Today the CFL fined Winnipeg Blue Bomber Head Coach and some of the players for negative comments made about the officiating in last Fridays 's loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
I understand why the comments were made and why the CFL had to react as they did.
When you see the play that garnered the criticism it is easy to see how members of the Bombers may be upset. It's pretty clear it was a bad call. Instant replay was added to try and get the calls right but it's hard to say they did in this instance.
On the flip side the CFL had to take some disciplinary action. They have a duty to protect the integrity of the game and the league so when people step out of line they must face the appropriate consequences.
The root problem seems to be the performance of the CFL officials. I'm going to assume that they want to do the best job they can. Unless there is a conspiracy to help or hurt specific teams (and if there is, it is a sad day) no official goes out to make a bad call. Assuming this, why does there seem to be so many bad calls being made this year?
No matter how talented any official is and how hard they try there are going to be mistakes. Officials are human and humans make mistakes.
Possibly the CFL has not adequately prepared the officials form the job at hand. The league is prospering, there is probably money in the coffers to better prepare and train officials.
The first step is for the league to accept they have a problem. Hopefully this outburst by the Bombers sheds some light on this reality. They don't have to come out and air the laundry list of problems. They may want to state publicly what they plan to do to improve the overall quality, but the most important thing is they admit and accept they have a problem and start to deal with it.
Ultimately the CFL has a responsibility to protect the sport and the league. If they don't help their officials perform better at a very difficult job then they are not protecting what they should.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Another Road Loss
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost another road game to fall to 3 and 8 as they were defeated 17-13 by the Toronto Argonauts. Road wins are hard to come by in the CFL in 2010 with every team except the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions having a winning record at home. Overall, the home team is now 28 -16 overall to this point of the season.
The Bombers had a good first half, holding the Argos scoreless through the first 30 minutes. They did not fare so well in the second half. They gave up 17 points including an 80 yard punt return for a touchdown. They did have a late drive that was looking promising but were stopped on their second 3rd down attempt to gain over a yard.
The only real hope for the Bombers to make the playoffs is now through the crossover. They have lost the season series with both Hamilton and Toronto. However the BC Lions are not doing so well either so they are not out of it. To have any real chance the Bombers need to win on the road.
I think as an organization, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are headed in the right direction. They have purged their demons of the past. It is getting more difficult to wait for the winning to come back but if they can put a couple more wins on the board this year they will have something to build on next year.
Road wins are difficult to come by in the CFL, if you are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers it seems to be nearly impossible.
The Bombers had a good first half, holding the Argos scoreless through the first 30 minutes. They did not fare so well in the second half. They gave up 17 points including an 80 yard punt return for a touchdown. They did have a late drive that was looking promising but were stopped on their second 3rd down attempt to gain over a yard.
The only real hope for the Bombers to make the playoffs is now through the crossover. They have lost the season series with both Hamilton and Toronto. However the BC Lions are not doing so well either so they are not out of it. To have any real chance the Bombers need to win on the road.
I think as an organization, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are headed in the right direction. They have purged their demons of the past. It is getting more difficult to wait for the winning to come back but if they can put a couple more wins on the board this year they will have something to build on next year.
Road wins are difficult to come by in the CFL, if you are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers it seems to be nearly impossible.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Faking It
Getting hurt sucks. I have done my fair share over the years. Broken bones, jammed fingers, pulled muscles, bloody noses, black eyes, bruises from a baseball. I have done all of it. Anyone who has played any amount of sports, has hurt themselves several times. It's part of the deal.
I don't like getting hurt so it makes me wonder why Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees pretended to get hit by a pitch last night.
Really. He was caught faking last night.
He may have thought he wouldn't get caught. Of course this is 2010. With high definition television you can see everything. So, if that was his thought process, he was off the mark there.
He may have thought he would garner some sympathy. High priced New York ball players don't even garner deserved sympathy from New Yorkers. So, if that was his thought process, he was off the mark there.
He may have thought the umpire would give him special treatment. Major League Baseball umpires are a tough lot. They officiate a game of high strung professionals. So, if that was his though process, he was off the mark there.
When it comes down to it, I have no idea why the mighty Derek Jeter would pretend he was hit by a pitch. He should be bright enough to know it wouldn't help him. He should have known the world would know it was faked or maybe not. Maybe he doesn't have the wherewithal to think of this on her own. In any event he made a bad move and he has to endure the fallout.
I don't like getting hurt so it makes me wonder why Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees pretended to get hit by a pitch last night.
Really. He was caught faking last night.
He may have thought he wouldn't get caught. Of course this is 2010. With high definition television you can see everything. So, if that was his thought process, he was off the mark there.
He may have thought he would garner some sympathy. High priced New York ball players don't even garner deserved sympathy from New Yorkers. So, if that was his thought process, he was off the mark there.
He may have thought the umpire would give him special treatment. Major League Baseball umpires are a tough lot. They officiate a game of high strung professionals. So, if that was his though process, he was off the mark there.
