GA Russell

Combine stories https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/17/5-players-that-raised-their-draft-stock-at-cfl-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/17/3-reasons-why-cfl-combine-interviews-matter-more-than-the-numbers/ ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Tom Brown has died at 89. RIP. I had his bubble gum card in 1964, and had the pleasure of chatting with him at his 1984 Hall of Fame induction. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/16/b-c-lions-mourn-hall-of-fame-inductee-three-time-all-cfl-selection-tom-brown/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/lions-say-canadian-football-hall-of-famer-tom-brown-has-died-at-age-89/ ***** Eastern analysis https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/16/mmqb-one-key-off-season-decision-for-every-east-division-team/ ***** Combine analysis https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/16/9-interesting-facts-about-cfl-combine-participants/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-march-15-2026/

short story collection

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** Winnipeg QB analysis https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/winnipeg-blue-bombers-quarterback-woes-grows/

Break a leg, Michael!

As noted above, last month I read The Count of 9. The detective in that one said that you should start with the last person to see the victim alive. I thought of that with eight chapters to go in this one, and I guessed right! As I was reading this, I couldn't help but think that Myrna Loy was the perfect choice for the movie. (I also thought that Sidney Greenstreet was the perfect choice for the film of another Hammett story, The Maltese Falcon.) PS - I believe that this was the first mystery story to include comic elements.

5 Top DBs https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/13/5-defensive-backs-who-shut-down-passing-lanes-in-2025/ ***** Combine analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/13/6-ncaa-prospects-to-watch-at-the-2026-cfl-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/13/7-traits-scouts-look-for-in-cfl-combine-prospects/ ***** Ratio analysis https://cflnewshub.com/extra/the-ratio-game-how-the-canadian-content-rule-shapes-every-cfl-roster-decision/

The Braves are putting their games on the internet. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/atlanta-braves-release-details-for-bravesvision/ar-AA1YqBFe

One underrated player per team https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/12/1-underrated-player-from-every-cfl-team-to-watch-in-2026/ ***** Combine analysis https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/12/1-position-group-to-watch-for-every-team-at-cfl-combine/ ***** The legislature will allow the Riders to have tailgating this year. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/12/saskatchewan-roughriders-tailgating-law-passes-final-vote-given-royal-assent/

Combine analyses https://www.cfl.ca/combine/cfl-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/10/university-of-ottawa-university-of-calgary-top-all-schools-at-2026-cfl-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/10/3-cfl-combine-testing-numbers-that-turned-into-on-field-impact/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/11/5-cfl-combine-records-that-jump-out-of-the-page/ ***** Bralon Addison, a favorite of mine, has retired as a Redblack. https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/11/bralon-addison-signs-one-day-contract-to-retire-with-redblacks/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/addison-signs-one-day-deal-to-retire-with-redblacks/ https://3downnation.com/2026/03/10/former-redblacks-ticats-receiver-bralon-addison-retires-from-cfl/ ***** 7 probably unbreakable records https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/11/7-cfl-records-that-may-be-untouchable/ ***** Hamilton analysis https://3downnation.com/2026/03/10/breaking-down-the-hamilton-tiger-cats-depth-chart-after-2026-cfl-free-agency/

Mark Lindsay - 1942

Western analysis https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/09/mmqb-one-key-off-season-decision-for-every-west-division-team/ ***** Top 5 pass rushers https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/09/5-pass-rushers-who-made-quarterbacks-sweat-in-2025/ ***** Montreal analysis https://3downnation.com/2026/03/09/breaking-down-the-montreal-alouettes-depth-chart-after-2026-cfl-free-agency/ ***** Rules Changes summary https://cflnewshub.com/extra/recent-changes-to-canadian-football/

Toronto analysis https://3downnation.com/2026/03/08/breaking-down-the-toronto-argonauts-depth-chart-after-2026-cfl-free-agency/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-march-8-2026/

