Mike

So last week in our one year announcement, we alluded to a new contest that we'd be running this year in place of our fantasy football league. Fantasy sports are always fun to participate in, but what we wanted to do this year was not limit the participation to 8 players (or 16, if we did 2 leagues) and instead, open it up to the whole MBB community. I started learning about daily fantasy sports last year during the NFL season and I thought it would translate well over to the CFL so we figured why not make it a contest? Here's how it works - during each week of the CFL season, you will have an opportunity to draft a team. You will choose a team QB, two running backs, three receivers, a kicker and a team defense. Very similar to a regular fantasy league, except there are no limits on how many people can pick the same player (so we could end up seeing Nick Moore drafted a dozen times in one week, for an example) and you are able to pick a new team every week. Just like regular fantasy, you will receive points based on the performance of your players. Mr. Perfect helped out with a scoring system that we'll post up as well and that is how each team will be scored. Your points will be totaled over the course of the entire season and whoever has the most total points at the end of the year will win the prize we have stashed away for you. For our fantasy leagues last year, we used the Fantaseh platform but this year, we're going to go back to the old pen and paper method of keeping track of scoring. I'll be doing my best to keep scores updated as quickly after the week of games as possible and I know some of the other staff members have already volunteered to help with the scores, but it won't be real time like Fantaseh was. We're toying around with the idea of spreadsheets to make this easier as well. As a participant, you are obviously going to need to participate each week in order to have the best chance possible of winning. One rule I will set in stone right away is that if you do not pick your team each week, we will not be letting you carry over your team from the previous week as a default. You are allowed to pick the same team each week if you'd like to, but you'll have to update us each week that you're doing it. No freebies. Any questions? Suggestions? We'll post the scoring system closer to the start of the season.

I think O'Shea's comments were blown a little out of proportion. When he referred to three import OL, it didn't sound to me like he was strongly considering the idea, just that every option is an option at this point.

To be fair, MOS speaks glowingly of everyone. Exactly. What is coach supposed to say? The truth? That Jake Thomas is nowhere near starter level. At best a back up that can play maybe 10-15 snaps a game. That's an awfully interesting assessment to give of a guy who has played more snaps than that in the past at a fairly decent level.

I wonder if Greg Wojt could be a target. He's no longer been working with the first team offense in Hamilton. ... neither has Sam Giguere.

Can't see them dangling a 2nd round pick for a center when they just drafted a guy they're hoping will man the position for the next 10-15. Guard, probably.

Any more than that, re: names, etc?

I have to be honest, this doesn't really surprise me. I'd love for them to take the approach that you can make all Canadian talent fit but I think if there were a player who was the definition of anti-Etcheverry, Ted Laurent would be close to it. I don't agree with the decision to not go after him, but I'm not really surprised. He should be adapting his scheme to fit his players. Ted Laurent is a special player, if you can't find room to fit a guy like him into your defense Etch should re-evaluate what we're doing. Etcheverry terrifies me. I agree ... to an extent. You can't spend your entire offseason scouting players to fit one scheme and then change it up to adapt to another individual. Ted Laurent is a great player, I'd love to have him. But like MBRG said, he's VERY one dimensional. It's a great dimension but it's not a dimension that fits here. Laurent said the reason he didn't sign in Montreal was because the defense wasn't a good fit for him. It works both ways. Winnipeg probably felt the same about him.

How would they know who came out of which vehicle? It's per person. ... You take $5 from each car as they enter the park n ride? Unless they're giving everyone wristbands.... What if I want to do a walk and ride? Will they deny me because I didn't bring a car? (just playing devil's advocate)

I wouldn't say full time Canadian spot. I still say it's going to be a rotational spot with Thomas at DT, Newman at LB/S, etc.

I have to be honest, this doesn't really surprise me. I'd love for them to take the approach that you can make all Canadian talent fit but I think if there were a player who was the definition of anti-Etcheverry, Ted Laurent would be close to it. I don't agree with the decision to not go after him, but I'm not really surprised.

DB Terry Hawthorne returning to school, no longer with club

Nuh-zay-gwu

Thanks for the reports everybody!

Penton is pretty good. We don't always agree, but he's definitely a thinker. Top 3 Bomber guys in my mind right now are Tait, Bauming and Penton. Irving would be up there but he just doesn't push the volume of coverage that those three do.

Why would Maher be affected at all?

Trade Hamilton for the rights to Evan Gill immediately. He'd play here.

Everyone can breath a sigh of relief ... Pencer has not been taken captive by aliens. He's got the sniffles.

As far as the ratio goes ... if we weren't going 4 OL before, we probably will be now. Or you swing a trade with Hamilton for a DT.

I love O'Shea. His players are going to go to absolute war for him.

That sucks, I feel for Lucas. He worked hard to come back from his injury last year and now this?

Unburger isn't Unburger anymore. It's Nuburger now.

When the players are ready to cave the CFL will throw in one last bone - that way the players can take a positive talking point to the press rather than just admit they lost. I'm not getting the whole neurologist thing. If we had catscan machines on the sidelines that would be one thing, but there is nothing a neurologist is going to do that a non-crappy doctor can't also do. Emergency sideline brain surgery? Symptoms present? Don't go back in the game. I know the NFL has it but that isn't anything more than a multi-billion dollar industry protecting it's butt from lawsuits. Might have helped Tim Burke last year.

It means that the media doesn't know where he is. He's probably not on their injury report OR on the field, meaning it could be anything from a dentist appointment to he was kidnapped by Regina's Somali pirates

Cibo on Waterfront was really good, really great prices too for what you got. Only thing that was weird ... I don't know if we went in the middle of a shift change but there were more staff than customers in the building and only like 2 or 3 of them actually appeared to be working, which is awkward when the whole thing is open concept. *FINALLY* going to Myers Deli on the weekend. Will report back. Other than that, I usually don't frequent unique places so that's it for me.

I wasn't trying to jump over the security sash. Or sit anywhere I didn't sit two days ago. Wasn't wandering around, off exploring. Wanted sunlight. No construction in the area. Just stopping in for 20 minutes on a beautiful summer day, the only 20 minutes I'll spend outside until I get home from work. Didn't want to sit in the cold shadows. Sun on my face, feeling happy for 20 minutes. That's all. I get it, you're posting from 2 provinces away and aren't familiar with the setup at the new stadium. I would have been sitting right by security. If I caused any trouble they wouldn't even have to move to tackle me, just lean forward and let gravity do the work. Was there last summer...very familiar. Point is, instead of assuming the world is out to get you, why not assume that there's a fair and logical reason for their actions? I think what he's implying is that whatever their logical reason is for doing that doesn't seem to be all that logical.