STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX

DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANY OF THESE VEHICLES?

2012-02-12T21:11:00.001-06:00

I went to watch the Yorkton Terriers tonight and got to the game just after the 6pm face-off. It was still daylight, so I snapped some photos of a few (and there were a lot more) offenders in the parking lot. As you can see here as I'm driving to find a spot, many people have ended the rows in a manner that allows for two lanes of traffic to go through the middle. However, as you can also see....there is an ignorant person who has taken upon himself/herself to just park randomly in the middle of this area most of us would use to go up and down to scope out the lanes.

This is a blatant offense by two vehicles. The Chevy truck should be the last vehicle in this row. It's fairly clear. The curb is marked in front and beside the truck. This is also one of the front rows to get to the building. The two vehicles on the left side of the truck, are cheating so that they don't have far to walk in order to escape the cold. Poor people. The first one simply drove up the snowbank. The second one is, plainly, in an aisle.

This is the only part of the parking lot that is actually paved and there are parking stalls that are painted. Everyone should be able to see them, especially in daylight. It's tough to tell in this picture, but trust me, the only vehicle parked properly is the red one on the far right. Again, this is pretty close to an entrance door. Four offenders. Two more and they would be up on the sidewalk.

I have received really nice feedback from the public on this crusade. Clearly, folks are getting really annoyed. The other offenders are the ones that park right along the street just off to the west of the skateboard park. That is not a place to park. It's simply meant to be a lane for people to DRIVE in!

Solution: Find a service group or a school club and have them act as parking attendants. In my mind, I'm thinking the folks that do security could be in the parking lot until the drop of the puck or until the first song of a concert, or whatever. Anyone that violates the order established after that time has their plate number called over the public address system and is ordered to move or else be towed.

TEN INFAMOUS POLICE SHOOTINGS

2012-02-10T16:34:00.001-06:00

I got this from the CBC website today.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/02/07/calgary-rcmp-shootings-high-profile-killam.html

Turns out, eight of the ten infamous shootings have occured in Alberta or Saskatchewan. (I count Dennis Strongquill's murder as Saskatchewan/Alberta seeing as how the three criminals were from Alberta and were, eventually, arrested in Saskatchewan). Apparently, we have a real lack of respect for authority in these two provinces.

My feeling is that if you pull a trigger on a police officer, a judge should throw the book at you. For example, giving a guy two years for shooting and seriously injuring an RCMP officer in Carrot River is a joke. I don't care how old you are. If you are old enough to do something like that, you are old enough to pay a stiff price for it.

And, if you kill a cop, then you get the electric chair.

Some things in life shouldn't be the least bit tolerable.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES LAW STRUCK DOWN

2012-02-09T10:04:00.001-06:00

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/02/06/sk-labour-law-challenge-1202.html

Jay Boyd and I had a real good discussion about this last night.

We both agree that since the Saskatchewan Party has been elected with an overwhelming majority in this province, that means that the public is trusting them to make the best decisions to govern our province.

If we, the people, are so upset by this essential services change; then we will make them pay for it at the ballot box.

Guess what? They are more popular now than ever before. So, how can 1 judge (Dennis Ball) strike down a government decision? What's the point of having governments to make laws?

I like Jay's comment to get rid of the politicians and let's just be governed by a king. Maybe Judge Dennis Ball could appoint one to look after our well being.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Feb 8)

2012-02-08T09:07:00.002-06:00

The story of a Weyburn family who racked up a $10 000 bill on roaming charges while on holidays to the United States is a remarkable one. First of all, I think we all need to do a better job of educating ourselves as to what roaming charges actually are and why they are incurred. I’m also surprised to read the lack of sympathy many of us have for that family, who admits to making the mistake. Guaranteed, if the shoe was on the other foot, the ones criticizing would be the first in line asking for a break. I also wonder what the ‘real’ cost to SaskTel is when it comes to roaming charges. Is SaskTel ‘eating’ any of that by giving the family a break? Or, are they simply sacrificing profit by forgiving the bill?

In a Canadian world of bad broadcasting talent, it’s nice to turn on the television in the morning to Global Regina and their morning show. It’s very well done by both production and on-air. There are no more potential stars out there like Peter Mansbridge, Lloyd Robertson, Ron MacLean, Bob Cole, Charles Adler, or Bob McCown anymore. The talent is quite sub-par. And, the corporations know that; but they also know that if you want to watch you will watch a bad announcer just as likely as you will watch a good one.

It’s been a pretty good run in Saskatchewan with rock concerts as of late. Theory of a Deadman put on a great performance in Regina at the Centre Of The Arts last Monday night. It was a no frills show as far as extras are concerned; but the music was second to none. They played all their hits and don’t sound anything like Nickelback, so for those people who like to throw around the Theory Of A Nickle Creed moniker, you can stop doing that because you really don’t know rock music by saying such a thing. The lead singer of Theory could easily be a brother to Dean and Andy Katzberg.

Speaking of Nickelback, they’ll be in Saskatoon on the Friday of May Long Weekend. Bryan Adams has just been announced for Regina during the Farm Progress Show in June. It’s nice to see Saskatchewan getting major acts.

I thought Madonna’s performance at the Super Bowl Sunday night was pretty good despite some obvious lip syncing. I don’t even know the name of the performer who flipped the bird at the camera and it’s a good thing because I’d hate for that person to become famous from such a boneheaded act. I’d like to see a musician like that black balled from all future major playing engagements.

After being the victim of the RCMP’s ‘stop sign blitz’ last month; I am wondering if there isn’t something that can be done with those that are, continuously, breaking the rules when it comes to parking. A couple of Saturdays ago there was a disaster at the Saskatchewan Science Centre in Regina where an SUV was boxed in by two vehicles. One decided to park in front of it, another behind it. Then, two days later an entire row of vehicles at the Gallagher Centre in Yorkton set up shop behind another row leaving barely enough room to get out.

I whined last week about the lack of NHL stories that actually concerned hockey. Everytime I turn on the tv, I see analysts breaking down a trade about a fourth liner for a fourth liner, or why certain hits warrant suspensions and certain hits don’t, or why the collective agreement doesn’t work for the players and/or owners. Well, I was happy to see Sam Gagner steal the headlines with his eight point effort in a game last Thursday. I haven’t seen any of the highlights as I’m still not moved to flick the channel to watch; but this is a start. I did check the scoreboard one night (can’t remember which night) and there were three games played and all had scores that were 1-0 or something like that. Moving on.

The SJHL is not at all like the NHL. There are enough mistakes at the Junior ‘A’ level to generate excitement for a full sixty minutes. Sure, the players are not as good as the NHL; but that’s part of what makes the SJHL fun to watch. A 5-1 lead isn’t safe (ask Melville from their last encounter with Yorkton). And, yet you just might see a goalie make 50-saves in a 2-0 win too. When the Terriers and Millionaires meet in the playoffs this year, it will be the best hockey any of us will witness all year.

Nice person mentions this week to Denis Perron, Rob Nicholas, Derek Henkelman, Rod Steciuk, and Mike Reagan.

FANTUZ: SIGN QUICKLY OR NOT AT ALL

2012-02-08T08:54:00.001-06:00

Here's something the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Andy Fantuz should understand very quickly:

--Give Fantuz your best offer before free agency and make sure he's well aware that once free agency starts, the financial compensation goes down.

--Make sure Fantuz understands he's not going to have very long to consider the offer. He should really know by now if he wants to come back or not and if he's going to hold out to see if he can get an extra $10 000 a year on the open market then let him go. He's not playing for the right reasons.

--The Riders need to earmark their Fantuz money somewhere else very early on in free agency if the popular wide receiver isn't signed. The only thing worse than not getting Fantuz signed is letting all the other free agents on the market get signed elsewhere because you are saving all of your eggs for Fantuz.

Bottom line: sign immediately or good-bye. The last excuse I want to hear all year is how the Riders waited for Fantuz and after he signed elsewhere there was nobody else left to grab to make the team better.

STILL GRIPING AFTER SLAP ON WRIST FOR SHOOTING A COP

2012-02-02T21:03:00.001-06:00

I wonder what a police officer would tell you if he/she was allowed to speak freely when it comes to this case.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/02/02/sk-rcmp-member-shot-1202.html

I can't help but marvel at a system where police officers are forced to spend quality hours writing stop sign tickets to cushion the numbers through a province wide blitz (you know there is a stop sign epidemic in Saskatchewan that just has to be cleaned up) and offenders are, immediately, found guilty and penalized to the fullest extent of the law.

Yet, one of their own was just about killed in cold blood and after finally tracking down a perp who didn't take ownership years ago of this cowardly act, a judge hands down a measly two years.

That's right. Hand out tickets for $230 and show no mercy on someone who may or may not have come to a complete letter of the law three second stop.

But, have a monthly blitz where you let it be known anyone caught committing a break and enter during the month of February and, subsequently, is found guilty will be given the full punishment allowable in a court of law? Well, forget it. What if the poor thief had a valid reason or a poor upbringing? What nonsense. I could make the same bleeding heart excuses for traffic infractions.

If any police officer wishes to comment anonymously, feel free to email me at mikestackhouse@hotmail.com and you will remain anonymous. That's a guarantee. You can take me to task, agree partially, or agree whole heartedly. There is a place for traffic tickets. I'm not saying there isn't. But, to me you initiate blitzes when you notice there is a serious problem with a particular area. Cell phone usage? Parking violations? Excessive speed on main streets in cities? Sure.

CLASSIC SASKATCHEWAN PARKING

2012-02-02T20:46:00.004-06:00

This SUV got sandwiched in by a couple of cars at the Saskatchewan Science Centre on Saturday. Parking continues to be the one of the most amazing things we do in Saskatchewan. Two nights ago at the Gallagher Centre, an entire row of vehicles was 'almost' sandwiched in when some idiot decided to start a new row without leaving adequate room to back out. Incredibly, everyone else followed along to this one idiot and we had a row of twenty or more vehicles all parked less than a vehicle length away from the row in front of them.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Feb 1)

2012-02-01T11:13:00.000-06:00

The story about the Alberta woman who was badly beaten in an elevator at a resort in Mazatland, Mexico has garnered a tremendous amount of media attention in Canada. Mexican officials have wasted little time making an arrest and, as normal in Mexico, paraded the accused in front of the television cameras so we can all see who this guy is. I suppose we can all rest easy now and head back to Mazatland for a holiday, if so desired. Not so fast. There are stories of police corruption in Mexico and I can’t help but be skeptical and wonder if this guy actually did it or is he a scapegoat picked up off the street to ease the fears of potential visitors. I’m not sure we will ever know. For the most part, I still feel trouble finds you if you go looking for it. However, all things being equal I think my next holiday will not be in Mexico.

The soccer team my son plays on, the U-12 Yorkton United Bulldogs, won the gold medal at a tournament in Regina over the weekend. There are some really talented boys on that squad. More importantly, they are coached extremely well by Andy Wyatt. Andy is a lawyer in Yorkton and most of us should know that a lawyer’s spare time is pretty much non-existent; but Andy still finds time to do this. Here’s a public thank-you on behalf of the parents on Andy’s team for making a big sacrifice to mold our children into being, not only, better athletes but also better human beings.

We had some down time in Regina on Saturday; so Matthew and I took in the Titanic exhibit that is on from now until March at the Saskatchewan Science Centre. Matthew, being 10-years-old, is interested in the Titanic, but not so interested that he will stop at every station and read up on the significance of certain artifacts. In fact, he was most interested to see if the person’s boarding pass that he received when we came in was a person that ended up surviving or not. If you have, even, a passing interest in the Titanic then this exhibition is something that you absolutely must see. My favorite story is about a man who didn’t get on the ship because he got abducted and was taken to Egypt, where years later he would escape. Turns out, he was a perfume dealer and his friend grabbed his satchel and got on the Titanic, thinking the Dealer would show up at the last minute. Well, the friend was lost at sea and the satchel sunk to the bottom of the ocean, only to be recovered. The Dealer, years later, got away from his abductors and was re-united with his perfume; which 100 years later still has a scent.

Gas in Yorkton on Monday morning was going for 109.9. In Regina, it’s 115.9. In Roblin, it’s 98.9. Global News ran a story Monday morning about the gas prices in Regina and Saskatoon and a not-so-brilliant customer said he’d still fill up happily if it cost 140.9. If I was a supplier of vehicle fuel, I would, instantly, raise the price to 140.9 and then inch it up from there to find the breaking point. If we are going to be dumb enough to admit we’d pay even more without blinking an eye then why not?

Saturday night, I was in Weyburn to watch the Red Wings play the Nipawin Hawks. The game was excellent with the Hawks winning 5-4 in overtime. However, the Wings opted to use the first and second period intermissions to auction off jerseys. Now, I think it’s a good idea to auction sweaters at a game because you have a larger audience than what you would at a year-end banquet. But, intermissions are not the appropriate time. Do it after the game.

We are now hearing Sidney Crosby may have been playing with a broken back. Meanwhile, I become less interested in the NHL with each passing week. Every night when I try to re-interest myself because I’d like to be a fan, I see more reports of concussions and cheap shots. Basketball looks better as a winter sport to follow at this point for me. How do you miss a broken back? If I was Crosby, I’d ask out of Pittsburgh right away. Between a misdiagnosis and making him play while concussed, it just isn’t a safe place for him to be. You also have multi-millionaire players shooting down a division realignment that makes perfect sense just because they might have to fly another thousand miles or so over the course of a season. Boo hoo. You also have gazillionaire owners about to say the current collective bargaining agreement doesn’t work for them, despite the fact the owners were the ones that got everything they wanted in the last collective agreement. Here’s to hoping they wipe out another season. There are no good guys in hockey anymore. Pick your side. Greedy owners, spoiled players.