Country Joe McDonald has died at 84. RIP. I saw him with the Fish in Baltimore in Jan., 1969. Musical Icon Country Joe McDonald Is Dead at 84   March 8, 2026 Joseph McDonald aka Country Joe McDonald, a musical icon of the Woodstock generation and a longtime supporter of veterans’ rights, died Saturday, March 7 in Berkeley, California. He was 84. His death was announced by his wife, Kathy McDonald. He died after a recent decline due to Parkinson’s disease. The family requests that donations be made in his memory to Swords to Ploughshares or the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Kathy McDonald; children Seven McDonald, Devin McDonald, Tara Taylor McDonald, Emily McDonald Primus, and Ryan McDonald; and his adored grandchildren, Celia, Reuben, Kepler, and Marcus. No public memorial is planned at this time. Best Classic Bands obituary by Greg Brodsky here.    Country Joe McDonald Website  

Ted Rosenthal Caps His 4-Part Piano Trio Cycle With "The Good Old Days," Set for May 1 Release On TMR Music Pianist Highlights Prewar Jazz Stylings in Trios with Bassists Noriko Ueda / Martin Wind & Drummers Tim Horner / Quincy Davis, Plus Special Guest Ken Peplowski   March 6, 2026 Ted Rosenthal offers up yet another side of his rich, expansive approach to the jazz piano with the May 1 CD release of The Good Old Days (TMR Music). The capstone of Rosenthal’s monumental tetralogy Trios in 4 Acts, it finds him leading his two longtime trios in putting a contemporary twist on early jazz styles. The album also features joyful cameos on two tracks by the late, great clarinetist Ken Peplowski. Recorded in summer 2024, the Trios in 4 Acts series allowed Rosenthal to offer multiple moods, tempos, and conceptual through-lines to the listener, all filtered through his beloved piano-trio format. “I believe a good, well thought out program, often with a theme, adds so much for the listener,” the pianist notes. Each entry in the tetralogy—which also includes 2025’s High Standards, The Ted Rosenthal Songbook, and Classics Reimagined: Impromp2—also happens to provide a unique insight on Rosenthal’s own artistry. In the case of The Good Old Days, it’s his deep knowledge of the music’s history and nuances. That understanding allows Rosenthal to, for example, present his original ragtime composition “Schmatta Rag,” here done with both stride-piano panache and a nod to New Orleans blues, as well as to put his own zesty spin on Scott Joplin’s tentpole “Maple Leaf Rag.” Another original, the swinger “Back Home in Okayama,” offers the brand of breezy escapism and Tin-Pan-Alley lyricism that marked jazz in those pre-World War II days—which, as Rosenthal slyly reminds us with a quote of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” in his “Back Home in Okayama,” informs the music that’s come after. Elsewhere are lively and personal renditions of pieces by Cole Porter (“From This Moment On”), Hoagy Carmichael (“Two Sleepy People”), and Vernon Duke (“Autumn in New York”), all given renewed life and energy thanks to Rosenthal and his trio’s fresh perspectives. While Peplowski was renowned for his expertise in pre-bop repertoire, here he brings his timeless feeling and verve to two vibrant Rosenthal originals, the calypso-flavored “Sunny Side Up” and the Charleston-accented “Hot Sauce.” Importantly, The Good Old Days is neither a nostalgia fling nor a history lesson. It demonstrates Rosenthal’s full immersion in the jazz tradition, but it’s less a throwback to a bygone era than a reminder of how vital and inspiring that classic music remains in Rosenthal’s hands. Ted Rosenthal was born in 1959, in Great Neck, Long Island, New York. He first tried his hand at piano at age six, then pursued guitar and trumpet before coming back to the keys at 12 when he began lessons with journeyman pianist Tony Aless. From there, he moved on to such illustrious mentors as Lennie Tristano, Jaki Byard, and Billy Taylor before going on to earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Manhattan School of Music. Rosenthal made his name in the wider jazz world in 1988, when he won the second annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. This led to his first recording as a leader, New Tunes, New Traditions, featuring Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. Shortly afterward, Rosenthal joined saxophone great Gerry Mulligan for his last quartet (and served as musical director of the Gerry Mulligan All-Star Tribute Band after Mulligan’s 1996 passing). In the meantime, Rosenthal was freelancing as a sideman with several jazz greats—Art Farmer, Jon Faddis, Phil Woods, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among others—and has performed with many top vocalists including Kurt Elling and Ann Hampton Callaway. He is currently on the faculties at both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. Rosenthal has also built up a fearsome body of his own work, recording more than a dozen follow-up jazz recordings after his debut, including the chart-topping Rhapsody in Gershwin, the critically acclaimed Images of Monk, and an album in the prestigious “Live at Maybeck Hall” solo piano series. The first release in his Trios in 4 Acts series, High Standards, has been on the JazzWeek radio charts for 15 consecutive weeks. He’s also done considerable work in bringing together the classical and jazz traditions, having composed a jazz opera (“Dear Erich”), two jazz piano concertos, and ballet music. He fused his classical flair with jazz on Classics Reimagined: Impromp2, the third installment of his recording series, Trios in 4 Acts, and included music from “Dear Erich” on the second, The Ted Rosenthal Songbook. Encompassing the breadth of jazz history, The Good Old Days is the ambitious tetralogy’s capstone. Upcoming performances include: 3/12-22 Jazzfest at Sea; 4/12-21 Tour of Germany; 4/24-26 Shablul Jazz Club, Tel Aviv; 5/1 Side Door, Old Lyme, CT; 5/8-9 Mezzrow, NYC (6:00 & 7:30pm); 5/22-23 Jazz Forum, Tarrytown, NY (Quartet featuring Terell Stafford; 7:00 & 9:30pm); 6/4-6 Vic’s Supper Club, Las Vegas; 7/26 Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA (100 Years of Miles and Coltrane w/ Ingrid Jensen, Jimmy Greene, Noriko Ueda, Dennis Mackrel). Spotify links to the first 3 albums in Trios in 4 Acts: High Standards The Ted Rosenthal Songbook Classics Reimagined: Impromp2 Photography: Matt Baker    Ted Rosenthal EPK  Ted Rosenthal Website  

