Rich

When you consider the Bombers are supposed to repay 4.5M every year going forward for the stadium, don't think this will give the CFLPA all that much leverage for this year. If you take into account the reported 1M for paying off salaries of fired staff and the 2M more they will receive from the TV deal, that gives a potential 6M in profit going forward. Reduced transit prices and drop in ticket revenue may bring that number up or down, probably up if the reported higher sales of corporate seats is true. Will those numbers give the CLFPA leverage? I really don't think so. The CFLPA is not a strong union. The CFL is not the highest attainable level of football. And because of that, replacement players are plentiful without a huge drop in talent. In fact, with all the new stadiums being built, and new the TV deal the CFL cannot afford to lose this season. While some may think that gives the CFLPA leverage, I believe it is the opposite. If they strike, the ratio rules will be waived for the season, and that is the most dangerous thing for Canadian players. Because once gone there is a danger the NI spots just don't come back.

Let look at a couple of the currently successful teams and recent stanley cup winners in the NHL: Chicago Blackhawks (the organization Chevy really likes to model himself after): Didn't qualify for the playoffs from from 02/03 to 07/08 before finally making the playoffs in 08/09 and being there ever since. Boston Bruins: Didn't make the playoffs from 04/05 to 06/07 before finally making the playoffs and being there every since in 07/08 Pittsburgh Penguins: Missed the playoffs from 01/02 to 05/06 before finally making the playoffs and being there ever since St Louis Blues: Made the playoffs only once between 05/06 to 10/11. And have made the playoffs ever since. LA Kings: Missed the playoffs from 02/03 to 08/09 and have made the playoffs ever since The Jets were an absolute mess of a franchise when they came to Winnipeg. There was no prospects, everything had been traded away to try and simply get into the playoffs. Most sports are cyclical. It doesn't matter if it was Chevy who was GM or anyone else, this franchise wasn't making the playoffs these passed 3 years. There was nothing to trade that would have made us a contender to get into the playoffs. The 3 - 5 year building plan is not a myth, is not a conspiracy theory to placate fans. It is reality. There are very few teams that can continuously make the playoffs while they reload (hello Detroit). What the difficult part is, is that if you have chosen unwisely in who is leading you, you extend that period out. We won't know if the choice on Chevy was a wise one of not for another couple of years. However for now, jury is still out. I do however believe that this team is better today then what we inherited from Atlanta.

Let's not forget that Etienne was a FA this off season. It is entirely possible that the current regime did like him and did try to re-sign him but he opted to wait for free agency. In this case we traded him before we got nothing for him.

I count four words.

Agree with this. While I went to every game last season, I can't remember any other year where I was ready to leave by half time most games (never actually left). The games were just not entertaining and you knew the team had no chance to win by half time.

Do you have these stats from the other teams as well? Curious what the comparables are in terms of how many players drafted, positions, and retention.

It has been a while since last season so my memory may be a bit fuzzy on this, but it seems to me that by the end of the year there more school buses being used then transit buses. Is this cost lumped in for all of the buses they use or just the transit?

And people rag on Lawless for being a columnist instead of a reporter... Nate, this post is about as slanted as they come. What's your interest with Rabb? Secondly, if the City of Winnipeg has a seat on the BoD, shouldn't they want an inside person on that seat? To me, it should raise alarm bells that Katz is appointing someone who is not a municipal employee... in what could be his walk year from the mayor's chair. The optics are terrible in appointing what looks like a Katz buddy... Honestly, even if Rabb would make a great BoD member, he shouldn't be the City of Winnipeg's representation unless he has ties to the City. He doesn't have any interest in Rabb. It is the fact that the Bombers don't want him that Nate has interest in him. If the Bombers were welcoming him with open arms, then the rhetoric would be about the Bombers old boys club being back in play. That a business man instead of a civil servent is representing the city. Don't you know that anyone in the Jets or Bombers organizations are either incompetent, vermin, or 2nd rate. So anything they do is wrong, and anything they don't want to do... they should be doing. Keep that in mind, and you will understand pretty much all of his posts.

Unfortunately if he doesn't make the big club next year (and at his size, I can't see him making the Jets), he will have to go back to the WHL for one more year. It's too bad, because I think he needs to start playing against the next tier of opponents to see if he can handle the size of the professional game. Doesn't have much left to prove in the WHL. He is probably 2 - 3 years out before we see him as a regular on the Jets.

Cheaters.... http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/football/roughriders-football/Roughriders+facing+fine+after/9767020/story.html

Cleaned up a few posts in here. Lets try to keep this on topic and not resort to insulting other posters. Deleted the insults, then the follow posts on the insults because those just didn't make sense anymore. So if your post is gone, that is why.

Wasn't Perry Pearn also let go wit Noel? Wonder if they will bring in someone new to replace him.

Because wrestlers have never contradicted themselves week to week in wrestling Wrestling is all about make believe drama and the story. Whatever sells. Whether it is in ring for the current story line or a DVD to sell. At least at the end, whatever issues HHH had with the warrior, he was able to forgive and not trash the guy after his death.

