Bleacher Report - Articles by Steve Thompson

The CFL's Christmas Wish List

Steve Thompson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:09:32 -0500

Now that the Grey Cup is over and the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost Don Cherry-style, it's the offseason and I am down to writing one CFL article a week.

I have to think of things to write about. What is immediately on the horizon is Christmas.

Everybody wants something for the holiday season and the CFL is no exception. Below is a list of what Santa could bring to the league, assuming it's been good this year.

On the first day of Christmas, there came to the CFL...

Still grieving over the deaths of Ron Lancaster and Bobby Ackles, the CFL discovers and sponsors chelation therapy and no one connected with the league ever dies of coronary heart disease or a stroke again.
As a result of the impressive attendance at the Grey Cup, Calgary decides to keep the added seats permanently boosting potential attendance to over 45,000.
Ottawa football fans become impatient at the return of football to the city and petition the city council, the new owners and the CFL to do something. As a result, the construction for the renovation of Frank Clair Stadium is worked out so that Ottawa can rejoin the league in 2010 as was originally scheduled.
Impressed with the sold-out Grey Cup, the 62,000 Edmonton-Saskatchewan game and the 53,000 Eastern final in Montreal, Jim Balsillie, Quebecor and a third investor pay the $7 million franchise fee and are granted franchises for London, Quebec and Kitchener for 2011. Each promises to begin immediate construction on CFL-size stadiums, 35,000 for London and Kitchener, 40,000 for Quebec. Each new stadium will have the capacity to expand either permanently or temporarily if the Grey Cup is awarded.
Excited by the prospect of two new rivals, London and Kitchener, which will boost attendance, Hamilton's owner works out a deal to expand the new Pan Am Games stadium to 35,000 after the games are over in 2015, with the capacity to expand if Hamilton is awarded the Grey Cup.
Desperate to improve its quarterbacking, Winnipeg signs Kurt Warner after he is released by the Arizona Cardinals because of age. Season ticket sales increase.
Balsillie induces Kent Austin to return and coach the new London franchise.
Pinball Clemons returns to coach the Toronto Argonauts.
Determined to make a splash and get the new Ottawa franchise competitive immediately, the team signs Michael Vick. "The CFL has given troubled players a chance before," says Ottawa's GM. "Michael has paid his debt to society and wants to move on. He wants to be a starting quarterback again so he can prove himself and wants to show the world he's a changed man by helping to rebuild this franchise." Season ticket sales take off.
Based on the Kurt Warner signing, Winnipeg scraps its original plans for its new stadium and instead increases permanent seating to 35,000.
Impressed by attendance at the Eastern final and excited by having Quebec in the league, Montreal scraps plans to expand its stadium to 25,000 and moves back to the Olympic Stadium. "It's something we've always wanted to do," says Alouette president Larry Smith. "We've won the Grey Cup, we've got two great new rivals Quebec and Ottawa coming into the league. Attendance for those games alone should exceed 40,000. People here are talking CFL."
Ottawa induces Cameron Wake to return. "Now we've got star players on both sides of the ball," says Ottawa's GM.
In football-crazy Saskatchewan, Mosaic/Taylor Field is expanded to 40,000 seats.
Desperate to improve attendance, Toronto signs Tim Tebow. "We had to do something to halt the decline," says GM Adam Rita. "And the owners gave me the green light to go out and get the best young quarterback in the game. Toronto needs a star player and Tebow should fit the bill. Now we've got better quarterbacking than the Buffalo Bills. This is the next Doug Flutie who is going to take the league by storm. Now we are talking about attendance over 40,000 each game."
As a result of the successful exhibition game in Moncton next year, the new stadium is expanded to 25,000 permanent seats.
In view of the increased interest and expansion in the CFL, Brock, Laurentian, Carleton, Moncton, PEI, Lakehead and Dalhousie universities start football programs and join the CIS. At the same time, the CFL makes a rule change and adds one more non-import player to each roster, providing it is a Canadian quarterback. "We want to work more closely with the CIS in the future," says Commissioner Mark Cohon. "We have to increase Canadian interest in football and it starts at the lower level. Giving Canadians a chance to star in the league is essential. We have to develop the next Russ Jackson."
Because of the expansion and increased interest and attendance for the CFL, TSN and the CBC get into a bidding war and both sign new lucrative television contracts with the league.
In the 2011 census, it is revealed that the population of Moncton has increased to 200,000 and that of New Brunswick to more than one million. "I think we now have the population to start a permanent franchise," says commissioner Mark Cohon. "We've staged two successful, sold-out, regular season games the past two years in a CFL-size stadium. I think we can have a successful regional team in Moncton, New Brunswick like we have in Saskatchewan. All we need is an investor."
In the same census, Regina has grown to 250,000 and Saskatoon to 300,000. "I think the day is not far off when we'll see two teams in Saskatchewan," says Cohon.
It is also revealed that Victoria, Halifax, Oshawa and Windsor have all grown by 150,000 new residents, making their populations at or near 500,000. The CFL makes plans to play an exhibition game in each of these cities.
Quinton Porter and Adam Tafralis, like Darian Durant, improve as quarterbacks. "That is good news," says Cohon. "We were having a bit of a quarterbacking crisis, but their improvement and the recent new signings means that the CFL will have star players at the key position for years to come."
A sponsor steps forward and offers to back a national punt, pass and kick competition similar to the one in the United States. Cohon is delighted and the competition is launched.
Quebec becomes the first expansion team to be awarded the Grey Cup game.
The Buffalo Bills' threat to the CFL is terminated abruptly when the city becomes the victim of the new investors of the Los Angeles stadium and is moved to southern California. Since the NFL has no plans for a return to unglamorous Buffalo in the near future, some local investors petition the CFL to place a team there. After negotiations, the concept is widened and the CFL agrees to set up a northern New York state division within three years with teams in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and possible expansion to Hartford and Providence.
Based on the new American division, ESPN offers the CFL a new rich American television contract, far more than that offered to the NHL, provided that the CFL also sets up a western American division. Negotiations are opened with Portland, Spokane, Boise and Butte, Montana.

Montreal Alouettes: Between Thoroughness and a Choke

Steve Thompson — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:21:22 -0500

The Saskatchewan Roughriders face a daunting task if they want to emulate the celebration in the above photo from 2007 at this year's Grey Cup.

They face a much tougher opponent in the Montreal Alouettes this time around, a team that led the CFL statistically on both offense and defense.

The Alouettes showed last week that they can make a game get out of hand for an opponent early. They are full value for their 15-3 record including two convincing wins over Saskatchewan.

Since the Roughriders are stepping on the field, they do have a chance. It goes without saying that quarterback Darian Durant must play at least the equal of his counterpart Anthony Calvillo. The Alouettes have too much in their favor to add a bad quarterbacking performance by their opponent as well.

Durant may be untried, but he has won games consistently for the Roughriders since he joined their roster last year. It will be a learning experience, but he has shown he can play competently in big games.

But the Roughriders will have to have more than good quarterbacking to win this time. The other key element is line play.

Durant may try to play his best, but he won't do it if he is under the type of pressure Casey Printers was under in last week's semifinal. Printers had played good too since he returned to the CFL, but he was made to look ordinary by the Alouette's defense.

The Roughriders' offensive line must keep Montreal's front four away from Durant and also open up holes for their running game.

On the defensive side, the same scenario applies. Saskatchewan's defensive line must outplay Montreal's offensive line.

Anthony Calvillo must be put under consistent pressure.

For the Alouettes, they are swinging between two extremes; thoroughness and choke.

On the positive side, most opinions say that this year's Alouettes are better than last year's version that barely lost the Grey Cup. The best word to describe their improvement is thorough.

Marc Trestman believes that somehow the Alouettes failed to win the Grey Cup last year because it slipped through some undetected holes.

This year, the team won every game at home and won more of their away games in the tougher Western Conference.

Trestman hopes that the few holes that he felt came to light when the Alouettes lost last year have finally been patched up.

Based on last week's game, their regular season record, and their dominating statistics, few will disagree.

Still, there is the choke factor...

Montreal has been to the Grey Cup again and again this past decade but has only one victory to show for it. Somehow their opponent has always found a way to win.

But this is the first time there has ever been a Montreal-Saskatchewan matchup. There are no hexes—yet.

Montreal should win. With all they've accomplished this year, it would be a shame if they don't.

Still, as long as Saskatchewan is willing to step on the field, there is a crack of light.

Prediction: I'll be rooting for Saskatchewan, but my head says something else. Montreal will win...<gulp>

A Surreal Grey Cup Story

Steve Thompson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:26:42 -0500

Since Grey Cup Week is upon us, I would like to relate a CFL story that happened to me in the mid-1980s.

Back then I worked for the Provincial Government in its Sports and Fitness Branch. Though I mostly dealt with fitness, every year when the Ministry had its annual Sports Awards Banquet honoring Ontario's amateur athletes at the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel on Queen Street, opposite the City Hall, I was called upon to help set up the banquet.

Stuff for the banquet would be stored in my office the night before and next day, I would be required to load it into a van and accompany it to the hotel where I would unload it and help set it up.

At the end of the banquet, I would help dismantle the exhibits, load them back in the van, and the next day unload the van and store the stuff in my room until whoever the stuff belonged to came and took it. In return, I was allowed to attend the banquet.

Though the banquet was to honor Ontario's amateur athletes, sometimes members of one of Toronto's professional sports teams were asked to be head table guests.

Because the Maple Leafs were bad through most of the 1980s, it was usually members of the Blue Jays or Argonauts who were asked to participate. In this particular year, two members of the Toronto Argonauts were to be head table guests.

The night before, the stuff for the exhibits was brought to my room. One curious item was a rickety, old, taped-up, cardboard box, about two feet high with a square base.

It looked like it was ready to fall apart, and I figured it couldn't hold anything heavy, but to my surprise, it must have weighed between 10-20 pounds when I picked it up.

I thought, "What the hell is this thing?"

I grumbled to myself because would be an uncomfortable burden to lug around. I wondered why it was so heavy and tried to see what was inside through the clear tape, but I couldn't make out what was in it. So I shrugged my shoulders and forgot all about it.

Next day, I brought up the cart and started loading it. I remember sighing with relief when I lightly tossed that box on to the cart. As I had thought, it was the most awkward and uncomfortable thing of everything I loaded.

I took the cart down to the garage loading dock and tossed everything into the van, including the box. Then I dropped off the cart, got my suit, and was driven in the van down to the hotel.

After checking my suit into one of the Ministry's rented hotel rooms, I had to go down to the banquet area and start unloading the van. I got a cart, loaded it, and brought the stuff into the banquet hall.

The room was huge, holding tables to feed 1,200 people.

I began to unloading the cart, placing the different parts of the exhibit where directed. When I asked where the box was to be placed, to my surprise, I was told to put it on the stage.

I frowned with annoyance. There was no way I could push the cart through the dinner tables to the stage so that meant I had to carry the thing there which was like walking about half way across the width of a football field.

Reluctantly, I picked up the heavy thing and lugged to the front. I tossed it unceremoniously with gratitude on to the stage, to the relief of my aching arms, and muttered "good riddance" to myself.

Then I stalked back and finished my task. After that, I had no more duties until banquet time. I went back to the Ministry's rooms, changed into my suit and relaxed and socialized with a few drinks until dinner time.

Then I went down to the banquet, did a few final jobs, and ate.

After dinner, the speeches began. The Minister was host and the Master of Ceremonies was the Assistant Deputy Minister, Bob Secord. He made a long speech, relating all the achievements Ontario's amateur athletes had performed in the past year and all the things that the Ministry was doing to assist and promote athletics.

Then he said something like this:

"Not only are our amateur athletes performing well, but our professional teams are doing good now with the exception of those who toil at Church and Carleton. But the Blue Jays are now contenders! (Yay, Clap Clap) And the Argonauts won the Grey Cup!"

And while everyone was clapping and cheering, he pointed across the stage, and there on a table, under a spotlight, in front of the stage, was the Grey Cup. The Argonauts at the head table had brought the Grey Cup with them.

Well, after the speeches were concluded, everyone stood up, walked around, and stretched their legs. Lots of people went over to the table where the Grey Cup was and some began to pick it up.

Seeing this, I lost no time going over and picking it up myself. This was in the period before the CFL put a big base on it. It was still fairly heavy, but I didn't care because I was so excited.

I thought, "Wait till I get home and tell everyone I picked up the Grey Cup!"

I wondered if anyone would believe me, but I couldn't wait to tell them. I wished I had brought a camera with me.

Anyway, it was now time to go home, but before I left, I had to take all the stuff that I had brought and load it back into the van.

As I went to get the cart, I thought, "There's one thing I want to see. I want to see who comes for the Grey Cup. I want to see the security measures for it. I want to see what they keep it in."

Every time I had seen the Grey Cup Game on television, it was carried into the stadium by Mounties, so I was curious to see what would happen to it. I was expecting tight reverential treatment and security. I wanted to see the fancy case they kept it in.

Well, you can probably guess what happened.

