Sunday, August 27th

1 - One would think that with most NHL players hitting the links, and parliament out of session until September, that there would be nothing to write about over the course of the summer. That's what I would like to think anyway. But no, there has been a wide range of subjects to discuss, I just haven't found the time to sit down and write about it, and when I do, well, my brain just doesn't want to think. However, after having been off the job for a few days, I think M.O.F. can now return to normalcy.

2 - The NFL season is almost ready to kick off, and that means the inevitable return of football expert/science fiction junkie/math guru Greg Easterbrook, whose column 'Tuesday Morning Quarterback' (which appears every Tuesday morning during the NFL season, unless you live right on the east coast, in which case you won't get it until Tuesday afternoon) has transformed the way fans look at football, and provided the inspiration for Man on Fire. He's pretty funny too (Easterbrook, that is). The NFL season starts September 7th. Look for TMQ the following Tuesday.

3 - It is with a heavy heart that M.O.F bids farewell to Saskatchewan Roughriders GM Roy Shivers, who was fired right after the Riders pounded the Hamilton Ti-Cats into pudding two weeks ago. From listening to the phone in shows in this province, it sounds like I'm one of the only ones in it with a heavy heart. The timing was questionable on the firing, and that's sugar coating it. The fact is, the Rider's board of directors made a big mistake by refusing to make a move on Shivers during the off-season, but that's the realities of making decisions by committee. What a lot of people seem to be forgetting is that part of the reason Shivers was fired at mid-season was because he refused to work in a restructured front office, which would have had him answering to Rider CEO Jim Hopson, as opposed to the board of directors. Eric Tillman is a good replacement, but the Riders aren't really his type of team. If Shivers gets another job soon (perhaps as GM for the possibly soon to be resurrected Ottawa Rough Riders) expect to see a couple of key players and possibly coach Danny Barrett make the move as well. Shivers exit was anything but graceful. He slammed Tillman in an interview with the CBC, and bashed Hopson and club president Graham Barker in an interview with the Regina Leader-Post, and apparently, when he went to leave right after being fired his car wouldn't start (true story--Rob Vanstone wrote, "that's not the first time Roy's had trouble with a starter). However no one can argue that Roy never brought talent to Saskatchewan, or that Saskatchewan isn't any better than it was before Shivers took over. For the first time in a long time, Saskatchewan is no longer the laughing stock of the CFL. In fact, as CBC analyst Sean Millington wrote, Shivers was a victim of his own success because he raised the standards of the average Saskatchewan fan. Suddenly squeaking into the play-offs before bowing out to B.C./Edmonton/Calgary wasn't good enough anymore. We all have Shivers to thank for the new and improved attitude in Riderville. Best of luck Roy, wherever you go.

4 - With the NHL off-season almost at a close, it's time to hand out the 'rumored to be Heading to Toronto' award. And the winner is... The Toronto Sun, who speculated that Anson Carter, Jay McKee, and Jason Arnott could all possibly end up wearing the Blue and White by the end of the off-season. Carter is still available, but McKee (Blues) and Arnott (Preds) have already signed deals with other clubs. Sportsnet finishes in 2nd, while the Toronto Star is disqualified for being right about Mike Peca.

5 - The Federal Liberal Party held their summer caucus retreat recently in Vancouver, and if you believe the media reports, it was a mess. Should Conservative voters be happy about this? After all, a disorganized Federal Liberal Party should ensure a majority for the Tories next election. Well... no. First of all, the Liberal Party is a mess, federally. That wasn't an isolated incident at the caucus retreat, they are a wreck. They are not, at this point, a viable alternative to the Federal Tories, and that's a problem. Why? Because without stiff competition what will keep the Conservatives from becoming just like the Liberals, a party that steals money, cheats voters, and then lies about it? Who will keep the government accountable? Not the Official Opposition (read: Liberals), they're too busy worrying about their own party to pay attention to anything else. Hopefully a higher moral standard will keep the governments feet on the ground, but who knows. It doesn't take much garbage to make your water undrinkable. Unfortunately, in order for the Grits to clean house, they may have to go though more caucus meetings just like this one. Electing a credible party leader will go a long way to making the Liberals competitive, and they do have some credible candidates running for leadership. But there's no guarantee one of them will get elected.

6 - In other news, Pluto is no longer a planet. It was stripped of its status after three objects of roughly the same size were discovered just past Neptune. So rather than introduce three new planets into the the chain, members of the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto off. It is now considered a 'dwarf planet'. Trivia buffs take note: there are now only 8 planets in our solar system.

7 - In closing, M.O.F gives you "Roy Shivers' Legace" in his own words:

"Where going to treat him (Henry Burris) like any other Quarterback, and go out there and try to break his neck."
Shivers to a talk radio jock in Calgary.

"What's going on in Edmonton? I see them doing all that partying, all that celebrating over hockey. I've never seen anything like it. Have they won anything yet? I mean, did they already hand out the Stanley Cup?"
Shivers to an anonymous Edmonton scribe after the Oilers beat the Anaheim Ducks.

"We made a good effort, but Elijah chose to go. We're talking about a guy who averaged what, 10, 11 yards a catch . . . I'm 65 years old and I can average 10 yards a catch."
Shivers on the impact of losing receiver Elijah Thurman to free agency.

"The one that bothered me more was Spencer because he's a good specialteams player. But if we were playing him at middle linebacker, we would be in trouble."
Shivers on the impact of losing linebacker Walter Spencer to free agency.

"This is the only stadium in North America you can't get into the day before a game. If I knew, I would have brought bolt cutters. The league won't do anything about it and we've never been given a reason why we can't walk on the field. I ain't paying no fines either, for this."
Shivers on being locked out of Commonwealth Stadium.

Later.

Man on Fire