Monday Morning Sentimonies: Products I Might Like to Purchase

While green paraphernalia and Rider logos are now the norm across the province, and the world, there was a time dear reader when it was decidedly not cool to wear Rider gear. Today you might get chided for not wearing Rider gear. Back when I was in school, it was decidedly the opposite. There is a “what were you like in the 90s” trend going around social media, well merch sales were not great and Rider gear ranked slightly below itchy sweater your grandma knitted in terms of things you wanted to wear back then. 

Fortunately since the Riders’ resurgence in 2007 its been a very different story. They have stuck a Rider logo on pretty much everything imaginable and people how thrown many at the team to acquire it. 

But even in an age where the Rider store is lined with more hat and shirt options than you can count and pretty much every kitchen implement you could imagine, I believe there remains untapped potential and suggest the follow items be added. 

Bobby Jurasrin Bandana – I can’t fathom how at no point in the past 20 years this has not been available. Bring him into town for legends night. Sell it as a limited edition and just print money.

Cereal – Gone are the days of Fantuz Flakes, DariOs and whatever cereal Getzlaf had (berry crunch or something). This should be an ongoing thing. We need a new generation of player cereals to fill our pantry: Rolan Milligan Agent Os, Ajou AjO’s. I would add LokombO’s but they would probably never end up in the bowl, just fall inconveniently slightly away from where they are supposed to be. 

Condoms – Roughrider condoms seems like low hanging fruit.

Spinners – I would never by these and would make fun of anyone who did but in a province of 2x4 spoilers and Walmart underglow kits you can’t tell me that a set of low quality Rider spinner rims would not sell. Cavaliers would be lining up to get them installed.

Parachute and Zubaz pants – The fact that I can’t buy green novelty pants directly from the Riders is ridiculous. Give the people (me) what they want.

Shake and Bake (Kian edition) – How is they not a line of Shake and Bake (or at least imitation Shake and Bake) with KSB’s face on it?

Tommy Stevens Plungers – When you want the best plunger in the business reach for a Tommy Stevens.

Trevor Harris Icy Cold – To me there seems like no better spokesperson for pain cream than an old man who gets hit for a living.

What Rider products would you like to see? 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts

There is not a whole lot going on the CFL world. That means you get the pleasure of my random, quasi-coherent thoughts. Strap in... 

-        We signed an O-lineman by the name of Dartanyan Tinsley. Not only does he immediately become my favourite player name, I would go one step further as GM and be actively searching for OL named Porthos, Athos and Aremis. Try and field an all Musketeers line.

-        Hell I we can find a dude named Albert then we could do all 5. That is a very obscure Saturday morning cartoon reference. So if you have no clue what I am saying that’s probably a good sign for you.

-        The Miami Dolphin’s have so much salary tied up in dead cap dollars that it would be enough to cover every CFL contract , reactivate all former American franchises and establish a Mexico team for good measure. The only group willing to pay more than the Dolphins to let their exes go enjoy their lives with other people is divorced husbands.

-        The Riders are looking for a new Gainer. I would imagine there is some pretty heavy screening to that job. By nature of the position you get ready access to a ton of children without the danger of your face being seen. That’s gotta attract from applicants you probably don’t want.

-        The Saskatoon preseason game is an example of the Riders doing something right from a marketing perspective. You can barely pay people to come to the preseason game here in Regina. The majority of season ticket holders don’t even bother. But now that its in Saskatoon, something new, something different. There is actually some demand for tickets.

-        I know there is a ton of logistical barriers but I would seriously be looking at ways to make future preseason neutral site games around the province a reality.

-        Hey Wisers, when will I be able to get my Grey Cup whiskey? 2007 and 2013 have been lonely on the shelf for a while. They need some company.  

Monday Morning Senitmonies: Same Old Themes

We are getting to the time of the year where the Riders will soon announce their theme nights for the upcoming season. Each year their best and brightest marketing experts get in a room and spend hours of effort (and billable time) to basically just end up dusting off the same list they do everyone year just in a different font (that’s how we got the Goth Labour Day Classic). I can tell you now that the list will include Home Opener (which isn’t really a theme), Retro Night, Orange Shift Game, Legends Nights, Labour Day (which is also not really a theme), Family Day, Fan Appreciation Night and whatever the online thesaurus they use comes up with as an alternative wording for Country Night. 

