Top ten things heard from the fans behind the Winnipeg bench yesterday....

10. Better start the bus; gonna be a long ride home.

9. La Po's wife sends better tweets

8. No... The Labour Day Classic is being played today; not tomorrow ....

7. The Bombers won't win the Grey Cup as long as Manitoba has an NDP government

6. Hey, now Buzz and Boomer are wearing bags over their heads!

5. Are you always this bad or are you making a special effort today?

4. Willy's going deep! That's what she said!

3. Golden Boy bleeds green.

2. How's that coaching change working out for ya?

1. What was all that "swaggerville" stuff about again?

Labour Day Classic....time to turn the season around

Later today the Riders will take the field in the annual Labour Day Classic. Once again, versus the hated Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Mosaic Stadium will be rocking for what some will say is the Riders' most important game of the year.

Its an important game for more than just being the Labour Day game. This game has to be the start of the turnaround. The Riders have to do something to stop the negative momentum of the last five games where their season has been going the wrong way. Not many would have predicted that the team would get off to a 3-0 start, but now that they have lost 5 straight, all of the early excitement that the team generated is on the verge of turning this year into another last year.

In 2007, when the Riders last won the Grey Cup, the Labour Day game seemed to be the turning point. A last minute TD run by Kerry Joseph instilled some new belief in the players (and the fans!). I am hoping for lightning to strike once again and I am hopeful that someone will step up to make it happen.

I expect that person to be Darian Durant. I think that he still is a good quarterback and has all the tools to lead the team to a win. Running the ball like they did last week against Calgary was a good sign, and although they are forecasting some strong winds, hopefully they don't have to face a 70kph wind ....so they can get the passing game back on track. And Durant gets it; he knows the importance of the Labour Day Classic, to both the team and the fans. There should not be any need for motivation speeches today.

A wrinkle in this game is the changes that the Bombers made with their coaching staff. Last year the Rider's fired Greg Marshall and replaced him with Ken Miller in advance of the the Labour Day game. A similar situation takes place this year with the Bombers as Paul La Police was replaced by Tim Burke last week. Will it result in a win for the visitors? I am betting against it, as mid season coaching changes have not been too successful in the history of the league.

I think today's game goes a long way to determine to what is going to happen for the rest of the season. A Rider's win puts them back in the playoff hunt at 4-5 with half of the season to play. A loss, for six in a row, may be too much for this fragile team to overcome.

So "Go Riders!" Make this game a win. It doesn't have to be another Labour Day Classic, just another Labour Day win!

 

Labour Day

"Green is the colour, football is the game...."

Never more than today do I want to hear that song. Today is the Riders' Labour Day game against the hated Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Without question this is the most hyped game of the year and one everyone expects the Riders to win... no matter what the record.

As a teenager I remember finding ways to get to this game. It didn't matter that we would be in the middle of harvest, or my Dad's business would be busy.... This was "the" game to attend. There are all these anecdotes of "people would get off their combines and go this game"....and I can attest that there is a lot of truth to that statement. I was one of them.

Back in the 80's and 90's, when the team was out of the playoff race by the middle of August, it didn't matter. We had to go to the Labour Day game, and sometimes that the crappy record would be forgotten if we won that game. Perhaps the same will happen this year. Crappy record; but lots of anticipation and an expectation of a Rider win. Even against the best team in the league right now.

The same is true today. The old coach is the new coach -- highly respected Ken Miller's return is bringing high expectations. This is the first game after the bye week -- a time for the team to retool and get things in order to have a strong finish to make a playoff run. And although he won't play today, Andy Fantuz is expected to be back with the team next week....in fact, already one reporter has indicated that Fantuz in already in Regina, just waiting to clear waivers from the NFL. Fans (myself included) want to believe that the second half of the year will be significantly better than the first. Then again it probably couldn't get much worse than last in the league.

So today is the day that the Riders turn the season around. I am predicting a Rider win. My guess - 33-27.... and that Darian Durant will have a great game and will "will" the team to victory.

We're off to the Grey Cup

It was the perfect setting for the western final. Two teams that don't like each other, a rematch of last year's blow out and the two best teams in the league playing in a meaningful game. I live and die on the fortunes of the Riders so was I going to miss this one?

Not on your life.

I flew into Vancouver this morning and got to B.C. Place just in time as the doors opened. I was dressed in my rider gear from head to toe (including my brand new "retro-logo" hat). I had a great seat; on the 50 yard line behind the Lions' bench. The sight lines in B.C. Place are outstanding, so I had a superb view on every play.

I had a personal win streak of three going into this game. Over the last 7 seven years I have seen three Rider games at B.C. Place, and they were all Rider victories. But well aware of what happened in the past western finals, I hoped the Riders would at least made a good game of it, and hopefully pull it off. I was on edge of my seat the whole time, and with every play I had a range of emotions going though me...Stop him! Sack him! Go! Why can't Joseph hit that open receiver?!

At the end of the day the Riders prevailed in a really good game. Their defense was outstanding as they had only a few let-downs, but that can be expected against the top team in the league. The offense, though not spectacular, did enough to get the job done. After last week's game against Calgary, I know they were concerned about their inability to get the ball in the end zone. They were a little better today, and with the sure fire place kicking of Luci Congi they converted every scoring opportunity.

Although it was very loud in B.C. Place, I listened to the broadcast from The Team 1040. At the start of the 4th Quarter, the sideline reporter stated that the Lions had a confidence problem. With two key injuries on their offensive line, they were demoralized; more so with every sack.

The Rider defense was so strong the Lions couldn't get anything going with either Jarius Jackson or Dave Dickenson. Dickenson was sacked 6 times in the second half alone. Gotta wonder if his career is over. Kerry Joseph did a great job in moving the offense when he needed to. Was it his best game? No. But don't criticize a win is a good rule of thumb. He did what he had to do to get the Riders to the big game.

Next up is Winnipeg in the Grey Cup. Yes...the Riders are going to the Grey Cup! I'll be there with my buddy Sparky who is coming up from Philadelphia. I had the chance to go to the game in 1989, and didn't, and there is no way I am going to miss this one. If I can come out to Vancouver for the western final, I may as well go to Toronto for the big one.

My ears are still ringing, and my heart is still pounding, but being there makes it oh so special.