GA Russell

Montreal Alouettes 41....Hamilton Tiger-Cats 38 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.../AJN4260832.htm The Als clinched first place last week, so they have nothing to play for for the rest of the regular season. It's difficult to get too interested in games like this at the end of the season because you don't know how hard a team is trying to win. So I didn't bother to tune in until the end of the second quarter. Due to his good play last week, Kevin Glenn got the start and had a good game. Anthony Calvillo started for the Als, but gave way early in the third quarter to Adrian McPherson. It was a good game, but as I say, you don't know how hard the Als were trying. ***** British Columbia Lions 24....Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21 http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=s...aspx?id=4260851 Michael Bishop looked good in the first quarter, and thanks to three turnovers the Bombers took a 14-0 lead. But Bishop threw interceptions the rest of the game, and the Lions were able to pull it out. Buck Pierce injured his shoulder in the first quarter and was out for the game. Jarious Jackson was already on the injured list, so that took the Lions down to 3rd stringer Travis Lulay. (Where was Casey Printers?, you might ask, as might I.) Lulay did a surprisingly good job. Bombers punter Renaud was injured last week, so they had Alexis Serna do both the placekicking and the punting. Perhaps as a result, he missed two FGs. ***** I have been paying attention to the CFL on a weekly basis since 1975, and I don't think that I have ever seen the standings this close. After 15 games, the Als have clinched first place and the Argos have been eliminated from playoff contention. Saskatchewan, Calgary and BC have 8 wins, Edmonton has 7 wins, and Hamilton and Winnipeg have 6 wins. ***** This is true: Because of Serna's problems this week, the Bombers have brought back Troy Westwood despite the bridges he burned when he left the club. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/foot...article1329550/ http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...473256-sun.html ***** It looks like Casey Printers is going to start this week against the Riders. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/prin...article1333057/ ***** Gregg Xenakes Week 17 preview http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=s...aspx?id=4261367

I'm ready for bed. I'm listening to Coltrane's Side Steps on lala, and I'm just waiting for the disc to end.

Lala: Kenny Rankin - Silver Morning John Coltrane - Side Steps, disc 1

Lala added six Kenny Rankin albums today.

The new Egberto Gismonti album called Saudacoes can now be heard at lala.com here: http://www.lala.com/#album/432627039264013...a%C3%A7%C3%B5es It's very rare that I hear an ECM track on Sirius/XM, and I'm guessing that ECM is putting its new releases onto lala promptly because they're not getting much airplay. But that's just a guess. Thanks be for lala, I say.

I love to see all the teams wear their throwback uniforms. Especially the Patriots because I hate their blue uniforms. Let me say, if anybody cares, that as far as I've seen, the other AFL teams are wearing 1960 uniforms, but the Patriots are wearing 1962 uniforms. In 1960 the jersey was solid red. In 1961 they added the UCLA stripes, two whites surrounding a blue. In 1962 they changed the stripes to make it two blues surrounding a white.

While we're talking about wrestling, I have a wrestling story for you. In 1985 there was a young lady at work (named Theda) who was a wrestling fan. That year I went to the Grey Cup and met Angelo Mosca. I had his bubble gum card in 1959 when he was a defensive tackle for the Ticats. I'm pretty sure that he is now in the Canadian league Hall of Fame. After he retired from football, he spent many years wrestling. I believe that in Canada he was a good guy, but I'm sure that in the US he was a bad guy. In the US he dropped the "Angelo", and just went by "Mosca". So I asked for his autograph made out to Theda, and I told him that Theda had never heard of "Angelo Mosca", but I'm sure that she is very familiar with "Mosca". So he made it out something like "To Theda, Best wishes, Mosca". So I brought back my little present to her, and being the true wrestling fan that she was, she was really put off by it! She just couldn't believe that a bad guy would be the kind of person whose autograph you would want!

How 'bout dem Saints! Yeah, you right!

16-0? You mean 18-1?

I have two Lou Albano stories, if you will. 1) About the time that the Lauper video was out and wrestling enjoyed a comeback, I saw Albano on Nightline with Ted Koppel and some college professor. It was supposed to be an intelligent discussion about pro wrestling, but every once in a while Albano would slip into character and start ranting. The other two would just smile, and the college professor said, "He's doing it again!" 2) About ten years ago Albano was the credited author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pro Wrestling, which I read. The book was quite informative about its history, which was that it arose from six-hour long wrestling matches staged at carnivals.

I don't think that the Steelers are very good this year.

Happy Birthday 2009 Chris!

Saskatchewan Roughriders 44....Calgary Stampeders 44 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/foot...article1328176/ The two teams tied for first place in the West played to a tie. I was unable to listen to the second and third quarters, but did hear the Sask broadcast at home and the Calgary broadcast in the car on Sirius. Both sets of announcers were talking about what a great game it was. The score was tied at 30 at the end of regulation. It looked like the Riders were going to win it in the first overtime when the ref made a very questionable call that gave the Stampeders a first down and new life.