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The Riders are auditioning for the next Gainer the Gopher. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/05/saskatchewan-roughriders-auditioning-the-next-gainer-the-gopher/ ***** Combine analysis https://3downnation.com/2026/03/05/eight-defensive-players-to-watch-at-the-2026-cfl-invitational-combine/ ***** ***** ***** *****

Bruce Johnston, who is now 81, is retiring from touring, and will focus his energies on songwriting. '60s rock legend announces departure from tour after 61 years

Sean Thomas Erlington has retired. https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/04/running-back-sean-thomas-erlington-announces-retirement/ https://3downnation.com/2026/03/04/sean-thomas-erlington-retires-after-eight-cfl-seasons/ ***** Lorenzo Mauldin has retired. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/04/cfl-award-winner-lorenzo-mauldin-iv-announces-retirement-after-joining-ufl/ ***** Combine analyses https://www.cfl.ca/combine/2026-cfl-invitational-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/04/5-players-to-watch-at-the-invitational-combine-2/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/a-position-by-position-preview-of-the-cfl-invitational-combine/ https://3downnation.com/2026/03/04/eight-offensive-players-to-watch-at-the-2026-cfl-invitational-combine/

I think there are two distinct concepts - the music and the perception. I think of Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock to be the first rock 'n' roll record because it combined jump blues with country. Maybelline did as well. And Bill Haley's was the first the American public became aware of. And promptly after came Elvis with his country style of singing black music. However, Alan Fried coined the term "rock 'n' roll", and he did it playing the r&b and doo wop of the day. PS - If we consider only the music, I would go back to Louis Jordan's Saturday Night Fish Fry for the first hit. It had the beat, and he sang, "Rock! Rock! Rock!"

These are US stats. *****

Power Rankings https://www.cfl.ca/2026/03/03/everything-wrong-with-the-way-too-early-power-rankings/ ***** Bart Andrus will coach in Europe this year. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/03/former-cfl-head-coach-bart-andrus-hired-by-firenze-red-lions/ ***** Randy Ambrosie has a new job. https://3downnation.com/2026/03/03/former-cfl-commissioner-randy-ambrosie-hired-by-siksika-nation/ ***** Ottawa analysis https://3downnation.com/2026/03/03/breaking-down-the-ottawa-redblacks-depth-chart-after-2026-cfl-free-agency/ ***** This thread's view count stands at 546,100; an increase of 7,700 since Feb. 6 (321 per day).

Thanks, Kevin. I wonder if I am the only one with a problem on the days I have the problem.

Strips from 2016. Rat runs for President.