. Since the NHL awards one point to each team at the end of regulation the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs have 6 points this year. Four point have come from games they have lost and two points have come from games they have won.

The Leafs have more points from games they lost than games they won.

Does this seem strange to anyone else?

In the world of professional sport I don't think anyone should be rewarded for losing. We are not here to make the players and coaches feel good, we are here to see who is the best is. We are here to separate the men from the boys. We are here to pit the best against the best and the rest.

Now I realize the Leafs bad play has left them last in the league, and they have a long road to climb if they want to make any kind of impact this season. I just don't feel that a loss deserves any points.

I understand what the league wants. They want to see the teams play hard for the extra point, but I do not understand how the best hockey league in the world can justify handing out a reward for losing.