The Unknown Poster

Im not calling anyone a liar because I am sure you experiences are true. I live in South Winnipeg. I've driven around during and after Bombers games. Is it busy? Yes. Is it mind-blowing bad? No. Also, I never found the Jets game traffic terrible either. I just noticed heavy traffic on North Bound Pembina when the Jets play. One problem with the U of M location was removing one of the three points of entry/exit. I understand why they dont want traffic using Kings Dr but still... They widened the area around Chancellor Matheson & Pembina but not to the extent they could have or should have. Still, after the first couple of games, the Bombera and fans figured it out (True North lent a hand too).

I believe Transit just doesnt have enough city busses and contracted out for the school busses. I *think* I remember reading it was all part of the same charter deal.

Very true. The PCs have to play this smart. Well I guess they don;t have to. They could be very anti-bail out, make all sorts of proclamations about how they will make the Bombers pay their way and then a year later quietly forgive the loans. Personally, as much as I am a Conservative, I'd be fine seeing the loan altered in some form (not sure how exactly) to end the debate for good and set the Bombers up for decades of success. It *is* the responsibility of the public to provide a home for the team since its owned by the public. Once you factor in other matters such as the Stadium serving the University etc, it *does* serve the public interest. Events like the Grey Cup and NHL hockey also inject a significant amount of direct and indirect profit to the city and province which shouldnt go unappreciated.

On the question of private shuttles, I'm not sure the need is there. If I recall, you can park at places like BP on Pembina and leave your car there if you eat/drink there but as far as shuttle, Transit is outside multiple times on game day. There's literally a ton of parking options on Pembina to the extent, as the season progressed there were many empty lots. People have bought into taking Transit. It makes the most sense. And this seems like a good deal for all involved. I noticed the amount it will *cost* the city was mentioned but what's break even for a Transit charter? In other words, even with the discount, is this a profit for Transit or are they losing money, breaking even etc?

depending on value there couldnt we make a different reade for Watman and still keep our #2? Cant be that difficult to fleece Taman.

I have two Flyers and one Ranger in my pool. My one Ranger is Brad Richards and my flyers are Timmonen and Couture. So I'd just as soon the Rangers win this series. Also, while I think the Rangers are the better team, I think the Flyers would be more "up" for a series against the Pens. And I dont like that. Go Pens!

I wouldnt even be asking the questions on Bogo yet. He came to Winnipeg as a guy who wasnt living up to his potential and VASTLY improved under Huddy. This past season he battled injuries, being asked to mentor Trouba, playing his off-side, a coaching change and the fact team D was awful for stretches. I'd see how Bogo does this upcoming season before I'd even consider trading him. Trouba is going to be a top D man and Bogo is going to be a very effective 3-4 guy for the next decade. I have no problem trading Kane if thats the direction Maurice/Chevy decide to go. But Im not going to pretend he sucks. The return would be very strong. Im not sure about the proposed Florday deal but getting the 1st overall would certainly be nice. Id suspect Kane trade discussions have taken place at some level. Chevy said that some of the deals he discussed at the deadline required ownership-level involvement. That might mean anyone from Buff to Ladd to Kane. Who knows at what level that Chipman has to sign off. But it was made very clear that part of Maurice's mandate when he came in was to do a full evaluation of the roster and provide that information to Chevy. Maurice would not have signed a contract here if he thought his voice wasn't being heard. So the question remains, what does he think of Kane. It seems he demoted Kane at the end of the season. Tough love? Not in his plans? Who knows. But nothing is equal until Maurice gets a full off-season and training camp to implement his systems. He's been very honest about the team not being in good enough shape. We will see how these guys show up to training camp. I also think Atlanta screwed some guys. Noel came in trying to "teach" guys like Burmi and Kane and got some push back. But Kane seemed to get better even while pushing back. If Kane thought he could powerplay with Noel, he will quickly see he cant with Maurice. If it comes down to the team not being big enough for the both of them, Kane will be gonzo. And if thats what he wants, I have no doubt Chevy will accomadate him. But if Kane is at training camp and in shape, I'd consider the matter closed.

