Austin is the new coach

The Riders announced today that Kent Austin is the new coach. Perhaps this was one of the worst kept secrets; my buddy Bob that works at Global TV in Regina made the call on this during the playoffs. Speculation was that the Riders had to win the Grey Cup for Danny Barrett to keep his job. Looks like all the speculation was correct.

I am happy to see Austin as the new coach. I think his desire to be successful will help the team move to the next level. I want a home playoff game as well, but I want a Grey Cup more. I think that with Austin's arrival it will be enough of a shakeup of the old guard to motivate them to perform better. Yes, there will be some player transition, but Tillman is already signing the key players for the future. Both him and Austin will have their stamp in the team before long.

Tillman also deserves a lot of credit for the way the Danny Barrett situation was handled. He allowed Barrett to leave with his head high and the whole affairs was a classy effort on the part of Tillman, Barret and the Rider organization.

Back to Austin...his experience on offense, both as a elite quarterback and as an offensive coordinator is needed. Working with Kerry Joseph and Jason Armstead in Ottawa also will help.

2007 will be the Rider's year.

Go Riders!

If you haven't figured it out yet, my user name is ridersrgr8 as since I was old enough to remember I have been a Saskatchewan Roughriders fan. I live and die with the fate of my team. I am a passionate fan and I follow every season, every game and every play. I rarely miss a game on TV and when I can I see them in live. The Riders are my team.

Even though I have yet to comment on the Riders in this forum, I believe my user name is appropriate. I am a Riders fan and despite the years of disappointment, no one will tell me that they are not great.

So here is my first post on the Riders. It comes on the day that Eric Tillman has replaced Roy Shivers. I liked Roy Shivers and I like Eric Tillman. Though I do not like change in the middle of the season, something had to be done. I have nothing but respect for the job Shivers did in bringing in quality players, but two things bothered me. One, why does this team continually underperform with the talent they have? I know it is Danny Barrett's job to get the players ready and motivated for each game, but this is one issue that has been there the entire time of the Barrett - Shivers regime. Maybe a change in the GM job will get the players out of their funk and play with some consistency.

Secondly, I am sick and tired about reading about my favorite team, and more specifically about the players on my favorite team being in the news for the wrong reasons. Fights in bars, DUI's, sexual assaults...the list is too long. And most of this has taken place under Shiver's watch...and he has stood behind his players, but when you don't have the results on the field, you get tired of hearing of the problems happening off the field.

That's in the past. Looking forward, Eric Tillman's record indicates he is a no-nonsense type of general manager. The son of a Minister, he will not tolerate behavior that was too common in the past. The players will have to behave themselves off the field (especially in Regina, where everyone knows their name) or they are gone. I am one of those fans who does not want to see any more off field transgressions. I can understand why the Rider's Board of Directors and specifically Jim Hopson went this route...it makes sense if they want to improve both on and off the field.

Although I respected the job Shivers did in bringing in talent, the off field shenanigans have worn thin on me and I support this change.

In the long run it is the right thing to do. Go Riders.

The best round of the summer

I spent most of last week in St. Louis at some pretty important meetings. For the most part they were productive, but it was long days and nights, and lots of discussion, planning and work to do as we go forward.

Mentally I was fatigued and was looking for a break and rest. I spent most of Sunday with the family, which was really special. And on Monday after work, I hit the links for what turned out to be the best round of the year so far.

I was able to play my home course for the first time in over three weeks. The course was in great shape and I started off strong; hitting the ball solid and far. In the end, I had four birdies; my personal best, and a score of 79, a season low.

I birdied 7, 10, 12 and 17. Two par fives and two par fours. I was putting for eagle on 12, which is a feat in itself. The hole is a 527 par 5 that is the number two handicap hole. I had a great tee shot of close to 300 (there was no wind). The hole is protected by a creek 40 yards in front of the green and only a fool would try to go for it in two, but I did. Luck was on my side as my ball hit right before the creek, bounced over and rolled onto the back of the green. I had 25 feet for eagle and it just missed. But I'll take a birdie on that hole any day.