Somebody came out on the stage with that rickety, old, taped-up, cardboard box, pointed to the Grey Cup and said, "You! Come and get this thing."

Yes, CFL fans and readers of this article. For several hours, I had been the possessor of one of Canada's two most famous trophies. All along I had been its guardian and I didn't even know it. I had picked it up and lugged it with fatigue around the banquet hall. I had tossed it without a thought on to the stage, on to carts, and off again. I hadn't cared whether there was anything valuable in that box that could break or not.

I was expecting Mounties. I was expecting a fancy travelling case. I was expecting tight, reverential security. Instead there was only a rickety, old, taped-up, cardboard box. So much for being a Canadian icon.

You can bet I loaded that box with a lot more care this time. I placed it on the cart and in the van. And next morning, I placed on the cart again when I unloaded the van and placed it in my room. And I untaped the box and pulled it out occasionally to have a few final looks at it. I never did see who eventually came and got it.

After it was gone, I also reflected what I could have done. If only I had owned a car.

You see, all that happened to the Grey Cup was that it stayed in that box in that van wherever it was parked that night until I unloaded it the next morning.

But if I had known that it was going back to my room the next morning, who would have paid attention to someone getting on the Queen streetcar with a rickety, old box and a suit.

It would have been tough to do, but who would have been any wiser if the Grey Cup had spent the night at my house and was brought back to my room the next morning?

I would have placed it reverently in a place of honor on my dining room table and started taking pictures.

Even though it was late at night, I would have called up everybody I knew and told them to get down to my house right away.

But it was heavy and it would have been tough to get it home while also carrying my suit and tough to get it back next morning. carrying it up and down subway stairs.

Of course, if the alarm had sounded, I might have been accused of kidnapping.

But even though that never happened, I can truthfully say that I had done something every CFL fan and player dreams of doing. I had picked up (and tossed) the Grey Cup.

This may be one of the few times when the "Holy Grail" came to someone who wasn't even looking for it.

The CFL Will Return To Ottawa

Steve Thompson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:01:52 -0500

The CFL can breathe easier today about its expansion plans to Ottawa because the city council finally approved the Lansdowne Live Project by a vote of 15-9 on Nov. 17.

The $250 million project will call for Frank Clair Stadium to be refurbished at a cost of $120 million. It will seat 25,000 and can be expanded to 50,000 when occasion warrants.

There was some talk that the deal would fall through and the four Ottawa businessmen who were behind the project would be stuck with a granted franchise at a $7 million fee with no stadium to play in, but now plans can go forward to get Ottawa back in the CFL.

Most of the opposition centred around handing over public land to private investors and the debt problem. Only $150 million is being put up by the four businessmen.

But the fact there is going to be an Ottawa team in the league again is a relief for the CFL. Not having a team in Ottawa, Canada's fourth largest city was like the NFL not having a team in Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, or San Francisco.

What is confusing is when the new team will be up and running. The official Lansdowne Live website mentions that the new team won't be starting until the project is completed in 2013, a wait of four years.

Does the CFL want to wait that long?

Most fans of the CFL and probably the CFL powers-that-be would like to see a team playing before that. The official CFL website has a page with a brief two-paragraph bulletin about next year's regular season game in Moncton, but nothing about the Ottawa situation.

Again, this episode exposes the sad state of the CFL's status. The four owners were granted a provisional franchise back in March, 2008. It's taken this long for the vote to come to the council, amidst the opposition noted above.

When the outcry over lost NFL teams like Houston, and Cleveland is compared to what is going on in Ottawa, the response is very feeble.

This is what happens when past owners do not field a competitive team for over a quarter of a century.

The other good news is that the owners are not the Gliebermans, who are distrusted by Ottawa's football fans. The big question now is will the new owners be better.

The heat will be on to get this team competitive as quickly as possible. The damage of a quarter century of bad football has to be repaired. The CFL would be well-advised to make the expansion draft as generous as possible, and a competent general manager with CFL experience is a must.

So the CFL will return to Ottawa. The question now is when.

(Note: To get more information, check out the Lansdowne Live website)

Why the CFL's Final Four Are There

Steve Thompson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:20:30 -0500

It's no secret why the CFL East-West match-ups are B.C.-Montreal, Calgary-Saskatchewan. It can be summed up in one word: quarterbacking.

As I mentioned in a previous article, the CFL is facing a quarterbacking crisis and the reason the final four teams are still standing is that they have the four best CFL quarterbacks.

Since his return to the Lions, Casey Printers has become his old self under Wally Buono. He'll be the Lions' starting quarterback for the next few years and either Buck Pierce or Jarius Jackson will be drafted by Ottawa next year.

Anthony Calvillo has been the best, most consistent quarterback all year. He's the main reason Montreal went 15-3 and was head and shoulders above everyone else.

In the west, Henry Burris has not had the peak year he had last year, but he still gave Calgary respectable quarterbacking most games. Injuries to key receivers did not help him.

In Saskatchewan, Darian Durant has been the best new quarterback to enter the CFL. He has been the only one of a group including Michael Bishop, Steven Jyles, and Marcus Crandell, to make the Roughrider offense work. I still think he has been mishandled by the current Saskatchewan coaching staff and wish to see what he could do if Kent Austin was still coaching the Roughriders.

Just as the final four can be explained, the fates of the four teams eliminated from the playoffs are defined the same way.

Toronto had consistently bad quarterbacking all year. It didn't matter if it was Kerry Joseph, Cody Pickett or whoever else they dug up.

The streaky Bishop who emerged from a large failed group in Winnipeg was exactly that, streaky. When he was good, the Bombers won. When he and his failed quarterback competitors were bad, they were actually worse than Toronto.

Hamilton has a better version of Bishop, Kevin Glenn. If Bishop is streaky, Glenn can be described as hot and cold and that's the main reason he has never won the Grey Cup.

On Sunday, he threw for over 300 yards, he did not have an interception or fumble, and he brought the Tiger Cats back to tie under pressure. But the most telling statistic was the number of two-and-outs, Hamilton had in between.

Glenn actually should not have been Hamilton's starting quarterback. Hamilton really wanted Quinton Porter to show the promise he hinted at in 2008. But Porter has failed to immediately grasp the offense like Darian Durant did in Saskatchewan.

In Edmonton, Ricky Ray had a season he would like to forget. He did not reach the heights of previous years. He would look good in some games, particularly against Saskatchewan and the final game against B.C. The rest of the time he was mediocre.

Part of the problem was his receivers. He only looked like his old self when throwing to Fred Stamps. He has to find some chemistry with new receivers next year.

So it's down to the final four. In the west, Burris should be better than Durant, but Saskatchewan has had Calgary's number all year and they have home field advantage, so Saskatchewan will move on.

In the east, what looked like a mismatch should now be an entertaining game with the return of Printers to form. Add the fact the Wally Buono is a coach who finds ways to win, and that Montreal somehow has choked so many times this decade despite having the best team through the regular season, there should be reason for concern in Montreal.

B.C. was also one of the teams to beat Montreal this year- and that was without Printers. Protecting him from the Montreal pass rush so that he doesn't get injured has got to be the key to the game.

Nevertheless though an upset is possible, I'm calling for Montreal to advance in a game that goes down to the wire. I don't think there has been a Montreal-Saskatchewan Grey Cup final so that will be a first too.

Sports Movies For The Holiday Season

Steve Thompson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:55:07 -0500

Now that it is November, the Hollywood studios like to come out with their blockbusters for the holiday season.

When it comes to sports movies, the plots are usually the same. Somebody who is unknown joins a down and out team and leads it to victory, usually overcoming some handicaps and personal crises on the way while winning the girl/guy depending on the gender.

Or there are tragedies about athletes with incurable diseases like Brian Picolo, Lou Gehrig, etc.

But how about some really different sports movies for a change. If Hollywood would use its imagination, there are plenty of different plots that could be developed. Below are 35 sports movies waiting to be made. Perhaps a producer or director will read this and be inspired...

1.    The Board Of Governors

Based on Agatha Christie’s story, “Ten Little Indians”, this is the story of the homicidal fan who bumps off members of a sports league’s Board of Governors one by one after they repeatedly refuse to grant his city a franchise.

2.    Attack Of The Twenty Foot Point Guard

50's-like Scifi flick in which a mad scientist invents a steroid which makes its users grow a little taller before game time.

3.    Sports Widow

In this comedy, poor Sophie has grown overweight because hubby Bill has been neglecting her for the sports tube. Her scheme: Lose 30 pounds so that she can make Sport’s Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue which has absolutely nothing to do with sports at all so that she can catch his eye again.

4.    The Chicago Cubs

Fantasy 3D animation from Disney and fun for the whole family. After going 200 years without winning the World Series, the Chicago Cubs disband in despair. Meanwhile, Benji, a recently born bear living in Yellowstone Park hears of the dissolution and organizes his friends into a baseball team to put matters right.

5.    Huddle

Lonely Betty, a 280 pound girl is shunned by everybody until it’s discovered she can play offensive guard like an all star. Now if only she can persuade the NFL to let her play...

6.    Bet Your Tentacle

Fantasy about a poor boy who lives in a hovel by the ocean who becomes rich after he discovers an octopus who can pick NFL winners infallibly. But can he save him when a vacationer from Detroit comes to visit and decides he wants the octopus for the Stanley Cup playoffs?

7.    The Cheerleaders

Chick flick in which a football team is so bad, nobody comes to their games until they hire twenty Playboy bunnies.

8.    Shrek X

Dreamworks gives Shrek fans this Jekyll and Hyde type story in which Shrek and Fiona discover Alice’s magic mushrooms in Wonderland and plunge into the sports world. To please Shrek, Fiona joins him in eating one mushroom to keep them in their ogre state allowing Shrek and Fiona to join the Washington Redskins’ offensive line where they are called “The Green Hogs”.

To please Fiona, Shrek eats the other mushroom which returns them to their normal state so that Fiona can fulfill her dream to be a pairs figure skating champion coached by Puss In Boots. Meanwhile Donkey becomes involved with gangsters after devising a scheme for betting on Redskins’games.

9.    Death Game

Tragedy of a sports fan who lives only for his teams. His obsession comes to haunt him when his ten year old son commits suicide after his favorite team loses the championship.

10.    The Naked Olympians

Comedy porno flick in which the IOC is petitioned to admit sex as an Olympic sport.

11.    The Lemon Suckers

Similar to “The Grapes Of Wrath”, a family is persuaded by a wealthy sports owner to invest in a local sports franchise. When the owner moves the team to another city, the family struggles with poverty for the rest of their lives.

12.    National Lampoon’s Dallas Cowboys Vacation

A family from Maine decides to spend their summer vacation going to see Jerry Jones’ billion dollar palace after purchasing standing room tickets on-line. But when they go to the game, they find they can’t see any of it because of the tall people standing in front of them.

13.    The Village That Squeaked

Similar to “The Mouse That Roared”, an American village tries to raise one billion dollars to build a stadium to get a franchise and put themselves on the map.

14.    Elmer’s Revenge Race

The title says it all in this traditional animation fare. Tired of being made a fool of, Elmer Fudd considers resigning from Warner Brothers or even suicide until he teams up with Cecil Turtle, the only character ever to consistently get the better of Bugs Bunny. Another challenge race is organized. Is Bugs finally caught between a rock and a hard place?

15.    Get Green

Chick flick in which a woman is banned by the LPGA because she looks ugly even though she plays championship golf. Tiger Woods has a cameo role as himself.

16.    The Hooligan

Documentary about Jock McDonald who gets together with his friends to go on road trips when his favorite soccer team plays away from home. Fascinating insight about how these people disrupt things.

17.    Hostesses

After a city is awarded a major international sporting event, Marcie, daughter of a wealthy man who is on one of the organizing committees, gets herself and her friends appointed hostesses while poor women who really need the money remain unemployed.

18. The Juice

Will Smith stars as O.J. Simpson in the first of a series of films in which the ex-NFL player gets involved in various infernal schemes.

19.    Tennis Anyone?

Comedy starring Megan Fox as a girl who can’t play tennis but gets made a star because she looks good.

20.    The Golfer

Social drama about a poor man who gets a lucky break and comes into some money. When he spends it on golf clubs and a membership, it causes a family crisis.

21.    Fly To Daylight

Horror film in which the star quarterback is turned into a vampire. The team struggles to find a way for him to play day games.

22.    The Elitist

A poor young man becomes a sports star and then turns his back on his family, his old friends, and the public. The sports movies’ “Citizen Kane”.

23.    The Ratings

Comedy about how hockey is dropped from American television in favor of pro darts, table tennis, and professional bingo. Stars Gary Bettman.

24.    Sports Spies

In order to win games, a ruthless coach orders his players’ girlfriends to sleep with opposing players and coaches in order to discover the upcoming game plan.

25.    Indiana Jones and The Magic Baseballs

Because Chicago Cubs fans jeered and cursed Babe Ruth when he hit his last World Series home run, he placed the team under the Curse Of The Bambino Part II in which Chicago will never win the World Series unless all 15 Babe Ruth World Series home run balls, including the last “called-his-shot” one are brought together at Wrigley Field. In desperation, the Cubs hire Jones, promising free lifetime best season tickets if he will find them.