Now in fairness to the Riders, they did actually try a couple new ones last year. Christmas in July was a unique idea… it was not so great in practice. It could maybe work for an afternoon game but it just made an evening game feel really lame. They also tried Vegas night… though other than the title and couple on screen graphics they really didn’t do much with this one. But credit where credit where credit is due. I would rather they try new things even if they flop than just recycle the same old drivel. Unfortunately based on the new ideas flopping I do expect them to double down with the same old drivel again this year. 

As always I have some ideas (patent pending), on ideas that people might actually enjoy.

Actual Retro Night – Pitched this last year and I will continue to until they get it right. And yes, I get the irony of criticizing the Riders’ lack of creativity only to open by rehashing an existing idea. But the Riders’ current version of retro is half assed at best. A real retro night would have old school Gainer (pre- drugged out eyes), Cousin Leonard, the old faceless Worksafe Bob, paper game tickets, paper 50/50 tickets that get drawn from a raffle drum from a 50’s bingo hall. Retro prices on booze that require me to purchase drink tokens that get me my choice of beer, rye, rum or Pink Drink. Rename Pil Place Hemorrhoid Hill. Re-create a one night only university section that offers cheap tickets. Put a hot tub beside and assume nothing bad will come of that.  Riders in 90s style jerseys. Mysterious dripping water throughout the stadium that no one really want to ask too much about. Find me the dancing chicken suit guy. Play the Audio Warehouse theme that we all still know the words to. Bring back the direct west sling shots. I want the full Taylor Field experience. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons – On October 17 we play the Als at 1pm. A matinee game is the perfect opportunity for a cartooned theme game. Encourage fans to come in PJs or dressed as their favourite cartoon character. Sell sugary cereal, pop tarts and Eggos at the concession. Air old commercials and cartoon clips. Make it a family oriented day. 

Bi Mon Sci Fi Con – For the non-Simpsons fan among you that stands for Bi-Monthly Sci-Fi Convention. Set it up like a Sci-Fi convention. Bring in some b-list stars from Sci-Fi shows for a meet and greet before the game. Have people dress up as their favourite Sci Fi character. Sell green lightsabers and phasers. Have Gainer show up in a Green tardis. If you can’t find a marketing cross over between green baby Yoda and the Riders you should give on life (and yes I know his name is Grogu). 

Backwards day – This is not fleshed out at all but I feel like when we host what is technically a home game for the Argos this season there has to be a way to make it backwards day.

Wrestling Night – I maintain that this would be epic. Encourage fans to come dressed as their favourite wrestler. Have Bret Hart do the coin toss. Better yet have someone dressed in a Bomber jersey about to do the coin toss then have them get hit with a chair and then have Bret step in. Have players cut promos leading up to the game. Sell green Hitman-style sunglasses. Partner with the local wrestling promotion to put on a match at half time. Make it a couple celebrities teaming with wrestlers and build hype leading up to the contest. Sell Rider branded championship belts and luchador masks. Have a ref get “knocked out” inadvertently at some point (say when a measurement is required) and have another ref come sprinting from the tunnel. Invite the Road Dogg to do intros in the traditional New Age Outlaws way “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Saskatchewan Roughriders proudly bring to you…”. Last but not least, gratuitous crotch chops.

Social Media Night – I actually shocked that the Riders haven’t done this yet. Generally when companies run out of ideas they assume social media is the answer. And in this case they would actually be right.  Now understand I know very little about all of this so someone younger and more with it would need to fully flesh this out. Have alternate streams of the game on YouTube or Twitch. Have local influencers take part. Encourage fans to post on IG Live, have hashtag contests. Release a dance on the Ticky-Tokies that everyone needs to learn and do instead of the 4^th quarter stretch. Have people’s Myspace page talk about the game (that’s still a thing right?). Basically turn the game into something that everyone over the age of 40 would hate/not understand. 

Purolator Tackle Hunger Night on Steroids – Tackle hunger has been a long-standing and highly valuable promotion that greatly benefits food banks across Canada. But if you want people to really get into it you need a big draw. So I say make it a contest. Say that we are trying to create the world’s largest pyramid of canned goods and encourage all fans to bring as much as they can to help us build it. Like I want a stack of canned goods that would make an OHS inspector nervous. People love contests and something this visible and simple would for sure get attention.

