Fred C Dobbs

I'm going to watch for Schoen too.

I'm excited for our boy @DTonOBmaking his debut tonight and wish him the best of luck. I'm looking forward to the pre-game already! 

Holy ****,we got some football today!! I don't care if the starting QB was the team janitor,we've got football!!!Go Blue!!

Full speed and pedal to the medal! This is the only chance for some of these Rooks. Now just let there be some glorious CFL FOOTBALL! 🤞🙏

Back on
 

Watched the interview with Schoen very articulate,if we get a preseason game i am thinking this guy might surprise some people.

Today’s selection features two of the most under appreciated and unfairly maligned Bombers in recent memory. Both helped turn the club from a poor sister into a contender and ultimately a champion. Both also embraced the city and were true givers back to this community, both in spirit and in charitable contributions. Class people, leaders, winners, Grey Cup champions. 

Matt Nichols and Paul LaPolice. 

Interesting article
 
Japan has one of the lowest rates of gun crime in the world. In 2014 there were just six gun deaths, compared to 33,599 in the US. What is the secret? 
If you want to buy a gun in Japan you need patience and determination. You have to attend an all-day class, take a written exam and pass a shooting-range test with a mark of at least 95%.
There are also mental health and drugs tests. Your criminal record is checked and police look for links to extremist groups. Then they check your relatives too - and even your work colleagues. And as well as having the power to deny gun licences, police also have sweeping powers to search and seize weapons.
That's not all. Handguns are banned outright. Only shotguns and air rifles are allowed.
The law restricts the number of gun shops. In most of Japan's 40 or so prefectures there can be no more than three, and you can only buy fresh cartridges by returning the spent cartridges you bought on your last visit.
 
The result is a very low level of gun ownership - 0.6 guns per 100 people in 2007, according to the Small Arms Survey, compared to 6.2 in England and Wales and 88.8 in the US.
"The moment you have guns in society, you will have gun violence but I think it's about the quantity," says Overton. "If you have very few guns in society, you will almost inevitably have low levels of violence."
Japanese police officers rarely use guns and put much greater emphasis on martial arts - all are expected to become a black belt in judo. They spend more time practising kendo (fighting with bamboo swords) than learning how to use firearms.
"The response to violence is never violence, it's always to de-escalate it. Only six shots were fired by Japanese police nationwide [in 2015]," 
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38365729

I remember watching 36 year old Jackie Parker come out of retirement in 1968 when all the BC Lions qbs got hurt & no one could play. I also remember how much in awe the tv announcers were at the time with him putting his helmet back on at his age with no physical preparation at all. Parker was an assistant coach with the Lions at the time & hadn't played since 1965. He played 8 games. The Lions went 2-6 when he came back but Jim Young in his book said it was the damndest thing he ever saw. 
In those days players didn't take care of themselves like they do today. Training camp was for getting in shape & losing the 10-15 lbs they gained over the winter. There were no protein shakes but they had steak & beer. Most players smoked.
Careers didn't last much past 30 years of age. By then, players were so beat up physically they could no longer play. Especially at qb where defensive players could take their heads off. So, in 1968 when a player like Parker came back at 36 after being retired for 3 seasons he was considered a senior citizen. It was a huge deal.
Not many players played until they were 36 years of age in the 1960's. Ken Ploen retired at 32. Russ Jackson was 33. Sam Etcheverry was 32. All the punishment they took wearing inferior equipment compared to today took its toll. Back then players even looked older at the same age than their counterparts of today. It's all about lifestyle, diet & nutrition.
 

 
George Blanda at 46 in 1970.

Tom Brady at 46.
Times have certainly changed.
 

Khari Jones. 

