So it turns out that being the editor of a new website, a beat writer and the producer of mildly moronic videos really cuts into your blogging time. There’s a lot of things to talk about, so many that I think I need bullet points to keep things organized…
• Alouettes defensive linemen Khalif Mitchell, the CFLPA and B’nai Brith issued a statement on Friday in which Mitchell apologized for his offensive Tweets and vowed to educate himself on “human rights matters.” It’s easy to be cynical about this, given his history and the fact that the Holocaust denier video that got the B’nai Brith riled up was only one of a number of questionable items in his timeline. But B’Nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn clearly believes in Mitchell’s sincerity and I certainly think it’s within the realm of possibility that Khalif Mitchell is a weird, thoughtful dude who tweets without thinking about the content or the consequences. If he uses this experience is a positive way that’s probably the best possible outcome.
• there were a couple of questions about the story on Joel Reinders, mostly around the timing of when the team knew, whether it impacted the trade for Ryan Bomben. I think the Ticats have known that Reinders wasn’t likely to morph into a starter anytime soon and that the trade for Bomben would have happened regardless. And Reinders wanted to do things in a way that made things as easy as possible for the team.
• Casey Creehan is the new Argos defensive coordinator after Tim Burke suddenly stepped down on Friday. Creehan was something of a train wreck during his one season as DC in Hamilton. That being said, the situation is Toronto is very different than it was in Hamilton for one main reason: Scott Milanovich is not George Cortez.
As regular readers know, I’ve come to like and respect Cortez, despite the challenges he posed during his one year at the helm of the Ticats. A dynamic quote machine the man was not. He is, however, an interesting and well-read person who loves the game of football and thinks about it in a way that I’ve come to believe is unique.
But that year in Hamilton, he left Creehan – a young, first year defensive coordinator – to him fend for himself. Because Cortez was a late hire – the Ticats had to wait until after Buffalo’s NFL season was done – the pickings for assistants was pretty thin and I don’t think Creehan got the staff he needed. Cortez does not, does not, does not believe in the concept of culture and when Creehan struggled early, there wasn’t an experienced hand or strong environment to help him get through it.
Milanovich runs the show in Toronto and I think he’ll work with Creehan to make sure things go right. And one would expect Creehan to evolve as well, to learn from his mistakes, to be better the second time around.
Or… Creehan goes to work for an offensive-minded guy in the last year of his contract, with a GM who is also in the last year of his contract, in an environment that’s difficult because of the uncertainty surrounding the sale of the team and the whole thing is a mess from start to finish.
• speaking of the Argos, David Braley used a ribbon cutting for the David Braley Health Sciences Centre in downtown Hamilton to provide the latest update, telling CHML “next week, I’ll hope to be able to help you on that” when asked about the sale. This falls in line with the completely random way in which news about this whole process has emerged.
• I’ve also received a few questions about my blogging streak. The streak’s status was pretty tenuous anyway after some technical glitches last season but since the new site launched, there has been at least one day when I didn’t update the Scratching Post. That said, there has been fresh content on 3DownNation every single day since it launched, something I expect will continue in perpetuity. So the old streak is over but a new one begins… with no break in between.
• the Cat Claws Walk of Fame Dinner goes this Thursday when Mile Philbrick will be the inductee, Mike Filer will given the Charlotte Simmons Humanitarian award and Declan Cross will be the Maurader Award winner. Dennis McPhee and Mike Campbell are slated as the guest speakers. The event takes place at Carmen’s and tickets are $65. Contact Carol at 905-664-6117 for more information.
• Steve Milton, akaUncle Milty, whose Ticat-related content will appear on this site once he gets back into football (he’s currently the point man on Pan Ams) is up for an Ontario Newspaper Award for column writing this evening. I really, really hope he wins it. Not only has he been a great friend and mentor these past six years but I’d like to see him recognized for his talent: his combination of insight and writing chops is a rare combination indeed. Either way, I expect we’ll raise a few glasses…