There was actually talk of Kane retiring a few years ago when they brought in that young guy (Drew Hankinson sounds familar) and gave him the Kane gimmick. It flopped and Kane ended up back as Kane. He's one of the best outside-the-bell performers so I could see him sticking for awhile though he has hinted at wanting to get into politics. He certainly should have the money to retire if he wants (and guys who leave on good terms are never really gone). If Taker wants a couple more matches, they might have to be Brothers of Destruction tags at this point. Sting/Kane might be okay to sort of satisfy those people that really want Sting/Taker (including Sting).

Bombers should pick who they want as soon as they can. If we're a strong team with strong prospects, then maybe we can get cute. Can't afford to get cute right now.

Probably none of those since they severely restrict traffic on-campus, and it wouldn't really be all that safe to have Gator's whizzing around people walking. Obviously but there must be other walking or maintaince type paths that don't get used much if ever during a game to other non vehicular exits around campus, no? A pedestrian bridge from St Vital might help to a degree in that people in that area could park and walk. I think the Bombers and City solved a lot of the issues which were pretty obvious to most of us. I remember being pretty surprised that they didnt have certain streets prioritized as Transit only or one-way and have cops working the intersections. But also, you have a vocal minority that if they cant immediately exit the stadium with 30,000 people and be cruising home at top speed, they whine. Whenever I drove to or from the old Stadium, I EXPECTED (and always did) wait in long lines of traffic. Leaving parkades around MTSC after concerts/games, same thing. Just relax.

When the rapid transit is completed to a transit station on the unused golf course, that will certainly help (as well the entry point will be a new roadway opposite the Shoppers/Giant Tiger area if I recall correctly which will alleviate traffic pressure off the current entry/exit points of University Cresent, Chancellor Matheson). Personally, I went to two games and didnt have an issue either time (including the home opener). I was able to easily drive down Pembina HWY, park at the corner of Markham & Pembina and walk. Leaving was just as easy. I was annoyed at the negative coverage at the time. I realise it *was* an issue but it wasnt the disaster some people made it out. A certain Free Press reporter had a field day with it. He would re-tweet every negative tweet from people about trying to leave the game but ignored every positive tweet. I asked him why he didnt give balanced coverage (because if many people had no issue then it would seem to indicate specific issues or impatient people not a full disaster like he tried to make it). As expected, the "issue" dropped off the front page pretty quickly. I actually notice heavier traffic during Jets games then Bombers games. Now maybe its because the vast majority of people have figured out taking a transit shuttle is just easier (I know people that drive everywhere that zip around the perimetre and park at The Nob and jump on the shuttle and love it). Im more concerned with what happens during The Grey Cup and NHL game when a lot less people are going to happy to walk from Pembina HWY when its -30.

Exactly. I have no opinion on Rabb as far as whether he'd make a good board member. But this particular seat is for a CoW representative, of which he isn't. I cant believe Sammy continued to try and push it after he got pushback from Asper and the Chairman. He must see how it looks. Another point against Sammy running again I guess. He doesnt care how it looks. Rabb can apply for a regular board seat if he wants and Im sure he will be vetted and if he's a good applicant, the board will welcome him. Maybe Sammy is hoping to get himself on the board at a later date and trying to create votes for himself.... As for Lyle, this is a 'what have you done for me lately' business but he did a lot of good for the Bombers. And if I'm the PC's, hiring him is a good move. He's good at fundriasing and obviously he's a taskmaster when it comes to managing a team. The PC's will have a very knowledgable point-man when it comes to their dealings with the Bombers. Once the NDP are booted, dealing with the Stadium/Bombers issues are going to be front and centre for the new government. They have to be smart about it because its something they can hang around the NDP's neck but its not like they are going to do much differently when they're in power. If anything, they might quickly forgive the Bombers' debt, so they need to really strategize their position on IGF and the Bombers' loans.

Yes. This Bay of Bengal thing is interesting. You've got the official search team dismissing it. Yet the company claiming to have found something says the Malaysians are very interested in their findings. Could just be an attempt at PR for their firm. Who knows.

Looks like the second best rating of the year last night. People do watch. A lot of people watching the attitude era now hate it. I'm with you as far as some of the idiotic filler like Santino. Though I do like Emma since she can work and is a different look than the other girls. I also don't mind the midgets. The kids like it. That's what's it's for. And to sell Merch. I've always been a Kane fan. That guy just managed to take every chickens&@t idea and turns it into chicken salad.