What would be a round of golf without talking about the ones that got away. I keep thinking that I should have birdied 8 (10 ft putt that lipped the cup) and 16 (my putt finished 2 inches short). I also had three double bogeys and four three putts. Even still I shot a good score. My low round of the year and I can't wait to get back out there.

The Holiday

We returned from California on Thursday evening after a great trip. It has been a great summer to say the least. The weather has been fabulous and everywhere we went it was either very hot or comfortably warm.

In total we traveled over 3700 miles. Down to Monterey, then to Disneyland and then home. The drive was pretty good as the roads were in good shape, we didn't have to face a lot of construction and outside the anticipated heavy volume in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, things sailed along pretty good.

The highlight of the trip had to be Disneyland. Our daughter had a great time and was all smiles at the experience. We were not sure how she would react, but she did great and still had energy at the end of the day. The experience was everything we could have asked for.

The highlights of the trip included spending time in some great places; Reno, San Francisco, Monterey, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and Yellowstone National Park. Of course I can't forget the two rounds of golf that I played in Monterey, on two outstanding golf courses. I played Spanish Bay and Poppy Hills. Unfortunately, I'd like to forget my scores of 95 and 105.

It some respects it was tough for it to come to an end, at the same time, sometimes its good to be home.

California Here We Come

The family and I are off to California for a couple of weeks. After some meetings in Monterey, we plan to head down to Disneyland and take our daughter there. We hope that she will really enjoy the experience! To help, we have our niece coming along...an extra set of hands always makes a difference.

I was able to get a couple of rounds of golf in on the weekend. First of all, I shot a 98...which is a new high for the past four years. It was a 56 on the front and a 42 on the back to work up that gem!

But I redeemed myself on Sunday as I shot a 82; which included a 38 on the front. I was very pleased, but unfortunately fell apart on one tough par 5 on the back (took a nine) and that was it for any desires of a record round.

As always, the best part of golf is the company. I got to spend the day with good friend Terry at a tournament and with Bill and Shelley on Sunday.

And the best part is, I get to play two fabulous courses this week. As part of our meetings, I plan to play Poppy Hills and Spanish Bay on the Monterey peninsula. We tried to get onto Pebble Beach, but they only wanted $1,000 per person; which means they didn't want us at all.

Even so, it will be two courses (and the trip as well) that I will be looking forward too.

What a great summer

The weather has been beautiful. Hot day after hot day has made for many days outside on the deck enjoying the sunshine and a cold beer.

We spent most of July at our cabin in Saskatchewan. The only blemish on the whole trip was a vicious hailstorm that did a lot of damage. What can you do.


So after doing a little bit of work the first couple of days, and then clean up from the hailstorm, it was time for a birthday party and then some rest and relaxation. Our daughter turned seven, and lots of family were out to celebrate the event.

Today is the first day back at work and reality has set in. It was a fun and enjoyable time, but not it is over. We were a little sad leaving the cabin, but all good things come to an end.

Not is all that bad, though...next week we leave for a meeting in California. We looking forward to some nice time together again and we plan to do some tourist stuff along the way. We hope our little girl does really well and has a good time!

The golf game suffered a bit while at the cabin, but nothing to get too excited about. I only played twice while away, and it showed. I have had numerous round prior to holidays, and my game has improved to the point where I have lowered my handicap to a 9. That is the lowest I have ever been and I feel good about that. The other thing is that my spouse has gotten out a few times as well. She enjoys the game and is learning as much as she can. She has got a lot better in a short time and I am very happy for her.

The rest of the summer will be spent working, at meetings, on the golf course and trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather that has been forecast.

Does it get any better than that?

The Masters

We returned from The Masters last night and let me say it was beyond our expectations. This was by far the most beautiful golf course that we have ever seen. Augusta National certainly lives up to the hype.

