Monday musings

Reflections on a rainy weekend:

• I think Chad Lang will do a fine job as the general manager of the Regina Pats. And yes, I suspect changes are on the way in the hockey operations department.
• The people reacting negatively to Lang's hiring are likely the same ones who panned the hirings of Kent Austin, Ken Miller and Jim Hopson by the Riders. So, there goes the credibility of those critics.
• Rider training camp is only a few short days away. Most the attention will focus on the competition to replace John Chick and Stevie Baggs at defensive end.
• I honestly don't know which quarterback will emerge from training camp as #2 on the depth chart.
• If I had to guess, I'd say Ryan Dinwiddie, based on his previous CFL experience and his previous working relationship with new offensive coordinator Doug Berry in Winnipeg.
• If I've learned one thing in the previous two weeks, it is that I know nothing about dogs! A big thank you to blog reader Bev for her guidance and support - it is very much appreciated!
• Having said that, it doesn't appear that Dexter the dog will die of starvation or loneliness anytime soon! He's been quite a fine addition to our little Paczko clan. Not, if he would only stop confusing the area rug for a toilet...
• The J-man's baseball season hopefully resumes tonight, with a tilt against the Tigers.
• Thankfully the lousy weather prevented me from having to temporarily take on the head coaching duties on Saturday. Nothing good would have come from that!
• You know, if the Chicago Blackhawks keep playing like this, I may have to consider permanently moving them ahead of the Leafs on my personal pecking order.
• Who would you pick as the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) winner on the Hawks? I'd have to think Toews is the front-runner, but a case could also be made for Byfuglien, Keith or even Niemi (but not if he keeps giving up five goals a game!).
• Java Express on south Albert. Nice place, but loud!

Lang handed the reins

Apparently "not too much longer" (see below) means this afternoon! The Regina Pats have called a news conference for 3 p.m., at which time it's expected the team will introduce former Moose Jaw Warrior general manager Chad Lang as the Pats new GM.

Friday thoughts

Another rainy weekend? Oh joy!

• No Cheers and Jeers yesterday. I thought it might be bad karma to trash anyone on my birthday.
• A thumbs up for Speedy Auto Glass on south Albert. They fixed the stone chip in my windshield quickly and very effectively. And SGI was kind enough to pay for it!
• Every trip to Saskatoon (in spite of the chipped windshield) is made better by a stop at Fuddruckers. You just can't go wrong with two kinds of melted cheese.
• Other than using the area rug in the living room as a toilet, Dexter the dog is adapting to life at the Paczko estate nicely.
• At last count, he's done #2 once outside and inside the house three times since he's been with us. This is not a good ratio.
• I thought Johnny Quinn was a pretty decent receiver for the Riders last year. Apparently the Riders thought differently!
• Nine days until training camp starts. Can't wait!
• It shouldn't be too much longer until the Regina Pats name their new general manager. No offense to ex-Warriors boss Chad Lang, who is still considered the front-runner, but I'm intriqued by the mention of Al Murray as a candidate.
• The Major A Twins have an interim head coach (me) and a doubleheader tomorrow. Pray for rain!
• Perhaps I should stop mixing laxatives in with the dog's food...

CFL season will start on time

Labour peace in the CFL, as the league and the player's union have reached a tentative contract agreement. Here's the story from the Canadian Press:


TORONTO -- The CFL and its players' association have reached a tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, avoiding a potential lockout this season.

The deal still needs to be ratified by the players and the league's board of governors.
The current deal expires at the end of the month. With negotiations not going well, there had been talk in the off-season of a possible lockout.

According to a statement from the CFL on Wednesday, the new agreement includes a drug testing policy but no details will be released until the deal is ratified. No other details from the agreement were released in the statement.

Labour issues are rare in the CFL. In years when the two sides couldn't get a deal done before the expiration of the previous one, they've operated under the terms of the old CBA until a new one was reached.

SportZone lineup for May 25

Here is how this week's show has shaped up. SportZone airs tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7 in Regina. Possibly even Emerald Park. Yes, the empire is expanding!

Trust me, the segment with the Muellers (Marc and Larry) is must-see tv! Those two should be on stage somewhere!

SportZone Guests for May 25/10
Community Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. The Commissioner of Regina high school athletics gets set to call it a career. Guest: Greg Johnson (RHSAA Commissioner).