"The Chairman doesnt want Rabb" = "Asper gets his way". Huh? "The Chairman and Vice Chairman believe the CoW representative should actually be a representative of the city" = "Old Boys Club Gets What They Want". Huh? If Sammy wants it, thats good enough reason to run the other way. As for Lyle, I took the "return" to mean he might return to relevence where the Bombers are concerned because he'd surely be the new Premier's point man on all things Bombers' related. Might he even be the Province's Board representative if/when the NDP are rightly kicked to the curb?

If you can call 18 goals in an 82 game season a GOAL SCORER!!! But Evander has a pile of excuses - self-inflicted injuries, infections, bad coach, new bad coach, linemates with stubby hands, linemates with no hands. Trouble is - at this point he's untradeable as a 30 goal scorer - cuz he's NOT a 30 goal scorer. He's a 15 to 20 goal scorer and for 6 million a year, thats not only a money blow - its a formula for golf in April. I wouldnt call a serious hand infection an excuse. I mean, he *did* have a serious hand infection. Unless you're implying he was lying. Sure there might be some players that just produce, produce, produce no matter what. Kane has proven he can score. He has all-world talent. He's been shifted all over the line up. He's had injuries. And I cannot honestly tell you what his future holds in Winnipeg (Maurice *seemed* to demote Kane at the end of the season). But no one can question Kane's talent. If you want to be sure of his value, put him on the trade market - Jets will have no shortage of teams dying to make a play for him.

well point per game is simply your pace. if you want to score 80 points in a season you basically need to average a point every game. Yeah it works out that you might miss some nights and have multi point games other nights but the key is the guys who score 80 points or better generally don't have many stretches where they are held off the board. For example one of last seasons 80 point guys (and I use this example because I saw it recently) Taylor Hall, he never went more than 2 games in a row without scoring a point. That's the kind of consistency it takes to score 80 points in the NHL and Wheeler just isn't that guy. I wouldn't say he's improved each year in Winnipeg either, at least not from a point perspective. He had 69 this year, his pace was 70 in the lockout year, and he had 64 the year before that. That's pretty consistent production when you break it down. So what is going to make him take that next big jump to an 80 point player at 27 years old? Playing with better players like Kane and Scheif.

And his son for pushing him in that direction. And Vince Russo (I know, I know) for the cutting edge (at the time) "Crash TV" concept that changed how wrestling was presented as a Television property.

The goalie was pushed but it wasn't overly egregious. Bad call, sure. But everyone benefits and suffers from bad calls at some point. The Sharks certainly cant blame anyone for blowing a 3-0 game lead. Its a great story and I'd love to see the Kings win the series. I have a feeling the Sharks overwhelm them and dominate Game 7 but you never know. Hard not to cheer for Teemu and the Ducks (and I've got Getzlaf in my pool). And I'm an unapologetic Pens fan. Victory in my pool requires the Avs advance though and I'm worried about that Wild team.

But that assumes facts not in evidence - that the CoW's representative on the Bombers' board is too busy handling hot button issues like crumbling roads. I think the City has a far larger and more diverse work-force than that. Heck, the old Bombers' board member was the COO so it doesnt get much more senior than that. Its simply not approproate for Sam Katz to use his power to appoint a City of Winnipeg Bombers' board representative to put a non-City related friend in that spot. In fact, the more I think about this, the more egregious it seems that Sammy had the balls to even try this. That board seat is for a CoW representative not a FoS (Friends of Sammy) representative.