We arrived early Tuesday morning and the first golfer we saw was Sergio Garcia on the 5th fairway. We moved over to the 4th tee and sat there and watched four groups come through, including Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Then we followed Mike Weir for a couple of holes and moved over to the 17th to see Tiger Woods tee off and then to 15th to see Phil Mickelson on the green. That really sums up the day...going from hole to hole to see the stars.

We did spend considerable time at Amen Corner and that was fabulous. The history and significance of those three holes was not lost on us. While we were there we saw Gary Player hit one of the nicest (and closest to the hole) shots on 12. That was something special that I will never forget.

We walked every hole but number 2. One thing that surprised us is how much "up and down" there is on the course. The elevation changes are amazing, and television does not do it justice. The undulations on the greens are phenomenal as well.

It is also, by far, the most nicely manicured course we have ever seen. I guess we shouldn't have expected anything less.

Since we got home, we have been glued to the TV watching the coverage. It is almost surreal seeing it and talking about it. Being there just makes it that much more interesting to watch.

To see what we experienced, here are our photos.

Would we go back? Yes, in a heartbeat!

Recapture Our Youth Tour

Following a one baseball game - three rounds of golf outing in Arizona, I have headed off to Florida with three life long friends as part of our "Recapture Our Youth Tour."

So how is this for a week....five spring training baseball games (Yankees-Cards; Jays-Indians; Jays-Phillies, Jays-Reds and Dodgers-Nationals), one NHL hockey game (Tampa - Philly), one PGA Golf Tournament (Bay Hill Classic) and two rounds of golf. Certainly an all time high for sporting activities for me and for my partners in this odyssey.

Back in Phoenix, I was able to see Canada defeat South Africa in the World Baseball Classic. I also got my first golf of the season in and lets say it wasn't the best start. But, hey, its still March and if I wasn't traveling I wouldn't be golfing.

But what I did in Phoenix is nothing compared to what we are doing in Florida. We have a great condo at Clearwater Beach, and are surrounded by college students on spring break. We are trying to jam in as many sporting events as possible and we are succeeding. We have even done a couple events in the same day...golf then baseball at night or baseball in the afternoon and hockey at night.

Does it get any better than that?

We also have done a good job of behaving ourselves...and I know some may find that hard to believe. As proof, we have posted our photo album (updated daily) to show that we have been good boys.

I'm Going to the Masters!

Well the good news is in; good news for me that is. I am off to this year's Master's in Augusta. This has been a life long pursuit....I have always really wanted to go and never ever made an effort to do it. But this is the year and I can't wait.

I have a meeting in Atlanta that week, and it is a meeting that I can't afford to miss. To make matters troublesome, April 6th is also my 15th wedding anniversary. So I was bound to be in my wife's bad books for this one. But I was able to turn this lemon into lemonade!

I wanted to do something special for my wife for our 15th anniversary, but never thought it would be this. She is a golf fan, and she is pretty excited about this. Through the wonders of eBay, I was able to find some tickets. They arrived on Friday and I have been giddy ever since.

I have taken great joy in showing them off to fellow golfing buddies the past couple of days. Their response to me? Not good. They are jealous. But so what. I am going to The Masters!

The tickets I have are for the practice round for Tuesday, April 4th. I have been told that the practice rounds can be better than the competition rounds on the weekend. The golfers are a little more relaxed and will interact with the fans to some extent. Once the weekend starts up though they are all business.

I can't wait to get there and see all the history, amen corner, the atmosphere, the grass. It will be great.

The Olympics II

Okay, they are over and some lives will get back to normal. But what an event. Canada did very, very well. There are a lot of special moments that will be remembered, starting with the opening and closing ceremonies which were first class, and then of course Canada's record medal haul.

It is nice to see strong performances from so many Canadian athletes. This sets the stage for 2010 in Vancouver, and hopefully the goal there will be to win the medal count. Wouldn't that be something! We didn't win a gold when the Olympics were in Calgary in 1988, and to be in a position to win it all next time the big event is on home turf would be phenomenal.