Nice person mentions this week to David Malinowski, Justin and Kim Enge, Kent McMann, Sandy Zielinski, Trevor and Elizabeth Hove, and Marty and Amy Sveinbjornson.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Jan 25)

2012-01-25T10:45:00.000-06:00

My family and I are back from a great week of holidays in Manzanillo, Mexico. It was the first hot holiday we’ve taken as a group of five and it was even better than my expectations. The kids were as well behaved as they’ve ever been and that was my main concern. We all had a blast. I documented the week at mikestackhouse.blogspot.com . The people around Manzanillo made a concerted effort to tell us that it was very safe in their area. I’ve always believed that trouble will find you if you are looking for it and that is why we hear about the negative stories concerning tourists in Mexico. Still, you can’t help but get a little edgy when you hear of violence on a visitor. And, in the last week I have heard of a few. There was even a report of a Canadian killed in Melaque; which is closer to the Manzanillo Airport than Manzanillo itself. The most disturbing one comes from Mazatland, where it sounds like a woman was beaten right in her hotel room. The only bad experience I have to report (other than going from +35 to -41 in about six hours when we arrived home) is that housekeeping ripped off my brand new ear phones. I’ll take a bit of blame for that though. It’s suggested you put certain valuables in the safe that is made available to you; and I didn’t do that with the head phones. The iPhones, passports, and money were in there. But, I should have put the ear phones in too.

It was an expensive first week home. I always figured since I have been, especially, critical of what I had perceived to be ‘quotas’ for the Yorkton City RCMP, that I would be pounced on as soon as I was ‘caught’ breaking a traffic law. My vehicle isn’t exactly hard to identify. Well, it happened the other day and here is (from what I can remember) how the stop went: “Do you know why I’m pulling you over?” asks the officer. “I haven’t any idea,” I reply. “You blew that stop sign on 4^th and Argyle. Drivers/Registration please,” he continues. As I’m reaching for the documents I’m trying to determine where 4^th and Argyle actually is. He also asks me if the vehicle is registered to me. As I get my license and registration, I asked if 4^th and Argyle is behind RBC. He answers with a terse “yes” and disappears to his squad car. He comes back and hands me the ticket and tells me how long I have to pay the ticket or else appear in court. And, that was it. I never admitted guilt. In fact, I didn’t have a chance to agree I blew it, disagree I blew it, or offer an explanation (not that it would matter) as to why I may have blown the stop sign. It wasn’t a concern to him. And, maybe it shouldn’t be I guess. After all, he’s got to get moving to write more tickets (which I think he did just moments later unless it was another officer). Maybe I misread him, and that’s why I won’t publish the officer’s name, but I felt as though he was, personally, offended by the alleged infraction. It was as if it was ‘his’ stop sign.

****UPDATE THAT ISN'T IN THE PAPER: Apparently, there was a blitz province wide to nab those that blow stop signs and they, collectively, wrote upwards of 500 tickets last Wednesday and Thursday. I wish we could have a 'Break and Enter' blitz where anyone caught doing so and is found guilty would be automatically given the maximum penalty allowed under the criminal code. The bleeding hearts will say it's not that easy because maybe there are special circumstances surrounding the B&E. I say nonsense. Maybe someone has a special circumstance for going through a stop sign.

Don’t forget the speed limit has been reduced just north of Yorkton on Highway 9 and so don’t get yourself caught being absent minded and not double checking or else you may get a ticket. I’m not sure if authorities are giving folks a grace period or issuing warnings or not. Technically, they don’t have to. And, I don’t expect them to.

I don’t expect I’ll ever be accused of anything beyond a traffic violation, so I have no way of knowing if this is the case or not, but I certainly hope police are as vigilant on criminal code offenses as they are on traffic ones.

Congratulations to the City of Melville for their great job hosting Hockey Day In Saskatchewan on Saturday. I was in attendance for the SJHL game and the place was packed.

I don’t like to admit that I, sometimes, agree with Calvin Daniels; but he threw out the notion the other day about the SJHL maybe trying to attempt to do an outdoor game and I think it’s a great idea. Wouldn’t Yorkton vs. Melville be great at The Grandstand?

Nice person mentions this week to Nadine Swan (from Fred Schrader), Mike Kardynal, Ryan Sturgeon, Darren Fenske, Kevin Krause, and Gina Flett.

DOCUMENTING MEXICO HOLIDAY (Jan 15-18)

2012-01-21T00:45:00.002-06:00

View of our resort from a distant hill

January 15
Two full days left and we are going to spend both of them on the beach or at pool side. I was never quite right though after my ordeal through the night. I felt better. Not sick at all, but still felt strange. Hard to explain. Not much energy, but I could get up and go just fine if I had to. I didn't really want to think about food, but knew I had to get something in me just the same. I drank lots of water and this day I have decided to have no alcoholic drinks at all.

I've met a great family from Brandon, Manitoba. They are the Sturgeons. 29-year-old Ryan Sturgeon is a source of motivation for anyone. When he was 16, he suffered a life altering injury when he jumped off a dock at Lake Minnedosa and thought he had about 16 feet of water to cushion him. Instead, there was a sand bar just 3 1/2 feet under water. He broke his neck and back in several places. Doctors told him he'd never move his limbs again and to be prepared to live in this state for the rest of his life. Well, Ryan and I had a nice conversation today, both of us standing poolside. He still uses a wheelchair on a regular basis, but is capable of walking, with assistance, and appears to have almost full use of his arms. His surgeon, who also instructs at the University of Manitoba once paraded his entire class in front of Ryan because he wanted the students to see, "a walking miracle". Ryan has a great job with Assiniboine Health Region and gives motivational speeches. He has no idea he motivated me just with a casual talk. His dad is just as amazing, as I watch him do things most of us would take for granted several times a day in an effort to help his son. In fact, I'm sure his entire family is special, but Ryan and his dad are the two I got to be most familiar with. I've met a few people in my life that have had to deal with life changing events that I would not have the power to handle the way these few people have. Maybe that's why I have never had to deal with such ordeals. God knows I can't and, as a favor, hasn't forced me to. Still, it's frustrating to see really bad things happen to such good people and it makes me angry.

We have a supper reservation at the Mexican Restaurant at 6:30 to use our second a la carte coupon. Most days, this is a challenge for me. I'm fussy and don't like Mexican food, but the restaurant overlooks the ocean and has the best view. Everyone wants to go. But, I'm also still not looking forward to any kind of food, so I know already this is going to be impossible. I ordered a chicken something or other and poked at it before the waiter came to collect it. "No good?" he says. I answered something politely, but he didn't understand and took it away. Oh...I took a blast of tequila before supper because I thought maybe that might get me going. It didn't. I would've had another, but nobody else wanted a shot and having two or three without anything of real value to eat may have resulted in another cozy night at the toilet for me.

5:30 - 6:30 was family picture time. Lots of pictures. It went pretty good, actually. Usually, we have a heckuva time getting everyone to smile. Looking at the pics, I'm officially tanned.

We got back to the room again around 8:30 and after a game of Trouble with the girls, it was bed time. I always go to bed to music or a tv show on my iPhone. I'm all set for NYPD Blue, but I can't find my headphones. New $50 headphones I just bought a week ago at Best Buy. Skull Candies, I believe they are called. Anyway. I can't find them. Anywhere. As I type this, I'm convinced housekeeping lifted them. Fuck. I'm pissed. As I type this on January 16th, I'm hopeful they still turn up as we pack our things for home, but I'm not optimistic. Jenn and I looked high and low. If I find them, I'm going to be even more mad for assuming someone stole them and also for being very irresponsible, but that's par for the course. I forget EVERYTHING. I'm not sure why. It's a little early for Alzheimer's. I think it's because I have about half a dozen things on the brain at any given time and so I'm never concentrating on where I put things. I'm famous for losing keys. My next vehicle will be keyless entry, keyless ignition. Then, I shouldn't have to worry about keys. Our house is keyless. The only thing left would be work. Not sure if Kirk and Sheri would go for changing the locks all in the name of me being forgetful and irresponsible. Speaking of keys, I have no idea where I put the van keys. Might be fun in Winnipeg.

I dug out my $10 spare set of headphones and I'll get by on those for now. But, I'm spoiled.

January 16
Last day = best day.

We were poolside from 8am to 5pm. I never saw the inside of our room from when we left for breakfast until we got back to get cleaned up for supper and to try and type this diary on a keyboard that is, increasingly, working better. Maybe it's my charge chord? I dunno.

Moneyball is finished. Good book. I'm not convinced Billy Beane is as smart as people think. But, that's just me. Ron MacLean's book is almost done. Very good book. And, I've selected a few pieces from The Business of T-Shirts to read too just to keep my mind on work a little bit. I've also read a little of Willy Mays' biography. This looks promising. I also read a couple of chapters of Cold Terror and had to put it down. It's about how our country harbors terrorist organizations. We are so politically correct and passive in this country, that reading about terrorists thriving in Canada doesn't come as a surprise to me; but the how much we have funded them is enough to make me as sick as I was two nights ago. You see, a lot of these guys disguise themselves as aid organizations or charities and the government sends millions. No questions asked. I am reluctant to share any thoughts, publicly, on what I think of this stuff because I will come across as racist. But, consider this: I have watched sports announcers ridicule Tim Tebow for his outward show of Christianity on the football field. Nobody says an objectionable word back in favor of Tebow. We put up with it. But, if Tebow was a Muslim and displayed something Islamic instead of Christianity, we would tread very carefully on how we criticize. Why? To me, we have rules and regulations in this country and they should be followed, not altered or changed so that select interest groups can do what they want when they want.

At the same time, I'm all for people coming to Canada and making an honest living and abiding by the laws of our nation. In fact, I'm thankful. The young white man has become lazy and feels a sense of entitlement to his life. So, it's refreshing to have those from other countries come to a place like Yorkton and show everyone else what's like to earn what you get instead of having it, simply, passed on to you because your parent is a hard worker.

Macey had another siesta poolside. About two hours she zonked out. She only awoke when it was time to leave. She did provide me with a laugh earlier in the day when she thought she saw an iguana hiding in the bushes where she, normally, exits the pool. So, she started crying and felt helpless to get out. I went after her and then we sat in the pool together for awhile and I started to get the gospel according to St. Macey. She informed me that the real big iguanas are grandpas. And, the one in the bushes had really big eyes and, therefore, it's a grandpa. In the same conversation, I asked her if here was anything left that she'd like to do in Mexico. She says, "No." I answered with, "Are you sure? This is our last day." She gets in a snappy, "Good." She was still upset about the iguana.

I put on a bit of a show later for some strangers as we were walking by another pool to look down at a waterfall when, honest to goodness, an iguana stepped out in our path. She screeched and proclaimed it as a grandpa one right away. I said she should reach out and touch it because grandpas like hugs. Not a chance. More screeching and some laughter from poolside.

We retired to the room shortly after supper to pack all of their things for the trip home. Still no headphones. Gone. Stolen. Let this be a lesson. Use that safe in the closet for ANYTHING you decide is valuable. I, clearly, didn’t put enough of my possessions in there.

Oh, and I was sick again. Heat stroke? Maybe, but I’ve been out in intense heat for a full day lots in my life and never suffered from this. Jenn thinks it might be the cheese. Honest. I wasn’t drunk the entire week. So, it’s not what you are thinking! I was a very well behaved father on this trip. The illness this time wasn’t as bad as the other night. I got it over with and I was, pretty much, better immediately afterward.

I didn’t sleep well. Some of the newcomers to the resort didn’t know how to go to bed after the disco shut down at 3am.

January 17
We had one last breakfast before checking out of the resort. Macey and Mallory both had chocolate Rice Krispies. Matthew had the biggest helping of bacon you could imagine. Jenn and I had regular breakfast meals.

I reported the stolen headphones at the front desk, but the clerk looked at me like I was crazy because he said I’d be long gone home and couldn’t get them back. I said the point was not to get them back (like I want them after they’ve been in someone else’s ears), but rather for them to establish a possible pattern of behaviour with a particular employee. He didnt’ seem interested.

The help from the doorman was much better. He took all of our bags to the front of the line and ensured we got on the proper bus that was shuttling us to the airport. Extremely helpful. On the half hour bus ride to the airport, all I could think about was how, in about ten hours, I would be experiencing a temperature difference of 75 degrees Celsius from what I was currently experiencing.

It was so cold in Winnipeg that it caused our plane to be delayed an hour and so we sat in the sweat box, otherwise known as Gate 3 at the Manzanillo Airport for about two hours. Again...the kids were very well behaved. I was so proud of them this week. Best ever for them. Someone even said to Jenn that, "You guys make having to parent three kids look very easy." Oh, if that person only knew the truth! I should point out it was later revealed that water pipes on the airplane broke because of the extreme cold and, therefore, there was no coffee or tea on the airplane and if you had to go to the john...you could flush...but had to stick to hand sanitizer to wash up. Good thing I don’t pee on my hands.

In Winnipeg, we waited forever for the luggage to come around on the belt. Turns out...the last bag off the plane was ours. How fitting seeing as how we have a 4 ½ hour drive ahead of us.