Sting is 55. Personally I see him as a big star that should be on every RAW and PPV for a year. They have several big matches for him. He's the one big star of the past 25 years who was never in WWE. Getting young guys over requires patience and thoughtful creative. In the 90's, WWE created a bunch of "new" stars because they had no choice as WCW raided them of most of their established stars. But Vince had to be dragged to that realisation. Steve Austin, who was a veteran when he became a "new" star, Rocky who's WWe push was 100% rejected by fans got over because he mostly got himself over with a unique promo style. HHH was probably the least over mega-pushed guy in history and was given multiple opportunities to "make it" and given wins over every top guy before Mick Foley came along and bumped & sold his ass off to get HHH over. In today's landscape, WWE is doing a good job of creating new stars. Daniel Bryan, The Shield (Roman Reigns will be a big star), Bray Wyatt, AJ Lee - all "young" guys who have gotten over. Punk was a non-typical WWE guy who was pushed and got over. Cesaro is getting over (though his current angle and pairing with Heyman seems to be confusing fans). HHH's mandate that development workers have real angles and plans laid out before being brought up is the correct way to move forward. But Im a big supporter of nostalgia and with the Network, I think it makes sense to use past guys. Batista is here to help get guys over while drawing money himself. Same with HHH. New Age Outlaws had a strong and short run (perfect in many ways). Kevin Nash, Booker T etc, could all be used like that. RVD, same thing. Some of the most popular Network content (to WWE's surprise) is WCW content (their WCW DVD was a top seller also, same with Goldberg DVD). There is a strong apetite for the past especially stuff that isnt readily available or pushed out (ie. on multiple WWE-centric DVD releases). I think there is a market for Sting. I'd expect to see Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle back this year too.

I like Glenn. I'd like to see him go out on a high note. But we don't need him. Unless we do. But if we do, thats not something that has become clear yet.

Yours is an honest response. I have no idea whether Rabb will be a good or bad member of the board. I also know the CIty of Winnipeg doesn't have many managers or top staff that have extra time on their hands to be anything more than a rubber-stamp for bomber board outcomes. Having a COO like Mike Ruta or this Joshi guy on the board cuz they hold high civic positions doesn't make it automatically right either. I wonder what the real objection to Mr. Rabb is. Other than the fact he's not on the city payroll. One would think a guy like Rabb with his incredible history of support for Wpg's pro sports teams would be a decent appointment. Or at least one that should be given one term on the board. So far Bob Irving has been successful in holding Adler back on this issue. I don't think Paul Friesen or Kirk Penton want to shadow Lawless's footsteps on this issue either. Nate, opinion and facts are very different things. You often confuse those. Youre opinion is a top city staffer wouldnt have a lot of time to invest in Bombers business so you make that a fact that a city staffer would simply rubber stamp anything the BoD wants. That's neither proven nor reasonable. Its not like the current Board are a bunch of unemployed loafers with time on their hands. They are all busy guys with a lot of business that is not Bombers related. I would assume Rabb in his current position is pretty busy also. And I would assume a city staffer with the experience and insight to sit on the board would make the time for Bombers-related business especially, as stated in the Lawless article, the team has a Grey Cup to plan which requires a lot of dealings with the city. Why have a CoW representative on the board that wont be representing the city's interests when it comes to Bombers-related business? Makes a lot more sense to have the CoW representative be someone who will be able to represent the city.

The reasons for the Board's rejection fo Rabb as explained in Lawless' article sound reasonable to me. They want a city staffer. The seat is supposed to be a representative of the City of Winnipeg not a buddy of Sammy's who likes football. Quite frankly, I'd be running as far from anything Sammy wants at this point unless it passed multiple sniff tests. This doesn't. Nothing to see here other than it doesnt pay to be a Friend of Sammy at this stage of the game. If I'm the Bombers, I'd appeal to City Council to give some thought to this matter and reccomend a representative as a group, rather than Sammy handing out gigs to his friends during his final few lame duck months as Mayor.

I dont think Brock wanted protecting. And I think Dana was samrt enough to know he had a monster with freakish athletic skill but one who was getting older and needed to make the big money fights while he could. Brock had a bit of Mike Tyson mystique too - had he wanted to coninue in UFC, he still would have drawn big regardless of his record. I think his health made it hard to train like Brock wanted and needed to train. And whereas in the past the WWE had been reluctant to give out big money limited date deals, they are not as reluctant any more. With the advent of the Network, I'd like to see more limited date deals for past guys. its a slippery slope to a degree because you dont want every guy over 35 demanding limited dates (and the problem is, if you have ten top guys on TV that dont work house shows, you're killing your house show business). But Batista came back at age 44 working full time (with liberal time off for movie promotions which benefits WWE anyway). WWE pursued Bill Goldberg for a WrestleMania appearance and appealed to his desire for a big pop on the big stage rather than his true desire for big money. As big a star as some consider Sting, WWE doesnt seem to see him that way and want him only for what it means to the Network than as a TV star.