Almost time to get the Tailgate BBQ's fired up

Between trips to the ball park with the kids on a nightly basis and landscaping a new yard with every other available moment, there hasn't been too much happening in the Blogosphere here at The Tailgater.

When last we talked, we were heading into the Conference Finals of the NHL and Rider Training Camp was still a ways away. Well, TC is upon us and now the Stanley Cup Final is underway. Where did the time go? It's not like I was enjoying the warm weather while sitting out on a patio at my favorite watering hole drinking an ice cold Great Western Pilsner or 2. HA HA!!! I wish. I think summer was here last Saturday....and poof....it was gone.

Sherri Trapp went 1/2 in her picks for the conference finals and by doing so, moved ahead of me by 2 heading into the Cup Finals. That means she is the winner of the inaugural Tailgater NHL Playoff Pool. Sherri, your swag will be waiting for you this Saturday at Griffiths Stadium when the Riders come to town for practice.

Just for interest sake, Sherri did pick the Pens to beat Detroit in The Finals so we shall see what happens tomorrow. I also picked Pittsburgh, with Mitch Blair, Cory Wolfe and TJ Stancil picking the Red Wings to again hoist the championship trophy.

We'll post the final standings when the Stanley Cup Finals are over.

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It seems like it's been forever since that November afternoon when the BC Lions came into Mosaic Stadium and squashed the Roughriders hopes of repeating as Grey Cup Champions. The players, new and old, arrived in Regina over the last week or so to amp it up for the start of the 2009 Season with Rookie Camp followed by Main Camp.

Many are excited to see what the addition of free agent and home town boy, Jason Clermont will bring to the table. In an article done by Mitchell Blair for riderville.com, Clermont seems pretty grounded and insists that job number 1 is securing a roster spot with the green and white. While that seems like a lock, it's the sound of veteran poise and leadership that should have rider fans feeling giddy about his presence in the line-up.

On defense it sounds as though Trumaine "Joe" Sykes has been making his presence felt. Reports have him showing tremendous quickness and winning the battles at the line of scrimmage with the o-linemen.

All of this Rider talk at this time of the year always gets the juices flowing for the upcoming season. The thoughts of the game day experience in and around Mosaic Stadium, seeing lots of great friends and sharing lots of laughs..... All of this makes it a tougher decision to attend far fewer games this year than I have in the past.

Times change, life is busy and family takes precedence this summer. I fully intend to be back full-time for the 2010 season. I'll miss my game day trips with my pals and re-newing my old acquaintances in Section 102. I won't be totally avoiding the place though. I'm looking forward to the Season Opener on July 3rd when Anton McKenzie and Wally Buono are back in town......

In the mean time, keep your stick on the ice and see you at the park.

Thanks for reading!

-T-

No time left for you....

So, kids ball has started for us. All I can say is.....see you in the fall. Now I know how mom and dad felt for all those years.....personally chaufuerring us kids around. Blogging and just about everthing else, has taken a back seat to Spitz, coffee (damn cold weather), mits and huddling under blankets at the ball park.

I apologize for the lack of updated hockey pool picks and for the lack of anything else that might resemble blogging. Everyone submitted their picks prior to the start of the Conference Finals but......as Burton and The Guess Who sang...... there's been No Time left for yououououou.......

The Updated Pool Standings heading into the Conference Finals are as follows:

Sheri Trapp - 10/12
Mitchell Blair - 7/12
Cory Wolfe - 7/12
Troy Souster - 7/12
Paul Pybus - 7/12
TJ Stancil - 5/12

Trapper is heading the pack and may just have an insurmountable lead. She definitely has The Tailgater swag firmly in her grips.

TJ Stancil
Detroit over Chicago
Pittsburgh over Carolina

Sheri Trapp
Chicago over Detroit
Pittsburgh over Carolina

Paul Pybus
Detroit over Chicago
Pittsburgh over Carolina

Mitchell Blair
Detroit over Chicago
Carolina over Pittsburgh

Troy Souster
Detroit over Chicago
Pittsburgh over Carolina

Cory Wolfe
Chicago over Detroit
Pittsburgh over Carolina

Enjoy the Conference Finals and see you for The Stanley Cup Final

All hail the Queen

This update should have happened a couple days ago. Unfortunately, the flu seems to be kickin my ass........and winning.