January 18
Home at 1am.

DOCUMENTING MEXICO HOLIDAY (Jan 13-14)

2012-01-20T08:59:00.003-06:00

Matthew, in his glory, holding an iguana. I passed on this opportunity

January 13
They say the crime rate in Manzanillo is very low, but I've been awake in the wee hours of the morning two nights in a row to the sound of police sirens. Just saying. My walk through the city, by myself, didn't make me any more uncomfortable than walking through any other unfamiliar city. It seems very safe, indeed.

This was the earliest we've been out of bed. 7am. We hit the breakfast buffet and then packed up for a half day excursion to Cuyutlan, a small village with a turtle harvesting farm. All five of us loved this. The best part was launching mini black sea turtles into the ocean. They were born four days ago. We also got to see iguanas and a professional coconut cutter. These guys are real life monkeys. They climb the trees barefoot and start hacking away at the coconuts. Our tour guide says it's a dangerous job. Sometimes, the worker will fall out of the tree and never work again. No kidding. We also took a small boat ride through the mangroves and that was a treat too. In addition to seeing some nice new vegetation, we also got a glimpse of a baby crocodile, sitting on a lilly. Even though he was the size of a domestic cat, he looked like he could chew my arm off in a nano second. We also saw a snake curled up around a tree. I hate snakes.

There are plots of land for sale in Cuyutland. $30 000 for the land, $70 000 for the home of your dreams built by hand. It takes two years. Where do I sign? This is the 'real' ocean too. Waves can be six metres high.

The kids are lucky. They got to do and see things today some kids will never ever do. None of the three realize this, but it's okay. It's easy to take it for granted. When they get back and talk to their friends, I'm sure there will be some envy. Kind of like the envy I felt growing up every time a classmate told me about his family's trip to Florida. I still have never been to Florida. Mind you, I have no interest now. I'm not a 'ride' guy. The kids would love it though. So, I'm sure it'll happen at some point.

Macey has mastered the siesta. She took one right on the beach yesterday and, today, she napped twice. Once on the bus out to Cuyutland and once on the bus on the way back to the resort. Both times on my lap. It was a back breaking experience.

I hit the gym this afternoon for about 35 minutes. It's amazing how quick one gets out of shape. I figured an interval workout would be best. Mentally, it worked. I feel better.

We have two televisions in our room, which is more like a one bedroom apartment. Neither tv has been turned on even a single time yet. Although I have to confess to watching NYPD Blue re-runs, HomeLand, Big Bang Theory, and season 3 of 24 on my iPhone and iPad in the evenings when everyone is settling in. If everyone in our house would do this....what would be the point of cable?

Sleeping pill update: they work so well, Ed is thinking of buying a couple of boxes to take home and use them instead of his prescribed medication. Love it.

Matthew is right at home. He's got the science of having a waiter wait on him hand and foot down perfectly when eating. He's very good about speaking Spanish where possible and you'd think he was on his 4th or 5th vacation to Mexico. It's old hat for him already.

Tough supper for Mallory. Two meals in a row without hot dogs. Up until today, every single meal (other than breakfast) has been a plain hot dog in a bun with a helping of ice cream for dessert.

Oh, I wonder if that fish that bit me yesterday was actually a crab. I spotted a bunch on the rocks today and thought they were giant spiders. Oops. Do crabs bite?

January 14
It's actually January 15 and I have found something with Apple that pisses me off. The keyboard for this iPad. Works 60% of the keys 75% of the time. So I'm stopping for now before I launch this off the balcony.

Trying again on January 16 and the keyboard still sucks. But, most keys are working.

This was shopping day for some of us. Generally, I like this part of the trip, but I found the market to be no fun as most vendors were not willing to play 'Let's Make A Deal'. Things have changed in the last few years, I guess. Upon further reflection, the prices weren't all bad to begin with, but it's fun to make deals.

In fact, I was in position to buy for higher than list price a few times. Jenn and the kids are not good at all about hiding their enthusiasm for merchandise.

The tour wrapped up by 2:30 and we had been to three different markets. The last one was a big Mexican garage sale, essentially. For my own personal collection, the only thing I ended up with was a new bandana. Jenn thinks I'm a sexy beast when I wear bandanas! Jenn and the girls got dresses and some other odds and ends. Matthew's big thing was that he wanted a necklace with a shark tooth on it. Mission accomplished.

We spent the rest of the afternoon poolside and then hit the Italian Restaurant to use up one of our a la carte coupons. I ordered a calzone. It tasted fine. We got back to the room by 8:30pm. We, quickly, made the decision to check out the entertainment stage that was putting on a show at 9pm. None of us lasted very long. It was 100% in Mexican and all of our interest levels were low.

I had my first and only run-in with security today. I had been indulging myself on the craziest waterslide ever since we got here. Turns out, it’s for ages 5-15 only. I got in one turn today before a security officer came flying out of the bushes and informed me I was too old to be on the slide. I told him okay, and that was it for my water slide escapades. Picture happy Jenn wasn’t thrilled. She failed in her attempt to get a photo of me going down. Shucks. It was a tremendous piece of work though. Made, entirely, of cement you could really fly on it. And, suffer incredible burns on your elbows if you weren’t careful. The thing spit me out with such velocity that I actually missed the bottom lip altogether and usually would crash into the buoys that divided the water slide part of the pool from the main swimming area. Such fun.

I struggled to fall asleep. I had this annoying heartburn type of sensation that I couldn't shake. Around midnight, I took three Pepto Bismol pills and one Gravol. By 2am, I was as sick as a dog. In fact, I've been sick from a hard night of drinking and felt better than this. Both ends paid hard. Jenn can't stand the sound of someone throwing up, so she quickly jumped out of bed and stayed on the balcony in an effort to avoid it all. I don't think she was successful. Let's just say there was quite a bit of force to my sickness. Whether it was heat stroke or a bit of food poisoning I'll never know, probably.

DOCUMENTING MEXICO HOLIDAY (Jan 11-12)

2012-01-19T09:51:00.002-06:00

View from our balcony in Manzanillo

January 11
Keeping a diary is not easy. It's January 13th, about 5:15pm as I attempt to get myself caught up.

The day started with normal behavior from the kids, IE-I was annoyed well before we even started breakfast. It's almost like they know where my buttons are, what it takes to press them, and then there is a surprise crackerjack prize after the buttons have been pressed. The prize isn't usually a good one, but they like to play the game anyway.

We are on the fifth floor and Macey thought she'd see how much of a rise she could get out of me by dangling over the balcony. Sorta Michael Jackson style, only it's not the parent holding the child. It's the child doing it on her own. My opinion is you don't get do-overs if you fall off the fifth floor. So I snapped. We also had a breakfast incident with Macey whereby she was carrying an empty glass and tripped on a step, smashing the glass with her landing on top of it. She had a couple of minor scrapes, but she was okay. The glass was a write off. The butler was terrified of a lawsuit. He provided more than ample care.

We connected with Jenn's parents and it was brought to our attention that Ed forgot to pack his sleeping pills and was contemplating booking an emergency flight home as the anxiety was getting the best of him and he hadn't slept a wink and didn't know how he'd cope all week long. I can't let them leave. Without any concrete plan, I said we'd solve the problem without them having to leave.

In Mexico, you don't need a prescription to get a drug from the pharmacy, unless it's for antibiotics. So, Ed phoned back to Dauphin to get the specifics of the two drugs he needed and we headed to Farmacia Guadalarja. I can't spell either word. Anyway, we showed the note to the pharmacist and he turned pale and shrugged his shoulders. I tried my best to communicate with words like 'insomnia' and 'can't sleep', but to no avail. So back to the hotel we go and I can see Ed's anxiety level increasing a bit more. At this point, I'm thinking we could call the local doctor and get him to write a prescription, or else see if the Dauphin pharmacy could email us the prescription and I'd give the Farmacia a second shot. Despite the advances of today's technology and despite pharmacies making scads of money, they are somehow unable to send an email with a prescription. Fax only. Wow. So, I go to the internet and find a website that has a list of all the drug names that these two sleeping pills may fall under and I convince Ed to give the Farmacia a second shot. This time, we get a different pharmacist and she ponies up the first drug right away. She checks stock and doesn't have the second one. Ed starts to panic, but then I try the same thing as I did before using key words like 'insomnia'. The lady grins and brings back a $6 box of Simplex. Ed said "We'll take it." and his anxiety was, instantly, over. After two nights, Ed has slept like a baby for a fraction of the cost of his medication back home. Drugs....sheesh. They are like the price of gas, I think. A big gouge. And me? I should be a pharmacist. Just think what I could do with years of schooling!

I took a lot of satisfaction out of this incident today. Jenn's parents have always helped us out on whatever we need. We do a lot for ourselves, but if we are in a bind; we go to them. And they always deliver. They don't ever need us. Ever. And if they did, I don't think we would ever know. But, after today, I saw such a thankful look from both Ed and Adeline that made me think, "Finally, we have done something for you." I could've have stroked him a cheque for $1 million dollars and it would mean nothing compared to handling this issue today. Jenn's parents and my parents are very different. First of all, my parents divorced when I was a young boy. So, I don't often get (or seek) help from my parents. It's, generally, the other way around. And that's okay. It's not like I had a bad upbringing or anything. And since I was a less than appreciative son during my child/teenage/young adult years, I am really glad to give something back at this point in all of our lives.

January 12
My favorite day so far. After breakfast, we hit the beach and I got in a morning swim. I was also bit by a fish on the bottom of my foot. Didn't hurt, but I was startled. And I don't like wildlife. Cats and dogs are great. But, my animal affection pretty much ends right there.

I've never understood people who say they are reading more than one book. Until now. I've got three on the go. Ron MacLean's autobiography, Moneyball, and The Business of T-Shirts. The latter Sheri picked up from the trade show in Toronto. All three are excellent for three different reasons and I am having a hard time dedicating enough time to any of them! Moneyball got my attention on this day at the beach.

I also like seeing the 'real' sights, but dragging three kids along on a trip like that might be counter productive. Oh....not sure when she said this, but I have to get this in somewhere. Macey said on a walk to the beach at one point, "When I grow up and get my babies, I want to live in Mexico." Anyway, I hopped a taxi (solo) to the local Walmart to grab a cheap pair of running shoes and socks to try out the gym. I'm not a muscle head, but I don't like being fat and I haven't worked out in a week. I gotta do a bike or something and soon. Turns out, Manzanillo also has KFC, Domino's, Office Depot, etc. They also have Monkey's. Monkey's is famous for...wait...fried chicken! Prices were a bit better than back home, but no real bargains. I walked about 30 minutes back to the resort.

We skipped supper and the ten of us got on an excursion that saw us sail the Bay of Santiago for about two hours in search of dolphins or whales. Nothing. When we hit our destination, we were treated to some traditional bongo drumming, a fire pit with the kids getting to roast marshmallows, and a nice supper. I opted for the chicken instead of the catch of the day. Big mistake. Jenn got the fish, which I think is called Mahia Mahia. Again...that's not spelled right. We took the open-air bus back to the resort and that was an experience for all. My bum doesn't have a lot of cushion after all.

Mallory, who was terrified of flying, had a similar outlook on sailing out on the ocean. She gave me the same two handed death grip that I received on the airplane and didn't let up for well over an hour. Towards the end of the ride, I was able to disconnect myself from her, only to find out from Macey that she was upset about me spending so much time with Mallory. So, she clung to me until we were on the beach eating supper.

Fast forward to the present: Jenn doesn't sit still. In a matter of a couple of hours, she hit two or three pools, a craft table, went back to the hotel room, and then convinced us all to go for a walk before supper. So, I'll finish later.

Back at the computer: 8pm January 13th. We finished January 12 by getting back into our rooms by 9:30 from the sunset/beach/supper excursion and after the kids went to sleep...Jenn and I stayed up to play a game of cards. We were bushed too. There wasn't a ton of enthusiasm to it. I think I still won.

DOCUMENTING MEXICO HOLIDAY (Jan 9-10)

2012-01-18T23:08:00.001-06:00

Mallory's vice grip on the airplane just prior to take-off

January 9
It was my first and only day of work after spending Thursday through Sunday in Toronto on a work related weekend that saw me experience the Green Day musical American Idiot on Thursday, two full days of the imprint trade show on Friday and Saturday and then an early day Sunday when we had to be out of bed by 4am (Sask Time) to fly back to Regina. Needless to say, I felt like a zombie on Monday trying to get caught up from what I had missed and also trying to set up the work week without me being a part of it. I have fantastic bosses, so it wasn't very hard and I felt comfortable when I walked out the door just before 3pm.

We were on the road to Winnipeg by 4pm and I was, pleasantly, surprised by the behavior of our three kids. Usually, I'm ready to slit my wrists when we reach our destination because I can't stand, constantly, telling them to smarten up. It's not like it's our first day on a long highway jaunt. All three should be used to traveling. This time, they traveled like pros. They even behaved at the Neepawa Dairy Queen. While there, I picked up a local newspaper and read a really nice article on the MJHL Natives and how they were trying to make something positive out of the hazing experience that had put Neepawa in a negative national spotlight just a few months earlier. What a train wreck society we are. We'll watch, listen, and read stories all day long about a 15-year-old kid who is forced to tie a milk carton to his scrotum, but nobody seems to care when the team declares January 9-13 a special week where we raise awareness on hazing and let fans into an MJHL game for free. Still, my hat goes off to the Natives for trying to do something right.