What do you want to see for theme nights?

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Ridiculously Early Award Predictions

As the title of this post suggests, today I will be taking a look at potential year end award winners for the Riders. Some might think its too early since we don’t even know who will be making the game day roster. Some might think this is a desperate attempt to create content during a dead zone in the CFL offseason. Some might think that based on my track record I may end up inadvertently cursing anyone I mention as a potential winner. Well just because you may be right doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shut up and just go along with it.

To make things a bit more interesting for each award I will make two predictions: a favourite and a long shot.

Most Outstanding Player

Favourite: Obviously Trevor Harris is the betting favourite. Not only does this award have a general bias towards QBs, but when he is on his game Harris remains one of the best in the league. His issue is not talent but longevity (happens to the best of us). If he strung together 18 games of his best (well let’s be more realistic and say 16 at his age) then he’d not only be our MOP but also in contention for the league award.

Long Shot: Mario Anderson. After last season, I am fairly confident in Ouelette’s durability but I could see a scenario where Ouelette gets hurt and Anderson steps into the starting role. He rushed the ball 24 times in 2025. 20% of his carries went for 10 yards or more. 20%! Now I know that is not sustainable over a full season but if he finds himself in a starting role, Anderson has all the potential to be a breakout star.

Canadian

Favourite: Without a doubt Sam Emilus is our top Canadian on the roster. Injuries were the only reason he did not post his third straight 1000 yard season. His pace over 7 games in 2025 could have positioned him for his best season ever over a full season.

Long Shot: Nelson Lokombo. Just kidding. I have a better chance at being named this team’s top Canadian. My actual pick is Lake Korte-Moore. We are in desperate need of people to step up a D-end with the departure of Carney, Baldonado and Ray. Entering his 4^th season, the former 3^rd overall pick should see his role grow. Following a year cut short by injury I expect him to have a career year and see no reason why he could not be the one to step into Baldonado’s role. 

Defensive

Favourite: This is a two horse race between Milligan and Thurman (the team nominees the past 2 years). I am going to go with Milligan. After what should have been an MOP season in 2024 he had a “down year” in 2025. Ho hum, he only had 4 interceptions. I don’t think he gets back to 2024 numbers but I think his stats trend up enough that he gets the vote once again (CFL voters are not exactly the most enlightened out there so unless there are flashy numbers they tend not to vote even if the on-field play is at an elite level). 

Long Shot: Not sure this is a super longshot but I’m going with Antoine Brooks. People lamenting the loss of Reavis are quick to forget that Brooks was our starting Cover LB to end the season and through the playoff run. He has NFL caliber talent (with a Super Bowl ring to prove it). Even Reavis himself praised the abilities of Brooks. I think he is going to have a breakout season. 

O-Lineman

Favourite: Take your pick between Hardrick and Ferland. Hardick is the reigning League Most Outstanding Lineman. Ferland is so good that I think he could legitimately win this award regardless of which position he starts in. If its not one of these two then something has gone horribly wrong (and I am probably coping with rye). 

Long Shot: Going with Daniel Johnson here. Injuries cut his first season on the active roster to just 7 games but in that time he was deemed good enough to start at tackle… and he played pretty darn good. Coming out of college he got an invite to mini-camp with Indianapolis and was always viewed as having all the athletic ability but being raw as a prospect. In 2025 we saw him start to take a leap forward in his development. I think he is poised cement himself as fulltime starter in 2026. 

Rookie

Favourite: This one is the hard by far to figure out in March. We know next to nothing about the rookies currently on the roster and the winner could even be someone we will be drafting in May. Given that our offseason plan at D-end seems to be sign a million new recruits and hope at least one turns out awesome, I am going to play the odds and say whichever rookie emerges from that D-end competition has great odds at being our Rookie of the Year (great movie by way... Rookie if the Year). Of that group I am going to go with Sundiata Anderson… in doing I have most likely cursed to Anderson to be an early cut in rookie camp. I apologize.