2. The 2010 edition of the University of Regina Rams features a father/son tandem. Guests: Larry Mueller (Rams Assistant Coach) & Marc Mueller (Rams quarterback).

3. A report on the U16 boys national water polo championships. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. A U of R Rams alumnus gets set for another CFL season. Guest: Brendon Labatte (Winnipeg Blue Bomber offensive lineman).

5. A Regina family returns from a rugby missionary mission to Cuba. Guest: Dick Cornish (Prairie Fire rugby club).

6. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

SportZone trivia: Who preceded Greg Johnson as Commissioner of the RHSAA? Send us your answer, for a chance at fame and fortune!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

Has it really been a week already? Okay, let's do this thing!

Cheers

• New Hope Dog Rescue - the boy and I are off to S'toon to pick up our new family member tomorrow.
• M/M Meats - their pre-cooked Tasty Burgers are, in fact, tasty!
• North Regina Little League - despite some scheduling challenges, the season is moving along nicely. Doesn't hurt that the Twins are 3-1!

Jeers

• Saskatoon SPCA - disorganized doesn't begin to describe that outfit.
• People who post ads on Kijiji or UsedRegina.com, and then don't respond to inquiries. If the item is sold, pull the ad!
• Sporting organizations who bitch and moan about never getting any attention from the media, and then don't respond when the media offers them an opportunity to tell their stories.

But enough about me! Who/what is on your list this week?

SportZone lineup for May 18

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7:

SportZone Guests for May 18/10
Community Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. A preview of the annual Cal Murphy charity golf tournament, and perhaps we’ll even talk a bit about football! Guest: Cal Murphy (Indianapolis Colts scout).

2. A preview of the abbreviated 2010 season for the Prairie Fire Rugby Club, and a general discussion about rugby in Regina. Guest: Jered Kirkland (Head Coach/Captain, Prairie Fire & Regina Rogues).

3. A report on Regina high school baseball action. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. A profile of a couple outstanding young gymnasts from Regina. Guests: Danielle Reed & Trevor McArthur (Queen City Kinsmen Gymnastics Club gymnasts).

5. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

6. A profile of the Regina Lawn Bowling Club. Guests: Keith Roney & Meryl Ackerman (Regina Lawn Bowling Club).

SportZone trivia: How many Grey Cups has Cal Murphy won over the course of his CFL career? Send us your answer for a chance to win TWO free pizzas from Panago, and two tickets to Kings Park Speedway. What a deal!

Monday musings

A random collection of thoughts, guaranteed to stimulate the senses and titillate the masses:

• Rod Pedersen's new daily sports talk show debuts this afternoon on 620 CKRM. Good luck with the new adventure, Rod!
• Interesting that there's no announcement on CKRM's own website, but those folks have always been a little "challenged" when it comes to self-promotion.
• Rod's foray into sports talk radio also means the end of his tenure as the play-by-play voice of the Regina Pats. I imagine there will be one or two applicants for that gig!
• Regina sports fans can now listen to sports talk radio shows from 4-9 pm every night (Monday to Friday). CKRM's new show is on from 4-6 pm, followed by Rawlco's show from 6-8 pm. And CJME also carries the syndicated Prime Time Sports show out of Toronto from 8-9 pm.
• And of course there's the world-renowned (granted, it's a small world) SportZone television sports talk program on Access channel 7 every week. Let's not forget about that!
• POP! Was that the sound of the Montreal Canadians' (and Jaroslav Halak's) bubble bursting?
• Wanna bet both NHL conference finals are over in fewer than six games?
• The Boston Celtics may still have some life left in those old legs after all! Go green!
• Speaking of green-clad teams, the Riders' first exhibition game is now only 27 sleeps away.
• Winter is over for another year, which is good. However, yardwork has started - which is . . . less good.
• I'm officially past the halfway point in the Running Room's Learn to Run program, and am still alive. Who woulda thunk it?

Friday thoughts

An assortment of thoughts from the world of sports, and beyond!