We got to our hotel shortly after 9pm, and that's where the behavior goes south. Macey, the 4-year-old, gets going with 10-year-old Matthew and it takes some unpleasant parenting to settle them down. Fortunately, 7-year-old Mallory has bunked with the grandparents, so she wasn't part of the tom foolery. Macey and Matthew, I should point out, are essentially the same person. Their characters are mirror images of each other, only Macey is a little wiser because she has the benefit of watching and learning from the older one. By 10:30 we have all settled in for the night. I don't think the tv was even turned on. Even at the discounted price of $129 for the room, the hotel has done well on the Stackhouse family. Works out to a little over $20 an hour for us to stay there.

January 10
My wife Jenn isn't a morning person. So she says. But, she's always the first person out of bed and today is no different. She is up at 3:45am and ushers me to the shower. I come out to a couple of groggy kids. Macey, apparently, was in the midst of an interesting dream. When Jenn told her it was time to get up, she said, "First I have to get on the school bus." She doesn't go to school at all, by the way. Just Nursery School two afternoons a week and the bus is mom and dad (or Mr. Weinmaster if mom and dad are busy).

We get to the airport and drop off the luggage and four passengers. I head to the parkade and am torn as to whether or not I should leave my jacket in the van. It's plus-5 outside and I have a five minute walk to the terminal. No big deal. I just envision it being -35 on January 17th when we get back and that five minute walk feeling like a twenty minute walk. I leave the jacket in the van. Tough guy.

The ten of us get in line (five in our family, Amy-Ryan-Reese, Baba-Dido) to get our assigned seats. I forget that most of us really aren't seasoned travelers as I hear the term 'rush seating' and cringe. I picture hundreds of people charging for the plane when they announce it's boarding time. I know better. An attendant comes to us and tells us that we will be given seats and while we won't be placed together as a group of ten, the children will have adults that they know to sit beside.

I'm pleasantly surprised for a second time when all three kids pass through airport security with flying colors. Excellent behavior. Love the system. Matthew is, randomly, selected to have his bags checked. He's a text book terrorist. I often wonder how we can expect to find terrorists when the people going through the bags look more like terrorists than the passengers.

We are all excited. But Baba and Dido are uncomfortable when I have discovered ten seats in gate six that are unoccupied so we can all wait together. Apparently, I'm too far away from where we actually leave to get on the plane.

Mallory is the Nervous Nelly of the five of us. She asks to sit with Dad and Jenn gets Macey and Matthew in front of us. We are in the middle row. So no window seats for anyone. Mallory asks me 34 times while we are waiting to take off if we are in the air yet. Just in case there's an issue, she spends the one hour tarmac wait double clutching my left arm. She had a vice grip on it. We take off and the event is uneventful. Mallory asks one last time if we are in the air. Uhhh, yes. Matthew is doing something on his iPod and MaceyBear is hibernating. Didn't even stir as we took off. Mom gets the upper hand despite having to look after two kids and I have just one.

The flight was almost five hours long. During the flight, it's discovered Mallory has taken her brand new sandals out of the bag and left them in Yorkton or in the van. Not sure. Regardless, she is without sandals in Mexico. Flip flops, yes. Running shoes, yes. Sandals: no. Over the course of five hours, Mallory asks 28 times if we are almost in Mexico. She asks 14 times if we are still in the sky.

The landing process has a bit more drama. Matthew has picked this particular time to pull a tooth. Serious. Macey is fine, but her ears are bothering her due to air pressure. Mallory is almost crying because of the air pressure and asks three more times if we are on the ground.

We land just around noon and get in the very long line to go through Mexican Customs. Matthew and Mallory are fine, but the free spirited Macey left her ears on the plane. She's also the smartest of the five of us. Did I mention that? A more rigid country surely would've thrown some, or all, of us in the slammer. She likes being told what to do and then, purposely, not obeying it to see if she's going to be in any trouble. Of course, the trouble is never that severe, so she carries on as if a parent hasn't asked her to stay in line, don't go far, stay quiet, etc.

We get on the bus to head to the resort (Barcelo Carmina Palace Deluxe in Manzanillo) and Macey starts annoying Matthew and Mallory. We, attempt, to punish her by moving her away but her loud crying outlasts the parenting attempt and she gets her way and ends up sitting beside Matthew and Mallory again. Maybe she has learned something though. She actually behaves this time.

After a 30 minute bus ride, we end up at the resort and get assigned our room (5032). Everyone is pretty pumped. Tired too. But, excitement wins out. Throughout the last few months, the girls have definitely talked about this trip more than Matthew. Maybe he's hitting the 'too cool' stage. But, in my opinion, he's the happiest of the three once we hit the water. I can relate to him well. When I was ten (January 1985), I was living in Gagetown and jumping from our apartment to the Nickerson's while my mom pursued a chef diploma from NBCC Moncton. I didn't like it. The Nickerson's were a great family, but I hated their cooking. It was always full of vegetables I didn't like and it wasn't....home. But, it was a necessary evil for mom to provide for our family better. Needless to say, I never got a vacation in Mexico when I was ten! I take a lot of pride in being able to provide for our kids in a manner I never even dreamt was possible when I was ten. I know exactly how thrilled I would've been to be in his shoes today.

I'm a social guy. I like to meet people. On the plane, I met a retired teacher from Winnipeg and she was good at helping to pass the time. Poolside, I met Kent from Winnipeg. He works at Great West Life. Seems like a real good person. We chatted about everything. From family, to work, to football. Also at poolside, I met Armando. He's a Mexican, who has lived most of his life in California. He's a General Manager for Anderson Pea Soup. Very interesting person. He was very curious as to why I'd bring my family to Mexico despite recent negative publicity about tourism here. I told him as long as you mind your own business, Mexico should be as safe as anywhere. He agreed and appreciated my honesty as we got a little more in depth on the subject.

We met up with the rest of our family for supper and I was in the pasta line with a guy from Winnipeg who is here for a wedding on Saturday. I told him I have always wanted to be a real life Wedding Crasher. He invited me to do just that. Another nice person. Supper was excellent. As I finish up, I look at the table next to me and Macey looks like she's hit a wall. The extended family is ready to call it an early night just after 7:30pm, but Matthew has his heart set on a walk along the beach, camera in tow. It was a great walk. Reminded me of Puerto Vallarta, only I did a bunch of those walks alone...unless you count a cigar. It's very relaxing.

The five of us are back in the room by 8:15pm and as I type this, Macey is on her fifth life. Will she wake up in the morning, or will she hibernate like a real life bear and maybe miss Wednesday altogether?

NEW SJHL TWITTER ACCOUNT

2012-01-08T20:57:00.000-06:00

We've had some problems with the SJHL Twitter account being hacked.

So, there is a new one and you may want to sign up fast as that's where the bulk of the January 10th player moves will be found the quickest.

@thesjhl

It's not currently showing up in searches, so be sure to tell your friends too.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Dec 21)

2011-12-23T20:57:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111221/YORKTON0304/111229895/-1/yorkton0304/most-wanted-list-for-canada-needed

RIDERS, RAY, BOLLAND, JETER

2011-12-15T21:24:00.002-06:00

The Saskatchewan Roughriders hired Corey Chamblin, most recently Hamilton's Defensive Co-ordinator, as their new head coach today.

This shouldn't come as a big surprise as Chamblin was General Manager Brendan Taman's first choice to coach the team last year before being overruled by Ken Miller to bring in Greg Marshall. I'm willing to give Taman the benefit of the doubt here. If Chamblin turns out to be a good hire, then it's another indictment on how unqualified Miller was to be anything other than a coach. If Chamblin turns out to be a bad hire, then get ready for more mediocrity from the CFL's richest franchise.

Am I the only one thinking that perhaps Edmonton GM Eric Tillman is planning to use some of his salary cap savings from the Ricky Ray trade on Saskatchewan receiver Andy Fantuz? Still, I can't help but wonder if Tillman has been busy reading some of his press clippings in the Leader-Post and maybe thinks he's so smart that he can just dump a guy like Ray and still stock the Eskimo roster with players good enough that they can go to the Grey Cup. Tillman points out that he dealt Kerry Joseph after the Grey Cup win in 2007 and that allowed Darian Durant to emerge. What he forgets is that the Riders got desperate and made a trade for Michael Bishop because most of 2008 was a year without competent play at quarterback. I expect Edmonton to take a step back in 2012 and Saskatchewan should take advantage.

*******************************************************************************

If you are wondering why hockey players are boring interview subjects, look no further than what the media did to a playful radio bit Chicago Blackhawk forward David Bolland did with WGN earlier this week. Bolland, obviously in good natured humour, made fun of the city of Vancouver as well as Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Well, the Toronto sports channels decided to make this a national incident and was able to solicit disparaging comments from a number of members of the Canucks. It's not worth being colorful when something gets blown out of proportion like this. Realistically, there was no reason for anyone outside the Chicago market to even hear that exchange between Bolland and the announcers on WGN.

********************************************************************************

Derek Jeter's lovelife is in the news. Apparently, it's commonplace for Jeter to keep a woman overnight and then send her on her way in a limo with a parting gift package consisting of Jeter memorabilia. Again, the media makes a big deal out of this and suggests he's degrading women. The reality is that most men would get a kick out of a Kaley Cuoco gift pack if the situation involved a female celebrity sleeping around with random guys. The women that get involved for a few hours with Jeter aren't under any illusions. They know they are not going to be the next Mrs Jeter.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Dec. 15)

2011-12-15T21:21:00.004-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111214/YORKTON0304/111219917/-1/yorkton0304/impressed-by-local-theatre-troupe

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Dec 7)

2011-12-11T22:56:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111207/YORKTON0304/111209858/-1/yorkton0304/joy-ride-not-an-amusing-event

FURNESS GETS LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR 12 YEARS

2011-12-11T22:55:00.001-06:00

I wonder what it would take for a judge to say, "Yes, that's brutal. 17 years."

To me. This is as cold blooded as they get. But, maybe I'm not cold blooded enough to understand....

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111207/YORKTON0101/111209807/-1/yorkton/kyle-furness-sentenced-for-murder

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Nov 30)

2011-12-01T12:09:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111130/YORKTON0304/111139961/-1/yorkton0304/football-focus-back-on-riders

YOU CAN SUE FOR ANYTHING

2011-11-30T16:49:00.001-06:00

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2011/11/30/19039641.html?utm_source=addThis&utm_medium=addthis_button_facebook&utm_campaign=Kidnapper+sues+his+hostages+-+Weird+News+-+Canoe.ca#.TtawigomABg.facebook

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week November 23)

2011-11-24T11:44:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111123/YORKTON0304/111129949/-1/yorkton0304/loopholes-make-mockery-of-justice

STAY AWAY FROM YOUR VICTIMS ON FACEBOOK

2011-11-19T15:17:00.000-06:00

Hope this is a lesson for perpetrators out there. A man got 5 1/2 years in prison for trying to 'friend' one of his sexual assault victims on Facebook. Of course, this is an American court case. In Canada, he would've gotten a lecture and some counselling.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57328203/nc-sex-offender-gets-prison-for-facebook-request/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cbsnews%2Ffeed+%28CBSNews.com%29

A FEW THINGS I'VE READ TODAY

2011-11-19T12:31:00.000-06:00

Alcohol is a funny thing. You can ply someone with it to take advantage of a girl and also use it on yourself to use as an excuse for doing so.
http://news.yahoo.com/teen--neighbour-had-sex-with-13-year-old-girl.html

It's a funny place where we live. Sex assault is not really a sex assault if you go on a trip.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/11/18/sk-teacher-trial-jury-111118.html

Overweight people don't, necessarily, eat a lot.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/overweight-people-eat-fewer-meals-others-202832931.html

Some people will sympathize with the accused in this particular case, but there have to be serious consequences in order for future potential disasters to be averted.
http://www.leaderpost.com/Promising+young+hockey+player+jail+time+fatal+crash/5734657/story.html

If you are a newspaper reader and have an iPhone, then PressReader is an absolute 'must have'.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Nov 16)

2011-11-17T23:39:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111116/YORKTON0304/111119903/-1/yorkton0304/begrudging-agreement-with-8216-buddy-8217

LIGHTNING-FLYERS STALEMATE

2011-11-11T14:41:00.000-06:00

I thought this was funny.

http://eye-on-hockey.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/27694626/33219601

This is exactly what's wrong with hockey at the NHL level. Winning is more important than entertainment. Before you say that there is nothing wrong with winning being more important than entertainment, consider how important winning is if there is nobody there to watch you win.

One of the things I wonder about when it comes to hockey is how many coaches are too many? You have three on the bench, and who knows how many in the press box. Usually, someone in the press box is able to communicate with a wireless device to one of the assistants on the bench. I wonder if we scaled back to a head coach and an assistant coach and forbid anyone else from being on the bench or in the press box, if that would allow for more mistakes to be made during the course of a game. After all, it's mistakes that cause goals and it's mistakes that make junior hockey so much fun to watch.

I also still come back to the equipment. Shed some of it. There would be less concussions if guys could wear more modest elbow pads, for example. You want to stick your elbow up near someone's head? Be prepared to break your arm. And, in today's day and age there has to be a way of making sure goalies are properly protected without making them look like they are six feet wide in addition to being six feet high.