The Tailgater Hockey Pool wrapped up it's opening round of picks with the Game 7 victories by Washington and Carolina. The victory by Carolina over Jersey would have to be considered an upset. However, the way it ended would be particularily upsetting to any Devils fan. It definitely threw a wrench into the plans of a few poolsters.

The only person to pick Carolina was Sherri Trapp who went 7/8 and leads after round 1. That prompted a full fledged, trash talkin, wipe our noses in it, email from Sherri to The Tailgater. I guess the gauntlet has been thrown down.

Now for Round 2, .......must....wipe......the.......Tim Horton's........drinkin........smile......off her face. LOL.....all in good fun Trapper.

So, here are the results after the First Round:

Sherri Trapp - 7/8
Mitchell Blair - 6/8
Denny Johnson - 5/8
Cory Wolfe - 5/8
Troy Souster - 5/8
Paul Pybus - 5/8
TJ Stancil - 3/8

Since the pool is cumulative over the entire playoffs, us "guys" still have a chance to catch the leader.

Here are the picks for Round 2 as submitted to me prior to the opening game between Vancouver and Chicago.

TJ Stancil - (former Saskatchewan Roughrider)

Boston over Carolina

Pittsburgh over Washington

Detroit over Anaheim

Vancouver over Chicago

Denny Johnson

Boston over Carolina

Pittsburgh over Washington

Detroit over Anaheim

Vancouver over Chicago

Sherri Trapp - (Communications - Saskatchewan Roughriders)

Boston over Carolina

Pittsburgh over Washington

Detroit over Anaheim

Chicago over Vancouver

Paul Pybus - (part time community radio guy and all around stud)

*disclaimer* - his words, not The Tailgater's

Boston over Carolina

Pittsburgh over Washington

Detroit over Anaheim

Vancouver over Chicago

Mitchell Blair - (former broadcaster and blogger extraordinaire)

Bruins over Carolina in 6

Washington over Pittsburgh in 6

Detroit over Anaheim in 6

Vancouver over Chicago in 7

Troy Souster

Boston over Carolina

Washington over Pittsburgh

Detroit over Anaheim

Vancouver over Chicago

Cory Wolfe - (Sports Columnist - The StarPhoenix)

Boston over Carolina in 5

Pittsburgh over Washington in 7 (barring any additional name changes by Washington players)

Anaheim over Detroit in 6

Chicago over Vancouver in 6

Dan "J.A." Blahay

Boston over Carolina

Washington over Pittsburgh

Vancouver over Chicago

Anaheim over Detroit

Enjoy Round 2. And fellas, if Sherri pulls any further ahead, there won't be a Rider office doorway big enough for her to get her ego through. Time to pick it up a notch!!

Thanks for reading!

-T-

It's been awhile

I have had the best intentions to get back here and post, but....... a new addition to the household has kept us busy.......

Meet "Tonka". I had sworn after the loss of Norm, that I wouldn't travel down this road again. However, there is something comforting and reassuring for us in having another little guy around the house. It's been so long since we had a pup though, that I have forgotten everything I ever did with Norm when he was a newbie. He certainly keeps us entertained and on our toes. This should be an interesting summer.

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The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to make most "experts" eat their type written words as they have vaulted to first in the AL East early on and continue to sit atop the division after 19 games. The Jays are first or in the top 3 in most Offensive categories in the Majors. Check this out....

Runs scored - 1st

Hits - 1st

Doubles - 1st

Triples - T 13th

Homers - 2nd

RBI's - 1st

Batting Average - T 1st

Total Bases - 1st

Slugging % - 1st

Sacrifice flies - T 2nd

walks - 3rd

on base % - 3rd

Not too shabby. With the depth, or lack thereof, in the starting rotation, the Jays will have to keep pounding the rock if they hope to continue to hang with the big dawgs from Boston and New Yawk. Currently their team ERA is ranked at a very respectable 5th in the Bigs but recent injuries have forced the call up of unproven players in the pitching rotation. Namely Brian Burres and Bryan Bullington. Burres took the loss in surrendering 6 earned runs to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night. The Jays were pummeled 10-2. Brian Tallet has had a couple of quality starts while filling in for Jesse Litch. His record is 1-0 while posting an ERA of 2.95. The biggest surprise in the starting rotation has to be rookie, Ricky Romero. He has a sparkling 1.71 ERA and a 2-0 record. That impressive start was tempered a little on Thursday when Romero was placed on the 15-day DL.

