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Winnipeg Blue Bomber CHATTER 🏈Brad H. Arrison · · Above and beyond: Blue Bombers’ hopeful gives new life to six-year-old strangerPaul Friesen Growing up in Tucson, Ariz., Stevie Rocker, Jr., never thought he’d be playing college football in Montana or trying out for a pro team in Manitoba. Those are mere footnotes compared to the impact the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hopeful is having on a young boy in Argentina. Just over a year ago, the 23-year-old running back donated bone marrow to save the life of a kid he’s never met. “I was told I was helping a kid who had a really bad bone problem, and I’m pretty much his last hope,” Rocker said in a chat with the Winnipeg Sun on Monday. “If nothing goes through, he’s going to have to live in a hospital for the rest of his life, which wasn’t very long.” Rocker had signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) at the University of Montana. It began with a simple cheek swab, putting him into a database that connects him with potential matches. A blood test to find a true match was next. “Ninety percent of people, when they do it, they’re blood (stem cell) donations,” he said. “And blood donations for older people. So you expect that when you’re going in. But they were telling me, ‘You’re part of the 10 percent. You’re doing a bone-marrow donation.” That meant more of a surgical procedure, being put under instead of simply being hooked up to an IV. After completing reams of paperwork and having more blood drawn, Rocker and his girlfriend flew to Kansas City, where he had more blood draws the day before hitting the operating table. Doctors were to drill into and extract the marrow from the hip bones in his lower back. “They were telling me it was a 30- to 45-minute procedure,” he recalled. “And it ended up being two-and-a-half hours. Because they didn’t know that I was an athlete, my bone density is a little harder. So it took a lot longer for them to drill into the back.” Rocker will never forget the date: April 26. The pain – he compared it to being hit in the back without pads on – went away in a week or two. The feeling in his heart isn’t going anywhere. “This kid’s six years old,” Rocker said. “He hasn’t really had a chance to even see the world, have an opportunity to even live out his own dreams. I play football. I’ll deal with the back pain if it’s a chance to give this kid an opportunity to live, have a life, and not worry about having procedures and being in the hospital. “Just an opportunity for him and his family to be together and get out of there.” So far, the only thing Rocker knows about the boy is his age and that he’s from Argentina. He may eventually be told a little more. “That’s all I’m hoping,” he said. “Just one day, I can at least reach out just to know they’re doing alright.” Meeting his donor recipient would be the ultimate. As for living his own dream, Rocker got that call four days before the Bombers opened rookie camp. He knew the Canadian game had bigger end zones with goal posts in the front and an extra man on the field, and that was about it. He was as naive about the country in general. “When I was leaving Arizona, we were in the 90s already,” he said. “I come out here and I seen snow the first day of rookie camp. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Canada was something I always thought would be a visiting destination, not a place I’d end up living for a while.” Rocker not only survived the three-day rookie camp, but he also hit Day 9 of main camp on Monday. “And here I am. It’s an awesome opportunity,” he said. “Just feeling appreciated, knowing that somebody’s looking at you in a different light.” Coaches will, of course, be looking to see how good the 6-foot-0, 220-pounder is as a running back, receiver, blocker and potential special-teams player. Hearing his backstory, they’ll immediately get a handle on him as a person. “We try to fill our room with good people,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “That would obviously be the sign of being a great person.” Asked about the origin of his willingness to go the extra mile to help someone he doesn’t even know, Rocker pointed to his upbringing in Tucson. “You just learn about being kind to people in general,” is how he put it. “God always gives you an opportunity just to show the kind of person you are, regardless of how big or small. You never want to pass up that opportunity, because you never know how that’ll reach somebody else. “Saying my story may reach out to somebody else who’s on the fence of wanting to do it.” Rocker would love nothing more than to make this team and get to know Winnipeg a little better. He likes the little taste he’s had. If he’s cut, though, he’ll take some invaluable things with him, like lessons he’s already learned from star tailback Brady Oliveira, along with tips from other players and coaches. Something else he carries with him wherever he goes is a reminder of the selfless decision he made, an act he’ll hold closer to his heart than any football. “I’ve got two little scars on my back,” he said. “I’ll have those forever.”

Oy! Looks like we are down to scraping the bottom of the barrel again. Barring more injuries, we look to be ok but not dominant in the NI category. Anyone have Kamau Peterson's phone number?

Because O'Shea.

From what I could see, much of O'Shea's success was in the talent Walters handed to him, but in the last 2-3 years, it seems that Walters backed off and O'Shea had near-total control and the team suffered for it. We don't show who we really are when things are going well- we show our real identities when things around us are really struggling.

This is what concerns me about all the new bodies coming in. I think that if these have been forced onto O'Shea, he will go onto passive- aggressive mode and and put them out in situations where they will have little chance of showing well. Then he can smirk and go into "ahtodeso" routine.

O'Shea's favouritism is not restricted to homegrown players. we have recently has several imports who clearly didn't belong here but were kept around- a certain Marine being one of them.

I fear you may be right. Jones seems to have become a favourite of O'Shea and we all know what that means.

Loved it when, on the first play, he absolutely trucked the d-back for a few yards, then threw him aside effortlessly and caught the ball.

Matty paid and is still paying the price.

So long as every QB gets an equal chance to show his stuff, let the chips fall where they may. Wilson has had a decent shot but has not stepped up, so no favours for him.

Too late! Snow on the ground this morning.

IMO: not as ugly in retrospect

Winnipeg, and to an extent Saskatchewan, are good working models on how to engage and retain CFL fans.

How long bad changes will remain would depend on the ego of the commissioner

But does he drive a Trans-Am?

Hang down your head, Ben Dooley.

This is one of the best feelgood stories I have heard in quite a while, and boy, am i gonna root for him to not only make the team but become a star.

Same here. YAAAAY!!

The nature of pro sports is what was old gets revived again sooner or later. Daniels, if he pans out, could give the Bombers the old-fashioned tight end who could block on running plays and smoke d-backs on short/screen plays and be a threat as a receiver. A receiver of that size in full flight would cause many clenched sphincters among 170lb defenders.

He's hella quick and relentless in pursuit.

I am probably out to lunch on this, but his style of play reminds me a lot of Doug Flutie, but who knows what his attitude is?

The reality is that we have had multiple can't-miss quarterbacks come into camp and flame out, so the odds are against Elgersma. That several NFL teams thought highly enough of him to bring him in is reason for optimism but certainly no guarantee, but if you are a Bomber fan, you live on hope.

That's a low bar.

Sneaky political commentary.