I look at the NFL and the stance they've taken on protecting quarterbacks has made their game more enjoyable to watch. There is more room for the quarterback to operate and, therefore, we are seeing more down the field passes.

MLB could be more fun for the viewer if they put a time limit on how long you can take in between pitches thrown.

The NBA changed years ago when they invented the three point line. And, yes you probably see guys 'travel' all the time, but it's more fun to watch.

JOEL DANYLUK CONTIKI TRIP SLIDE SHOW

2011-11-09T11:27:00.000-06:00

Former Yorkton/La Ronge/Estevan goaltender Joel Danyluk won a trip to Europe this past summer through a promotion done between the SJHL and Contiki Holidays.

Veronica K Photography has put together a picture/video slide show that can now be seen on YouTube.

Joel wishes to thank Veronica for all of her hard work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMR-2f8kBIg&feature=share

SIMMONS WRITES A MASTERPIECE ON FROST/DANTON/JEFFERSON TRIANGLE

2011-11-07T13:31:00.004-06:00

I purchased ‘The Lost Dream’ over the weekend. That’s a book written by the very talented Steve Simmons and it’s about former NHLer Mike Danton, David Frost, and the broken family The Jeffersons. If you are not familiar with the story, Danton (then known as Mike Jefferson) was taken under Frost’s wing as a young teenager and ended up divorcing himself from his family. In 2004, Danton was arrested for trying to have Frost killed. Danton has since recanted, saying he was trying to have his biological father, Steve, killed instead.

The book is a big time page turner and I read it in one day. That’s not normal for me. Usually, I’m so busy that it takes me months to read a book. This one…I couldn’t put it down. I was walking around the house reading it and stayed up super late to finish it.

Some of the things that really struck me: I can’t believe how much power a hockey coach can wield over his players. I’ve been involved in hockey for a number of years, but never at a high level when it comes to being a player or a coach. It blows my mind what a coach can get a player to do and when that power is abused, it can really mess up a lot of people’s lives. One time, Frost allegedly punched one of his players in the face right on the bench in the middle of a game. By the time it got to court, the entire team (including the victim) insisted it never happened. Bob Goodenow, the former head of the NHLPA, is a complete and utter slime bag if even half of what is in this book is true. An even greater sin is that someone along the way didn’t stand up to Goodenow and ask him what in the world was going on. He fast tracked Frost to being an agent when he shouldn’t have been one at all. I also can’t believe the limits parents will go to in order to try and get their son to the National Hockey League. I think that’s one thing that, maybe wasn’t intended to shine through in the book, but really shook me.

I tweeted Simmons on Saturday night, telling him what a great job he did with this story. Within a short time, I got a message from David Frost, himself, telling me there will be another book released with the ‘true’ story. He also informed me that he plans on suing Simmons for suggesting a child born to Frost’s wife may actually be, in fact, Danton’s child. Both Danton and Frost have gone after Simmons pretty hard on Twitter in recent days.

I commend Simmons for his efforts. I know what it is like to hit road blocks on a major story that goes beyond sports. I was over a year just putting together the former Neepawa players piece that came out last week. I talked to quite a few people that would tell me all kinds of stuff ‘off the record’ and it would, probably, make you throw up if it all came out. And, the two players that did speak were not comfortable using their names. So, again…nice work Steve.

Footnote on this story for Junior 'A' fans: Frost protege Sheldon Keefe is the Coach/GM/President of the Pembroke Lumber Kings. Larry Barron, who stayed at the Jefferson home once upon a time and was also a Frost disciple, is listed as a minority owner. Shawn Cation is an assistant coach. He, too, was mentored by Frost. With the cloud of uncertainty over these people, would you let your son into the care of these individuals? I wouldn't even for a day. But, a lot have. And, not just players hanging on for that final chance. The Lumber Kings have won the league title all five years that Keefe has been at the head of the helm. They've also won an RBC Cup. Simmons says there are rumours Frost and Danton also have fingerprints on the ownership, but nothing has been proven. Frost is also banned from having anything to do with the league the Lumber Kings play in.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Nov 2)

2011-11-03T15:29:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111102/YORKTON0304/111109924/hazing-perennial-issue-in-sports

PERRIER RESIGNS

2011-11-03T15:26:00.002-06:00

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=n13234743

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Neepawa-Natives-coach-resigns-in-hazing--133191113.html

FORMER NEEPAWA PLAYERS SHARE THEIR STORIES

2011-11-01T13:00:00.005-06:00

In the wake of the hazing incident in Neepawa with the MJHL Natives, comes word of other stories involving two former players, who say they couldn’t wait to be shipped out of town.

Some of the stories with regards to how players are treated, fall in line with reports the late-September hazing victim was forced to apologize to his teammates for the matter becoming public.

In the interest of protecting identities, the players are identified as Player A and Player B.

Player A says the coaching staff are too tough on them, mentally. As of Christmas last year, twelve of the twenty players on the opening night roster were gone. “It’s mentally stressful. You go to the rink every day and you aren’t even concerned about being on the ice. You are wondering about trades, having a strip torn off you, and stuff like that.”

Player B tells an interesting story of having to travel from his hometown in northern Manitoba to take part in a mandatory practice in Brandon. “It was not optional. We had to leave our jobs and go. In order for me to make it, I had to travel all night. My friend and I practiced all weekend, including on Sunday. I informed the coach and the Director of Player Personnel that my friend and I can’t miss work. Their response was that both of our careers were on the line and if we were to leave he couldn’t say what would happen with us. I pleaded that I’d be tired having practiced all weekend and then having to drive through the night again to make it home and they still told me ‘no’. I got home Monday morning at 6am and reported for work.”

Player B says the lack of caring for his personal well being was reversed when the shoe was put on the other foot. “I make the team and one night I got a call from my sister, who had a family problem and needed money. It was ten o’clock at night and Winnipeg is two hours away. So, I phoned to see if it would be okay for me to miss curfew in this situation so I could go and help her out. I was told that I could not as he didn’t want me driving at night. It was too dangerous. If that’s the case, what was he thinking in the summer time when I had to drive ten hours after a weekend of practice?”

Player B says his time in Neepawa was full of mind games and he eventually asked to be traded. “They told me the team had big plans. I was told of a big tryout coming as I was on the waiting list for the World Junior tryouts. I’m not even good enough to play for Team West at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge. I don’t know why they thought I’d believe such a story. But, they said they wanted a guy like Jordin Tootoo and that guy is me. They fed me a lot of kool-aid and I, eventually, just let it go.”

“As a hockey player, I want to go to the next level and they (Coach and Director of Player Personnel) have power over me when it comes to getting there. They would say there are scholarships lined up, so you have to stay and play hard.”

Player A said he never knew of a meeting where there wasn’t a witness. “He’d have either a three way call going on (conference call) or he’d call up the rink guy or get one of his assistants. He never did anything one-on-one. I’ve had more than four coaches in my junior career and none of them conduct meetings this way. I think it should be one-on-one because it’s confidential and you shouldn’t have others standing around listening to your conversation.”

Player B adds, “He (coach) would tell players that he doesn’t want to see one player in the lobby talking to their family after a game. They can do that in the morning. He hated parents and girlfriends because he says they take you off your routine. Some parents would come from a long way away to see their sons. The coach would still say to us to go straight home.”

Player A (not knowing what Player B had said to me) backed up that statement. “He’s (Perrier) absolutely controlling. I would have to go to the office every day and relay messages from him to the other players. Afterward, I’d be told to re-iterate. The guys couldn’t see their girlfriends or parents after the game. They had to go straight home. Even if parents came from the States, he would tell the guys that if you see your parents after the game, you may as well go home with them.”

“They weren’t even allowed to stay at the billet’s house. Why? Beats me. He claimed that having them there would interfere with the on-ice performance.”

Player A further states, “Messages were very hypocritical. If something wasn’t going the way it was planned, they will talk your ear off until you believe them.”

Player A says the Network 54 Message Forum is a huge topic with the coaching/management staff. It’s called ‘Third Party Interference’. I have done a lot of research on my own and while there are, obviously, anonymous people with axes to grind for their own selfish reasons, there was one very moving post that appeared to have merit. Heavy research confirmed the post below is, indeed, from a father of a former Neepawa MJHL player. To this point, the player in question does not wish to come forward to discuss anything further. But, the fact remains this message was on the forum:

We have had the misfortune of our son playing for Coach Perrier. This coach is the reason we all have to go to numerous certification clinics sponsored by Hockey Canada.

I have been lucky enough to have both him and Cam Dickie on the phone telling me that I had to listen to what they said and that I could not respond to their comments. The antics of these two people are indescribable. As a parent I had over 19 years invested in raising this young man and they were now telling me all of weaknesses and faults and how they were going to help him first become a better person and then a better player.

The news release announcing the signing of my son with Neepawa made statements that were untrue concerning scholarships, etc. Coach Perrier always talks about scholarships, etc and the majority of these statements are false and misleading. Most of the young men who have played with him will confirm this.

He talks about values and morals and standards but his antics during practices and in the dressing room did not substantiate what he was saying.

When my son got traded to Neepawa, the first thing I did was check the coach out. That is easy these days given the internet. The reports and reviews I found on line were a bit alarming regarding his reputation in the west. I talked with several GM's I personally knew and the ones who knew of him did not speak highly of him.

As I look back and see what is going on right now in Neepawa it is not surprising. Coach Perrier is the ultimate control freak and wants to control every aspect of a player's life. He is a promoter who is skilled at using small amounts of truth to ad credibility to what he is doing. His favorite tool is a news release which one week he will be telling us all how great a player is and how he will contribute to the program and then the next week how he didn’t just fit with management’s plans.

I hope the Natives do survive this bump in the road despite Coach Perrier and Cam Dickie. We have kids who have played sports at all levels nationally and internationally and as parents have benefited from the efforts of some of the best coaching and management available. Unfortunately Coach Perrier and Cam Dickie are the two worst that we have experienced.

It would not be fair to only criticize this program. The community of Neepawa was fantastic and Mary Ellen Clarke is the most caring, compassionate person parents could ever want looking after your son. To this day my son still keeps in touch with her and that is really what life is all about. My son's billets were also excellent people whom we trusted explicitly.

Fortunately life is more about the people you meet, the friendships you make and the foot print you leave on life, not how much ice time you get, whether you get to be on the power play or how many points you amass.

At the end of last season, I emailed coach Perrier a number of questions, which he did not answer. He asked to speak with me on the telephone instead. Based on the statements of several people I have talked to, I’m not interested in doing a phone interview as I don’t need to be accused of taking words out of context. I’d rather post a straight forward Q&A and allow the answers to speak for themselves. To his credit, Perrier seemed friendly and approachable on the phone and asked me to come to Neepawa and see the good work being done with the program. I have not, at this point, taken him up on his offer.

The President of the team, Dave McIntosh, has been with the organization for a very long time. I remember having positive dealings with him when I lived in Brandon and covered the team for CKX. Aside from that, I can’t comment on either Perrier or McIntosh.

I did have a phone conversation with Cam Dickie that involved him threatening me with a lawsuit, which I can see might be a fairly common practice when statements are made regarding the team that are not favorable. http://m.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-hockey-league-wont-talk-about-media-reports-of-naked-hazing/article2215259/?service=mobile

Dickie was removed from his post as Director Of Player Personnel in December 2010, according to Player A because another player had enough and quit the club. That player then went to the team’s Board of Directors and gave his version of why he was no longer playing and it was followed by Dickie’s dismissal. The player did come back and play out the season. This allegation has not been proven, but is the word of Player A.

The treatment, it seems, isn’t limited to players. Branden Crowe is a young broadcast journalist at CJVR in Melfort; but he used to be a media member in Brandon. Looking at being more involved with hockey, he placed a call to inquire about scouting. “Perrier called and invited me to his office to meet. When I got there, I knew something wasn’t right. They sat me down and stood around me in a manner I felt was ‘intimidating’. They asked me about my blog, which I had to write when I was a Communications Assistant for the Winnipeg Goldeyes (baseball). The post, in my opinion, was far from defamatory or vulgar towards the team. It simply my thoughts on Ed Friesen making the WHL as a 20-year-old. Perrier then said, “There’s no scouting job and this is not good Crowe.” Dickie then went on to accuse me of writing negative comments on the Network 54 Forum. At that point, I didn’t even know the message board existed. They both went on to threaten me with legal action, saying slander is illegal and they would have none of it. They also said if I ever wrote anything negative about their team again, I would hear about it and I was threatened with a lawsuit one more time for good measure before I took off.”

My email remains open for any member of the Neepawa Natives to reply. It’s also available if any former players or players’ families have similar stories and wish to come forward.

ROOKIES CAN PAY THEIR DUES WITHOUT HAZING

2011-10-29T21:44:00.001-06:00

A few people have asked for my opinion on the hazing incident, seeing as how there have been a few stories about Neepawa on my blog in the last year or so.

Some may be surprised to hear I feel there is a place in sports for rookies to cut their teeth and pay their dues; although I stop well short of saying I condone hazing.

Having rookies clean a dressing room, load the bus, or sit in the most unattractive dressing room stalls is not hazing. However, the politically correct lunatics out there may suggest it is.

Demeaning or embarrassing a player is hazing and that is the practice that has to be stopped. The problem is that the line is blurry. No question, making a 15-or-16 year-old walk around with a milk carton hanging from his scrotum is a major offense. But, what about shaving a guy's head? Is that hazing? Or, how about singing an embarrassing song in a crowded restaurant? I think a poll of 10 guys will result in mixed results.