26.    Toonces Goes To The Races

Toonces the Cat who could drive a car from Saturday Night Live is hired to be a racing car driver at the Indianapolis 500.

27.    The Quarterback

After losing thirty in a row to their arch rival, a team owner offers his daughter and half the team ownership to anyone who can quarterback the team to victory.

28.    Partners On Ice

Gay and lesbian drama about a gay pairs figure skater who falls for a skater from another team and their jealous female partners. Starring Tonya Harding.

29.    Beach Blanket Volleyball

An American volleyball team must save North America from nuclear annihilation by defeating the North Korean team. Stars Bernadette Funicello and Dreamy Avalon.

30.    True North

A Canadian hockey fan tries to start a new hockey league to compete with the NHL and place teams in Canadian cities that don’t have any professional hockey.

31. The Olympic Karate Kid

Karate has been kept out of the Olympics because no one can agree which style is to be the true karate style. In this action packed picture, a great tournament is held among representatives of every style, sub-style, sub-sub-style, sub-sub-sub style, etc. to settle the issue.

The tournament is won by Bruce Lea whose style becomes the official Olympic karate style. Unfortunately, Lea has no pupils and therefore nobody else can participate.

32. The Invincible Sports King

Historical drama of the early years of the reign of Henry VIII who manages to win every event he enters whether it’s horse back riding, jousting, archery, wrestling or tennis. This movie attempts to discover the reasons for the sports invincibility of this legendary king.

33. Lawn Of Victory

Another historical drama also set in Tudor times. Audiences will be on the edges of their seats as Sir Francis Drake takes on his arch rival in an ultimate test of lawn bowling. As the tension mounts from end to end, Drake must defeat his opponent in order to find inspiration to defeat the Spanish Armada. The future of England is at stake!

34. Revenge Of The New Olympians

Fatso Wanda is banned from the American figure skating team not because she can’t do the jumps and the twirls but because she can’t fit into a tight skimpy costume. In revenge, she starts her own Olympic games featuring sports such as shuffle board, darts, bowling, bingo, hopscotch, monopoly, horseshoes, tug of war, tiddly winks, and contract bridge.

When these prove more popular than the original Olympics and ratings soar, the old games are scrapped. As Wanda rightly says, “They’re cheaper, more people play them, and they’re more exciting than watching someone run endlessly around an oval or swimming in a pool.”

35. The Lord Of The Balls

In this incomparable trilogy, the ultimate sports fantasy, Sourman, the evil sports owner has created a master ball that corrupts all sports. This lost ball has been found by Fruitloop, a boy so poor he can’t attend any sports event.

If he can take the ball to the place where it can be destroyed, ticket prices will fall so that even poor people can afford to see sporting events, stadiums and arenas will be built without any luxury boxes and other rich-catering extras, athletes will stop taking performance enhancing drugs, owners will not make excessive profits and remain loyal to their cities, players’ salaries will be slightly more than the average person, golf club memberships will be cheap, sports will return to public tv and not be only on expensive cable/satellite channels, hooliganism and scalping will stop, fans will not live through their teams, drop win-at-all-cost thinking, and show sportsmanship even when they lose.

Stimulus to CFL Expansion, No. 5: Get Some Imaginative Leadership

Steve Thompson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:27:44 -0500

The recent article I wrote on the stupid proposal of the CFL to limit further the participation of Canadians in their own league leads me to write the next installment of the "Stimulus to CFL Expansion" series, perhaps the most important of the group: The CFL needs better leadership.

This is so utterly clear in the wake of the above proposal; when there is a pressing need to put down more roots in Canada in order to get involvement, investment, and expansion, the CFL proposes doing the opposite, supposedly to save money.

This proposal has brought negative publicity from newspapers, Canadian ex-CFL stars, and fans.

Granted, the CFL has limited resources but it has done nothing to shake the image that it is not dynamic, clinging to survival policies. And when everything is stripped away, it is run like an old-boys club.

Take the four articles I've written in this expansion series: getting Ottawa competitive quickly, working more closely with the CIS, starting a national punt, pass, and kick competition, and becoming more attractive to Canadians by getting them to play some of the glamour positions like quarterback and running back.

All these ideas don't involve undo expense, yet the CFL doesn't even consider them, let alone implement them.

Right now, the CFL powers that be are patting themselves on the back for getting Ottawa back in the league, and playing a regular season game in Moncton which will be a great franchise when it gets big enough but can't help the CFL right now.

Meanwhile, in the three best cities that have the population and population growth to sustain a permanent franchise, Quebec, London, and Kitchener, the CFL has nothing cooking.

Quebec is taking active steps to build a new hockey arena and get back in the NHL. There is not a peep for the CFL and a stadium.

There is a lobby group in Winnipeg trying to get the Jets back.

There was a petition signed by 80,000 fans, then a major investor, then civic backing in Quebec to get an arena and an NHL franchise.

There are no petitions, lobby groups, investors, or civic backing for the CFL.

Once in a while the Commissioner goes on a jaunt to non-Canadian CFL cities, tells the locals that one day they'll get a team if they build a stadium, and then leaves. No roots are put down.

Tom Wright pledged that the CFL would have a 10th Canadian franchise by 2010. Instead Ottawa folded and that cost him his job.

But the writing was on the wall long before that. When the Gliebermans were accepted as owners again, the fans sensed the end was coming. It was typical of the CFL that they accepted an owner who was distrusted by the locals based on previous experience.

Just like the recent proposal to limit the number of Canadians in a league called the Canadian Football league.

The last time the CFL took an adventurous action was to try to expand to the United States. Larry Smith was the CFL Commissioner and lined up several small market American cities plus an ex-NFL city, Baltimore.

But the CFL was soon sent packing with the exception of Baltimore where the CFL gained a lot of friends. But the NFL was too wily to let the CFL make an in-road south of the border and replaced the lost Colts franchise at the expense of Cleveland.

The only good thing that came out of the CFL's American experiment was the return of the Montreal franchise, when Baltimore was shifted. There was, of course, no talk of expanding any further in Canada.

The NHL can spurn Hamilton, eliminate Quebec and Winnipeg, and Canadians will fall on their knees and beg for a team.

In contrast, the CFL is like an infant, sucking on a pacifier hoping something will come along. It never takes steps to make something happen.

More disturbing, the proposal to limit Canadian participation shows that CFL doesn't believe in Canada.

Here is a league that is trying to sell itself to a market and then tells members of that market that they are not good enough. Does that make sense?

And even if it is true, that Canadians are "not good enough," what does the CFL do to correct it? Defend the status-quo. Just let things continue. Suck the pacifier and hope something comes along.

If you are going to be indifferent about who participates, then your market will be indifferent about you.

Mark Cohon was hired to succeed Tom Wright as Commissioner because he had marketing skills.

But you can't market a product if it doesn't mean anything to its potential customers. If the CFL wants to expand and flourish, it has got to start getting down in the dirt and planting some roots.

The CFL is not the NFL. You can't get away with arrogance here. You need all the friends you can get.

If the Commissioner and Board Of Governors think they can imitate the NFL by sitting on their butts and doing nothing, that's what they'll get. Nothing comes of nothing.

For the NFL, the fans come cringing, but for the CFL, the opposite is true. The CFL must bend to them.

So it comes down to leadership. If I can come up with ideas to stimulate interest in the CFL, why can't the league?

The leadership can start by getting to know and believing in Canada again. If it will ever take the trouble to plant a seed, perhaps it might even grow.

CFL Forgets Where It Is Playing

Steve Thompson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:49:08 -0500

The CFL has just done another Toronto Raptor impersonation—the basketball team that has tried and failed to commit suicide so many times.

The CFL's latest attempt at suicide is the announcement that they want to negotiate the reduction of Canadian players on each team from seven to four when it negotiates a new agreement with its players union.

After writing so many articles, especially the stimulus to expansion series, which emphasize the need to put down more roots in Canada, the CFL tells me that it wants to do the exact opposite.

This is like ex-Commissioner Tom Wright telling everyone that he wants to get a 10th team in Canada by 2010 and then watch Ottawa disappear for the second time.

If anything, the CFL needs more Canadian players, particularly quarterbacks, to stimulate Canadian interest and investment in its league. Reducing the number of Canadian players will do the exact opposite.

If the CFL goes through with the proposition, it might as well drop the word "Canadian" from its title and get out of the country. Play your brand of football elsewhere, but don't call it Canadian because it sure isn't.

Proposals like this only justify those critics who blame a too-conservative Board of Governors and commissioners like Mark Cohon for the CFL's stagnation, lack of vision, and narrow base.

To begin with, this is a slap at the CIS, which will have a harder time attracting boys into its football programs if there is no place for them to play when they graduate.

The CFL does little to promote CIS football other than maintain a link between the two web sites. It hires few coaches from its ranks, limits the positions Canadians can play, and does nothing improve the calibre of the players to make them able to play at a CFL level.

Or at least it subscribes to the myth that almost all Canadian university football players are inferior to their American counterparts. That's a great way to win over a new generation of Canadian fans.

The proposal is also offensive to retired CFL Canadian stars, many of which have already denounced it.

In several articles, I've stressed the need to get as many Canadians as possible involved with the league. When I read a proposal like this, I want to shrug my shoulders, quit as a CFL feature writer, and go on to something else that doesn't slap me in the face and act like a walking death wish.

So much for backing an underdog league that needs all the friends it can get.

What we have is a league that plays its games in Canada, takes its money, but doesn't believe in it.

This proposal reminds me of the way the NFL treats Toronto through its Buffalo Bills incursion; like MLB, which allowed the Expos to rot away; like the NBA, with its hasty withdrawal from Vancouver: Canada is a colony to be exploited.

Send in a bunch of Americans to entertain Canadians briefly, emphasize how much better they are at playing sports than Canadians are, sell some league merchandise, take Canadian money, but don't admit to any equality. Create myths like the inferiority of the CIS.

If I'm going to suffer that, it's better to have the CFL disappear and have a full-fledged NFL team in Toronto. Then at least when it's done, it's the top dog doing it.

That attitude was certainly present during the World Baseball Classic. I expected to see some of that thinking for that event; I didn't expect to see it from an organization calling itself the Canadian Football League.

Last Week CFL Predictions

Steve Thompson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:20:23 -0500

With the final week of the regular season arriving, the CFL couldn't have much better matchups to finish up with.

With the exception of the two extremes, Montreal and Toronto playing a meaningless game, the CFL got each team playing the right opponent and it is difficult to predict the outcomes. In each of these games, the visiting team is making its first and only appearance in its opponent's den.

However, I will venture into the unknown and try to come up with the semifinal opponents the following week.

Calgary-Saskatchewan

Both teams have made the playoffs and one gets an automatic ticket to the West Final if they win while the other becomes the host of the West semifinal.

Saskatchewan has the upper hand on Calgary, beating and tying them, both at McMahon Stadium.

On that basis, Saskatchewan should be able to beat the Stampeders on its own turf, except that the Roughriders have not been invincible at home.

However, since Saskatchewan has had Calgary's number this year, unlike B.C. and Edmonton, I think they'll prevail even with home-field disadvantage and host their first west final since who knows when.

B.C.-Edmonton

This one doesn't seem too hard to predict. B.C. beat Edmonton both times in Edmonton and that was with the Buck Pierce-Jarius Jackson combination.

Casey Printers came back at the wrong time to face the two best western teams, Calgary and Saskatchewan and came up a loser both times.

However he put up a credible show against both teams and lost by a combined five points. Edmonton is not nearly as formidable an opponent as its other western rivals, with an inconsistent offense and a porous defense, so I think Printers will be a winner this time.

Hamilton-Winnipeg

This is the most difficult game to call because so much is depending on how the starting quarterback performs that day. Both are streaky quarterbacks, particularly Michael Bishop.

Here's what Hamilton has going for them:

On talent level, Hamilton is probably the better team. Kevin Glenn wants to perform well in his return to Winnipeg and put his old team out of the playoffs. When it's on, Hamilton's defense has completely shut down its opponents, particularly in the second half.

Here's what Winnipeg has going for them:

The home crowd which will want to see Glenn get his come-uppance. When it's on, Winnipeg's defense can win games by itself. Fred Reid, though D'Andra Cobb isn't far behind. Winnipeg handled Hamilton too easily in their last meeting in Hamilton and Hamilton hasn't been in a play-off deciding game for years.

Then there's the streaky Bishop. Forget last week's performance against the best team in the CFL. Bishop has played well in five of the last six games, taking advantage of Anthony Calvillo's absence to slaughter Montreal. He wants to win as badly as Glenn does.

But I've always been a Ti-Cat fan. My head says Winnipeg but Hamilton now has the talent to win so this isn't a mismatch. But Hamilton can't afford to come out flat like they did against Winnipeg last time. I'll go against my better judgement and Hamilton will host its first playoff game in years.

So in two week's time, the soothsayers can try and decide the outcome of Calgary-B.C., and Hamilton-Edmonton.

