GA Russell

Mick Abrahams has died at 82. RIP. Jethro Tull founding member dies aged 82

Merry Christmas everyone! 5 "gifts" of 2025 https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/22/mmqb-5-gifts-teams-received-in-2025/ ***** With Ryan Dinwiddie becoming the new Redblacks coach, Tommy Condell has agreed to join the Bombers as their OC. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/22/blue-bombers-announce-coaching-staff-changes-for-2026/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/blue-bombers-announce-changes-to-coaching-staff-as-condell-named-new-oc/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/22/winnipeg-blue-bombers-hire-tommy-condell-as-offensive-coordinator-jake-thomas-as-defensive-line-coach/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/major-moves-made-by-bombers-in-coaching-staff/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/blue-bombers-veteran-thomas-trades-cleats-for-clipboard-in-new-coaching-role/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/18/winnipeg-blue-bombers-expected-to-hire-tommy-condell-as-offensive-coordinator/ ***** Suggestions for 2026 https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/23/one-item-on-every-teams-to-do-list-for-2026/ ***** Time flies. Since leaving the Ticats, Greg Marshall has spent the past 18 years coaching at Western. He is now retiring. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/20/retiring-western-mustangs-head-coach-greg-marshall-still-optimistic-about-canadian-university-sport-despite-financial-challenges/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-december-21-2025/

Disc One

The comic strips from March 3, 2014, to September 6, 2015.

Lots of videos! Play of the Year? https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/20/the-weekly-say-whats-the-play-of-the-2025-cfl-season/ ***** Top 10 Special Teams Plays https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/16/top-10-special-teams-plays-of-2025/ ***** Best Hurdles https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/17/our-favourite-hurdles-from-2025/ ***** Top 5 Edmonton Plays https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/16/top-5-edmonton-elks-plays-from-2025/ ***** Top 5 Hamilton Plays https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/19/top-5-hamilton-tiger-cats-plays-from-2025/ ***** 5 Top Canadian Rookies https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/16/5-standout-canadian-rookies-from-2025/ ***** Eastern Recaps https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/19/recapping-every-east-division-teams-2025-season/ ***** Western Recaps https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/17/recapping-every-west-division-teams-2025-season/ ***** 5 Free Agents with Career-Best Seasons https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/17/5-pending-free-agents-who-had-career-best-seasons/ ***** Darnell Sankey, a favorite of mine, has signed with BC. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/19/lions-sign-linebacker-darnell-sankey/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/sankey-joining-lions-on-one-year-deal/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/19/b-c-lions-sign-three-time-cfl-all-star-lb-darnell-sankey/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/bc-lions-sign-hard-hitting-linebacker-darnell-sankey/ ***** Two former Eskimos board presidents, Don Carlson and Gary Campbell, have passed away. RIP. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/16/edmonton-elks-mourn-deaths-for-former-board-presidents-don-carlson-gary-campbell/ ***** Brock Sunderland has joined the Ticats as their Senior Director of Player Personnel. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/17/hamilton-tiger-cats-hire-brock-sunderland-from-winnipeg-blue-bombers/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/hamilton-tiger-cats/tiger-cats-hire-sunderland-to-reforge-the-roster/ ***** Sask commentary and analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/roughriders-gifts-we-want-under-our-christmas-trees/ https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/piffles-top-5-burning-offseason-questions-for-the-saskatchewan-roughriders/

This is the classic Charles Brown King album Sings Christmas Songs, with an additional four Bill Doggett Christmas tracks.

Now the Chiefs are thinking about moving over the line to Kansas. As Chiefs talks ramp up in Kansas, Missouri officials rush to respond

Disc 3 (1967-1982) -

The Bears want a new stadium, and they are considering Indiana. The Chicago Bears playing in Indiana? Team says it's expanding search for new stadium site beyond Illinois

4 comeback players https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/15/mmqb-4-players-who-keep-finding-new-heights/ ***** When Cameron Dukes started for the Argos, he received death threats. And I thought that nobody cared about the Argos! https://3downnation.com/2025/12/14/cameron-dukes-claims-he-received-death-threats-as-toronto-argonauts-starting-qb/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-december-14-2025/ ***** This thread's view count currently stands at 516,900. That is a 9,800 increase since Nov. 24 (466 per day).