Furthermore, coaches are on the hook for making sure hazing does not occur, but I can tell you controlling a group of 20 teenagers/young men is a task easier said than done. Most of us have a teenager as a child and most of us (if we are being honest with ourselves) has had that same teenager pull a wool over our eyes to commit an offense that he or she didn't want the parent to find out about. That's a parent with 1 teenager. Now, think of a coach who has 20 teenagers to manage or supervise. Things happen and coaches are not always privy.

The real crime in the Neepawa situation right now is that the kid is not playing. What bothers me more is the reason why he's not playing. If the Natives are holding out for the proper compensation, the Commissioner needs to step in and solve the matter. Personally, I don't think Neepawa should have any say in what they get in return for him. The boy should be allowed to pick his team and go there. But, what if teams are nervous about allowing a whistle blower into their room? If that's the case, an even greater sin is being committed. Easier said than done, but I'd take this young man in a heartbeat. What he's done shows a tremendous amount of courage. And, I'd want young men with courage on my hockey team.

Here's a real good piece on the whole incident and if the story about the victim being forced to apologize is true, then sweeping changes should be made. I'd go so far as to say the operations of the hockey team should be suspended.
http://www.mywestman.ca/content/view/4084/69/

SOME POSITIVES IN RIDER WIN TODAY

2011-10-29T17:05:00.000-06:00

The Saskatchewan Roughriders closed out the home portion of their schedule today by beating the Hamilton Tiger Cats 19-3.

The Riders put some back-ups in against some Hamilton back-ups and I thought there were a few guys that showed they deserve an invite back next Spring to compete for a starting job, including running back Brandon West, and several defensive players (Ken Rowe, Tearrius George, and Tyron Brackenridge come immediately to mind). By no means am I anointing these guys, but I didn't mind them today. I don't share the same enthusiasm about Ryan Dinwiddie as some of the Regina media people are today. I've seen enough to know he can't come back. And, if Cole Bergquist ever turns out to be a decent quarterback on some other team...another black eye for the folks making decisions on playing time. I guess I'll give Ken Miller the benefit of the doubt and agree Bergquist can't play. However, I'm dumb founded as to why he has managed to stay on the roster for so long.

I left my season tickets in the cupboard for these last two games because I figure if the team has given up, I may as well too. And, that's something more sports franchises have to understand. You can't just say you have a team and expect fans to attend. You have to try to put a competitive product on the field. That didn't happen this year. While it may be harsh to boycott the way fans did today, I think it's something worth noting for Jim Hopson as he rebuilds this program. Either fix this mess, or you are going to have an abundance of empty seats. Fans should not apologize for that. You can say the typical 'you can't win every year' excuse, but the fact is this team went from three Grey Cup appearances in four years to the toilet. It's like landing on the 'Go To Jail' square in Monopoly. Furthermore, when the season was lost, the coaching staff showed how stubborn they really are by continuing to play for 'now' and risking injury to the few keepers they have. It's true, you don't have to win every year. But, at least show us something other than a team that goes further and further off the rails with each passing game.

I suspect Hopson will have lots to say when the season is over and I look forward to hearing it. I don't share some of the fans' opinions that Hopson has to go. I think that, overall, he's done a real good job and I commend him for letting the football people run the team (even if it's done poorly) during the season and staying away from that aspect. But, after next week's final game, I believe Hopson will have his say and it will spell the end for a number of players and coaches.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Oct 19)

2011-10-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

The September Showcase for the SJHL was held in Estevan over the weekend. There were over two dozen scouts taking in the action, including eight National Hockey League teams that were represented. For me, the real story is the beautiful Spectra Place and the show put on by the organizers. Executives are constantly looking at ways to make their game more of an event and not just a sixty minute hockey game. Well, the Bruins have it cased. They have a jumbotron at centre ice where they are flashing Bruin highlights before the team skates out. When they do, it’s accompanied by loud rock music and strobe lights. The intermissions are busy too with pretty girls throwing stuff into the crowd and the camera guy is panning from section to section getting people to cheer as they see themselves on the big tv. There is a sports door that keeps regular hours right inside the playing surface part of the arena and they stock Bruin merchandise. Both sides of the ice are loaded with top of the line luxury suites. To top it off, the food is super expensive so they can pay off the massive price tag to build this palace!

Estevan is a city that may be growing at a rate faster than what it can handle. The downtown was bumper to bumper even on a Sunday morning. And, if you get a chance to talk to anyone in Yorkton about what it is like to wait in line for a coffee at the drive-thru, you are likely to get nothing but unsatisfied customers. Well, Yorkton has nothing on Estevan. The coffee shop there had three ways to enter the parking lot. All three were clogged with vehicles trying to merge into one line. If you were inside the restaurant, good luck trying to get out. I’m still not going to wait in the Yorkton line, but it made me realize it can be worse. By the way, the franchise I’m talking about is one that should have more of its stores open in Yorkton. I grew up in Fredericton, which is triple the size of Yorkton. They have fifteen of these franchise outlets open for business. We have one. And, we have more disposable income than people from New Brunswick.

Long time Yorkton residents are likely familiar with the name Bob Rhinas. Bob lives in British Columbia now and is 56-years-old, but is in need of a kidney transplant. Monday, Brenda Walsh (his sister) donated one of hers in a life saving gesture. I used to work for Brenda’s husband, Lyle, and he told me at the Terrier game last Wednesday of Brenda’s amazing decision to give the gift of life. Lyle and Brenda are not the type of people who go around publicizing their good deeds, but I felt this is something folks should know about, especially if you don’t see Brenda around for awhile. Lyle tells me it’s about a three month process for Bob and Brenda to fully recover. Brenda will be in the hospital for about five days after the transplant and then will be an outpatient for a number of visits and then it’s hoped she can return to Yorkton.

If fans want to send the Saskatchewan Roughriders a real message that means something, they will not attend the last home game of the season on October 29 against Hamilton, even if you already have a ticket. The Riders make money in the food you eat, the drinks you consume, and the merchandise you wear. If you don’t go, it will be reflected in their gate. It’s not that I’m a Rider non-supporter, but this organization has to understand the fan base means business when it comes to putting a competitive product on the field. If you accept the Riders as lovable losers, they are simply nothing more than the Toronto Maple Leafs of the CFL. Rider brass has insulted the fan base by continuing to trot out the same bunch of losers week after week after week without major change. Furthermore, they played injured quarterback Darian Durant and injured receiver Andy Fantuz (perhaps the two players they should make sure they keep) on Sunday despite the fact this team didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Cuba of making the playoffs. I am imploring Jim Hopson to please FIX THIS MESS.

I snapped a picture of a small sampling of what the Gallagher Centre parking lot looked like last Wednesday night at the Terrier game. Oh boy do we have lots to learn. Clearly, the stalls are marked and the row ends where indicated, but three more vehicles figured they’d squeeze in too just to get that much closer to the building and minimize the walk. Of course three more vehicles parked behind those guys!

Nice person mentions this week to Dean Brockman, Becky Tait, Ron Holloway, and Rob Hart.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Oct 12)

2011-10-18T09:34:00.000-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111012/YORKTON0304/111019912/-1/yorkton0304/local-gas-prices-make-no-sense

PLAYERS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEKEND

2011-10-16T23:14:00.001-06:00

This is totally off the top of my head from what I remember over the course of watching twelve teams in two and a half days.

GOAL:
Fraser Abdallah, Kindersley - I didn't see him on Sunday, but he was amazing on Saturday. Jay Young should've had a hat trick, but ended up with a goose egg on the score sheet.

Steven Glass, Estevan - Very calm in there. He had two pretty tough assignments, but handled Humboldt nicely on Friday night and then gave up only two against a Yorkton team that had defeated the Bruins twice earlier in the week.

Andy Desautels, Flin Flon - I didn't watch him on Sunday night, but I see he's now 5-and-0, 2.40, .912 and that bears watching.

DEFENSE:
Travis Sparrow, Battlefords - The team captain and he only has 1-assist this season; but he doesn't get beat much one-on-one. Defense is the toughest position for me to evaluate because it's easy to look at the stats and just go with those guys. But, Sparrow is a good one and he doesn't have to put up any numbers at all.

Brady Norrish, Yorkton - He scored a real nice goal on the rush on Saturday and as he gets more comfortable, I think you will see more offense from him and his twin brother.

John Stechyshyn, Melville - He's got five points in ten games and I really like his poise. He doesn't appear to be a rookie out there.

Brandt Weldon, Flin Flon - Wow, can he shoot.

FORWARDS:
Jay Young, Flin Flon - In the words of Kindersley coach Rockie Zinger: "He's a man". Hits, scores, skates well.

Dillan McCombie, Flin Flon - I get the feeling whenever this kid decides he's going to really do something. He will do whatever he wants.

Blake Tatchell, Battlefords - He's always exciting every time I see the Stars play.

Kyle Threndyle, Melfort - It's a tall order to go from fourth line to first line the way he has. On a struggling team, no less. Still, Threndyle is a bonafide threat.

Michael Sagen, Melville - A lot of attention being paid to the top line and the goaltending situation in Melville. Quietly, Sagen is a force on the PK and is collecting points.

Jamie Vlanich, Yorkton - He can't be more than 5'9", but he hits like he's 6'4" and scores regularly.

Justin Lund, Kindersley - He got cranked twice in the second period by Jay Young on Saturday, but the 17-year-old just kept on motoring.

TEAM BY TEAM RECAPS FROM THE SHOWCASE

2011-10-16T23:00:00.000-06:00

This is the same article posted on the SJHL website:
BATTLEFORDS - Arguably, the most impressive team at the Showcase, the Stars appear to have two solid veteran goaltenders and head coach Kevin Hasselberg has done a terrific job with a defense that was, admittedly, a work in progress coming out of training camp. Captain Travis Sparrow, despite 1-assist in 13-games is a real force and needs to be watched to be truly appreciated.

ESTEVAN - They’ve done nothing to disprove the notion this is a young team contending earlier than anticipated. Steven Glass appears to have stolen the number one netminding job as he started both games at the Showcase and made upwards of 30-saves in both appearances. Dylan Smith is enjoying a coming out party and is the favorite to win the SJHL scoring title at the moment. Rookies Matt Brykaliuk and Taylor Reich also enjoyed good weeks and provide nice depth if they can continue to play well up front.

FLIN FLON - The top two lines of Riley Storzuk-Jay Young-Dylan Balaski and Cameron Blair-Dillan McCombie-Brett Penner are as good as any in the league. David Roper, Tanner Clark, and Brandt Weldon are three two-way defensemen that also belong in the upper class. Rookie goalies Andy Desautels and Devin Buffalo remind some of the Dan Bauer-Michael Clements combination from Nipawin a number of years ago. Lots to like and this team could be for real.

HUMBOLDT - The Broncos are above .500 despite running out three different goalies that have posted save percentages below .900. Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. Andrew Johnston and Robbie Ciolfi are continuing to develop chemistry, while there are a number of injuries and illnesses running through the roster right now too. The best is yet to come, but don’t expect massive changes. The core group is in place. They may add another forward with scoring punch, but expect the ship to be righted with the players on the current roster.

KINDERSLEY - The Klippers are better than the record indicates, although they’ll need to secure more consistency from the goaltending position. Fraser Abdallah gave the best netminding performance of the weekend on Saturday night against Flin Flon. Overall, the play of several returning veterans has to be somewhat disappointing; although rookies like Justin Lund, Troy Gedny, and Kyle Davies has to be encouraging. Tanner Kissick has taken a nice step forward too.

LA RONGE - Where’s the scoring? It’s smoke and mirrors for Bob Beatty right now. They went undefeated at the Showcase, but still don’t have a single player at 10-points despite playing 15-games. It’s difficult to see who’s going to emerge and lead this team. Skyler Hladun, Nathan Boyer, and Aaron Enns are key holdovers from last year and Enns was terrific against Nipawin on Saturday. Defenseman Matthew Weisensel is one to watch as his academics are, reportedly, very high and he’s attracted some NCAA interest already.

MELFORT - In a full rebuilding mode with new players, coaches, and executive members. Connor Bradshaw isn’t a natural goal scorer, but he’s going to be relied on heavily by Gavin Holcomb. Kyle Threndyle is a real nice surprise after seeing limited minutes last year. The acquisition of Godric Tham looks like a good one. Rookies Avery Vanblaricom and Landon Belchamber should continue to improve over time. Goaltending is one area where there are no concerns. Both Jesse Wilkins and Jesse Ehnisz have been as good as one could hope.

MELVILLE - If Alex Wakaluk is in goal, they are tough to beat (5-1-2). Take him out, and they are very beatable (0-3-1). The line of Mark Owen-Jesse Mireau-Ian McNulty may be the most dangerous in the league; although Mireau’s giveaway at centre late in the third on Saturday resulted in the game winning goal for Humboldt. So better two-way play is needed. Rookie defenseman John Stechyshyn, surely, had to come up on the radar of the scouts. When Lee Christensen comes back from a broken orbital bone, the defense should get a major lift. Michael Sagen’s offense is, quietly, coming around. And, this team has four players in the WHL that, at the moment, are part-timers and could come back at some point.