It's Still the Greatest Bowling I've Ever Seen

Steve Thompson — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:04:18 -0500

Over six months ago, I wrote an article listing my personal top ten sports events I'd like to see on DVD that have not been released yet. All were hockey, baseball, and football games with the exception of the legendary April 4, 1970 final game of the Firestone Tournament of Champions Professional Bowling Tournament.

So imagine my surprise and delight to find that ESPN Classic channel was showing that tournament again yesterday and this afternoon. It was the first time I had seen it since I saw it live as a teenager, 39 years ago, and I found it just as exciting as when I saw it back then. The only quibble I had is that the original telecast was an hour and a half and ESPN had edited it down to one hour which dilutes some of the excitement and tension. But even an hour is better than nothing.

The tournament was the climax of the PBA tour, offering its largest prize of $25,000 to the winner. This may not seem like much by the sums offered today, but it was an enormous sum back in 1970, probably the equivalent of today's one million dollar first place golf tournament prizes.

To add to the tension, ABC offered an additional $10,000 and a new car to any bowler who would bowl a perfect 300 game in the final game.

I also had a personal reason for watching it again. I come from a family of bowlers. When I saw the original telecast, I had been five-pin bowling since my single digits and now I was an up and coming teenage bowler.

My parents bowled all three kinds of games. They originally had been five-pin bowlers but had switched to 10-pin. My father was such a fan, he had his own custom made 10-pin ball which I still own.

My parents bowled the pins from fall to spring, but during the summer they were lawn bowlers, a game more like curling.

In 1970, my father was president of his men's lawn bowling club section and my mother was president of the ladies section.

Shockingly, my father would die unexpectedly on the lawn bowling green later that September of a massive heart attack, so when I saw ESPN was showing the Firestone Tournament of Champions that was originally broadcast in the spring, I recall that this was one of the last sporting events we would see together on television. Watching this again was like going back in time for me; when I think of this game, I think of my father and all the times we watched sports on television together.

The first match set the tone for the rest of games. Like all true legendary sports events, the story was more about someone rising to the occasion instead of someone faltering. There would be several great games this day.

In the first match, Jim Stefanich, the 1967 winner, opened with eight strikes and beat Barry Asher 269-217.

Next, Stefanich ran into the hot Dick Ritger and lost 263-215. Then followed an anti-climatic semi-final in which Ritger defeated Mike Durbin 237-211.

And then came the most legendary match I would ever see.

Ritger entered the finals shooting a mind-boggling 250 average. Incredibly he would actually increase it when it was over.

He showed he was ready by opening with a strike. Then it was Don Johnson's turn. He already had a memorable match play game earlier with Ritger, bowling a perfect game against him, 300-249.

Johnson had come close to winning the big one before, finishing second twice, and fifth once, so there was a lot of pressure on him to finally go all the way.

Like Ritger, he opened with a strike and then followed with another (see photo above). Ritger answered with two more of his own and Johnson replied in kind. Some of Johnson's early strikes looked initially like misses, but he got great mixing action which tripped out the 4-7.

As the game wore on, the tension mounted. Even though I knew the outcome, I kept respectfully silent like the live studio audience until the ball had been thrown on the lane.

At the half-way point, the game was still tied. Each bowler had thrown six straight strikes. The two men had bowled a perfect game between them.

The audience was spellbound at the possibility of seeing two perfect games in the final of the PBA's greatest tournament. After every ball, there was dead silence as the tension mounted, no coughing, no talking, no fidgeting. Everyone was under the spell of what they were seeing.

Unfortunately, Ritger broke the spell, leaving up a four-pin in the seventh frame. He followed that up with another single pin spare. But he recovered in the ninth with another strike, leaving him poised to put the pressure on Johnson if he were to strike out.

However, Johnson continued to throw nothing but strikes. The tension and the spell was unbelievable when he got the ninth one in a row.

The tenth one won him the match and the $25,000. Now all that remained was to throw two more strikes to win an additional $10,000 and a new car.

Down went the next ball and Johnson got another strike. He now stood on the lane with a $10,000 ball in his hand.

He let it go and flung himself face down on the lane. The ball was in the pocket like the previous eleven...and a solid ten-pin remained standing.

Ritger helped lift Johnson to his feet and congratulated him. Then he struck out. He had bowled his best game of the afternoon, 268, a score that would usually annihilate an opponent, and still lost by 31 pins. Of a possible 240 pins, only three had remained standing, two by Ritger, one by Johnson.

I was fortunate to see this legendary match again. I also managed to find the edited ESPN version on YouTube, so that this article's readers who want to experience it for themselves can watch and feel it.

I also found an excellent website in which Johnson, now a grandfather, gives his personal reminisces about that day. He still thinks it was the greatest match he ever played in and has no regrets about not bowling a perfect game. He says that he is now remembered even more because it was only 299.

Sadly, this must have been one of the last of Johnson's public interviews because he died just like my father did, suddenly from a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 62.

As for Ritger, he went on to become a world-wide successful bowling instructor.

But both Johnson and Ritger achieved something more that day than the $37,500 they collected between them.

They passed into sports legend for which they'll always be remembered, an inasailable prize, for a legendary bowling match, my father and I were lucky to witness.

Pan Am Bid Fails the CFL

Steve Thompson — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:33:28 -0500

The above photo looks like the answer to one of the CFL's dreams. It is the proposed new Pan American Stadium to be built in Hamilton, Ontario should Toronto be successful in its bid to host the 2015 Pan American Games.

It looks like the future home of the Hamilton Tiger Cats. There is only one problem ... it only seats 15,000.

Such short sightedness also shows how low in status, the CFL is held in Canada.

Toronto's plan is to spread the games in an arc around Lake Ontario from St. Catharines to Oshawa, should it be successful in its bid.

This new Hamilton Stadium could have become the new home of the Tiger Cats once the games were over, like Commonwealth Stadium did for the Edmonton Eskimos after the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

But the opportunity is going to be missed. Rightly, the bid organizers are building only what is needed, but since a new stadium was going to be built, here would have been a chance to combine an international sporting event with the CFL's future.

But like the recent announcement of a potential arena in Quebec, the CFL is nowhere to be found.

It's hard to accurately place the blame, but if Edmonton can act far sighted, than so can Hamilton.

You can't help thinking back to the Hamilton-Quebec City NHL bids. In both cases, the mayor was actively involved in giving public support for a renovated/new arena. In both cases, the two provincial premiers declared their support for a new franchise.

The CFL doesn't get that kind of political support. Does the CFL have any lobbyists?

The failure to network with potential new investors/government officials is part of the reason why the CFL has never expanded.

South of the border, you see governors, mayors, even the president, and other big shots regularly attending football games.

You don't see much of that in Canada, which can also be viewed as a blessing, though hardly in the CFL's interest. The CFL needs all the rich friends it can get.

The Pan Am Games bid also could helped the CFL in other ways. If the new stadium could have been built in Oshawa or Kitchener instead of Hamilton, perhaps it could have been expanded so that the basis of a new CFL franchise could have been laid.

Both Kitchener and Oshawa are in the top ten for population growth in Canada since 1980, out growing Quebec, Hamilton, and Winnipeg. They are two of Canada's upcoming cities, potential thriving CFL franchises.

But again the CFL seems to be twisting in the wind, without friends and clout. The best it can do is get a half-size stadium in Moncton, a great potential CFL franchise in the very long term, but no immediate franchise like Kitchener and Oshawa could be.

So this opportunity is going to be missed. There will be no new CFL stadiums built should Toronto be successful. Along with all the new facilities that athletes could wish for, I'd be happy if the CFL acquired some far sighted, long term leadership.

Los Angeles Stadium Is A Threat to CFL Expansion

Steve Thompson — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:29:41 -0400

The CFL, indeed none of the other North American professional sports leagues except the NFL, has little to rejoice about after California Governor Arnold (Terminator) Schwarzenegger signed a bill approving the construction of a new ultra-luxurious Los Angeles stadium which is a threat to all future expansion in every league, but particularly in Canada where construction of new stadiums may require government money.

The threat is not the stadium itself, but the avowed intentions of its chief investor/builder, Majestic Realty Co.

Majestic has stated that it is not interested in getting an expansion team, but wants to steal an existing NFL team from another city, and has publicly listed seven targets so far. Indeed, Majestic has gone as far as to state that it will not begin construction of the new stadium until an existing team is stolen.

Why is that bad news for the CFL, indeed for every professional sports league in North America?

If the CFL wants to expand in Canada, it needs new stadiums built in non-CFL cities. But if I am a fan/taxpayer, the news from California has got to make me stop and think.

Currently Quebec which wants to get its NHL team back, is conducting a feasibility study for building a new $400 million arena which the NHL deems necessary for Quebec to either get an expansion team, or purchase a money-losing American franchise.

The plan calls for $175 million each from both the Federal and Provincial governments, and the municipality to invest $50 million.

But what is the use of building an arena/stadium when another pretty face builds a bigger, more luxurious facility and steals your team? What happens to your $400 million investment?

The situation in Los Angeles simply illustrates the fickle nature of professional sports and its owners. The NFL could nip this potential crisis in the bud by announcing expansion and then awarding Majestic a team along with some other American city.

But the NFL probably won't do that. This is a great opportunity to blackmail every threatened city into building new ultra-luxurious stadiums that cater to rich people/corporations, or risk losing their team.

This includes teams that have sell-out games regularly. So much for fan loyalty.

In the face of this piracy, how can the CFL approach cities and governments to build new stadiums?

If I'm a taxpayer, why should my money be spent for a bunch of fickle rich men?

In Canada, almost every time there is a bid for a major international sports event like the Olympics, protest groups appear denouncing money spent on "bread and circuses". This will only justify their arguments.

There is also the bad precedent of Hamilton, which spent its tax dollars on an NHL-size arena only to be repeatedly snubbed. Only the fact that the arena can attract other events like concerts and conventions that enable it to make a profit, saved the city from a total fiasco.

The CFL, which has little clout any way, doesn't need this NFL highlight.

The spectacle of a pirate owner like Majestic in cahoots with a ruthless, arrogant sports league like the NFL is the last image the CFL needs.

Even the most besotted advocate of CFL expansion has got to shiver and think twice before advocating any tax money for new stadiums.

I once wrote an article, that if Los Angeles makes Buffalo its victim, the CFL could move in and establish an entire northern New York State division. That may be the only benefit the CFL gets.

Photo Courtesy of: Los Angeles Stadium.com

The Terminator May Terminate an NFL Franchise

Steve Thompson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:06:54 -0400

Last week, California Governor Arnold (Terminator) Schwarzenegger signed a bill allowing the construction of the new 75,000 seat ultra-luxury football stadium to be built by potential bidder, Majestic Realty Co.

Only they are not bidders, but thieves.

Majestic has publicly stated they are not interested in bidding for an expansion franchise but wants to steal an existing franchise from another city. They have seven known targets, perhaps more: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Minnesota, St. Louis, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego.

That's bad news not only for fans in those cities, but for fans of every sport in North America.

Given the NFL's burning desire to get back into the second largest market in the United States at any cost, it's unlikely to put up any resistance to Majestic's intentions, another slap in the face to the average fan of every sport in North America.

I say every sport, because this larceny will discourage building any new sports facilities, make governments hesitate before pledging public funds for these projects, and discourage grass root support for new teams.

Consider St. Louis, which is now the current home of the old Los Angeles Rams. They were once the home of the Arizona Cardinals but left for Phoenix in 1988 when the owners could not get a new stadium built.

After a few years, $280 million was spent to build the current domed stadium which can hold 70,000 people. The Rams arrived soon after.

If the Rams go back to Los Angeles, what does that mean for the $280 million including any taxpayer dollars that was spent? It will have been wasted.

That's true for any publicly funded sports facility for any sport. Money that could have been given to food banks or some other worthy cause was spent on a league that turned its arrogant nose up when some prettier face came along.

If you are a taxpayer, would you want your money spent this way?

If you are a sports fan, would you want to invest your emotions and your time and money on a team that may leave town at any moment or blackmail you for an even more luxurious facility?

The new Los Angeles stadium is not a "people's" stadium. It is one of the new kind of stadiums being built like Yankee Stadium or Dallas Stadium, facilities built with the rich and the corporations in mind.

The situation with Los Angeles has especially bitter ironies.

When the Rams and Raiders left in 1994, Los Angeles refused to whine and mourn like other cities like Oakland, Houston, Cleveland, etc. did when their NFL franchises were lost.

Los Angeles only yawned and there has been little active attempt to get a team back until now. In Los Angeles, the movie star, not the sports figure is king. Los Angeles is the only city to stand up to the NFL's arrogance.

The NFL has never forgotten the insult, the only blemish on its spectacular rise since the 1960s. They've always yearned to get back to Los Angeles, the second largest market in the United States.

Ideally, they want two franchises there like the other major professional sports, but for now they'll settle for one.

The NFL could head off this crisis by awarding Los Angeles an expansion franchise and start its path toward becoming a 40 team league, the next symmetrical number.

If they want to pair Los Angeles with another expansion team, that's fine. In an earlier article on this subject, I listed at least eleven contenders. Picking one from the best three, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Portland shouldn't be hard.