But everyone prefers a professionally made CD to a homemade CDr, right? Yes, you can put your download onto a portable hard drive, and then burn it whenever necessary; but I am not referring to people who would do that sort of thing. I am thinking of the typical adult who bought LPs before 1990 and CDs after. He has stopped buying CDs. And apparently (I'm guessing) he stopped buying CDs about the time that the BMG Record Club went out of business.

I don't think it's a surprise that teens and recent teens prefer the new way of doing things. What surprises me is that adults have abandoned the CD. A very important aspect of owning physical media (books, CDs and DVDs) to me is that they go out of print. The fact that an album is available for streaming today does not ensure that it will be available tomorrow. Owning the physical media allows you to know that it will be there when you want to enjoy it.

About 1969 I read in Down Beat one of their writers (probably a columnist) refer to an incident, but he did not name names. A musician (I think a sax player) was mad at his employer, and intended to quit. So for his last performance, every note of every solo was the same note. One note for an entire set. Instead of ruining the performance as he expected, the crowd loved it and went wild. Does anybody know who the employee and employer were, and anything else about that anecdote?

schedule analysis https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/12/5-rivalry-games-to-circle-on-your-calendar-in-2026/ ***** Hall of Famer Larry Reda has died at 94. RIP. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/12/canadian-football-hall-of-fame-builder-larry-reda-passes-away-at-94/ ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

more schedule analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/10/5-juicy-rematches-from-2025-in-2026/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/10/landrys-takeaways-from-the-2026-cfl-schedule-release/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/11/the-weekly-say-moments-to-look-forward-to-on-the-2026-cfl-schedule/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/10/2026-cfl-schedule-does-calgary-stampeders-no-favours/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/hamilton-tiger-cats/unveiling-the-hamilton-tiger-cats-2026-schedule/ ***** Free Agent analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/11/top-10-pending-free-agent-defenders/ https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/1-pending-free-agent-from-every-team-the-riders-should-be-looking-at/

Episode 51 https://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/straight-life-episode-51

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The league released the 2026 schedule today. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/09/cfl-announces-2026-season-schedule/ https://www.cfl.ca/schedule/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/cfl-releases-2026-schedule-with-kickoff-set-for-june-4/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/the-full-2026-cfl-schedule/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/2026-cfl-season-opens-thursday-june-4-in-hamilton-concludes-with-113th-grey-cup-in-calgary/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/09/5-must-watch-cfl-games-in-2026/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/eight-takeaways-from-the-2026-cfl-schedule/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/circle-the-date-2026-cfl-season-opens-june-4/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/winnipeg-blue-bombers-mercilessly-roast-cfl-opponents-in-schedule-release-video-game/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/ranking-every-cfl-teams-2026-schedule-reveal/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/sellout-city-winnipeg-blue-bombers-2026-cfl-schedule/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/09/road-to-repeat-saskatchewan-roughriders-2026-cfl-schedule/ ***** Florida A&M has named Henry Burris as its acting Head Coach. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/08/cfl-legend-henry-burris-named-acting-head-coach-at-florida-am-university/ ***** 2025 Grey Cup Final metrics https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/cfl-the-numbers-are-in-112th-grey-cup-caps-successful-2025-season/

Top 10 Interceptions https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/08/top-10-interceptions-of-2025/ ***** Free Agent analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/08/mmqb-4-impactful-free-agency-extensions-so-far/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/08/9-top-canadian-pending-free-agents/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/08/10-players-missing-from-the-top-30-pending-free-agents-list/ ***** Jim Barker's title will be Director of Player Personnel. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/08/argos-bring-back-jim-barker-as-director-player-personnel/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/barker-back-with-argos-this-time-as-director-of-player-personnel/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/08/official-toronto-argonauts-hire-jim-barker-as-director-of-player-personnel/ ***** The rapper Drake, who is from Toronto, was seen out in public wearing an Argos jersey. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/06/canadian-rap-icon-drake-caught-on-video-rocking-vintage-toronto-argonauts-jersey/ ***** Stewart Johnson said that the Ticats are losing money, but an investor in the McLaren racing team has purchased a piece. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/08/angelo-paletta-joins-hamilton-sports-group-as-minority-owner/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-december-7-2025/