The Jays have yet to play an AL East opponent. So, we shall see in the upcoming weeks if they are for real.

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In Anavet Cup play, the Humboldt Broncos remained alive on Saturday night. The Broncos went into hostile territory in Portage, Manitoba and escaped with a 4-3 OT win to even the series at 3 wins apiece. Tanner Vandesype scored a pair including the winner at 8:19 of the extra period. Game 7 is Sunday night. Sundays winner advances to the Royal Bank Cup in Victoria.

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The Notre Dame Hounds will play in Sunday's Telus Cup Championship against the Calgary Buffaloes. The Hounds defeated Rousseau Sports de Laval-Bourassa 6-4 in the Telus Cup semifinal Saturday. It'll be the Hounds first trip to the Final in 22 years.

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That's it for tonight. Gotta take the new pup out for a walk. We'll be checking in on the latest from the Dakota Dunes Idol competition in the upcoming days.

Feel free to leave me any comments or suggestions. Thanks for reading!

-T-

This is what it's ALL about

In the spring of 1999, I watched nervously as Brett Hull scored the controversial OT goal that captured the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars. Being a long time Stars fan has been tough at times. There has certainly been more valleys than peaks. They had previously lost the Finals to the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins so it was relief of sorts to finally witness a win. Too many years of watching the Edmonton Oilers win was starting to grate on me.....especially because I have so many friends in these parts that are Oiler fans.

A few weeks after the triumph over Dominik Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres, the Stanley Cup would arrive in Saskatoon with little fan fare. As luck would have it, a friend of a co-worker was good friends with Brian Skrudland. The day that Skrudland had the Stanley Cup in Saskatoon, I was lucky enough to get invited over to his house to see Stanley up close and personal. It was cool. Yes, the Dude with the white gloves in the TV commercials was the same guy accompanying Stanley on this whirl wind trip. What a gig that would be. Parties, parties and more parties. Imagine all the different celebrations that hallowed mug has seen. How about some of the names on the trophy? WOW! It was an awesome moment in time. I had THE SAME Stanley Cup (there are 2 cups) over my head that countless other greats had had. Richard, Yzerman, Gretzky, Brodeur, Roy and just a few days earlier, Mike Modano......and on and on. That moment in time was something I'll always remember and never forget.



The second season of the NHL begins tonight. I'm a western conference guy so, I'm more familiar with those teams. Having said that, my Stars were out so I had kinda lost interest in what was happening the last little bit. With my playoff interest in decline, I decided to take the challenge to a few friends and so...... The Tailgater 2009 Playoff Picks were created. There's no Maggie the Macaw (sp?) here. Although, some who know me have probably compared me to an ape of sorts.

Here are the First Round match-ups:

East
#1 Boston vs #8 Montreal
#2 Washington vs #7 New York Rangers
#3 New Jersey vs #6 Carolina
#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Philadelphia

West
#1 San Jose vs #8 Anaheim
#2 Detroit vs #7 Columbus
#3 Vancouver vs #6 St. Louis
#4 Chicago vs #5 Calgary

It may all be in fun but you better believe it's about bragging rights as well. Here are the guest picks and let the trash talking commence.......

TJ Stancil (former Saskatchewan Roughrider)
East
Boston
New York Rangers
New Jersey
Philadelphia (gotta go with the Home team)

West
San Jose
Detroit
Vancouver
Calgary

Denny Johnson
East
Boston
Washington
New Jersey
Pittsburgh

West
San Jose
Detroit
Vancouver
Calgary

Sherri Trapp (Communications - Saskatchewan Roughriders)
East
Boston
Washington
Pittsburgh
Carolina

West
San Jose
Detroit
Vancouver
Chicago (which kills me as a Flames Fan)