Even though there was disappointment with the men's hockey team, these games were a success.
Like in Salt Lake in 2002, the media focus on hockey can overshadow other athletes. But that didn't happen this time. And that is a great thing...these unheralded athletes can get their well deserved recognition and time in the spotlight for their accomplishment.

If anything, the 1988 Olympics in Calgary helped set the stage for our success in Turin. Many of the athletes train here, using the facilities left over from those games. The legacy of those games have set the foundation for future success and account for the pride we feel in our athletes' accomplishments.

The Olympics

Considering how much I time I have spent in front of the TV lately watching the Olympics, I guess it deserves a post. I have to admit I do enjoy watching the games; moreso the Winter Olympics than the summer...just because I know Canada will do well.

My spouse is glued to the tube and she can't miss a bit of the days events. She constantly is switching back and forth between CBC, TSN & NBC, and that's okay. We cheer ever medal win by a Canadian, and mourn every close result. Maybe the Olympics is one of the few instances where us Canadians show our patriotism and wear our emotions on our sleeve.

Especially when it comes to hockey. It was so nice to see the women's hockey team repeat and win the Gold medal for the second consecutive Olympics. In fact, it wasn't even close. Their domination was phenomenal and it was nice to see their hard work pay off. On a side note, perhaps the best thing to happen to women's hockey was Sweden's surprising upset of the U.S. and their Silver medal. This sport needs more competitive teams (to the U.S. & Canada) and good for the Swedes.

Now to the men's hockey. No need to panic yet, but I think we all would like to see the men dominate like the women and it ain't happening. Men's hockey is much more competitive than the women, but we are still near the top. I know that anything less than a Gold medal will be unacceptable, and maybe that is unfair, but that's the way it is.

The men's hockey team traditionally gets better as a tournament plays on and I hope the same pattern transpires this time. Go Canada Go.

Why Do We Do This?

So I am lying in bed late last night watching the local news, and they have a report from Paul Martin's visit to Edmonton Centre to shore up support for Anne McLellan.

At the conclusion of the report, they interview a constituent who says "I am so scared of Stephen Harper and if he is elected we will be part of the United States within 10 years!"

I almost threw the remote at the tv! Good thing I didn't because I would have awaken my spouse and she has already displayed an extreme tolerance for my "monitoring" of this election.

So here is why I am upset with that statement.

I am completely disgusted with the Liberals continuing attempts to paint Americans as bad guys in an attempt to win votes. We have seen it in negative ads, statements from the Prime Minister and policy approaches that make no sense, unless you look at it as "good politics."

Yes we have had our disputes in softwood lumber and BSE. Yes, it was inappropriate for the U.S. ambassador to Canada to provide his two cents on the election. But why do we have to stoop to such a low level of trying to make "us" look good, by making "them" so bad? We can do better than that. Don't we have enough confidence as Canadians to focus on ourselves instead of repeatedly knocking down our best friend?

I was on the campaign tour in 1988 when the issue of the day was the Free Trade Agreement. I remember being on the media bus (it was like herding cats!) and we would drive into a community for the next campaign event, and some clowns would pull in front of Mulroney's bus with a bunch of American flags flying out their windows. I also remember "experts" in the trade union movement saying that we would have U.S. flags flying on our legislature and that we would soon be singing the Star Spangled Banner in schools as we would quickly become the 51st state!

Of course they were trying to leave the impression that Canada was going to lose our sovereignty and that we would become part of the U.S. I guess they were wrong then like they are wrong today.

But would the U.S. even want us? Think about it. We have social programs that we can't afford, at times a divisive French-English issue and alienation from region to region. The U.S. has enough of their own problems without wanting to inherit ours.

I have the privilege of working with a group of Americans and they are nothing but first class individuals. Yes there are some similarities between us and yes there are some differences. But bottom line, they all want to be good citizens, provide for their family, be leaders in their communities and treat others with respect.