Some interesting history on the ratio rules courtesy CFL database website cfldb.ca:
”Prior to the formation of the CFL, Canadian Rugby Unions restricted the number of imports on a team to five starting in 1936. In addition, players were required to reside in Canada for one year to participate in the Grey Cup. While the rule is sometimes described as being developed to protect Canadian jobs, it was in fact implemented to develop the sport in Canada since there were no football "jobs" to have in Canada. While many factors result in todays restrictions, it is recognizing having Canadians on the rosters and starting positions is important to the continued development of football in Canada.”
Roster changes over the years:
CRU still controlled roster restrictions in the mid-1950’s and limited teams to 10 imports and only 8 imports allowed to play in a game. So in effect 16 Canadian starters guaranteed on offence and defence. But unlimited availability of “naturalized non-imports”, who were deemed Canadian by virtue of 5 years of residency in Canada. 
1964 - active roster set at 30 players, 17 non-import and 13 import (so 11 starters have to be Canadians based on roster size), 2 man inactive roster (1 IMP, 1 NI), and NI status set as 5 years active residency in Canada or born in Canada with 13 or first 21 years spent in Canada
1965 - 32 man roster, 18 NI, 14 IMP, max 3 naturalized non-imports allowed on roster, so 10 starters would need to be Canadian. 
1968 - 1 of the IMP positions becomes a designated import, can only replace another IMP who cannot re-enter the game, so now 11 starters must be NI. 
1970 - the DI rule now includes QBs who can come in and out without limitation, so the dedicated back-up QB is established. 11 players will still be NI starters based on the roster numbers. 
1972 - roster up to 33 players, 18 NI, 15 IMP with one of them a DI, so now minimum 10 starting NI. Another 1 NI roster spot was added in 1973
1986 - The designations switched to 19 NI, 13 IMP, and 3 QB (one QB spot dropped in 1987 and rosters down to 34). The standard make-up of the starting offence and defence at that time was American QB, RB, and 2 WR on offence with 2 SB, FB and 5 OL as Canadians (so 8 of 12 Canadian positions on offence) and a Canadian nose tackle and safety with the rest American on defence (playing a 3-4 defence usually), the remainder of the Canadians were back-ups and the kicker/punter.  The Old DI rule was eliminated. 
1988 - roster 36, 20 NI, 14 IMP, 2 QB, now 1 DI limited to playing special teams, so still 10 starters will be Canadian. 
1990 - rosters go up by 1 QB spot to stand at 37
1993 - American based team joins the league, due to US labour laws the Canadian ratio rule cannot be implemented on those teams as the league expands through 1995.  Baltimore especially takes advantage of this discrepancy to stock it’s entire starting roster and all back-ups with Americans, giving them a decided competitive edge over the Canadian squads. 
2002 - significant change to ratio as rosters increase to 40 with a drop of one NI to 19 total, an increase of four IMP to 18, and 3 QB. Two of the imports are DI who can play unlimited in special teams, but can also replace another import on offence or defence. This guaranteed that no more than 16 IMP plus a (almost certainly American)  QB can be starters, allowing for a minimum of 7 Canadians to be starters (a drop of 3).
2006- rosters up to 42 with 1 NI and 1 IMP added, and the number of DI spots now up to 3, Canadian starting spots still secured at 7.
2014 - rosters up to 44 with the addition of 1 NI for a total of 21 (now called Nationals, with new rules on how they are classified), and 1 IMP (now called Internationals), now up to 20. Canadian starters still at 7 because the added IMP is another DI (now 4 of them to keep starting Americans at 16, and a QB).
2019 - rosters to 45 with the addition of a Global player, who does not need to be a starter. (Americans now called Americans)
2020 - rosters to 46 with a 45 man active roster and 1 man reserve with another Global player added and a QB removed if teams want. The reserve player can be any designation, but active roster still must allow for maximum 20 Americans, minimum 21 Canadians, and minimum 2 Globals, and 2 QBs. 7 starting Canadians required, but new rule allows for up to 3 American veterans classified as Canadians (3 years with club or 4 years in CFL) to replace them if they are injured, so potentially only 4 Canadian “starters” after the first play of the game. This is the first time an American can be labelled as a Canadian based solely on league tenure and not any citizenship requirements. FYI this CBA ratification passed with only 76% approval from the players.
Now the proposals have gone from no ratio at all, to the 7 Canadian starters but one re-classified American as the 8th “Canadian” starter full time, and 3 more who can replace Canadians regardless of injury or not if they play one snap less than half the game. And now the compromise which is remove the 49% rules but drop the Canadian ratio to 6 with a re-classified American as the 7th Canadian. 
 
Look at the long-term trend and you can see why Canadians might be concerned about losing their jobs, and why they might vote to reject a deal that would go against their own self-preservation. 
One last thought/question for those who think that the ratio should go because it is the unique rules of the CFL that make it great, not necessarily the Canadian players - if the league was entirely American players groomed on 4 down football with no Canadians or players who played a 3 down version in college, how soon before the next CBA where they vote to change all the rules to the same as the NFL, and how much resistence would any of those exclusively American players give to that change that so many traditionalists are vehemently against? 
 