• I think Sidney Crosby is a fantastic hockey player, probably the best on the planet. However, I wouldn't even rate him in the top five captains in the NHL. Not yet, anyway.
• It's killing me to see the Montreal Canadians keep winning. When the heck is their bubble going to burst?
• If Montreal makes the Cup final, but loses, does Halak get the Conn Smythe trophy? I guess it depends how he plays in the final, but I'd certainly consider it - if I had a vote.
• Meanwhile, Chicago vs San Jose is quietly shaping up to be the best series of this year's playoffs. At least it has the potential to be.
• Don't look now, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders' first exhibition game is less than a month away!
• The Riders are going to be fun to watch this year. If Darian Durant continues to develop, that offence is going to put up a lot of points.
• The defence is a question mark, but hopefully training camp will produce players capable of stepping into the holes created by the departures of John Chick, Stevie Baggs, Rey Williams and Eddie Davis.
• The Riders will miss Davis' play a lot. They'll miss his leadership even more.
• The Major A Twins look to extend their NRLL record to 3-0 tonight against the Red Sox. And the J-man is less than two weeks away from returning to active duty - bonus!
• So now what do the Cleveland Cavaliers do? After succumbing to the Boston Celtics last night, it's obvious they're not good enough, even with LeBron James leading the way.
• Was that King James' last game for the Cavs? Pretty sure it was the last game for coach Mike Brown!
• Is the NBA headed for another Celtics vs Lakers final? Personally, I hope Steve Nash and the Suns knock off Kobe and the Lakers in the west final.
• It doesn't look like I'll be able to avoid yard work until the May long weekend this year. Darn, so close!

Thursday Cheers and Jeers

After a brief hiatus, the much-adored and eagerly-anticipated weekly installment of Cheers and Jeers is back! Tell you what, I'll start:

Cheers

• New Hope Dog Rescue - as I stumble through the process of bringing a pooch into the Paczko family for the first time, these folks have been patient, helpful and just a pleasure to deal with.
• Prairie Mobile Communications - Shea Paisley and his crew are top-notch. And his advertising campaign featuring Jordan Eberle was simply outstanding!
• Kings Park Speedway - the new board has some very exciting ideas/plans. I think it's worth checking out a race or two this summer.

Jeers

• Saskatoon SPCA - Pretty much the polar opposite of New Hope. These people can't even be bothered to respond to an email (x2)!
• The p.o.s. City of Regina worker who was blocking the right hand lane on Broad Street in front of the downtown Tim Horton's this morning. This tool was parked in his city-issued truck, scarfing down coffee and a donut (go figure!), right in front of a sign that clearly indicates there is no stopping in that lane from 7-8:30 am. And, he has the audacity (while in his city-issued truck, remember), to flip some other driver (not me) the bird!
• People who can't wrap their heads around why it might take more than an hour or two to craft a ten minute speech. Without any background information. Oy!

SportZone lineup for May 11

Here's the lineup for this week's show, airing tonight at 9 p.m., Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Access channel 7:

SportZone Guests for May 11/10
Community Co-Host: Carlo Palazzo

1. The Notre Dame Hounds celebrate a second straight Telus Cup national boy’s midget AAA hockey championship. Guests: Del Pedrick (Head coach), Blaine Thomson & Paul Brisebois (Hounds defencemen).

2. A preview of the 2010 season for the Regina Red Sox. Guests: Rob Cherepuschak (Head Coach) & Mitch MacDonald (1B/DH).

3. A report on the spring camp for the Regina Thunder football club. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. The registration deadline for the 2010 Regina Minor Football season is this Saturday! Better get those forms in, people! Guest: Len Antonini (RMF Vice President).

5. A preview of the 2010 season at Kings Park Speedway. Guest: Joe Shuba (Regina Auto Racing Club President).

6. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

7. A preview of the 2010 U16 boys national water polo championships, coming up this month in Regina. Guests: Greg Korpan (Head Coach, Regina Squids), Drake Greschner & Eric Graham (Squids player).

SportZone trivia: Who did the Notre Dame Hounds beat in the final of the Telus Cup (midget AAA hockey) tournament? Send us your answer and contact info for a chance to win a free pizza from Panago, and two free tickets to Kings Park Speedway!

Monday musings

Technical issues appear to have been resolved, so let's get posting!

