Mitchell Blair's blog

When you are watching the highlights of the WSF and you see DJ Flick speeding down the sidelines, take a look at who is standing on the sidelines right by the goal-line. C'mon Jim, c'mon Eric...at least borrow some pom-poms from the cheer team if you're going to do that. :)

So hows your ticker Rider Nation....have you got any nails left. The Riders beat the Stampeders but they let Calgary hang around way too long in a game that had everyone on the edge of their seat whether they be inside the stadium or on their couch. Riders vice-chair Doug Rogers maybe summed up the mood of the day the best before the game when he said "Its like I'm a kid on Christmas morning and I see my present under the tree but I'm afraid to open it".

Good morning Rider Nation and welcome to a day you have been waiting for for 19 years. Today is the day you see your football team in a home playoff game. Will it be like 1988 or will this team move on to Vancouver for the Western final. Here's what I'll watch for on Western Semi Final Sunday

Do you remember the 1988 Western semi-final. Were you in Taylor Field the day the Lions beat the Riders in what had been the first playoff game in Regina in a number of years. If you were there or even if you weren't, you can now see that 1988 game on ESPN Classic. The network will air the game November 17 at 3 PM Saskatchewan time with a replay November 18 at 3 AM. Hopefully the 2007 game is better than the 88 one if you know what I mean......and I think you do!!!

The CFL announcing Sunday that a mistake was made in tabulating votes for the Western Division all-star team. Earlier in the week, Rider kicker Luca Congi had been announced as the all-star kicker in the West, but after further review the league found that was not correct and that the nomination should have gone to Sandra De Angelis of the Stampeders.

Give credit where credit is due. The Argonauts are a good football club....they didn't win their last seven because they are lucky but they aren't as good as what the Riders made them out to be. A lot of this has to be attributed to the fact the Riders knew where they were going to be next weekend while Toronto was still playing for something. The Riders just didn't have that cohesion offensively right from the get-go and when you are facing the #1 defence in the CFL its tough to get it going.

Defensive lineman Brent Curvey will make his CFL debut tomorrow afternoon as he subs in for the injured Marcus Adams. Its one of seven roster changes for the team going into the season finale against the Argos. Corey Holmes, T-J Stancil, Lance Frazier, Marcus Rucker, Renauld Williams and Mike Washington are the other players that are out. Players that go on the roster are Reggie Hunt, James Johnson, Rontarious Robinson, Airabin Justin, Josh Ranek and Maurice Lloyd.

Former Regina Rams running back Neal Hughes will be with me on the Drew Remenda Sports Show tonight at 605. We will ask him a variety of things including if he and fellow Ram Chris Getzlaf have any side bets going with Huskies alumnus Nathan Hoffart and Gene Makowsky on Friday's playoff game between the province's two universities on Friday night.

The CFL releasing its division all-star teams Thursday morning. 9 members of the Riders have made the grade. On offence, recognition goes to Kerry Joseph, D-J Flick, Gene Makowsky and Jeremy O'Day. On the defensive side of the ball, all-stars are Fred Perry, Reggie Hunt, Maurice Lloyd and James Johnson. Luca Congi was named the all-star kicker. The all-stars were selected by the Football Reporters of Canada, the CFL head coaches and the fans through a contest with Future Shop.