Nothing will ever change in America as it strives to become the toilet bowl of the world
 

Also... their leaders treat their own citizens like disposable waste. 

Example... leaded water flint michigan. Not one person held to account. Even though it was done with full knowledge.
 
Example.... police at a bridge during Katrina, forcing people (black) trying to escape flooding, back to the flooded area. (Turns out... cops murdered people.)
https://youtu.be/-5FKkEF7F3M
no healthcare...insulin ten times canadian price.
Blatant criminals like trump walk free.  Low downs go to jail for stealing a pack of smokes. For profit jail. Supreme court corruption.
religious "leaders" have two jet airplanes, while sucking cash out of their congregation.
never ending foreign war, creating hundreds of thousands of trained killers.
 
Of course people go nuts with the system they have.
 

Either the US is not a democracy or the majority of its voters are unbelievably self-centred and stupid.

Brutal. I really hope it's not serious.

it takes some real effort to have a lower approval than Jason Kenney, my stars....

It's called "displacement", where something is crappy in your life, so you find a target of opportunity to dump on and blame.

I guess I should have said why I was a bit shocked. 
1- A total stranger said we need to shoot the PM
2- As far as I know we are not and probably can't send oil to the Ukraine
3- Neither the carbon tax or our loosely promised hope to send oil to Europe to off- set the bans on Russian oil and gas are the cause of the rise in fuel prices.
4- I thought this new idiocy of not actually looking things up or thinking things through would stay south of the border.
I really dislike Trudeau.  I think he is a snotty rich kid  who rode his Dads name . But so what. I didn't and won't vote for him but enough people did that he was elected. That's a democracy. Lots of people on here despised Harper but the man was elected and you have to live with it. Neither are Nazis. Neither are dictators. People have to get over themselves and realise that in a democracy the desires and opinions of the individual don't matter. And in Canada we don't shoot our leaders even if they dont represent our personal opinions.Rant done lol
 

It is getting weird/ scary. I was fuelling up a slip tank at a cardlock yesterday. A guy about my age that I didn't know pulled in to fuel his pickup and came over to talk which is normal in a small town.
Dude : Getting rready to go to the field
Me: If it ever dries up
Dude: Boy I wonder what that will cost you when you get the bill ? 
Me : I don't know but it won't be cheap.
And this is where the conversation went right off the wall.
Dude : Well, I hate to say it ( looking around ) but someone should shoot that Trudeau
Me : ( after a few shocked seconds ) You mean because of the carbon tax , because that's got nothing to do with why the fuel price rocketing up. It's just whats going on in the Ukraine and that being used as an excuse to charge more money here.
Dude: Well Trudeau is sending them fuel ! ( Edit : He also said they are trying to make us drive electric cars like it was some horrible thing)
At that point I gave him a whatever and got busy strapping my tank down. But I find it unnerving that a random stranger would assume it was OK to say that to me about ANY leader. The world is collectively going off its nut.
 

If we as Canadians and our representatives do not forcefully condemn this, we are headed down the same path as the US.

Source unknown:
 
I was thinking of the "free exchange of ideas" last night. You know, it's not like a market, it's like a potluck. Everyone brings their own ideas and you sample others and some are familiar with a twist, some are interesting but not to your taste, some are bad, some are lifechanging. You can get into a discussion about recipes or technique, or what have you as people talk about the food. If someone brings mashed potatoes, you can debate the appropriateness for a potluck: is it too bland? Will it get cold on the table? Do potatoes make up too much of our diet? But if someone puts a steaming platter of dog **** on the table, we're not going to debate it. And when we tell them to take it off the table, it's not because we are afraid of eating their dog **** or we think that it's going to revolutionize lunch and we don't want that to happen. We tell them to get it off the table because there is no debate to be had. It's dog ****. It's not an open question, it's not a matter of palettes or picky eaters. That's why we don't engage with neo-nazis and white supremacists, and it's why we don't (or shouldn't) let them come to the potluck

Who thought hiring a numbers guy would be a good fit for Rider fans?
They should be fired. 

CJOB print ad from the mid 70's & I remember everyone of them. 

This is my 'never gets old, could watch all day' Bomber clip:
 

A surprisingly weak number reserved for many back-up QBs and DBs, but one iconic photo makes today’s choice an easy one. 

Kicker Alexis Serna being consoled by coach Richard Harris after a tough game.