Edmonton Eskimos 22....Toronto Argonauts 19 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/foot...article1327708/ The loss eliminated the Argos from playoff contention. We're talking about two bad ballclubs here. The Eskimos won because they scored two TDs on big plays. The Argos had the better of them on the stats. That's not to say that the Argos looked good! The win keeps the Eskimos in contention not only for the crossover playoff spot but also for a Western spot. Sask and Calgary have 8 wins, and BC and now Edmonton have 7 wins. PS - Late in the fourth quarter the Argos got their first TD pass in seven games!

Congratulations to both you and "Ophelia" Jim! When there is a birth in my family, I always recommend that the parents buy copies of newspapers of both the date of birth and also the following day. The following day's issue tells what happened on the day of birth, and years from now I'm sure the baby will enjoy seeing it.

Happy Birthday 2009 HG!

Rumor has it that Lions owner David Braley wants to buy the Argos. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Tor...404406-sun.html ***** David Naylor Week 17 preview http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/week...article1324189/

Happy Birthday 2009 Bluerein!

Weston Dressler's father told the press that he had not only a sprained ankle but also a broken leg. His loss would be big for the Riders. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Sas...1378386-ap.html ***** Two games from Monday, Thanksgiving Day: Montreal Alouettes 32....Calgary Stampeders 11 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.../AJN4259747.htm The Edmonton Eskimos set the record with a 16-2 mark in 1989, and people are thinking now that the Als can match it this year. The Stamps were in first place in the West, and they were never in the game. Another bad showing by Henry Burris. The Stamps let backup QB Drew Tate play in the fourth quarter. I think that's the first action he's seen all year. ***** Winnipeg Blue Bombers 38....Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.../AJN4259758.htm The two teams are now tied at 6-8, as are the Eskimos. The Bombers are on a three-game winning streak, while the Ticats and Eskimos continue to lose. With three minutes to go in the third quarter, the score was 31-0, and the Ticat fans were leaving Ivor Wynne. But the Ticats with Kevin Glenn in the game started to play well, and sort of put a scare into the Bombers. Remember twenty years ago when the league broadcast a game each week? It was called the CFN - the Canadian Football Network. ESPN carried those games each week. The announcers were Bob Irving and Neil Lumsden. Well they were reunited for one game on the Bombers radio broadcast. It was a lot of fun listening to them again. When the score was 31-0, they said that the game was the Ticat fans' second turkey of the day! ***** The Argos' owners are looking to sell the team. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/for-...article1322625/ ***** The Argos will play a regular season game in Moncton next year. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/argo...article1323867/ ***** Gregg Xenakes Week 17 preview http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=s...aspx?id=4260067

Happy Birthday John! Have you been to an Argos game yet this year?

Lala: Red Garland Quintet w/ Coltrane - Dig It!

I can tell you a little bit about the new Keith Jarrett solo concert album. From the cover it looks like it is called Paris/London - Testament. But the text calls it Testament - Paris/London. The Paris concert was at the Salle Pleyel November 26, 2008. The London concert was at the Royal Festival Hall December 1, 2008. Like The Koln Concert, both concerts consisted of Jarrett improvising alone with no preconceived plans regarding what he would play. The package is three CDs. The 1:09 Paris concert is on the first CD. The 1:33 London concert is divided between discs 2 and 3. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but you can now hear it at lala.com here: http://www.lala.com/#album/432627041169188...don_(Testament)

I liked Denver's uniform when I was a kid. I saw them occasionally on TV. Our TV was b/w throughout the 60s, but I knew the colors from the bubble gum cards. In addition, the Broncos wore dark pants with light jerseys which was rare in the 60s. The socks were disliked by the players. The vertical stripes were the idea of the owner Bob Howsam who later made a name for himself in baseball. The Denver fans either strongly liked or disliked the socks, and Howsam figured that anything that got people talking about the team was a good thing. By the way, Denver was the only AFL team to never sign its first round draft pick until the two drafts were merged. 2009 being the 50th season of the original 8 AFL teams, the NFL is engaging in a special promotion for those 8 teams. That includes wearing the throwback uniforms for a number of games. I went to the Patriots' website last night, and found that they are selling a cap with the Pat the Patriot logo with the word "Boston" above it. I think I'll get it.

Thanks Jazzjet! I had four: Mike Westbrook - Marching Song Mike Westbrook - Love Songs Elton Dean John Stevens - Chemistry

Saskatchewan Roughriders 32....Toronto Argonauts 22 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.../AJN4259425.htm Run of the mill game. The Riders led throughout. It looked like it was probably over at halftime, but the Argos didn't give up in the second half. Kerry Joseph was out for a while, and Cody Pickett looked good in relief. Jamie Boreham injured his neck last week, and it now looks like he may be out for the season. Weston Dressler sprained his ankle very badly while making a great catch tonight, so he is expected to miss next week's game.