Paul Pybus
East
Boston
Washington
New Jersey
Philadelphia

West
San Jose
Detroit
Vancouver
Chicago

Mitchell Blair (former broadcaster and blogger extraordinaire)
East
Boston in 5
Washington in 6
New Jersey wins in 6
Flyers in 7

West
The Ducks upset San Jose in 6
Detroit in 5
Vancouver in 5
Chicago in 6

Troy Souster
East
Boston
Washington
New Jersey
Philadelphia

West
San Jose
Detroit
Vancouver
Chicago

Cory Wolfe (Columnist - The StarPhoenix)
East
Boston in 7
Philly in 6
Jersey in 5
Washington in 5

West
San Jose in 7
Chicago in 6
Vancouver in 5
Detroit in 5

The Tailgater would like to thank all our special guests for participating. Enjoy!!

Saskatoon Shines - The results are in......

Recently, The Tailgater put out a survey with 40 questions about Saskatoon's favorite restaurants, taverns and leisure pursuits. After delving into the returned surveys, the votes have been tallied. There were some unanimous results and some surprises. Check it out....


1) Best Fine Dining Restaurant - John's Prime Rib
2) Best Family Friendly Restaurant - Grainfield's
3) Best Burger Joint - Fuddruckers
4) Best Fast Food - A&W (apparently price was not a consideration)
5) Best Sub Shop - Subway
6) Best Steak House - The Keg

***Honorable Mention goes to The Victorian Restaurant - It may not be well known as a steakhouse, but, my wife and I dined out there recently and I had arguably THE BEST steak I'VE EVER eaten.***

7) Best International Cuisine - Several restaurants were mentioned such as EE Burritos, Vietnamese Diner, La Bamba Cafe, O'Shea's and Genesis to name a few. My tie breaker vote goes to Touch of India.
8) Best Desserts - Moxies
9) Best Ice Cream Stand - Homestead
10) Best Wings - (tie) Fox & Hounds, The Shark Club
11) Best Nachos - Fox & Hounds
12) Best Coffee House - Starbucks
13) Best Club - Jax
14) Best Lounge - Winston's
15) Best Sports Bar - Sports on Tap
16) Best Brew Pub - Maguires
17) Best Movie Theater - The Galaxy
18) Best Cultural Events Center - Persephone Theatre
19) Best Shopping Mall - Midtown Plaza
20) Best Shopping District - Preston Crossing

***Honorable Mention to the Broadway District for it's cool atmosphere during the summertime festival season***

21) Best Movie & Game Rental Outlet - Rogers
22) Best Men's Clothing Store - Anthony's Fashions for Men
23) Best Women's Clothing Store - American Eagle
***curiously, there were no votes for La Senza***
24) Best Children's Wear Store - (tie) The Children's Place, Old Navy
25) Best Kids Birthday Party Center - Ruckers
26) Favorite Festival (summer) - Taste of Saskatchewan
27) Favorite Festival (winter) - Ice carving at The Bess
28) Best Book Store - McNally Robinson
29) Best Outdoor Activity Center (trails, parks) - Meewasin Trails
30) Best Park - Kinsmen Park
31) Best Golf Course - Dakota Dunes
32) Best Outdoor Pool - Riversdale
33) Best Indoor Pool - Harry Bailey
34) Best Leisure Facility - Lawson Civic Center
35) Best Home Building Center - Rona, Co-op Home Center and Home Depot
36) Best Home Decorating Store - Charter House

***Will IKEA ever come to Saskatchewan?***

37) Best Greenhouse - (tie) Clements and Wilsons
38) Best Flower Shop - Nosegay
39) Best Saskatoon Hotel for a Weekend Get Away - (tie) The Bessborough, The Sheraton
40) Best Saskatoon Hotel for a Weekend Family Get Away - Travelodge

DeLaet Moving up in the World

In one of the first blog posts on The Tailgater, I mentioned the fact that Graham De Laet was moving towards a career on the PGA. After a successful start to the 2009 season, it was recently announced that Graham had moved up in the World Golf rankings and also moved up to third in Canada behind Mike Weir and Stephen Ames.

So, it was nice to see an article on Graham in today's Star Phoenix Sports page. You can read here.....

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Sports/DeLaet+movin/1471920/story.html