Cat Chat

Cat Chat nears the finish line

2009-02-06T11:09:02-05:00

There's no easy way to write this so I'll just throw it out there.

The Spec has shuffled me off the Tiger-Cat beat. In a few weeks I'm heading back to write news. Been there before, kept the tee-shirt, can do it again. I'm a newspaper guy. Maybe I'll try to stay out of court this time.

That means Cat Chat will come to an end.

Thoughts? Well I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss it. I've covered the Balsam bengals for five seasons. A lot of losing but a lot of laughs too. I've enjoyed a lot of it.....the management, the coaches, the players, the fans, the media directors, the travel (for the most part), the beat writers, the deadlines, the hotels, the post-game beers with Coach Sal.....

Basically it was just the people. The chance to work with decent, good-humoured people. And a chance to watch football, a lot of football and write about it. I've been lucky. There are a lot of worst ways to earn a living.

The Spec has named Drew Edwards as my replacement. It's all new to him but he seems like a good egg. I think he'll do fine. And I would suspect, in time, he'll come up with his own Tiger-Cat blog. Watch for it.

I'll give Drew advice if he asks for it. Some key gems such as not packing a windup alarm clock in your luggage, how to grab a cab out of Canad Inns Stadium, avoiding the post-game rowdies at Commonwealth, grabbing the C-train in Calgary to McMahon, where to park in Toronto and the best public parks to drink in Regina.

I hope you've enjoyed Cat Chat half as much as I've enjoyed blogging it. I've tried to be fair. Sometimes made the mark, sometimes missed it. But it has made me realize there is a whole country out there passionate about a team with a leaping Tiger on its helmets.I hope you will keep the faith. This team, I'm convinced, is moving in the right direction. Cats won't make the playoffs in 2009 but 2010 is just around the corner.

Thanks for reading, thanks for the great support. If you see me in the stands next summer I hope you'll say hello and take a minute to engage in a little Cat Chat.
Ken

Miles, Murphy and Potash

2009-02-05T16:03:57-05:00

Cats cut Tony Miles Thursday. No surprise. Miles was a bust last season. And I'll admit it, I thought he was going to be great. But age and injuries caught up to him. Cats also cut offensive tackle Charles Thomas. The 'dean of mean' Rob Murphy can expect a telephone call from the Balsam bunker on Feb. 16. He might want to take it. Trying to link up with Dylan Barker. But he is doing research for a potash company in rural Saskatchewan and the cellphone link is shaky. That's life in the CFL eh? Ken

Cats in the 'Peg for Nov? BRRRR

2009-02-04T15:41:45-05:00

Let's take a break from Kevin Glenn for a moment. And Casey Printers too.

I suspect that on Feb. 16 the Tiger-Cats will announce a new two-year deal with Lions' offensive lineman Rob Murphy.
Why?
1) Well Murphy will be available and wants to move east.
2) Wally Buono has both Murphy and Jason Jimenez set to become free agents but the latter likes Vancouver and is hoping to stay.
3) Cats like Murphy's mean streak.
4) Cats need to get better at the position.
5) Murphy is one of the best in the business
6) Cats have cap room and will be able to overpay.

Have to admit the news out of Regina left me shocked. GM Eric Tillman charged with sex assault involving a 16-year-old girl. I like Tillman. He is good for the league and the Riders. I hope this is all a terrible mistake. But I can't help thinking why is it Regina has become the league's trouble spot over the last little while?

Boy the CFL sked is out...this is the earliest release I can remember.
First thing I check is how many Cat games are on deadline. The Friday 7:30 starts are bad because the Spec has earlier Sat. deadlines. Cats have just two but a Thursday game at the same starting time. Cats are in Vancouver for July. Lovely. But the late Aug. trip to Edmonton could prove chilly. And Calgary in early October might be a bit fresh. Plus the final one, the Nov. 8 trip to the Peg won't be any fun.

The 9 p.m. Thursday Edmonton start is an adrenaline rush waiting to happen.