• Old pal Rod Pedersen has driven the MBMs into a frenzy with a remark about the future of Regina sports radio on his blog today. Attaboy!
• I know what the big announcement is, but I've been sworn to secrecy! Although I can say that anyone hoping for Rod's departure from the local airwaves will be disappointed.
• Actually, I guess there are two announcements coming. Stay tuned!
• Big changes are supposedly coming to SportZone by this fall. I look forward to finding out what that means.
• I wonder how the search for a new Regina Pats general manager is going. And I wonder how much free reign the successful candidate will be given over the hockey operations department.
• I ran my baseball coaching record to 1-0 on the season in yesterday's Major A Twins victory. I suppose I should retire now!
• I'm sure the presence of the J-man on the bench (still on injured reserve after his surgery) helped inspire the troops to victory.
• It looks as though the Paczko boys have been approved for dog ownership. I wonder how our crotchety old (he's 16) cat will respond? Should be fun.
• Is tonight the night the season ends for the Montreal Canadians? A guy can hope, can't he?
• Will San Jose's bubble burst in the next round, or are the Sharks the real deal this year?
• $50 for one of the new Saskatchewan Roughrider licence plates from SGI. I guess you know what you can get me for my birthday now.
• You didn't forget to call your mom yesterday, did you?
• Any fans of morning cardio workouts around here? Is it true working out first thing in the morning trims more fat than doing cardio later in the day?
• All that huffing and puffing on the treadmill this morning will be offset by a trip to WestSide Pizza with the boy tonight. But, it's a promise I made when he was in the hospital two weeks ago, so it has to be done.
• Oh who am I kidding? Like you'd have to twist my arm to get me there!

Parker done as Pats' GM

Regina Pats' General Manager Brent Parker will turn the reins over to someone else. Parker announced at a news conference this afternoon that he is stepping down as the Pats' G.M., and the process to find a replacement starts immediately.

However, and let's be clear about this, BP will still very much be involved with the Pats, although he'll concentrate on the business side of the operation. At least that's what the new G.M. will likely be hoping! Time will tell...

Let the speculation begin

The Regina Pats have called a news conference for tomorrow afternoon. They aren't releasing any details, other than to say Russ and Brent Parker will be there, as will the coaching staff. I wonder what the big announcement is? I have a hunch, but I'd rather wait to find out for sure.

SportZone lineup for May 4

Here's the lineup for this week's show. This week it airs Thursday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and next Tuesday at 3 p.m.

SportZone Guests for May 4/10
Community Co-Host: Mitchell Blair

1. An update on the exploits of some outstanding young athletes from the Queen City Kinsmen gymnastics club. Guests: Marcel Dubroy (QCK Women’s Competitive Head Coach), Denelle Pedrick, Matea Vives & Kiana Perron (gymnasts).

2. A profile of Regina’s Wascana Racing Canoe Club. Guest: Dave Robertson (Head Coach).

3. A report on the University of Regina Rams’ spring camp. Reporter: Brendan Pawliw.

4. A review of the Prairie Junior Hockey League season from the perspective of the two-time south division champs. Guest: Chris Lewgood (Head Coach, Pilot Butte Storm).

5. A profile of two outstanding young athletes from the Regina Speedskating Club. Guests: Kali & Keegan Christ (speedskaters).

6. The Blair Necessities. Our weekly sports commentary by local sports raconteur Mitchell Blair.

7. A preview of the 2010 Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic. Guest: Ken Ripplinger (Regina Boxing Club).

SportZone trivia: Who did the Pilot Butte Storm lose to in the Prairie Junior Hockey League (junior B) final? Send us your answer, and your contact information, for a chance to win a free pizza from Panago!

Monday musings

At the very least, this week is starting out a lot better than last week!

• The J-man returns to active duty (school) today, after a week off to recuperate from abdominal surgery. Have a great day, kiddo. Can't wait to see you tonight!
• His stomach might be sore and upset today, after seeing Montreal skate past his Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in game two of their NHL eastern conference semi-final.
• Sure they still have Crosby and Malkin, but you have to wonder how much the Pens are missing Jordan Staal right now.
• Speaking of young men named Jordan, congratulations to Jordan Sisco on his selection by the Riders with the 8th overall pick of the CFL draft.
• If you happened to catch last week's episode of SportZone on Access 7, you saw how excited the Sisco kid was at the prospect of being drafted by his hometown team.
• Mind you, he was also at a mini-camp with the Indianapolis Colts the past few days, so he may have had other things on his mind as well.
• Shomari Williams has certainly impressed in the first couple days of his career as a Saskatchewan Roughrider. Now let's see what he can do on the field!
• The last time the Riders had the first overall pick in the draft, they selected Scott Schultz. I'd say that worked out pretty well!
• My satellite radio konked out on me on the weekend. This is a situation that must be rectified immediately!
• The North Regina Little League season was supposed to start this past weekend. Hence the bad weather. It's kind of a tradition.
• I only have 24 days left with my age matching Roger Aldag's jersey number. Sigh...