When it comes down to it, I have no idea why the mighty Derek Jeter would pretend he was hit by a pitch. He should be bright enough to know it wouldn't help him. He should have known the world would know it was faked or maybe not. Maybe he doesn't have the wherewithal to think of this on her own. In any event he made a bad move and he has to endure the fallout.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Go (Home) Riders
On a windy afternoon in Winnipeg the Winnipeg Blue Bombers improved to 3 and 7 by completely destroying the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31 to 2 in the 7th incarnation of the Banjo Bowl at CanadInns Stadium.
It is a little difficult for me to comment on the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter as I was forced to watch the game on the big screen in the end zone. My friend I was attending the game with left his wallet with the tickets in the car that dropped him off for the game. It took a while to get it dropped off. I missed the 61 yard run by Fred Reid and several other great plays.
From what I can tell is Bomber quarterback Steven Jyles made smart plays and distributed the ball well to various players on the Big Blue while Fred Reid ran with conviction through big holes made by the Offensive Line.
Where the Bombers really shone was on defense. They held the Riders two two single points. On a day where the wind was blowing at least 15 knots all game long they did not allow any running game to be established. The Blue Bombers kept Rider quarterback Darian Durant off balance all game long. The pass rushers and run stoppers were in the backfield all game long. When you are running for your life it's hard to be throwing for good yards.
With this win the Bombers are back in the hunt. Next week they face the Toronto Argonauts. If they win there they are only one game behind the Argos with a lot of football including a game against the Argos to come. The Bombers also have a game to go against the hapless Edmonton Eskimos and 2 games against the BC Lions, the team that is trying to keep the Bombers out of the crossover.
A big win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders has injected new life into the Big Blue. If they win the games they should over the remaining 8 games, the early season woes can be erased and a playoff appearance is very achievable.
It is a little difficult for me to comment on the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter as I was forced to watch the game on the big screen in the end zone. My friend I was attending the game with left his wallet with the tickets in the car that dropped him off for the game. It took a while to get it dropped off. I missed the 61 yard run by Fred Reid and several other great plays.
From what I can tell is Bomber quarterback Steven Jyles made smart plays and distributed the ball well to various players on the Big Blue while Fred Reid ran with conviction through big holes made by the Offensive Line.
Where the Bombers really shone was on defense. They held the Riders two two single points. On a day where the wind was blowing at least 15 knots all game long they did not allow any running game to be established. The Blue Bombers kept Rider quarterback Darian Durant off balance all game long. The pass rushers and run stoppers were in the backfield all game long. When you are running for your life it's hard to be throwing for good yards.
With this win the Bombers are back in the hunt. Next week they face the Toronto Argonauts. If they win there they are only one game behind the Argos with a lot of football including a game against the Argos to come. The Bombers also have a game to go against the hapless Edmonton Eskimos and 2 games against the BC Lions, the team that is trying to keep the Bombers out of the crossover.
A big win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders has injected new life into the Big Blue. If they win the games they should over the remaining 8 games, the early season woes can be erased and a playoff appearance is very achievable.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Kickoff 2010
Later tonight the 2010 National Football League season finally kicks off. This league is very lucrative. They have found a way to fill stadiums and not have that revenue be particularly significant. They have managed to package the sport to be easily consumed by everyone for nearly no cost. In America all you need is rabbit ears to watch football all day on Sunday.
Football is not a game specifically designed for TV. The way they show the game you miss most of the play. The league has worked with the networks to package the sport so we want to watch it.
We don't see the receivers run their routes. We don't see how the defense sets up or reacts. Despite all that critical information we watch football.
Hockey translates to TV quite well but for some reason it cannot grab an audience like football.
It may be that every football game matters a lot. A couple of bad losses can put you out of the playoffs. A couple of unexpected wins can put you in. You cannot give up and cannot coast with a lead. One big play can turn a game around and you never really know what is going to happen.
This season there is no clear cut favorite.
There is a lot of parity in the NFL. It is hard to be great and average will not get you into the playoffs. A lot of good teams will not make it to the second season.
This year it will be exciting. New stars will emerge and great plays will be make.
I will be watching, will you?
Football is not a game specifically designed for TV. The way they show the game you miss most of the play. The league has worked with the networks to package the sport so we want to watch it.
We don't see the receivers run their routes. We don't see how the defense sets up or reacts. Despite all that critical information we watch football.
Hockey translates to TV quite well but for some reason it cannot grab an audience like football.
It may be that every football game matters a lot. A couple of bad losses can put you out of the playoffs. A couple of unexpected wins can put you in. You cannot give up and cannot coast with a lead. One big play can turn a game around and you never really know what is going to happen.
This season there is no clear cut favorite.
There is a lot of parity in the NFL. It is hard to be great and average will not get you into the playoffs. A lot of good teams will not make it to the second season.
This year it will be exciting. New stars will emerge and great plays will be make.
I will be watching, will you?
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