But what sends shivers up my spine is the back to back Aug road games in Regina and Edmonton. Hope the Cats aren't planning a Regina layover. There's only so much Great Western lager a guy can drink in Victoria Park without being labeled a suspected substance abuser.
Ken

Glenn deal still simmers

2009-02-02T16:07:13-05:00

The Cats continue to show interest in Kevin Glenn. But the Cats aren't in any hurry just yet to pull the trigger on a trade for the veteran Winnipeg passer. That's what happens when the other side asks for a starting offensive lineman in return. Part of the problem may be from the Winnipeg side. Word has it that a western club (is that Eric Tillman on line one) has expressed interest in Glenn. The Bombers might want to hold out for the best offer meaning a trade isn't imminent. Time could be on the Bombers' side. If B.C. passer Buck Pierce, who is in his option year signs with a NFL club before the window of opportunity closes Feb. 15, the Lions might be interested in Glenn. Cats just cut a bunch of guys....Pat Woodcock, Cornelius Anthony, Sasha Lancaster. Mike Botterill, Terrence Patrick and someoboyd called Rocky Schwartz. Ken

K. Glenn set to become a Tabbie

2009-02-02T09:47:03-05:00

I'm betting Kevin Glenn becomes a Tiger-Cat today (Groundhog Day). Cats are interested, the Blue Bombers have him up for grabs. The only thing to be negotiated is the price. The Bombers want Cedric Gagne-Marcoux in return. Fair price? To me it seems a bit steep for a guy who will be coming here as a backup. Failing that the Bombers might settle for draft picks and might seek the Cats first overal and the thrid pick that the Bombers gave up on the Moreno deal. Fair price? Well draft picks are dicey but we do know this is a really weak draft year so we'll see. Once the Glenn pact gets done all eyes on the C. Printers' front because he won't be here for long. Ken

Cat free agent record is abysmal

2009-01-26T16:03:19-05:00

Why do the Tiger-cats do so poorly in free agency? The Tiger-Cats don't have a great CFL draft history but the Cats have been truly horrid at free agency.
Last February: Former Argos Tony Miles. Number of touchdowns: Zero.

February 2007: Former B.C. Lions Nautyn McKay-Loescher. Enjoyed a so-so campaign in 2007 but was completely invisible last season. Cats tried to get Ryan Thelwell that February but lost him to Calgary.

February 2006: Former Renegades' running back Josh (The Little Ball of Hate) Ranek. After one futile season here Ranek was a Little Ball of Can't Do it Anymore. To be fair the Cats also bagged George Hudson and Ray Mariuz and they have worked out.

February 2005: Former Lions receiver Chris Brazzell. This was another huge bust. Brazzell didn't even last a season before he was shipped out from Kamau Peterson.

Perhaps the Cats best free agent find has been D.J. Flick who the club bagged in 2004. Former defensive tackle Adriano Bell was good too. Mike Morreale (same season) worked out well and Matt Robichaud has been solid.

But all in all Hamilton's track record of bagging productive free agents has been nothing short of abysmal. Do you agree Flick has been out best free agent find? Who is your choice for biggest free agent bust?
Ken

Grab Glenn; Cut Casey

2009-01-23T15:04:00-05:00

As long as it doesn't cost them a starter I think the Cats would be wise to nab Kevin Glenn. Then as soon as they have him the club should cut Casey Printers.
Why?
Glad you asked. Quinton Porter has to start for the Cats in 2009...he has shown he can do the job. Glenn will prove a capable backup, an experienced CFL starter who can go in there and win a few games if needed. Richie Williams and Adam Trafalis will battle for the number three job.
The Cats could give Porter a raise, keep Glenn and still come out ahead after cutting Printers' salary from the payroll.
Look, Casey tried. But it's not going to work for him in Hamilton. He got off on the wrong foot when he came here, pointing fingers at guys for losing. He tried to be Mr. Community but no one has warmed to him. Too often he ducked responsibility by saying he was just one guy and one guy can't do it all. But he was the one guy making more than anyone else. It's time for the Cats to turn the page.
Bringing Kevin Glenn in now and jettisoning Printers will avoid an awkward training camp scenario. Plus cutting Printers' big salary could give the Cats the salary room to buy another free agent to shore up another weak area.
Casey Printers might show he can still play in the CFL. But he won't do it here. His time in the Hammer is over. Ken

