Showing posts with label "Wayne's World". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Wayne's World". Show all posts

Monday, 4 September 2017

Roughriders’ Carter has right to be upset at alleged incident

This photo of Duron Carter led to uncovering an alleged incident.
    I never expected posting a harmless photo on social media would uncover a disappointing alleged incident.
    Following the Saskatchewan Roughriders 38-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, I posted a photo of Roughriders receiver Duron Carter giving high-fives to fans of the host side during the pre-game introduction of the team.
    Since joining the Roughriders, Carter has been tremendous in interacting with Rider Nation, and that photo of him meeting the faithful along the bottom row of the Pil Country section was a great representation of that.
    What I didn’t clue into was the fact something ran afoul, when I was at that contest as a ticket buyer. During my drive from Regina back to Saskatoon on Monday, I received a couple of messages that my picture of Carter was going viral.
    Upon arriving in Saskatoon, I found Carter’s Twitter post alleging a Bombers fan spat on him and that my photo was taken before that alleged incident happened.


    He wrote that Bombers fans were the “Worst fans in the league.”
    At that point, I wanted to check my photos immediately after the one I posted of Carter and the Roughriders fans. Thinking back, I remembered fullback Spencer Moore followed Carter to start high-fiving fans too, and I tried to get photos of Moore as well.
    I remember seeing Carter peel back to the Roughriders bench looking upset. I found a shot later on in my sequence further down the row of a small group of Winnipeg fans mixed in with the Roughriders supporters.
    I tweeted to Carter asking if those Bombers fans in the picture were the problem ones. He replied by identifying the alleged spitter as the fan with blue and gold face paint.


    On top of that, I found another post of a picture of a Winnipeg fan trying to rip the head off of Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher.
    CBC reporter Alicia Bridges contacted Regina Police, and they said they were aware of an incident between a fan and the mascot. The Police said there were no formal complaints and no criminal investigation into either claim.
    On Twitter, fans responded with most expressing sympathy for Carter, and some apologized on behalf of Bombers fans. There were fans that sent chirps Carter’s way too, but those were in the minority.
    I am pretty certain something happened to upset Carter, and due to the fact the alleged incident happened pre-game, there is a likelihood it was on the unprovoked side. When Carter scored a touchdown in the south end zone in front of Pil Country in the second quarter, he did taunt the Winnipeg fans in that section likely due to what happened pre-game.
Duron Carter, left, does a TD celebration on Sunday.
    The 26-year-old had an outstanding game hauling in 10 passes for 101 yards.
    At this point, I believe Carter’s claims of the alleged incident. How it plays out for the rest of the week remains to be seen.
    I suspect the incident will come up during media interviews on Tuesday.
    Overall no matter what walk of life you are in, you morally can’t spit on a person. It is just wrong, and it crosses all sorts of lines. Carter has every right to be upset over what happened.
    On the Winnipeg side, the actions of a couple of people don’t reflect the entire fanbase.
    Back in the day, the Bombers had their section of rowdies that inhabited the east side of their former home in the now demolished Winnipeg Stadium. There were a lot of times you didn’t want to sit on the east side of Winnipeg Stadium, if you were a fan of a Bombers opponent due to fears that you might be harmed.
    In today’s day, the large majority of Bombers fans, especially the one that travel to Regina for the Labour Day Classic, are good. At this year’s Labour Day Classic, I spent an hour pre-game hanging out with Winnipeg fans at “Wayne’s World,” which is the party spot for Bombers fans located across the street from Taylor Field, which is the Roughriders old stadium.
    All my interactions with Winnipeg fans were good ones, and just over a year ago, I wrote a column about how Winnipeg fans add to the atmosphere of the Labour Day Classic in a good way.
    With that said, every sports team has bad apple fans, and Carter wrote in another tweet he wouldn’t condone terrible “fansmanship” for any team.