But I doubt if the arrogant NFL will do the honorable thing. Through Majestic, they can now blackmail those cities into building stadiums like Dallas, perhaps at taxpayers' expense, or have them face losing their teams.

This is an arrogant league that lives in its own rarefied atmosphere. It has allowed so many of its teams to move without resistance in the past when someone offered even more unrealistic sums of money for a franchise. Gary Bettman, the defender of money-losing Phoenix, you're heading the wrong league.

This is a league that refuses to modify its blackout policy, even with a job recession on, that allows another team (Buffalo) to play in another city because it has a wealthier market, that despises foreigners by charging outrageous ticket prices if it chooses to play a game in a local facility. The NFL has no loyalty to the fans who support it.

As to which team will move, I doubt if it will be the Rams which left an image of failure and incompetence behind when they left fifteen years ago.

The cruelest choice would be to move the 49ers from San Francisco. Los Angeles would like nothing better than to stick it to its arch rival city that heaped so many football humiliations on them in the 1980s. But the Los Angeles 49ers?

Minnesota? The Los Angeles Vikings? That's too jarring too.

So the other four are probably the leading choices.

A renamed Bills shifted from Buffalo is a probable choice. They already play one game in Canada's most glamorous market, Toronto. The NFL won't shed any tears for unglamorous Buffalo.

Oakland is another leading city. Al Davis has had wet dreams fantasizing about a stadium like Los Angeles. He's done it once and he won't hesitate to move the Raiders to Los Angeles again. And the Raiders have a sexy image that resonates with Hollywood's elite. So much for the image of a tough team from a tough town.

San Diego, the poor man's Los Angeles would be a top contender especially since it doesn't have to move far to its new home.

Finally there is Jacksonville, a city that doesn't sell out and is the least sexy of Florida's teams.

But thanks to the Terminator, fans in those cities won't sleep easily until this is over. Which franchise will be terminated? Let the piracy begin!

Who Wants A CFL Franchise?

Steve Thompson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:57:56 -0400

In my last article I did about the CFL and Quebec City, I mentioned how I had found several on-line petitions for NHL expansion in Canada and the United States and how there were none for CFL expansion.

I bewailed this as a lack of grass root support for the CFL and this directly affects the prospects of CFL expansion.

It is the law of supply and demand. If an investor knows there is a demand for a product to exist and that a profit can be made somewhere, he/she will try to fill that void.

Now let's look at the recent steps taken to get Quebec back in the NHL with a new arena.

The first thing that was done was to get a petition started which got 80,000 signatures.

The Provincial Government took note and then pledged some money (though not the sum eventually demanded) towards a new arena and its support for a new franchise.

Then Quebecor which had failed in its bid to buy the Montreal Canadians noticed this activity and pledged itself as the main private investor for any new franchise and a new arena.

Finally the mayor pledged more money and held preliminary talks with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who gave Quebec his encouragement, and perhaps some kind of commitment that has not been made public yet.

There is now a real chance that Quebec will return to the NHL, perhaps as early as next season if everything went the way the fans hope.

But it started at the grass roots level. Investors and the governments had to know there was a demand for a service/product. The CFL has none of this.

So the rest of this article is about you.

The CFL needs to hear your voice.

The CFL needs your feedback.

The CFL needs your active support.

What is needed is your voice left in the comment area below.

The core two questions that need answers are:

Would you start a petition—hard copy or on-line to let investors and the government know that you want a CFL franchise and if so where?

Would you sign an existing petition either hard copy or on-line asking for a CFL franchise?

This petition should be signed by everyone including:

Canadians or anyone who wants a franchise in a Canadian city outside the traditional nine cities.

Americans or anyone who would like to see the CFL restart in the USA. With the demise of NFL Europe, a few NFL players have called for this to happen. They have listed Rochester and Detroit as possible franchises.

Foreigners or anyone who would like to see the CFL in their country. There was once talk that the Grey Cup Champion would play the champion of NFL Europe. So foreign expansion has been mentioned before.

And please don't stop with answering the two basic questions. Other things that need answers are:

Would you sign more than one petition for different cities?

If the place you want doesn't have a stadium, would you sign/start a petition to build one?

Would you want government taxpayer money to be pledged to building a stadium?

Would you want government taxpayer money used to pay for a franchise fee?

How much should a CFL franchise fee be?

Assuming a franchise is granted would you buy tickets for games?

Would you become a season ticket holder?

Any other comments you would like to make.

I'll start the ball rolling. Because of my commitment to writing two CFL articles a week, my job, health issues, and looking after my home, I don't have the time to start and manage a CFL petition.

I will sign any existing on-line petition for more than one team, including in Canada, the United States, or abroad. My favorite three Canadian cities that I believe have the best chance to survive for the long term are Quebec, London, and Kitchener.

Because of the dubious loyalty of sports owners, the possible instability of any new franchise, I am not in favor of taxpayer money being used. I favor as much private financing as possible for both a stadium and a franchise fee.

I will sign any petition calling for a new stadium to be built so long as it is not paid with taxpayer money.

I don't have any idea on how much a CFL franchise fee should be.

Because of my job situation, I can not afford to see many games and I certainly cannot afford to be a season ticket holder. Also I live in Toronto which already has a CFL team.

So there you have it. As I always say, you've got to start somewhere. I assume that everyone who reads this is a fan of the CFL. The CFL and its potential investors need to hear from you. Please give them your voice and your ideas, not your indifference.

Quebec Will Be Canada's Seventh NHL City—Bet On It

Steve Thompson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:08:42 -0400

Last week's announcement by Quebec mayor Regis Lebeaume that a feasibility study will be undertaken about a proposed new $400 million, 18,000 seat arena was another step on the path to return the Nordiques to Quebec.

The mayor has recently held discussions with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who gave his unofficial blessing to the project.

There have been many steps already taken along this route. First, there was a petition signed by 80,000 fans asking for the return of the team and a new arena built. Then the Provincial Government has pledged some money (though not the sum Lebeaume wants) to the project. Lebeaume has pledged some municipal funds. Next, a main investor, Quebecor, has vowed to be the main bidder for a returned franchise and has been seeking other corporate partners. Then the meeting with Bettman and the announcement.

It may be a political ploy to get Lebeaume re-elected, but no mayor would make an announcement like that unless something was cooking.

And to make it look like the arena pledge was not merely pandering to rich investors, the NHL, and Nordique hockey fans, the mayor said building it was necessary for Quebec to make a Winter Olympics bid, probably two decades from now.

All these steps are following a logical path to get NHL hockey back in Quebec.

The most ticklish issue will be getting government taxpayer money for the arena. Lebeaume wants the Federal and Provincial governments to contribute $175 million each to the project. That's wishful thinking especially at the federal level.

Though most Canadians want more NHL teams in Canada, there will be lots of opposition to using taxpayer money for sports facilities.

Besides the "moral" opposition who don't want any taxpayer money going to "bread and circuses", cities like Hamilton and Winnipeg would be saying "how about us?"

So it's in the interest of everyone concerned to get as much private financing as possible. Probably there have been unreported phone calls and negotiations between Quebecor, the mayor, the senior two governments, and other investors. A lot of behind-the-scenes activity is probably going on.

Similarly, there probably have been unreported negotiations and phone calls with Bettman. Quebec wants a smooth return entry to the NHL, not a Balsillie adventure.

As for Bettman, he would have to be an utter cad to encourage such spending and then not pledge a returned team.

If we are to take him at his word that the opposition to Balsillie was about trying to break the NHL's constitutional rules and not about opposition to putting new teams in Canada, then we should expect a returned Nordiques as payment for the new arena—with no opposition and legal tricks.

If all the red tape and investor negotiations could be cleared away by the end of the current NHL season, and an arena definitely set to be constructed, I wouldn't be surprised if the NHL sells the Phoenix Coyotes to Quebecor.

They have made it plain they don't want to operate a money loser indefinitely, and if they can't find an owner to keep the team there, selling the team to Quebecor would make the most sense, so long as it was legitimate within the NHL's transfer rules.

The only problem would be realigning a western team with the east. One way of doing it would be to transfer both Phoenix and Detroit to the east and then announce two western expansion teams.

A returned Nordiques would then play at the old arena until the new one was built. But Quebec must have that arena commitment before the NHL would make any move.

Other possible scenarios would be moving the New York Islanders who were disappointed with Kansas City's exhibition game attendance and need a new arena, one of the other money-losers like Atlanta, Florida, and Nashville, or an expansion team.

A new arena clearly puts Quebec into the driver's seat as far as expansion to Canada goes. The NHL would prefer to go back to a city were they had some success before economic conditions derailed the team, this time with a proper arena to get them through tough times. There are no territorial issues like Hamilton, and the new arena would be NHL-size unlike the arena in Winnipeg.

Usually I'm not a bettor, but if the new arena is pledged to be built and financed, "makeitseven" will be Quebec and I think that's a safe bet to make.

The Sad Story of the CFL and Quebec City

Steve Thompson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:14:30 -0400

There was joy for Quebec hockey fans last week when Mayor Regis Labeaume announced that a feasibility study was being conducted for a proposed new 18,000 seat arena which he enthusiastically endorsed, not only for a returned Nordiques but for a possible bid for the Winter Olympics.

Slowly, the pieces are being put in place; civic support; a major investor, Quebecor; encouragement, though not a commitment from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

If only the CFL could join in. Quebec sports fans are talking hockey, not CFL football.

Quebec is the best Canadian city for CFL expansion but there is no feasibility study being done for a less-expensive CFL stadium. The CFL is paying for its lack of roots in Quebec and in other non-CFL cities with the exception of Moncton which is building a half-size CFL stadium.

This event and the Jim Balsillie Hamilton hockey adventure show how far down the list CFL football is compared to hockey in Canada.

If Balsillie and Quebecor had announced they were seeking CFL franchises for London and Quebec, there would be no obstacles placed in their way by the CFL.

There was a petition signed by 80,000 fans for the return of the Nordiques; none for getting a CFL franchise.

When I typed into the Internet, I have discovered petitions for getting NHL franchises for Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Kitchener, and two for the return of the Hartford Whalers. There was even a petition for the firing of Gary Bettman.

I could not find one for any city wanting a CFL franchise. The best I could do was find an old one asking that Michael Bishop be made the starting quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts.

Clearly the CFL has got to start putting down more roots in Canada. I know it has limited resources, but as I've indicated in the Stimulus To CFL Expansion series of articles I have written and which I will continue to add to, there is much the CFL could do to get increased interest and investment in its league.

Having the Commissioner and other CFL luminaries make occasional visits to non-CFL Canadian cities to talk about the feasibility of a franchise is not enough.

There is no grass roots support or any corporate interest. The CFL has got to do a better job.

Right now, the CFL is congratulating itself on getting a team back in Ottawa and playing a regular season game in Moncton. Let's give them a laurel wreath.

It doesn't hide the fact that they are down 4-0 in petitions to the NHL, which snubs Canada for getting new franchises here.

All the steps that I have listed above that are happening in Quebec City are not happening for the CFL there or any other place in Canada.

Football will never take the place of hockey in Canada but at least the CFL could run a close second instead of trailing near the rear.

Post Script:

This section is addressed to my fellow writers of FANS OF THE CFL, the new on-line CFL magazine which will certainly help stimulate more interest in the CFL in Canada and elsewhere. Should the magazine start an on-line petition for new CFL franchises, new stadiums, and if so where?

Should there be more than one? Giants would probably want a Syracuse franchise and our publisher Jonathan, Saskatoon. And I would favour Quebec, London, and Kitchener. I'll leave it up to my fellow writers, and readers if they want to take up the project.

CFL Facing a Quarterbacking Crisis

Steve Thompson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:42:19 -0400

You can easily explain why the Montreal Alouettes are where they are this year. Anthony Calvillo is in a class by himself. No other CFL quarterback has delivered consistent top quality quarterbacking.

Montreal should deservedly win the Grey Cup this year, but to a large extent if they do win it, the victory will come by default.

Every other team except Hamilton which had nowhere to go but up has become weaker and it is largely due to quarterbacking problems. There is no need to give Calvillo further comment so I'll go through a list of the other quarterbacks and illustrate the sorry state of CFL quarterbacking.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Henry Burris

Burris peaked last year when he led the Stampeders to the Grey Cup, but this year has been decidedly anti-climatic with Burris returning to the level he was at before he rose to the top last year.

Injuries to key receivers haven't helped but Burris last year found ways to win and this year the offence has struggled to find itself. There is something missing and though Calgary and Burris should be the favorite to return to the Grey Cup from the west, I wouldn't wager money on it.

B.C. LIONS

Buck Pierce

If any coach can make chicken soup out of chicken feathers in the CFL, it is Wally Buono, but all year he's been plagued by inconsistent quarterbacking. B.C. lost a lot of talent and the quarterbacking hasn't made up for it.

Pierce has been injured and can play decently sometimes under Buono's guidance, but the Lions lost to bad teams like Hamilton and Winnipeg which in other years they would have put away. If Buono had consistent quarterbacking, B.C. would have run away with the west this year.