NIPAWIN - This weekend wasn’t a clear indication of how far this organization has come in a year. Doug Johnson is the runaway Coach Of The Year after the quarter pole of the season. Defenseman Jeff Datoff has been impressive at both ends of the ice and big steps forward from the likes fo Dan Szerlip and Brady Zerr have helped aid the progress of rookie Tad Kozun as opposing teams struggle to check a top line when there are actually four lines capable of scoring goals. Johnson has also gotten real good mileage from Justin Waskewitch and may get similar results from Wilson Dumais.

NOTRE DAME - At the moment, the Hounds have the best goalie in the league in Ty Reichenbach and may have the best all-around defenseman in Carson Grolla. Scoring has come from a number of sources, but Brandon Millin and Todd Christian are the two key guys. The players have bought into head coach Kevin White’s system and playing the Hounds is not an easy time. If they can find some scoring depth, possibly from within from the likes of Ben Morgan, Dayton Shaw, and Dillon Schwartzenberger, they’ll be closer to the top of the division than they will to the bottom of it.

WEYBURN - On paper, this isn’t a team to fear. But, Dwight McMillan is at it again. They slaughtered Nipawin on Sunday and looked like world beaters. Two days earlier, the rolled over for the Ice Wolves. Jack Kennelly is started to figure things out as he goes through the league a second time and looks like he’ll continue to be a scoring threat going forward. Of course, the big three of Jesse Ross, Coltyn Sanderson, and Keegan Bruce are as good as any. Ryan Whitell has developed nicely and is anchoring the defense. Local product Carter Struthers is playing well at the moment and the best is yet to come from goalie Mitch Kilgore. Kilgore won’t be asked to play every night anymore as Brett Teskey was added from the WHL and he should spell Kilgore a bit more than the previous back-ups.

YORKTON - They’ve been dogged by injuries, but it’s also clear they don’t have any gamebreakers up front and will need to score by committee. You can’t help but be entertained by Jamie Vlanich, who doesn’t have size, but someone forgot to tell him that. The defense is young with 18-year-old twins Brady and Chase Norrish playing big minutes with Devon McMullen. Sunday’s strong performance from Warren Shymko, who missed the previous 10-days with a groin injury, was encouraging. The return of Brent Struble, who had been out for the last seven months with injuries, was also welcomed and he paid immediate dividends with 5-points in 4-games over the course of 6-days.

NEEPAWA NATIVES INVESTIGATED FOR HAZING

2011-10-13T23:45:00.000-06:00

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/10/13/hockey-officials-investigate-possible-hazing-incident

While I never like to see a story like this, I can't say I'm entirely shocked. If you were to ask me about a seriously negative story arising from a junior hockey organization, I would have suggested if there was one out there, Neepawa would be on the top of my list.

As I've said before, all you have to do is log onto the Network 54 MJHL message forum and you can spend hours on end reading about the polarizing figures involved with that organization. And, while message boards tend to have their fair share of garbage associated with the posts, there are a number that are also written by very well informed people, such as players, parents, and other coaches.

At the end of last season, I decided to 'sit' on a story where I talked to several former Neepawa players, who didn't speak highly of their experience there due to those involved with making on-ice decisions. At the risk of identifying those players, I will say no more at this point in time. What I had was a very one-sided story and it did not reflect well on the Natives. I wanted them to have a chance to refute or explain the information I had gathered.

I submitted a list of questions via email to Bryant Perrier (head coach), who declined to answer and wished to speak with me on the phone. We had a good chat and he invited me to come to Neepawa so he could show me all the good things he's doing with the organization. I have not, to this point, taken him up on his offer. I worked in Brandon for five years and spent considerable time in Neepawa covering the Natives through the Brad Wells, Jeff Pister, and Craig Atkinson (all excellent guys and good coaches) years. I'm fairly familiar with how things are run. We ended up not doing the interview. Honestly, I wasn't comfortable taking words in a phone conversation with him and putting them on my blog as I'd risk taking him out of context. I wanted it in writing so nothing could be confused or slanted.

Last summer, I stated publicly that their prized acquisition (goalie Wendell Vye) would be a good bet to not make the season, which he didn't. He left in December, along with the Director of Player Personnel, who was dismissed somewhat controversially (depending on who you talk to). Privately, I have told some other junior hockey observers that I have concern this franchise is going to struggle in a very serious way going forward and they are off to an 0-8-and-1 start. They are scoring just two goals a game and giving up an average of over 4.50. Because it was my 'home team' for five years, I want Neepawa to rebound and be a competitive team again. At this point, they seem to have a very, very long way to go.

SKILL TESTING QUESTION

2011-10-13T16:12:00.000-06:00

Where do you think this Gallagher Centre parking lot row should have ended and a new one begins?

I wish I could say I have a prize for the correct answer....but clearly not many in Yorkton know the answer anyway...so it likely wouldn't matter.

LET'S SEE SOME DIRECTION NOW

2011-10-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

Despite the score, I was pretty happy with the first half today.

Ryan Dinwiddie showed us he can't play quarterback in the Canadian Football League. Really, that's all you need to see at this point in the season. Any Roughrider management who felt as though this team still had a shot at the playoffs as recently as last week should be canned. You have to look at reality, not mathematical formulas.

Next week, hopefully Cole Bergquist will give us a good answer as to whether or not he can play quarterback in the CFL.

As long as I see a sense of direction and an effort from the players on the field, consider me a fan. I will not cheer or applaud what I've seen this season. Forget the last three weeks. This club sewered their year from the moment Edmonton scored the first touchdown of the season in week one.

Let's get some rookies in there at offensive line. The old guys are...well...old. Time to change the guard. And, not just one of them. All of them. Remember, you can lose 40-3 with rookies and still be happy provided you see they are giving their all and you have a keeper or two amongst the bunch. These last few weeks need to be an early look at next year.

I stand by previous remarks that aside from Durant, Dressler, Fantuz, Shologan, Butler, and Freeman; there should be no guaranteed roster spots next year.

If running backs are a dime a dozen, spend a nickel. The Roughriders should have, at least, that much cash in the kitty.

Find a defensive end that can wreak havoc.

Jim Hopson: please get down on your hands and knees and beg Joe Womack to return to the organization as General Manager and give him full control over football operations.

As far as a head coach goes, I don't know what the answer is. It can't be Miller. Is Marcus Crandell too raw? I don't know about that. Greg Marshall showed us teams were right to 'not' name him a head coach time and time again. Maybe it's time to jump the gun and grab Crandell and let him learn on the job if you think he has the tools to be successful. Scott Milanovich doesn't want to be a head coach bad enough if you ask me or else he'd already be doing it. Mike Benevides is, possibly, headed to Toronto to clean up Jim Barker's mess.

People are wondering if this year is just a blip. I'm concerned 2007, 2009, and 2010 were blips. With three Grey Cups in 101 years, the only real constant through two of them was that Kent Austin was a quarterback for one and a coach for another. In the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup finalist years, there were still enough support staff and players left over from the Austin/Tillman regime. As those players and staff members drop off, so too does the excellence to which this organization was held to for a brief time. Hopson has his work cut out for him.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Oct 5)

2011-10-06T15:59:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20111005/YORKTON0304/111009924/-1/yorkton0304/rcmp-treatment-appalling

SOME TRAVEL LIGHT, SOME DON'T

2011-10-03T23:29:00.000-06:00

There is a pretty good chance that if my wife ever kicked me out of the house that I would take fewer bags for the rest of my life than what she takes for two days of scrap booking. Furthermore, I'm pretty proud of my bench press as of late. It's nothing compared to what these weigh.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Sept 28)

2011-10-03T20:07:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110928/YORKTON0304/110929754/-1/yorkton03/justice-system-needs-fixing

NO BIG CHANGES PLANNED FOR ROUGHRIDERS

2011-10-02T16:12:00.003-06:00

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have lost 42-5 and 40-3 in the last two games.

Head coach Ken Miller said after the BC loss (42-5) that his team did not come out flat. They played hard, but didn't play well as a unit. For some reason, nobody even asked Miller (from what I've read) if he felt as though his team came out flat yesterday against Calgary.

At 4-and-9, this team's season is over. Maybe not mathematically. But, it's over.

It's now time to take a look at what you have at all positions, this includes quarterback. I'm a supporter of Darian Durant, but the reality is that we need to see Ryan Dinwiddie and perhaps Cole Bergquist in a game against the opposing teams' first string defenses. If you have no faith in either back-up, then cut them loose. Otherwise, now is the time to see them. There is no point in risking a serious injury to Durant. Sit him down and see if quarterback is one position whether you have to actively recruit during the offseason or not.

On CKRM yesterday, it was mentioned that six players have been brought in from NFL camps. Get them in the line-up. Doesn't matter at who's expense. Don't waste people's time by adding players and not ever looking at them in a meaningful way. Practice is nice, but with the team being dreadful and showing no heart whatsoever, you have nothing to lose by dressing some raw rookies. At 82-8 over two games, it's not possible to fare worse.

The fact that Miller says he's not planning wholesale changes says a great deal about this organization's accountability level. I said around this time last year that I didn't think there was much accountability starting in the front office and filtering down. Nothing has changed to make me think differently. Miller's constant defending of players, who week after week show no loyalty to the logo whatsoever, is annoying. If Calgary can sit Joffrey Reynolds, the Roughriders can (and should) sit a handful of guys.

There's a reason this franchise has won just three Grey Cups in 101 years. You'd think they'd win six or seven just based on accident. The league isn't that big. I come into contact with fans all the time who suggest you have to cheer through thick and thin. I don't buy it. This team has more support and more money than any other CFL club. Yet, they do nothing with it. If the Riders want to continue their run of sell-out crowds and record selling merchandise, I would suggest they try this: fix this mess. Show the fans you are trying to rectify a disaster. Saying you are not planning wholesale changes tells me you are content to let the rest of the season pass you by without any meaningful on-field evaluation. I'll cheer a 4-and-14 season next year if I see measures of a rebuilding effort. Right now, all I see is a front office in denial of how horribly terrible they are. Yes, the coaching is bad. But, the players are worse. And, they are not going to get better trotting the same guys out there (who, obviously don't care) week after week without recourse.

In my opinion, the following players can come back next year (everyone else should be fighting for a job):
Craig Butler, Weston Dressler, Darian Durant, Andy Fantuz, Jerrell Freeman, and Keith Shologan.

Dressler, Durant, Fantuz, and Shologan are players I would tell to take the rest of the year off. Freeman and Butler should continue to play in order to improve as I still see even greater upside.

Of those keepers, only Dressler has shown me a willingness to compete week in and week out regardless of the score.

Which brings me to another area that should be of great concern: leadership. I don't think this team has it. Every team should have a strong leadership group amongst its players.

Good luck next week in Edmonton. They are going to need it.

RED SOX, ROUGHRIDERS, REYES SHOULD BE ASHAMED TODAY

2011-09-29T10:07:00.000-06:00

The Boston Red Sox, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Jose Reyes are good examples as to what is wrong with professional sports.

The Riders didn't like head coach Greg Marshall, so they quit. Some of them have the audacity to lash back at fans who have been disgusted with this play for the last four months or so. I wonder if those same players would understand the situation a little better if they went to a fast food outlet and were told by the worker taking their order that he or she simply, "...isn't prepared to work right now. So I can't process your request." Every time a Roughrider player has said that they 'were not ready to play', I think of some other person making a lot less money in the service industry answering a customer's request with, "I'm not ready to work today."

I'm not sure what happened to the Red Sox to collapse the way they did, but I also know that when you are paying players eight digits a year to play baseball, the last thing I want to hear about as a fan is 'my shoulder hurts', or 'I'm going through a divorce'. Suck it up buttercup. Part of being paid that kind of money is being able to excel despite personal adversity. That could mean personal issues away from the game or it could mean a minor injury. Focus on the task at hand and do your job. If there was ever a clear example as to why professional sports contracts should NOT be guaranteed, the Boston Red Sox are it. What are the chances John Lackey and Carl Crawford get brought back if the Red Sox didn't have to pay them for the next gazillion years? Lackey had one of the worst seasons a Major League pitcher has ever had in the last 100 years. That's no exaggeration. And, for Crawford...well, karma's a bitch (thanks Ryan Duthie for that quote). I'm not suggesting the Red Sox (who are my favorite team) should be let off the hook for signing these turkeys, but organizations have no recourse if the employee doesn't perform to the standard expected. I work in sales. If my sales took a 75% nosedive, there's a pretty good chance I'd be let go. And, justifiably so. I wonder if Theo Epstein regrets hanging on to Ryan Westmoreland, since that was his hang up on acquiring Roy Halladay a year and a half ago...

Finally, on the Reyes front, I was watching one of the highlight shows last night and, apparently, the guy asked to be pulled from the game after going 1-for-1 because he wanted to make sure he won the batting title. That should tell you all you need to know about this man's character. Yet, he's a free agent and some stupid team will give him 20-million dollars a season (maybe Boston).

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Sept 14)

2011-09-16T22:12:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110914/YORKTON0304/110919897/-1/yorkton0304/plane-crash-leaves-one-thinking

SJHL POWER RANKINGS

2011-09-16T00:04:00.002-06:00

It's junior hockey suicide to even try this, so I'm not sure why I did.....

http://www.sjhl.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=2198

REFLECTING ON A BAD WEEK AND A BAD DAY FROM TEN YEARS AGO

2011-09-10T23:37:00.001-06:00

I'm not a big philosopher and I don't particularly spend much time dwelling on the past when it comes to anything because I figure what's done is done; but this week's airplane crash in Russia that wiped out an entire professional hockey team as well as this being the 10th anniversary (I don't like using that word because I always think of an anniversary as being a good thing) of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I can't help but be a bit reflective to ponder a few things.