You make it sound like it's been falling apart from the start. What are the other black eyes again? The traffic issues that they managed to pretty much solve within a week? Or the *gasp* handrails that had to be replaced?!?!? Or maybe the open-air press box that no fans will ever use, that will be enclosed in time for the Grey Cup and Winter Classics. I guess if you add those up you have half a black eye, maybe. What are the black eyes? Sure, just overlook the year delay, the open press box, having to winterize the plumbing, handrails, cost overruns, the denial by Buchko that the Bombers would never play at Canada Inns Stadium again when everybody with 2 good eyes could see they would & then did & the traffic problem the first exhibition game. If you conveniently ignore those then it's been peaches & cream. Hey, I love the new stadium & hopefully everything gets fixed right from now on but c'mon, man. I'm a big stadium booster & think it was money well spent. We got a great bang for the buck & I'm proud of that facility which makes it tougher for me to take what is going on but I just believe that Miller should have been more open with the damage... My take is that the Bombers don't own that stadium... They haven't made a single payment on their share of the debt so Miller really doesn't have the right to keep the media out. It should be the Province calling the shots with the media not Miller but Sellinger isn't stupid. He just saw Miller take a shot to the chest for his government so as a typical politician why should he or his government say or do anything? When you get a loan from a bank to buy a car or a house and that car or house gets damaged, is it your responsibility to decide who and how the damage is going to be repaired or does the bank get to step in and tell you how to do it. Doesn't matter if a payment hasn't been made yet, the terms of the loan specify that they haven't had to make a payment yet (yes its been renegotiated but it still has been agreed upon). The Bombers haven't defaulted on any payments yet.

I'll take a Grey Cup win in November

Oh I don't think they'll pay him that... but $6 million wouldn't surprise me at all (for each of Trouba and Scheifele - assuming they don't have sophomore syndrome) Our top two D at the start of the season were getting 5.7 each - Buff and Enstrom... We really have one more year of 'cheap' Trouba and then its $6 million plus... I think there would be a "bridge" contract in the 2 - 4M range depending on how they do next season before they are making 6M.

You really think in the heat of a game when a player takes a penalty that this is what is going through their minds?

Debatable whether they have to release Glenn due to salary. They would have inherited his Calgary contract, where I believe it was heavily based on playing time since he was signed to be the veteran backup there. Glenn would still be making decent coin, just not QB starter money if he doesn't start. The question is can they afford that with the truck load they paid Burris.

It is too early to tell if he is the goalie of the future. However I have been impressed with the 2 games he has played. Was at the game last night so got to watch him live. He has a very fast glove, quick lateral movement, and very confident when he comes out to challenge. Seems to also be positionally sound. You can't ask for much more from a goalie playing his first 2 games in the NHL. So while we don't yet know if he is the goalie of the future, he hasn't done anything to make me think he can't be.

Taxpayers funded the stadium, Rich. Therefore they should be able to see the damage. I think it's time some kind of government inspection was done to determine just what needs to be done once & for all to determine all that needs to be done to fix anything & everything. Disagree. As I said the taxpayer is entitled to know the cost of the damage and who is going to pay for it. That is different then letting in media and photographers for the sole purpose of a splash headline and photo. You as a taxpayer can't walk into any government building and demand to see their books and investigate yourself. You can only see auditor reports. This isn't just a "government building". It's a public stadium that was a lightning rod of opinion, before, during & now after construction. The public has a right to know what's going on. Miller's embarassed & he shouldn't be. As I said in a previous post, this isn't the Bombers fault & there's no need to be secretive about it. Where did I say the public doesn't have a right to know. There is a huge difference in the public knowing what is happening and the media taking a picture to show everyone. A picture won't tell you what the total damage is, what the dollar value is to fix it, and who is going to pay for it. It would be nothing more then a tabloid like picture to sell a few more newspapers. I don't think Miller is embarrassed at all, nor are they being secretive. This is about the organization being run in a proper and professional manner, and that includes protecting their brand and image, no matter whose fault it is. If anyone thinks letting reporters in to see what is happening would be anything but a more negative news item for the Bombers then it is right now is out to lunch. Their job is to control the negative press as much as possible. In time, it will be known what the damage and cost is. Letting reporters in at this point is not going to give you that information.

Taxpayers funded the stadium, Rich. Therefore they should be able to see the damage. I think it's time some kind of government inspection was done to determine just what needs to be done once & for all to determine all that needs to be done to fix anything & everything. Disagree. As I said the taxpayer is entitled to know the cost of the damage and who is going to pay for it. That is different then letting in media and photographers for the sole purpose of a splash headline and photo. You as a taxpayer can't walk into any government building and demand to see their books and investigate yourself. You can only see auditor reports.

Why do people think they are entitled to see the damage in the stadium? Is it because the team is community owned? The price tag to the club or the tax payer is fair game once it is determined, but nothing else. As for diffusing the situation with the media, once the leak got out, nothing was going to diffuse that. Parading a bunch of reporters and camera men in so that news outlets can get a splashy picture and headline would not have made this news any better. It would be much worse. If there was water damage in the MTS centre over the summer, do you think True North would acquiesce to any media demands to see it? No, they wouldn't. And it probably would never leak either.

If I was the Bombers I wouldn't give Friesen access to see the damages either. First, because Friesen puts a negative slant on almost everything he writes. So he isn't the one I'm going to pick to bring in. Second. I'm not letting any media in until any insurance claims and fault is determined. I don't have any issues with their response to Friesen. It is a two way street. If the media want exclusives and stories, they need to play the game back with the organization.

He is from Ottawa

I'm in love with that trade. Kane can showcase his speed-skating and errant shots in front of Popeye Sutter. Wonder how long Kane would go in LA before Sutter has a few words for him. ie. I don't think Kane could get away with some of the same crap in LA that he does in Wpg. Such as? I'll answer your question with another question. Do you think Evander is worth the 6 million he's scheduled to make in 2015? Your answer will explain things! Look on the bright side, Toby Enstrom won't be the highest paid Jet anymore.