Long shot: With the amount of Canadian WRs we start, depth is going to be needed. That makes a guy like Daniel Wiebe very interesting to watch. He caught my eye during his time in training camp last year and ended being a finalist for the Hec Creighton trophy in 2025. He could be an injury away from legitimate playing time and he strikes me as a guy that will not relinquish his spot once he gets it.   

Special Teams

Favourite: This one is easy. We currently have no long snapper. Kicker is an open competition. And while our punter from the end of last season is back, he is anything but a lock to keep his job. So by virtue of being the only legitimate guy in the group, new returner James Letcher is the overwhelming favourite to win this one. I expect him to have a good year and be an upgrade over what Alford was by the end of the season (which was still pretty good).

Long Shot: Ending with the most outrageous long shot prediction. The winner of this award will be none other than Brett freakin’ Lauther. Hear me out!

Yes, we did just cut him and yes, he is currently unemployed. But there is a very real scenario where the Americans we brought in to replace him flame out. And then what are we going to do? Call Cambell Fair again? Just like an ex-girlfriend at 2am on a lonely night, Lauther could suddenly start getting "you up?" texts from O'Day. Hell, Paul McCallum got a second go round with the Riders and for those who weren’t around in the early 2000’s I assure you his break-up from the Riders was far messier than Lauther’s.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Tailgating

It was raised as a possibility last year and this year the Riders made it official… tailgating is coming to Saskatchewan. Well, legal tailgating. This is the prairies… people tailgate their kids’ sports games. 

Season ticket holders are eligible to enter a lottery from which they will randomly draw the lucky people who will get one of the limited tailgating spots (consisting of 2 parking spots). Oh yeah and you have to pay $500 for the season. 

Now many people are mad about the $500 fee. Maybe I have just become too used to the current state of things but I honestly expected more gouging. Look, free was never going to be an option. If the Riders can’t make money on something they are not going to put effort into it. The only reason we don’t have toll bathrooms in Mosaic is because Reynolds hasn’t discovered an efficient way to monetize it yet. I actually assumed they would sell individual games because I guarantee they could have made $500 per spot just for Labour Day. Also you can’t charge for parking but let people tailgate for free (which is essentially just parking with benefits). 

My name is in the lottery… mostly our of sheer curiosity. I want to see how this is going to go. Because done right, this could be an awesome addition to the game day atmosphere. But done wrong this could add all the energy a senior’s group going camping (and not the fun seniors, the ones who call the park rangers when kids are running in the road). 

I fully expect year 1 of tailgating to be super lame (not my spot, you’ll hear a bit later how awesome I plan to be). Its going to take some time for people to figure this all out and I guarantee it will be over-policed at the start. You as a fan may want us to be like Buffalo. Those organizing this want it more like a church bake sale. So there will be a feeling out process as fans test the limits of what will fly. 

For example, without some kind of security what would stop me from bringing back happy hour myself and selling $5 beers out of my cooler as for-profit business venture for myself? Or running a pancake breakfast for afternoon games? The Riders are already very begrudgingly entering tailgating despite the potential for it to cut into their food and booze sales. They aren’t going to let me compete against them. At least I assume not. Can I play a friendly game of cornhole with passers-by? Maybe. Can bring a pro-level cornhole buddy and hustle people by playing for cash? Maybe not. Do I need to run an illegal casino operation to profit from drunks and gambling degenerates to enjoy game day? No. But if they’ll let me without consequence it’s an option. Can I blast AC/DC on my stereo? Maybe. Can I blast DMX? We’ll see. We are going to have feel this dynamic out. 

As I said, early on I think they will lean heavy on enforcement and it will take until late this season and even into year 2 or 3 people things stabilize and it starts to get really fun.

As for my plans if I get a spot? It will be the place to be… probably for fans and security alike.

I won’t be selling beer (wink) or running and illegal casino (wink, wink). But I will be running game shows like Family Feud and Rider Jeopardy. Running theme nights… actual original ones that involve more creativity than asking Chat GPT for an alternate way to say Country Night. If they let me tailgate I can assure you by year 2 there will be at least two new rules that I can point to and say its because of me that’s a rule now. 

Honestly if they want to make tailgating awesome they should do away with the lottery and have people submit video applications like on a reality TV. Let people vote on the ones that will give the best party atmosphere.