Put Hamilton's new stadium in Burlington

2009-01-21T15:46:36-05:00

Hamilton looks to have a great chance to get a brand new football stadium from the 2015 Pan Am Games. Except Hamilton politicians are going to muck it up. You can almost see it coming can't you? Even with a potful of federal or provincial dough staring them in the face the Hamilton pols will squabble and the bid committee will have to chose another burgh. Maybe putting it in Burlington would be the best move. The corner of Waterdown Road and the 403 has been pitched. That would be perfect. And maybe it's just me but don't you think the Tiger-Cats should ante up a significant portion of the capital costs for a new stadium given the club will be the prime tenant and reap the most benefit from having it? The way things work now the Cats get Ivor Wynne for a song and the local taxpayers pump in about $1 million a season to keep the bengal bunker in decent shape for the Cats to use it. Why is everything in this town so dysfunctional?

Ken's Kanada - Edition Five

2009-01-15T14:00:04-05:00

Each year the Spec’s Ken Peters celebrates another season on the Tiger-Cat beat with another report of the comings and goings of life on the road with the Tabbies. It’s a unique glimpse of this country, the result of spending too many hours in airports and watching too many Cat losses from the pressbox. Part travelogue, part culture-logue, we just call it, affectionately, Ken’s Kanada.

By KEN PETERS
The fifth annual installment of Ken’s Kanada takes on a transportation theme. This past Tiger-Cat season saw some different transportation modes; the well-built aircraft of Westjet and Air Canada but also Via Rail, a Via-rented bus, taxi-cabs, light rail transit, the Montreal Metro and last, but far from least, the City of Vancouver seabus ferry to North Vancouver.

We begin with a new destination, Saskatoon. My first ever trek to Saskatchewan’s largest city was to cover the McMaster Marauder women cagers at the national university women’s championships. The University of Saskatchewan is huge and its sports complex is impressive; Saskatoon has the worst cab service in Canada, the majestic North Saskatchewan River is a gorgeous site.
And Mac won a bronze. I saw some great athletic performances over the past 12 months but nothing tops Lindsey DeGroot’s three-point play in the last 30 seconds to rally Mac to a come-from-behind win over Laval and to secure the Marauder cager women’s first medal in two decades. Best clutch performance of a Hamilton athlete I’ve ever witnessed.

Next stop, Calgary. There’s a lot to like about this booming Alberta burgh. Stephen Avenue, the city’s equivalent of the Sparks Street pedestrian thoroughfare in Ottawa, is great for people-watching.
The Tiger-Cats stay at this old CP hotel that is now called the Fairmont Palliser. I really like it, big majestic lobby. Nice rooms. And it’s in the downtown, close to everything. The city’s C-train, their rapid transit commuter train is great. But I have to say Calgary has some of the scariest panhandlers I’ve ever come across and they are plentiful.
Finally, I just had to sample some calf testicles at a local establishment called Buzzards; part of the draw was the sign out front that proclaimed “Testicle-Fest. Come in and go nuts.” Cats got clobbered, by the way.

Next stop Montreal in late July; I had been looking forward to the VIA 1 train ride but to my horror a train derailment outside of Kingston changed the itinerary. Instead of VIA 1 it was Canada Coach; Seven long hours on a bus. Not pleasant. But the Marriot Chateau Champlain was nice; And I have to say Cat colour analyst John Salavantis and I did enjoy our Montreal smoked meat at Reuben’s on Rue St. Catharine. Cats lose 40-33 to the Alouettes to fall to 1-5.