Jarius Jackson

He's been better than Pierce when he's played but he's far from the consistent quarterback that Buono had in Dave Dickenson. Who knows what he will be like when he returns from injury? Also lurking in the wings is Casey Printers who somehow managed to lose the job in Hamilton after it was handed to him on a platter. B.C. could advance to the Grey Cup with these quarterbacks...and then they could not.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Ricky Ray

This has been far from a vintage year for Ray who looks good when he plays Saskatchewan and almost nowhere else. Even against the Toronto Argonauts he struggled. Ray has been pulled in several games and Jason Maas hasn't shown the comeback capability he had in previous years. Either Ray performs consistently, or Edmonton might not even make the playoffs.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Darian Durant

The only hope for the CFL's future is Darian Durant who has stepped in and grasped the starting quarterback job from the first game he started last year. But the play of Saskatchewan this year has made me wonder if he has been mishandled; if there is bad coaching and play calling.

I wish Kent Austin would return and then see how Durant performs under him. Steven Jyles hasn't convinced me that he is ready to be a starting quarterback.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Michael Bishop

They went through a whole string of quarterbacks before bringing back the streaky Michael Bishop. He looked good against three teams at or below Winnipeg's level, but lost his last game at home to B.C.

Bishop typifies the type of quarterbacking in the CFL outside of Montreal: good one play, bad the next three. That Bishop was brought back and seen to be a saviour starting quarterback shows how low the quality of CFL quarterbacking this year is.

HAMILTON TIGER CATS

Kevin Glenn

He'll be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season for Hamilton after finally showing how all Bob O'Billovich's offensive weapons can work when they get good quarterbacking. The problem is that Glenn has only been able to do this once. That is why he was let go by Winnipeg and why he has never won the Grey Cup. Glenn is simply a better version of Michael Bishop.

Quinton Porter

Hamilton thought the promise that Porter showed last year would blossom this year when he was handed the starting position and at times he seemed ready to grasp it.

Unfortunately Glenn's performance last week shows how far he really has to go. He won't be let off the bench for the remainder of this year unless Glenn gets hurt. Adam Tafralis? Maybe he should have been given a turn or two.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Kerry Joseph

Joseph looks like a spent force and nobody can tell how much is him or how much is due to bad coaching and play calling. With all the mediocre and bad quarterbacking this year, it should have been easy for someone to rise above the rest, but Joseph has been among the worst.

Cody Pickett

With Joseph's bad play, Pickett was given every opportunity to be Toronto's saviour, but unlike Darian Durant, failed to grasp his chance. Dropped balls and bad play calling haven't helped. Pickett has put up deceptive looking passing statistics but not much scoring.

So there is the list of the mediocre/bad quarterbacks outside of Montreal. I can't remember when the CFL had such a consistently sorry bunch. Not a good thing if the CFL wants to expand or make new fans.

And the CFL says that Canadian quarterbacks aren't good enough?

All of them, with the exceptions Burris and Durant could be considered expendable when Ottawa rejoins the CFL next year.

What should the expansion team do? Bring in new blood instead. Ottawa once brought in two great young rookie quarterbacks at the same time, Conridge Holloway, and Tom Clements. For the CFL's future, do it again.

Hamilton Still Searching for a Leader

Steve Thompson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:32:16 -0400

Bob O'Billovich has done wonders upgrading the talent in Hamilton this year. The team is now a respectable contender though in the lower echelons of the league.

But the one thing he has been unable to do is upgrade an intangible: leadership. That's been apparent during the Tiger Cats' recent losing skid.

And again it revolves around the key position of quarterback. There are three quarterbacks on the active roster and another on the injured list. Active are Kevin Glenn, Quinton Porter, Adam Tafralis, and on injured reserve is Jason Boltus. There is also the possibility of bringing someone else in.

Hamilton need look no further to the solution for its problems than by looking at their previous opponent, Winnipeg.

Supposedly, Michael Bishop has finally grabbed the bull by the horns and has assumed the position of leader which has resulted in three straight wins, admittedly over the worst three teams in the CFL. Bishop can be a streaky quarterback, so all this could end just as soon as it began, but there is no doubt that if he has become more of a leader, Winnipeg is reaping the benefits of it.

Hamilton is looking for the same thing. On its own roster, DeAndra' Cobb grabbed his chance to play regularly and has made the most of it. Nobody talks about Hamilton needing a running back now. If only the quarterback situation were the same.

While Kevin Glenn is potentially the best quarterback with the most experience, he's also shown why Winnipeg released him. It was 31-0 before he got untracked. And because he's older, he's not going to be the future.

Macel Bellefeuille rightly wants one of the younger quarterbacks to step up, like Darian Durant in Saskatchewan.

At times, Quinton Porter looks like he could be Hamilton's long-term quarterback but he took a backward step against Winnipeg by failing to move the ball in a crisis and was yanked early. He also (along with Nick Setta) lost a winnable game in Calgary.

Then there is Tafralis who threw a touchdown pass against Calgary and runs the short yardage package. Perhaps he should get more of a look.

And behind everything are the problems of a young team that was so hopeless for so long trying to come together and play consistent top football at every position.

This team can beat and compete with some of the best CFL teams and then look miserable in losing to the worst.

Hamilton has taken some great strides upward this year. Finding that intangible, a leader, would be the next one.

Stimulus to CFL Expansion No. 4: Work More Closely with the CIS

Steve Thompson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:02:49 -0400

Who was the No. 1 draft choice in Canada?

John Tavares.

Almost every sports fan in Canada knew that.

But this is a football article, and John Tavares plays hockey. Now who was the No. 1 player in the CFL draft?

If you are like me, you don't know and don't care. That is the difference between hockey and football in Canada, and that is something that the CFL does little to correct.

It is also part of the reason why the CFL still only has eight or nine Canadian teams.

If the CFL wants to put down more roots in Canada and increase its market, not just for expansion purposes, it is going to have to work far more closely with Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

What they do now is not enough, and going to the CFL's official website says it all.

As far as Canadian University Football goes, there is a list of the top 15 potential draft choices, which doesn't get upgraded weekly, and a link to the CIS official website.

Whether it is too expensive or whether they just can't be bothered, the CFL does not work closely enough with CIS football. Announcers on TSN broadcasts will sometimes enthusiastically mention Canadian universities and recent scores, but that is it.

Going down the top 15 list is revealing. There is not one running back or quarterback—the two most glamorous positions in football—listed.

In the first of this series of articles, I pointed out the importance of developing Canadian quarterbacks to stimulate expansion interest. Evidently the CFL doesn't think any Canadian quarterback or running back is good enough.

But what does the CFL do to correct this situation? Nothing. It is content with the status quo. It has no programs set up or ways or means to make university players at these two key positions good enough.

The other revealing thing about the list is that half the players are in American universities.

This tells two stories.

First, Canadian universities don't develop enough players. There are only 27 Canadian universities with football programs. Several other universities—Lakehead, Laurentian, Carleton, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, and Brock, to name a few off the top of my head—don't have teams.

Even some of the universities that enter teams, like the University of Toronto, don't allot much money to their football programs.

Second, if a Canadian wants a top football career, he may have to leave Canada. He doesn't have to do that if he wants to play hockey.

Another key problem is at the coaching level. In contrast to the NFL, which regularly recruits many of its head coaches from the college level, few CFL coaches come from the CIS ranks.

Unlike the NFL, which can afford to let college football run itself, the CFL is going to have to take the initiative if it wants football to grow in Canada. Just what should be done is difficult to determine, and given the CFL's limited resources, any money allotted should be spent carefully and wisely.

But correcting the two problems of player position and coaching development should be the starting point.

Laval, Western, and Laurier, universities in Quebec, London, and Kitchener, the three best cities for immediate CFL expansion, all have some of the best football programs in Canada.

They are the starting point for future Canadian football player development. They are the future for the CFL.

Stimulus to CFL Expansion No. 3: Get Ottawa Competitive—Quickly

Steve Thompson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:11:18 -0400

According to Commissioner Mark Cohon during halftime of the Labor Day game between Toronto and Hamilton, he fully expects Ottawa to be rejoining the CFL next year.

Assuming that's true, it is vital for the CFL to get Ottawa competitive quickly.

That it's vital for the Ottawa market is obvious, but for this article I am going to explain why a quickly competitive Ottawa will help future expansion.

A successful team usually draws big crowds, and assuming this will happen with Ottawa in a very short time, the faster and easier Ottawa becomes a contender will encourage would-be CFL investors to step forward in other cities.

If investors see Ottawa becoming successful on the field and drawing large crowds quickly, perhaps they'll get excited visions in their heads that it could happen for them too in a new Canadian CFL city in a short time.

When a league expands and wants to lay down roots in a new city, there is no faster way than to get a winning team established quickly.

That gets fans talking about the team, increases media coverage, and encourages ticket and merchandise sales. When investors see successful box office returns, they'll want to get on the bandwagon.

So the CFL should try to give Ottawa as generous expansion terms as possible. They've got to give them access to good players both during the expansion draft and the CFL University draft.

Usually when a new team is added to a league, the other members offer little except the first round draft choice to start with. They want the new team to pay its dues.

But the CFL cannot afford to do this. Thirty years of non-competitive football has resulted in two franchise foldings. The CFL cannot risk another humiliation.

By getting Ottawa up and running successfully quickly, the CFL will not only restore a lost market but also encourage other investor visionaries to step forward and bring new cities into the CFL.

The CFL's Unpredictable Middle Teams

Steve Thompson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:07:29 -0400

There are only two things for certain in this year's CFL: Montreal is in and Toronto is out.

In between are six teams taking one step forward and two steps back. Saskatchewan will be beat Edmonton and then lose to BC, which in turn will lose to Winnipeg that lost to Hamilton that lost to Edmonton...and the circle goes around.

Five teams will join Montreal and one will join Toronto. A lot of it could be determined by which team plays who and where.

Here's a feeble attempt at trying to assess each team's chances and please don't take my word and bet on any of them. There's too much murk here to make any reliable predictions.

Hamilton

The team has made great strides to respectability this year from the hopeless teams of the last few years. The main strength of this team is the improved play of the defense, and that the offense now has formidable weapons at receiver and running back. The main weakness is that the team is young, the quarterbacks are still learning, and this team doesn't know how to win.

Prediction: Could be the team that finishes out of the playoffs.

Winnipeg

This team has taken two steps forward recently by beating Toronto and Edmonton.

Michael Bishop has made only one mistake in these games, throwing one interception.

The strength of this team is its defense—one that can win games by itself—and Fred Reid on offense. The weakness of this team is that Bishop is a streaky quarterback and the passing attack is pitiful and predictable.

It also has to play Montreal twice more and has the worst record of the middle six teams.

Prediction: A leading candidate to finish out of the playoffs if Bishop doesn't maintain his current streak.

Edmonton

One of the most unpredictable teams. One of only two teams to beat Montreal, sweep Saskatchewan in Regina, and yet has a losing record.

Ricky Ray can be unstoppable one week and then be yanked the next.

This hardly ranks with great Edmonton teams of the past. The strength is Ray when he's on, and the new-found running attack.

Shockingly, Richie Hall, who was hired for his defensive savvy, has a bad defensive team. The one plus in its favor is that it has two games with the horrible Toronto Argonauts.

Prediction: After the two gimmie games, much is going to depend on its two games with BC. They are the leading western team to miss the playoffs.

They lost so much talent in the offseason that they went from being a top team to this group.

Their biggest asset is that they've got Wally Buono coaching them, who can make chicken soup out of chicken feathers. The other strength is the running game. The quarterbacking has been mediocre and the defense has been susceptible to the run.

Much will depend on this team not playing another horrible game against Winnipeg and its games with Edmonton.

Prediction: Buono will get BC into the playoffs.

Saskatchewan

This team has the talent but should be better than what it is. I think it's the coaching. I wonder how good this team would be if Kent Austin were still the head coach.

Darian Durrant is the best of the new quarterbacks to enter the CFL but I think he could be better with different coaching. This team is competitive against every opponent including Montreal but some intangible is missing from the Grey Cup team.

Prediction: They'll make the playoffs—unless they continue to find ways to lose.

Calgary

The defending Grey Cup champs are not what they were.

They looked bad in both games against Hamilton and somehow won without a touchdown last week. Like Saskatchewan, they are competitive against every team including Montreal. The only things that haven't faltered are the running game and the defense.

Prediction: Too much talent and playoff experience not to make the playoffs.

If I Were a Manitoba Mythbuster

Steve Thompson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:04:36 -0400

Hi Everybody, once again one of my articles has drawn the ire of the Manitoba Mythbusters, a lobby group dedicated to bringing back the Winnipeg Jets.

They have set up a website, some of which is very impressive and some of it inaccurate which I have visited a few times.

Now I've publicly said I'm in favor of Winnipeg getting its team back and I fully agree with them that the city is not too small. I also agree with them when they say that Winnipeg is a better NHL market than the American money-losers

But I disagree with them that their arena is adequate, and I've taken lots of criticism at their hands in several articles.