    At the moment, I believe it is too early to determine what affect it will have on the next encounter between the Roughriders and Bombers, when the Bombers host “the Banjo Bowl” at 1 p.m. Winnipeg time on Saturday at Investors Group Field.
    A search over Twitter occurred on Monday in an effort to find the accused spitter.
    If the accused spitter is found, I would suspect there would be some sort of ban from attending CFL games, but depending what is said, I don’t believe the ban should be a permanent one.
    As far as a criminal aspect is concerned, that would rely on how Carter felt about how things play out in the coming days. The same would go for how the person inside the suit of Gainer the Gopher felt about the Bombers fan that tried to rip his mascot head off, if an accused is found in that situation.
    When the Roughriders and Bombers meet on Saturday, I hope everyone in attendance remembers the two teams are just playing a game, and it is not life versus death struggle.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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Tuesday, 6 September 2016

Labour Day Classic in Regina a hit on social front

Bombers fans relish first victory since 2004

The Bombers are greeted by a mass of their faithful on the way to their bus.
    REGINA - Wow, it seems it takes longer to recover from the festivities of the Labour Day Classic weekend the older you get, but I know for myself I wouldn’t have it any other way.
    It is now two days after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers slipped past the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-25 on a last play field goal by Justin Medlock in the annual clash of the two prairie rivals before a sellout crowd of 33,427 at old Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On this back to work Tuesday following the long weekend, a lot of people will still be talking about this clash during breaks and around the water cooler in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
    Regardless of who wins, this game and weekend is always a victory for the fans. This is the best weekend on the CFL calendar to be a fan. I have worked the Labour Day Classic on a couple of occasions, which was great, but I definitely prefer being a straight fan on this weekend.
Bombers and Roughriders fans have some fun at “Wayne's World.”
    One of the best things of this annual affair is the chance for fans of both the Roughriders and Bombers to get out and socialize. When you are out at the lounges or nightclubs or even the beautiful park area around Wascana Lake in Regina, the majority of both sets of fans realize they aren’t that different when it comes to supporting their teams. They respect each other for the passion they have for their clubs.
    I know on Saturday night a few shots went down respecting that fact along with getting in on toast to the memory of the late legendary Bombers head coach and general manager and also former Roughriders coach Cal Murphy.
    In the immediate aftermath of the game, there were a small minority of Saskatchewan fans that viewed their displeasure about how the contest ended due to the fact the winning field goal was set up by a questionable pass interference call on Roughriders defensive back Justin Cox.
Weston Dressler always has time for the fans.
    Being a fan on the Roughriders side, I was disappointed as well, and I thought that call was blown. With that said, I am have seen my share of Roughriders losses, so I am mature enough to the point they don’t really affect me.
    I appreciate any chance I have to get out to a CFL game, especially the Labour Day Classic. For me, this was the 16th time I was at the annual affair between the Roughriders and Bombers, and Saskatchewan holds a 14-2 edge in those battles.
    This may sound strange, but I kind of enjoyed watching the Bombers fans celebrate their team’s win. A large group of regulars annually make the trip out from Winnipeg, and they are a great bunch.
When the Bombers won, they weren’t really rubbing the fact into the faces of the Roughriders supporters. The Bombers fans were in a state of joyful disbelief.
    One Winnipeg fan came up to me and said this was his 12th Labour Day Classic, and he had attended all of the previous 11 games that the Bombers had lost in a row. He was just so overjoyed his team won.
    The Winnipeg celebrations drifted out to “Wayne’s World,” which is the back yard of a house that is across and alley neighbouring the West Side of Mosaic Stadium.
    The Bombers supporters then drifted over to the team bus, where the players went through high-fiving and posing for selfie pictures with the huge gathering of their faithful as echoes of “Here we go Bombers, here we go!” filled the air.
I made some new friends at the Labour Day Classic.
    The scene reminded me of following the Roughriders out on the road to Calgary, and the same scene basically repeated itself outside of McMahon Stadium after a Saskatchewan victory.
    This past Sunday, the Bombers fans were enjoyed their day in the sun along with five straight wins as they should be. 
    I am old enough to know that days in the sun like this always seen to pass by way too quick, so you should absolutely soak them in while you can.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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Thursday, 1 September 2016