Had a nice trip to Winnipeg in August. But alas there was disappointment. The Wagon Wheel, home of the world famous clubhouse, was closed for holidays. Have to say this though, that Winnipeg downtown is one scary as heck place to be late at night. Cats blew chance to win with late turnover. Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt.
Did get to see a couple wed on the field at half-time. That was pretty neat.

We had a trip to Edmonton in September. Weather was beautiful. Enjoyed a nice visit to the Strathcona Farmer’s Market -- lovely place. Cats lost another close one.

At the end of September it was off to B.C. I had trouble right off the bat as I got to Pearson just after the Cat bus. Big mistake. My seat assignment for the five hour and 15 minute flight was between Cat defensive lineman Jermaine Reid and Cat offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer, another big load. But I did enjoy a nice game day trip to North Vancouver on the Seabus across the Burrard Strait. Cats got waxed.

Thanksgiving was spent in Montreal just prior to the federal election. Beautiful weather. I love Montreal, what a gem of a municipality. And this time I flew, just to ensure there would be no repeat of the seven-hour bus ride horror. Enjoyed a smoke meat at Reuben's on Rue St. Catherine. Good but it’s no Schwartz’s. Cats were pounded.

Enjoyed an interesting trip to Regina in mid-October. Got there early and the room wasn’t ready at the Hotel Saskatchewan. Ended up drinking a couple of Great Western Lagers in the city’s beautiful Victoria Park waiting for my hotel accommodations. Weather was beautiful. Cats played hard but fell 30-29 when Nick Setta missed a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the game.

Finally, made it to Winnipeg for Halloween. Wow! Had to say I’ve never laughed so hard all season then I did enjoying a night out with Rom Halverson and Arash Madani, the media directors for the Cats and Bombers respectfully, at the Lionshead Pub. Cats lost. Finish 3-15. Again. The Cats were done.

But I made back-to-back trips to Montreal for the eastern final and Grey Cup and these images remain; the courage of Tony Proudfoot battling Lou Gehrig[s disease, the ever-youthful Steve Milton turning 60, Schwartz’s smoke meat sandwiches, Marwan Hage doing interviews for CFL.ca, doing 20 Questions with Henry Burris, watching the Vanier Cup in snowy Hamilton from Crescent Street and Pat Woodcock, throwing the best block of the season, springing me into Tiger-town to watch my childhood chum Tom Wilson perform Shine. A great way to close a season.

My choice for Coach of the Year

2009-01-14T14:29:21-05:00

My choice for 2008 CFL Coach of the Year is Montreal's Marc Trestman. That's who is going to get my vote over the next two weeks. The Coach of the Year will be announced March 4 at the Hamilton Sheraton on the basis of votes from the Football Reporters of Canada. Let's face it, there will only be two names on the ballot, Trestman and Calgary's John Hufnagel. Anyone who votes for anyone else is either a unabashed homer or wasn't paying attention. And yes, the vote is based on the coach's entire season, including the playoffs. So why Trestman, who lost the Grey Cup to Hufnagel's Stampeders? Well, simply because I think Trestman had less to work with. If you look at the Als at the end of 2007 the club was a mess. The QB had been knocked senseless, sacked 68 times, the offensive line needed to be re-tooled and everyone figured the Als would be vulnerable. Enter Trestman who proves to be a quick study. Josh Bourque and Jeff Perrett helped solve the line, Jamel Richardson becomes an all-star receiver, Avon Colbourne emerges from no where to lead the ground attack. And a reinvigorated Anthony Calvillo looks all-world. Look Hufnagel had work to do as well but the main pieces were already there in the likes of Henry Burris, Joffrey Reynolds and the receiving corps. And Hufnagel already had CFL experience. He wasn't on as steep a learning curve as his colleague in Montreal. So for those reasons Trestman is my choice as 2008 CFL Coach of the Year. Will he win? No. But he should. Ken