We know more about them, than they know about us. This is solely because we have easy access to their media and entertainment, where they have little or no access to ours. And for the most part, they see no reason to vigorously follow what is going on here, where we feel we must follow what's happening in the U.S. My guess is the vast majority of Americans have no idea that there is an election in Canada.

So back to the best friends part. Prime Minister Martin now cannot come out and publicly thank the U.S. in the aftermath of the suicide bomber incident in Afghanistan; the one that left a Canadian dead and injured three of our soldiers. Remember that it was a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter that first arrived on the scene; who then transported our injured soldiers to a U.S. hospital in Germany on a U.S. cargo plane.

Paul Martin can't thank the U.S. because he has to save face.

So I will. To our U.S. friends..."Thank You."

Satellite Radio

I've had this on my mind since September and since we are in the middle of the election campaign, what a great time to comment on this.

I bought an XM Satellite Radio in Phoenix in October. As Canada was not set up for satellite radio as of yet, I used my U.S. address to set up my account. I haven't looked back since.

Let me say that this is the neatest thing! I now have two radios in my account because after I shared it with my spouse, she likes it as well and it was too tough to share one radio. The radio is on our house almost all the time when we are home. It is on all the time in my vehicle. The sound quality is great, the selection and variety is awesome, and the U.S. service is a better value than the Canadian system.

So what's on my mind? The CRTC. Here we have a government agency that is once again dictating entertainment choices that we Canadians can have. It is any surprise that the Canadian Sirius network has all these CBC channels? Well, if I want to listen to CBC, I'll tune in with a standard radio.

For me the intent of satellite radio is to provide more options, more variety, different program than the mainstream. We get that to some extent with satellite radio, but I get the sense that the CRTC justifies their existence by sticking their nose into dictating what is good or bad entertainment for us.

Good quality Canadian programming will do well. The success of Corner Gas is a great example of this. However, to me it would be more important that Canadian programming succeed on its own as opposed to some unelected, unaccountable body implementing and creating artificial rules and standards.

I would like to see the CRTC's perceived role of "telling us what's best for us" reduced and a more common sense argument to the regulating of entertainment in this country. The people will decide; either through legal or grey market options, of what entertainment or programming they desire.

Canada Wins Gold

After a couple of hectic days of meetings and travels, I was looking forward to watching the gold medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championship. I was in Niagara Falls, all by myself at the hotel bar....and that was just fine.

I had a big screen tv and comfortable couch to kick back, relax and enjoy the game.

Of course, relaxing didn't come into play until the third goal. I was nervous and excited and wanted to see the Russians blown out. It did happen in the end with a 5-0 final score, but I only needed the edge of my seat for the first ten minutes.

The Russians dominated play early on. I think the shots were something like 15-3 at one point. But Canadian goaltender Justin Pogge was outstanding and kept Canada in the game. When Downie scored the first goal, it was a relief and a sign of more good things to come. Best of all, it was good to see the CDN players crash and bang the Russians...that set the tone early and it put the Russians on the defensive.

The non-goal by the Russians was a non-factor as far as I am concerned. I don't think it really would have made much difference. It made for good television though!

I will anxiously await the Turin olympics now. I am predicting a repeat gold medal for both the Canadian men and women's hockey teams.

Go Canada Go

What would Christmas and New Year's be without the World Junior Hockey tournament. I had to race home from the office today so I could catch Canada vs Finland. After a slow start, Canada pulled away for a 4-0 victory.

I am off to Ontario for meetings tomorrow so I am not sure if I will be able to catch the final on Thursday.

At the start of the tournament all of the experts were predicting that it would be tough for Canada to repeat as Gold Medal winners. It would be great to see them prove these pundits wrong.

If anything, no matter what happens in the final on Thursday, Brent Sutter will be hailed as Canada's most successful Jr. coach ever. Good for him. Nothing better than seeing the legacy of the Sutter family continue.