Bomber fans help make Labour Day Classic go round

Bomber fans gather at “Wayne's World” in 2012.
    While it might seem strange to say, the annual Labour Day Classic in Regina isn’t under the soul ownership of Rider Nation.
    The fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders are the heart of the CFL, but every year on Labour Day weekend their ranks at Mosaic Stadium/Taylor Field get infiltrated by a healthy contingent wearing blue and gold. At one time, it seemed to the locals like a group of aliens dropped into “the Queen City,” when supporters of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – the Roughriders forever prairie rivals – drop into town.
    Bomber fans have descended on Regina for decades for the annual clash with the host Roughriders. The fact that the Winnipeg side hasn’t won this game since 2004 doesn’t seem to matter for the Bombers faithful.
    Back in 2004, Jon Ryan, who is now special teams captain for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, was coffin cornering punts out at the opposition’s one yard line as a rookie pro for the Bombers, when they took the Labour Day Classic 17-4.
    The Winnipeg fans are in town to have a good time. You can also bet the good times this weekend will start way before Sunday’s 1 p.m. local time kickoff. Bomber fans will no doubt start filtering into Regina on Friday night and begin frequenting the various lounges and nightclubs.
Bomber fans tailgate before the 2009 Labour Day Classic.
    Roughriders fans have long has a reputation for being wild, crazy and loyal, which often includes arriving at games in various types of team attire.
    If you had the chance to talk to the late Cal Murphy, who was a legendary head coach and general manager of the Bombers, or former Bombers star running back Willard Reaves, they will tell you Bomber fans can be just as wild, crazy and loyal as Roughriders fans are. They would suggest checking out the crowd shots of the Bombers 47-17 Grey Cup win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1984 in Edmonton to support that point.
    You wouldn’t have to look at old footage to see that is true this weekend. All you have to do is checkout the sizable pockets of blue and gold mixed in among the green and white in Regina.
Bomber fans get pumped up outside of “Wayne's World” in 2008.
    During game day, Bomber fans often rally pre-game at “Wayne’s World,” which is the back yard of a house that is across an alley neighbouring the west side of Mosaic Stadium. This will often mark the largest gathering for the visiting fans.
    The presence of the Winnipeg fans has been a long accepted fact at the Labour Day Classic. The influx of Bombers supporters usually includes a healthy group of regulars that make their way to Regina year after year. A few even bring their own barbecues for the pre-game tailgate party.
    The interaction between the fan bases is traditionally quite friendly. Both sides get in good-natured jibes towards each other, but they also enjoy partying together in the two days leading up to the game and the night after the game.
Bombers and Riders fans can get along at the Labour Day Classic.
    Those that are at the Labour Day Classic on an annual basis begin to know the regulars at least by face. A mutual respect is shown towards the passion each side displays for their teams.
    Sometimes, even relationships that include benefits develop for the weekend between fans from the opposite sides, which can add another layer of interesting memories for the Labour Day Classic weekend. Along the way, that also gives new meaning to the phrase, “Make love, not war.”
    The Bomber fans that trek to Regina are ardent ones. You can see that by the different Bombers jerseys that come out. There is a good dose of Milt Stegall jerseys with Stegall having built his legend playing in Winnipeg from 1995 to 2008.
    Young fans in their late teens and early 20s will often sport jerseys of Bombers stars from their Grey Cup wins in 1984, 88 and 90. Former receiver Joe Poplawski is a common one along with former league MVP quarterback Tom Clements and Reaves. In recent years, more Bombers fans have been spotted wearing the uniform of the club’s late linebacking great in Tyrone Jones.
A Bomber fan dresses up as “The Golden Boy.”
    When Cal Murphy was scouting for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts in the 2000s, Bomber fans often recognized him outside Mosaic Stadium and said, “Do you know who that is? That’s Cal Murphy. When he coached and ran the Bombers, we were great.”
    Murphy often chatted with Bombers supporters, which included posing in a picture with them while giving his gleeful trademark cackle.
    After Murphy passed away at age 79 on Feb. 18, 2012, you will usually find some Bombers fans holding a toast in his honour during the Labour Day Classic weekend.
    The atmosphere at the Labour Day Classic in Regina wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the Winnipeg fans. This one will have a little special extra meaning, because it will be the last one held at the Roughriders long-time home park.
    When the annual clash moves to New Mosaic Stadium next year, you can be sure the healthy loyal contingent of Bombers fans will be back to help keep the party going.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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