So for this one I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and pretend I'm a Manitoba Mythbuster and show what I would do differently than the current group.

First, I'll list the arguments I make when replying to their comments and why I believe that Winnipeg needs a proper NHL arena.

1. The arena management has publicly stated that the new arena is for the AHL. The Mythbusters ignore this fact.

2. While I agree with the Mythbusters that Winnipeg has a population that can support an NHL team, it is a small market compared to almost every NHL team. The Jets will need to generate more revenue from ticket sales to make up for this and therefore need a bigger arena.

3. Other NHL franchises can't make it with arenas that are bigger than Winnipeg. Pittsburgh has an arena that is 2,000 seats more than Winnipeg and is building a new one to meet future expenses. The New York Islanders, which have the smallest NHL arena that seats 1,500 more than Winnipeg are on the brink of relocation if they don't get a new local home.

4. For this article, I'll limit Winnipeg's competition to Quebec, Hamilton, and Hartford, which are the smallest of their rivals. I won't even mention Winnipeg's other rivals which have the edge on Winnipeg because they are American and have much bigger populations.

Hamilton

Winnipeg likes to pretend that Hamilton's arena can't do the job. But Copps already has 2000 seats more than Winnipeg and unlike Winnipeg's arena which can't be expanded, can be upgraded to 18,500 seats and 200 luxury boxes as compared to Winnipeg's 62. $50 million was pledged to renovate it, even without Balsillie.

All that's keeping Hamilton out of the NHL is American prejudice and the greed and fears of Toronto and Buffalo.

Remove the territorial factor and given Hamilton's much larger regional market, any direct competition would slaughter Winnipeg.

Hartford

Hartford's mayor has met with Bettman and has stated he wants the Whalers back within five years. He has also admitted that the current arena which is Winnipeg's size won't do the job and supports building a proper NHL-size arena. If investors are found that are willing to build the new arena, Winnipeg will compare poorly.

Quebec

Winnipeg is even more behind Quebec which has finally found a wealthy investor, Quebecor (which the Mythbusters don't mention on their website), which recently tried to buy the Montreal Canadians to front a franchise bid.

And Quebecor recognizes that the old Quebec arena which is the same size as Winnipeg's won't do and is currently searching for more investors to build a new NHL size one before making a presentation to the NHL.

5. The bigger the arena, the better the team Winnipeg can afford. An NHL team has to be able to afford expensive free agents and offer better contracts to developing talent.

Is it fair to Winnipeg fans to support a team that is limited by the size of its arena to holding fire sales like Phoenix did every few years and can never compete with its wealthier competition for the Stanley Cup? Do Winnipeg fans want a scrape-by franchise at any price?

6. The Mythbusters have worked out ticket price that is supposed to make ends meet. It can be anywhere from $52 to $70 depending on which Mythbuster you talk to. But do Winnipegers really want these prices? What have they said?

a) We're building an AHL size arena instead of an NHL one because AHL ticket prices are cheaper and more people can go to see them.

b) We're building a new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers because CFL tickets are cheaper and more people can go to see them.

In other words, Winnipeg fans want an arena that can offer tickets to a broader fan base and not to a wealthy clique. One of the arguments the Mythbusters advance is about the number of luxury boxes in the new arena.

That obviously is not very attractive to the average fan. How many fans in this time of job loss can afford $52-$70 tickets regularly? How many Mythbusters can afford them? The team should be for fans and not corporations and rich people.

7. The Mythbusters are banking on good economic conditions to keep the team going, particularly the near-par value of the Canadian dollar. But when the dollar fell in the 1990's, Winnipeg and Quebec with their 15,000-seat arenas disappeared. Why didn't the other six Canadian teams fold? Because they had large arenas to help them get through tough times. If anything, Winnipeg needs a larger arena more than they do.

8. If the arena is good enough for an NHL team, why didn't an investor make a pitch for the Coyotes? There was never a better chance to get the Jets back than then. The NHL would much rather see the team back in Winnipeg than Balsillie and Hamilton. Obviously, no investor believes in the Winnipeg arena to make a bid.

9. A larger arena will protect Winnipeg against a blackmailing owner who threatens to move the team if revenues are too small.

So what would Steve the new Mythbuster do if he wants the Jets back that the current Mythbusters are not doing? Winnipeg has painted itself into a corner as far as the NHL is concerned by building a small arena.

There will be loss of face and no public money coming for a new arena. Money will have to come from private sources for both a new arena and a franchise.

Also, after seeing Hamilton build an NHL arena and then be denied a franchise for two decades, Winnipegers rightly don't want to trust Bettman and the NHL.

1. Admit the truth about the new arena

The arena's management has said this is an AHL arena and I agree with them. Winnipeg needs to make itself more attractive to both the NHL and investors and admitting that a proper NHL size arena is needed is the first step to doing so.

Winnipeg's fans have spoken that they want sports facilities that command a broad fan base and not be restricted to a clique.

Any pitch to investors that Winnipeg wants an NHL team must include the stipulation and commitment that a new NHL size arena must be built.

As far as the current arena is concerned, I would pitch it to the NHL and investors that the current arena is a great place (which it is) to host the Jets temporarily while the new arena is being built.

2. Expand my market

What do recruiters do in Toronto? Well, the Buffalo PBS station discovered that Canadians are willing to donate to them. They realized they needed to broaden their appeal and now conduct annual fund-raisers here and tailor some of their programming to Canadians. They also now bill themselves as Buffalo-Toronto.

The Buffalo Bills with one Toronto game now do heavy publicity in Toronto.

When the Jays were going good, there were always buses in the parking lot with destinations from all over Ontario and New York State.

Now let's look at Winnipeg's three competitors.

Hamilton

Hamilton has a huge market stretching from St. Catharine's to the Bruce Peninsula and from Mississauga to London. Winnipeg compares poorly.

Hartford

Hartford has the whole of Connecticut and most of Rhode Island including Providence. Winnipeg compares poorly.

Quebec

Not only does Quebec have the whole of the eastern part of the province, but through its sports ties of junior hockey and CIS football, all the Maritimes too. Winnipeg compares poorly.

So what Steve the new Mythbuster will do is to annex all of Saskatchewan in the west and all Northern Ontario as far as Thunder Bay as my market area.

Are the Mythbusters doing this? Last time I checked, a group considering bidding for the Coyotes wanted the team to play some games in Saskatoon. Not much of a commitment to Winnipeg.

When I stand before the NHL and investors, I want to be able say that my market extends from the Alberta border to Thunder Bay which is a market of over 2 million people.

I want to show them that people from Regina, Prince Albert, Dryden, and Kenora have signed petitions that they want the Jets back and are willing to buy tickets. I want them to support the building of a large arena.

I want to be able to sell Winnipeg Jet merchandise to them as their home team. Like the Jays, when I walk in my new arena's parking lot, I want to see buses from Saskatchewan and Ontario as well as Manitoba.

Most of all I want to find out how I can get these people involved with the Jets. I don't see any initiatives taken by the Mythbusters at their website. I'll have to set aside a certain number of tickets for these people.

I'll have to arrange player trips and practices so that these fans can see them. Maybe I'll stage a day honoring the Kenora Thistles. Anything to broaden my small local market will help.

3. Broaden my search for investors

Now that I have my commitment to a new arena and extended my market, I can make a pitch to investors.

Since Manitoba has a limited number of wealthy people I'll have to take my pitch outside the province as well. It is not unprecedented. Ottawa is owned by a Torontonian. Montreal was recently owned by an American.

Balsillie would have been an ideal investor but he's made himself so odious that he would be a liability now.

But hopefully once I've shown that Winnipeg's market is not so small, that there is a good temporary arena while a new one is being built, and that there is large support for a new arena, I'll be able to recruit investors within and without Manitoba who are committed to both an NHL team and a new home.

I want to see Winnipeg back in the NHL for the long term and not a few years and always able to afford to ice a competitive team. That's how I would do it.

What Canadian Hockey Fans Ought to Do—But Won't

Steve Thompson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:58:49 -0400

So the NHL doesn't want Hamilton to be in its league. Fine.

But don't stop there—go all the way. Take the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks and move them to the United States too.

Take the Stanley Cup and all the other trophies and give them American names.

Clear them right out and let their arenas host teams from a new league that values its Canadian franchises and not treat Canadians like an exploited colony, like every American professional league does.

Because that is what the NHL is—just another American professional league, the only difference being that they play a sport that embarrassingly originated in another country.

The fact is almost every member of the Canadian media and the vast majority of Canadians, including most of those who subscribed to "MakeItSeven," knew that American courts are always homers in cases involving foreigners and that they would stop Jim Balsillie from getting the Coyotes almost from the first day—that says it all.

It means that they knew the Americans would not play fair and that the NHL is anti-Canadian.

Balsillie's achievement has been to hammer this home to more Canadians than ever before. Sadly there are still too many who refuse to take the blinkers off. Some Canadians still think that when the NHL eventually sells the Coyotes or any other American team in trouble, Canadians will get a chance to get it.

Lloyd Robertson on the CTV National News told Hamilton to "hang in there." Don Cherry went to Winnipeg and told the fans they would get their team back someday.

There's no chance.

Just watch the difference when Charlie Wang wants to move the Islanders to Kansas City if he doesn't get a new arena from sucker taxpayers on Long Island. See how many barriers the NHL puts up then.

Balsillie told his "MakeItSeven" supporters that he wanted "a fair chance to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada... I believe I got that chance."

Sorry Mr. Balsillie, I think you are just giving the still hopeful a sugarcoated statement. You told us earlier that you sensed hostility from the NHL Board of Governors before you even opened your mouth. Sugarcoating won't hide that.

You never got a fair chance. You don't negotiate with Americans.

Since 1783, Americans have always hung on to what they have once they get it. They never give back anything.

If you want to negotiate with Americans, you use the British method, which was to take Detroit and burn Washington, or the Viet Cong way, which was to make such a nuisance of yourself that Americans get sick of you and give you what you want so that you'll go away.

If you don't, you get treated the way the Mexicans and Indians did.

If Canadians want more top hockey played in more of their cities, the best thing is to clear the NHL out of Canada and start a new league—one where Canadian franchises are valued and Canadian television deals increase in value if more Canadian teams are added.

Balsillie would spend his time in better ways starting such a league and at the same time giving the CFL its long-sought 10th franchise. He wouldn't need a "MakeItTen" website for that.

The non-decision was a blow not only to Balsillie and Hamilton, but to all future Canadian expansion as well. Like I've mentioned in previous articles, it is not new, but is a consistent policy pursued by the NHL since 1967. Every Canadian franchise except Calgary and Ottawa, which got in at the expense of Hamilton, has been fiercely opposed.

If you are Quebecor, the Canadian media giant that recently announced it was fronting a bid to get the Nordiques back, do you still want to pursue it after seeing how Balsillie was treated?

If you are a taxpayer in Quebec, Winnipeg, or some other non-NHL Canadian city, do you want your money to be spent on NHL-size arenas like Hamilton for teams that never come?

It's time for Canadians to take off the blinkers and say goodbye to the NHL. Stop the craving for American money and TV praise.

That's what Canadians ought to do—but they won't.

Winnipeg Loves the CFL, Not the NHL

Steve Thompson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:16:09 -0400

In light of the Jim Balsillie ruling, once again baring Hamilton from the NHL, and the obsession of Canadians for getting another NHL team, it is refreshing to look at the Winnipeg situation.

There is a lobby group in Winnipeg called the Manitoba Mythbusters (with whom I've had frequent clashes) that wants the Winnipeg Jets back at any cost in their too-small arena which they insist in NHL size when even the management publicly stated that it was for the AHL alone.

When Winnipeg opted to build a new arena, they could have built a proper NHL size one of 18,000-plus and then gone after a team in trouble like Phoenix or hoped the NHL would offer them an expansion franchise.

But they did not. Why?

Because Winnipeg does not trust Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors. So instead they built an arena that suits they own needs, one for the AHL Moose. Their decision is justified because we've all just witnessed how hard the NHL fought to prevent another Canadian team from joining their ranks.

Winnipeg remembered how too easily the NHL let the Jets, Nordiques, and Whalers depart and then contrasted it with how the NHL fought to the death to keep a bad franchise in Phoenix. They don't want that kind of trashy treatment.

Why should Winnipeg, like Hamilton spend millions of dollars building an NHL size arena to try for a franchise from a league that has shown anti-Canadian policies since 1967?

Why should they build an arena for a team that may never come back? They believed they should put their sports money elsewhere.

So instead of building an arena, they are building a new stadium for the team they already have, the Blue Bombers of the CFL.

Unlike the NHL, the CFL values its Canadian franchises and hopes they flourish.

They would welcome Balsillie or any other Canadian investor with open arms if they tried to build a CFL size stadium in a city like London, Kitchener, or Quebec.

Winnipeg opted to build for something solid, not something pie-in-the-sky. They are the least blinkered city in Canada about the NHL.

They chose to invest in the CFL. They made the right choice. They're getting something for their money that is going to be staying in their city for a long time.

So sorry Mythbusters. It seems your city isn't being taken in by your rhetoric. You'll have to pine away for the Jets on your own. You can drown your sorrows while watching a Blue Bombers game at the new stadium.

Montreal Is the Bench Mark of the League

Steve Thompson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:24:16 -0400

The most certain factor the current CFL season is that Montreal is the bench mark of the league and the team to beat for the Grey Cup.

Since returning from Baltimore in 1996, the Alouettes have had a competitive team every season. The only problem is that they are the Atlanta Braves of the CFL—lots of playoff appearances and little to show for it. Their only Grey Cup has come in 2002.

They'll never have a better chance to win it than this year. After last week's demolishing of Hamilton, they have little to fear from their eastern rivals—two bad teams and one up and coming developing one.

Even better is that their western opposition is weaker. Saskatchewan is still learning to win under Darian Durant. Calgary is not the Calgary of last year. Edmonton is a threat when Ricky Ray is on—when he's not, the Eskimos suffer because they have the worst defence in the league. Finally, B.C. lost too much talent to be a threat.

The Alouettes are the best team on both sides of the ball, boasting the fewest points allowed and most points scored. It's tough to beat that combination.

Anthony Calvillo is having another outstanding season. Ben Cahoon leads a fleet set of receivers, the offensive line is solid, and Avon Cobourne is as good as any running back in the CFL.

The defence has been equally good and so have the special teams, led by Larry Taylor. It seems that Montreal has all the pieces of the puzzle not only to win this year, but for several years in a row.

Still, there is the choke factor. For some reason, Montreal almost always seems to let the Grey Cup slip through its fingers. This year, even getting to the Grey Cup would be a failure. The Alouettes must win it all.

The only way the Alouettes can be stopped is for somebody to get hot. Nobody else has put together a long win streak like the Alouettes did.

No other team has righted itself to play consistently well. It would be better for the CFL if another team reached up to the Alouettes level instead of Montreal playing down to everybody else.

So, the Alouettes are the betting man's choice for the Grey Cup. But remember Tom Brady and the Patriots before you wager.

Stimulus To CFL Expansion #2: Punt, Pass, And Kick

Steve Thompson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:31:54 -0400

In my previous article in this series, I mentioned that the CFL had to get more Canadians involved right across the country in order to stimulate interest so that potential investors would take note and consider applying for a franchise and build proper stadiums in non-CFL Canadian markets.

One way of doing this is to copy the NFL which has a yearly punt, pass, and kick competition that involves children from 8 to 13 years old.

Such a program is an excellent way of attracting fans of both sexes at an early age and involving them and their parents in a national competition that concludes during the playoffs and when finalists for the passing competition get to show their stuff on national television and get presented with awards during the game.

Currently there is no such national competition for the CFL across Canada. Though each club is involved in many charitable events, only the B.C. Lions have a local punt, pass and kick competition.

This is surprising because when football in Canada is compared to hockey, the need to establish roots at an early age is critical for the CFL.

In hockey, children can compete at an early age, usually in a non-contact way.

I would not recommend establishing tackle football leagues for young children at an early age where they could get hurt. Usually children are introduced to contact football only in their high school years.

So to get children involved with football (other than touch-football leagues) at a much earlier age, in a non-violent way, a national Canadian punt, pass, and kick competition would be an ideal means of attracting young fans and their parents.

Since it is a non-contact competition, both sexes can compete and perhaps the CFL could get some its distinguished alumni involved as well.

For expansion purposes, the important thing is to get more Canadians involved in some positive way with the CFL, so that more cities will get hungry for a team of their own.

Punt, pass, and kick would be an excellent way of getting children and their parents in non-CFL Canadian cities involved with the league. It's over to the Commissioner and the Board of Governors to set such a program up.

Winnipeg Bombers: May Have Solved Only One Third of Their Problem

Steve Thompson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:34:19 -0400

So Winnipeg is bringing in another new quarterback. Since the Michael Bishop experiment has produced unsatisfactory results, the team has traded with Montreal to bring in Ricky Santos (instead of looking at Casey Printers as Glen Suitor pleaded) to be the Bombers' latest savior.

But after watching the Montreal-Winnipeg game on Sunday, it seems to me there is a lot more wrong with the Winnipeg passing attack than just the quarterback. It's true Michael Bishop has a lot to be desired but Winnipeg has been making quarterback changes all season and has nothing to show to it.

To me, there are two other problems to be addressed. First after watching Sunday's game, few receivers get open.

You can blame the quarterback all you want but there were too many times when Bishop or whoever else quarterbacks the team had to throw the ball away, get sacked, or run out of bounds because there was no one to throw the ball to.

The Winnipeg receiving corps has a way of making any quarterback look bad. The most obvious thing watching Sunday's game is that they don't get much separation from their defenders.

Then the quarterback either has to thread the needle, risk an interception, or run with the football. This could be due to lack of speed and experience, or it points to a second problem which is the Winnipeg offensive game plan.

Mike Kelly has refused to hire an offensive coordinator and his play-calling has left lots to be desired. If your receivers can't get open it means two things: bad personnel, or a bad game plan.

Since some of the Winnipeg receivers have had big seasons in other years, I vote for the latter. Kelly has designed a passing attack that his receivers can't execute.

If they're covered all the time, no quarterback can complete passes, no matter how well he is protected. Bishop, Lefors, and whoever else quarterbacks the team are constantly on the run and suffer coverage sacks, not in just one game but in every game. Opponents find it easy to defend against Winnipeg and plan accordingly.

The Winnipeg defense and the running game are decent but the passing attack is laughable, confused, and lacks direction.

Since Kelly is personally responsible for it, he has to take the blame and it is no wonder that there are lots of calls for his head.

Something has to give. I'm betting that Santos will find it no better than Bishop or the others.

Then there should be other changes made and the biggest one might not be on the roster but at the coaching level.

Stimulus To CFL Expansion #1: Become More Canadian

Steve Thompson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:28:45 -0400

The CFL has been talking about expanding the league in Canada from its 8-9 team limit since before I was born. This is the first in a series of articles about some possible actions it can take to make Canadian expansion a reality.

The main obstacles to CFL expansion in Canada are lack of stadiums and investors who believe in the league.

In past articles, I've also listed that the three best cities for immediate expansion, based on population alone, are Quebec, London, and Kitchener.

As been shown by this summer's Jim Balsillie-Hamilton episode, Canadians are excited about NHL Canadian expansion, not CFL expansion. Why?

One of the reasons is that the CFL lacks enough Canadian "roots", like hockey.

In Canada, kids can start playing organized hockey when they are still in their single digits. They can play every position and the most talented of them are nurtured as future stars for the NHL. They are treasured as valued commodities.

This is not true for the CFL. For this article I'm going to zoom in on the most glaring symbol of what the CFL lacks, that extinct CFL species, the Canadian quarterback which has been a distant memory along with Russ Jackson and the 1960's.

As all followers of the CFL know, each team is made up of import and non-import players. But Canadians usually play the "non-glamorous" positions like offensive lineman, or are secondary pass receivers.

Jesse Lumsden is a rare commodity, a star Canadian running back.

Even worse is the extinct Canadian quarterback.

Look at the difference between hockey and football. In hockey, at the junior level, Canadians play every position and are drafted for future stardom at their positions by the NHL.

At the Canadian university level, any boy playing quarterback can forget about a career in the CFL at that position. If he is drafted, he has to switch to a new position. All the training that has gone into developing quarterback skills is wasted. It is just assumed that a Canadian playing quarterback is inferior to an American one.

Now let's look at the expansion problem. As noted above, the three best Canadian cities for immediate expansion are Quebec, London, and Kitchener, and all three have some of the best university football programs in Canada, at Laval, Western, and Laurier respectively.

In all three cities, the usual two expansion problems are present; lack of interested investors, and no CFL-size stadium to play in.

But let's suppose that all three starting quarterbacks from Laval, Western, and Laurier get drafted and become star players at that position in the CFL. Don't you think that interest in those cities and elsewhere is going to increase? People will begin to talk CFL, not NHL. Investors might take notice.

I wrote in a previous article that investors, Balsillie and Quebecor are interested in getting an NHL team, upgrading Copps Colosseum and building a new arena in Quebec. They never consider the CFL which would welcome them with open arms if they chose to make a commitment to it.

So one way of increasing interest in the CFL is to open all positions in the league to Canadians. The CFL has got to figure out a way of giving Canadian quarterbacks a chance to play at that position.

I'm not suggesting making a Canadian the starting quarterback for the sake of doing it. They have to earn the position the same as anyone else.

But under the present conditions, they have no chance, and in light of some of the pitiful quarterbacking in the CFL this year (particularly in Winnipeg), surely a top Canadian quarterback at the Canadian university level deserves a chance to prove himself.

The CFL and its teams have to take off their blinkers.

There would be a delicious irony if a Canadian university quarterback, undrafted at that position by the CFL,was drafted by an NFL team and led them to the Superbowl. It would serve the CFL right.

Hamilton Still Struggles At Quarterback

Steve Thompson — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:17:48 -0400

It is obvious from the last two weeks, that the Hamilton Tiger Cats are still struggling at quarterback.

In a year where at least half of the teams have a mediocre leader, Hamilton belongs in the bottom group, along with BC, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

If I'm Marcel Bellefeuille, I am starting Quinton Porter next week. The only way that Hamilton will get better is either to develop Porter or bring in a new quarterback and develop him.

Kevin Glenn is a good backup, but he's not the future. The last two weeks showed why Winnipeg released him, and why he has never won the Grey Cup.

Glenn blows hot and cold. During both games against Toronto, sometimes he looked like he belonged with the top four CFL quarterbacks, making plays, finishing drives etc.

But for the rest of the time, the tap was turned off and he was stone cold, with lots of consecutive 2-and-outs.

Forget the 34-15 score. If Hamilton had put the Argonauts away, the score should have been in the 50s.

The Hamilton receiving corps has been vastly upgraded to being one of the top four in the league, and DeAndra' Cobb has made everyone forget all the other running backs. The offensive line has improved, too.

But Hamilton still struggles to put points on the board. When Glenn is in his good mode, this team looks like one of the best in the league. But then he'll fall into a funk, drives will stall, the team won't take full advantage of turnovers, and there are lots of 2-and-outs.

The only way Hamilton will get better is to develop Porter into a consistently winning quarterback. Let him either learn from his mistakes, or if he can't be developed, bring in a new arm.

Bob O'Billovich has done a great job raising the talent level on this team so it can now compete with any team in the CFL. There is no longer despair in Hamilton.

But the key position is always the quarterback, and O'Billovich may have to make one more change in order to make Hamilton secure for the future.

CFL Targets Wrong City in Moncton

Steve Thompson — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:09:15 -0400

Mark Cohon, the commissioner of the Canadian Football League, was interviewed at halftime during the Labor Day game between Toronto and Hamilton. He said next year the CFL was contemplating playing a regular season game in Moncton, New Brunswick.

There is nothing wrong with playing a game there, except that—in terms of expansion—Moncton can't help the CFL.

When I wrote my first article for Bleacher Report, it was about CFL expansion in Canada. Based on population only, I divided the potential new franchises into three groups; short term, long term, and very long term.

The short term cities were Quebec, London, and Kitchener.

The long term cities were Halifax, Oshawa, Windsor, and Victoria.

Then there were the rest in the very long term, including Moncton.

Moncton was chosen because it is building a stadium for the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics. If only the cities in the first two groups showed such spirit.

Sadly, the problem with Moncton is it is still too small. Its population as of 2005 was 126,000, making it the 29th largest city in Canada. In five years, Moncton had grown by 9,000, making it the 21st-fastest growing city in Canada.

The new stadium reflects Moncton's small population. It will only have 10,000 permanent seats. The plan for the CFL game is to put an equivalent number of temporary seats, giving Moncton the same amount of seats as Montreal, the smallest stadium in the CFL.

That's no help for the CFL in terms of immediate expansion. They want stadiums of 25,000 permanent seats, minimum.

The Moncton game is good for increasing interest in the CFL in the Maritimes. There is no reason why a regular-season game can't be played there every year. But because of Moncton's small population, one game a year is all that can be managed for the immediate future.

As mentioned above, only three Canadian cities have the population and the growth rate to get awarded an expansion franchise right now. Quebec has a population of over 700,000, and Kitchener and London have populations between 450,000 and 500,000.

Football is doing well at the university level in these cities. Laval, Laurier, and Western all have outstanding football programs. Canadian football has some roots here.

All that is lacking are investors and stadiums.

The CFL should be looking for ways to stimulate interest in these three cities. Quebec would be a great rival for Montreal, and Kitchener and London have a natural rivalry with each other and Hamilton.

But nothing seems to be happening for the CFL in these cities. Small Moncton is the only city taking even a half-step towards getting a team.

The CFL needs to start talking to the locals in Quebec, London, and Kitchener to see about staging regular season and exhibition games, with an eye to getting a permanent franchise.

If it could be shown that there is interest in the CFL in those cities, perhaps investors will start to believe in the league and step forward.

Then the CFL will not be limited to its eight or nine-team format that seems to have been here since the beginning of its existence.