My family has five people (myself, my wife, and three children) and each morning we say our good-byes and go our separate ways. Each night, it's taken for granted when we all end up back in the same place we started our day. Yet, that in itself is a pretty remarkable miracle. It's one that hasn't been afforded to Kienan Hebert and his parents. I can't possibly imagine the emotions they are going through.

I also can't help but wonder how some of the 43 people that died in the airplane crash earlier this week began their day. Did they cherish the morning with their loved ones? Did any of them end up seeing their spouse/parents/kids/friends for the last time without actually getting to say something that should've been said long ago, but was put off because there will always be 'another time'? What about the loved ones left behind? Did they maybe miss a chance to say something important and now won't ever be able to? I shudder at the thought of being one of those people someday. I hope it never comes to be.

I wonder if I had a relative die in the New York City incidents ten years ago if I would feel any better today than I did in 2001? I'm betting I wouldn't. Just because time passes, it doesn't mean you wish any less that your loved one is with you. You just get more used to not having him/her/them. When I see a total death figure of 2,726 people from the World Trade Center tragedy, it doesn't mean a whole lot. What is 2,726? It's just a number. It's also the approximate population of Foam Lake and Wynyard put together. Think about that. Two Saskatchewan towns just wiped off the map. Gone.

I remember being in Minneapolis one time and in the parking lot of the Mall Of America was a tractor trailer with a list of names of all people who had died as a result of September 11, 2001. Putting names to these 2,726 had a significant impact on me. Once you take a number and give it a name, you soon realize that number has a family that loved him/her.

The moral of these rambling paragraphs is that we should never take anything for granted. We can all be taken from this world in a matter of a nano-second. Now, it's probably silly to get sentimental every single morning when you kiss your family good-bye for the day; but I think the world would be a much better place if we all tried to make sure we don't go to bed angry.

A wise man once said 'Do what makes you happy. The rest is just background noise.' I don't know why, but that quote has stuck with me and I've thought about it a lot this week. If you are not happy, then what are you? Sometimes, I suppose, we need bad days to better understand what makes us happy. I just wonder, as a society, are we smart enough to pay attention?

DARWIN AWARDS

2011-08-19T15:24:00.000-06:00

Special thanks to Garth Simms, who passed this along...

Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked!

And now, the honourable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company, expecting negligence, sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man, who shovelled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago, returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving his $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas man wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family....unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

***Remember..... They walk among us, they can reproduce.. and they vote!!

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week August 17)

2011-08-19T13:58:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110817/YORKTON0304/110819845/-1/yorkton0304/roughriders-need-to-sit-one-out

LATEST RIDER TRAIN WRECK THOUGHTS

2011-08-18T23:20:00.000-06:00

How many players have been benched through the first eight games? Very, very few? None? To me, the first thing to do for change is to sit some regulars. It doesn't matter how good or bad the back-ups are. The result couldn't possibly be worse.

Anyone in management that built a game plan around Andy Fantuz and/or John Chick coming back from the NFL should be fired. You don't bank on what 'might be'. What 'might be', could also be what 'might never be'.

For the most part, I'm okay with the play of Darian Durant. He's had a couple of games where receivers have really let him down. The 117-yard interception return for a touchdown against Calgary last week was one that he took a lot of heat for, but the reality is that there were 12 players on the field that could've made a tackle over the course of the 117 yards. To me, if your quarterback passes for 384 yards and a couple of majors, then you should win. Leave Durant alone.

I'm not one of these people saying fire Doug Berry. Berry's offense has put up some pretty good numbers the last two weeks. In fact, you could convince me that Berry might be an okay choice as a head coach. I loved the hard ball he played with Troy Westwood when Westwood couldn't kick a football from his front step to the sidewalk. What a number of these players need right now is some real tough love. Sit or else. I think Berry would do that. Still, I'm in the minority on this and I don't expect anyone to agree with me. But, consider the dropped passes are the biggest problem when it comes to offense. That's not an offensive co-ordinator's fault. Further, the offensive line hasn't exactly been stellar for Durant either. It got old in a hurry.

Weston Dressler deserves a raise. This is a mess, but Dressler isn't part of it. He should be excused from any of the criticism leveled against this team. He hustles on every play, makes big catches, and has adapted nicely in the absence of Fantuz.

Whether you point the finger at Ken Miller, Brendan Taman, or Jeremy O'Day is not important; but the depth on this team has disappeared. Look around the league at the former Riders who are decent players. From Renauld Williams to Daniel Francis to Jamel Richardson to Joe Sykes to Kevin Glenn. A lot of the starters on this Rider team became starters after serving time as a back-up.

There is talk that there are no leaders on this team. Well, Chris Szarka was told to take a walk. Luc Mullinder spoke up and he's out of town. It appears as though Tad Kornegay was a stronger personality and he's been ordered to pack his bags. Anymore volunteers to be a leader?

Fans should not stand for this. Stop going to games, stop buying the overpriced merchandise, and demand accountability. From where I am watching, I see no accountability. If the New York Yankees were in last place, they'd make some huge changes. And, the Roughriders are the Yankees of the CFL. No matter what anyone tells you about the salary cap. Money buys a lot of things, including a way around the cap.

My good friend Ron Irvine of Access 7 says the best solution is to fire Greg Marshall and tell Ken Miller he's going back to his old job. After all, this is mainly Miller's mess so he can clean it up. Give him until the end of the year to do it. If he can't, then he's gone too. I couldn't agree more.

IS THIS OKAY?

2011-08-16T12:08:00.001-06:00

I suppose what's happened here is a guy is parking on the sidewalk, under a tree so that his truck doesn't get rained on.

What are your thoughts on this?

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Aug 10)

2011-08-14T22:37:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110810/YORKTON0304/110819978/-1/yorkton0304/roughriders-woes-continuing

I JUST WARRANT LAST WEEK AND THEY WEREN'T MISSING JANI LANE AT ALL

2011-08-11T22:09:00.000-06:00

But, in reality, any Warrant fan will miss Jani....

Sleaze Roxx: Former Warrant Singer Jani Lane Dead At 47

RIDERS FALL TO 1-AND-5

2011-08-06T00:23:00.000-06:00

I'll be brief.

They suck.

Yes, it's the coaches fault. Yes, it's the players fault. Most of all, it's management's fault for allowing this organization that, after 97 laughable years, finally rose to the top of the CFL only to fall splat on its face to be the laughingstock once again.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Aug 3)

2011-08-05T15:06:00.002-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110803/YORKTON0304/110809936/-1/yorkton0304/time-for-changes-to-8216-rider-line-up

LONG WEEKEND TRAGEDY IN YORKTON

2011-08-01T22:20:00.000-06:00

Yorkton teen dies in bicycle-car collision - Saskatchewan - CBC News

MORE EVIDENCE HOUSTON ASTROS ARE STUPID

2011-08-01T18:35:00.000-06:00

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-bulletin/2011/2612178.html

NO FANTUZ, DURANT STRUGGLING, KUDOS TO THE DEFENSE

2011-07-31T01:40:00.000-06:00

The disappointing Saskatchewan Roughriders lost 22-18 to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night, falling to 0-and-3 at Mosaic Stadium this year, and 1-and-4 overall.

Local media members and fans alike continue to bemoan the loss of receivers Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg as well as defensive end John Chick and are pointing to those holes in the line-up as the main reason for the big fall from grace that has seen them appear in three of the last four Grey Cups.

Here's the bottom line as far as Fantuz' absence is concerned: he's gone and there isn't anything that can be done otherwise other than find someone else to replace him. It's a tall order as he was the most productive receiver in the CFL last year. Perhaps replacing him is the wrong word. However, they do need to get someone into the line-up that is, at least, a big enough threat for there to be more room for Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf. It's not impossible. Calgary's secondary looked pretty good tonight without Brandon Browner (NFL) and Dwight Anderson (Montreal). The Alouettes have done okay without the likes of Ben Cahoon and Brian Chiu (both retired). Winnipeg's defense is still fearsome despite not having Philip Hunt (NFL). I'm tired of hearing about 'no Fantuz'. Life goes on.

I've been a long supporter of Darian Durant, but I think it's time he watched a bit from the sidelines. His touchdown pass to Dressler tonight was a fluke. It should have been picked off. If you take that major off the board, we are looking at about 8 points produced from him this evening and none in the week three Hamilton game. Furthermore, the Riders dropped four of their last five to end the 2010 regular season. Tonight's game was a winnable one at halftime despite substandard play from Durant. I would've opened the third quarter with Ryan Dinwiddie and given him, at least, ten minutes to try and jumpstart the offense. Hopefully within ten minutes the game is still within reach if Dinwiddie sputters. If he succeeds, then leave him in there. You have to win the football game. I wonder if Durant's performance would improve if he was being pushed for playing time.

Full marks to defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall, as he has turned what looked like a lazy group on defense into a pretty good unit. Sure, they were beaten a couple of times tonight, but I really like that the tackling has improved and the athletes look like they are buying into Hall's system, which is drastically different than that of former defensive boss Gary Etchevarry. Linebacker Jerrell Freeman stood out tonight. Now, if he could only get more out of Shomari Williams on the defensive line.

Unfortunately, the Riders don't have a single player on either side of the ball that would scare me if I was an opposing team's coach. I do wonder if they could figure out a way to integrate Brandon West and Hugh Charles a little more if that would change at all.

DEVELOP PROSPECTS AND SIGN THEM

2011-07-30T13:53:00.001-06:00

I'm in no hurry to see the Houston Astros ever leave the basement of the National League Central Division. Yesterday, they decided Hunter Pence and his $6.9-million dollar contract was too much to bear, so they sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies for a couple of wishes and a couple more prayers. This is exactly the type of trade that makes no sense to me. Pence could go to arbitration, but is under team control for two more years. By superstar baseball standards, he makes next to nothing. There is no reason to move him and if a team ever wants to be good, they have to hang on to guys like Pence. He's only 28 and if the Astros have a plan to become a factor in their division within the next three years, he's still going to be in the prime of his career.

The Astros, who acquired Michael Bourn from the Phillies prior to the 2008 season as the main prospect in a deal that sent Brad Lidge the other way, are now expected to deal Bourn (who makes $4.4-million and is under team control for another year after this one). They are also, reportedly, looking to 'dump' Wandy Rodriguez, who just got a new contract prior to this season. He's scheduled to make $10-million, $13-million, and $13-million over the next three years. Sure, Wandy is just 7-and-7, but he has a 3.47-ERA and is a usual lock for seven innings a start. May the Houston Astros never win another game.

The Colorado Rockies and their dangling of Ubaldo Jimenez is also beyond stupid. He has a long term contract that will pay him $5.75-million at its peak. He signed the four year deal in January 2009. If, in fact, he ends up a Yankee by the end of the trade deadline, then I tip my hat despite my hatred towards them. If no other team can find the resources to get a number two calibre starter who is just 27-years-old, then shame on them.

Tampa Bay puts all of their players on the trade market no matter what their record is, including starting pitcher James Shields. He makes $4.25-million this year and is under full team control until 2014. Granted, his salary is set to escalate, but if you want to be a good team you have to pay players. Shields, we already know, is a good one. It makes no sense to deal him away, even at $7-million next year, if all you are going to get are prospects.

The fans are the real dummies here though. Their teams sell hope based on the fact they collect prospects, but as soon as the prospect matures into a bonafide Major League player, he's shipped off for more...you guessed it...prospects. The fans of these teams (San Diego, Tampa Bay, Houston, Kansas City, etc.) should hold their franchises more accountable by staying away from games.

The reality is that you have to develop prospects and then sign them to long term deals once they mature. If you can complement those guys with a couple of astute trades and a few free agent signings, then you are well on your way to success.

Look at the Boston Red Sox: Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Josh Reddick, and Daniel Bard are all home grown through the system. David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jason Varitek, and Tim Wakefield were all brought in through trades that were not necessarily salary dumps by their former teams. Adrian Gonzalez was added via a San Diego dump of salary. Carl Crawford, John Lackey, JD Drew, and Marco Scutaro came through free agency. You know what? The free agents are the worst guys on this list.

The lesson? Develop and sign.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week July 27)

2011-07-29T23:27:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110727/YORKTON0304/110729826/-1/yorkton0304/new-jets-logo-under-scrutiny

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week July 20)

2011-07-21T16:29:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110720/YORKTON0304/110729957/-1/yorkton0304/loving-homes-right-for-springside-dogs

I LIKE THE SASK PARTY, BUT....

2011-07-18T23:54:00.000-06:00

Someday, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at politics, but I don't think any political party would ever take me on. I just don't conform to any one party's beliefs. Sure, there are political parties that I agree with 'most' of the time; but there isn't a single one out there that I would be willing to just nod my head affirmative no matter what decision is made.

We all know a politician goes nowhere as an Independent, so I think I'm probably out of luck as far as a political career is concerned.

Take the Saskatchewan Party, for example. Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit is someone I consider to be a friend and I would vote for him as a person, not as a representative of any particular party.

Over the weekend, Greg impressed me with his due diligence as I expressed on my Facebook page my total annoyance that the Saskatchewan Party would phone me, repeatedly, looking for a donation. I can appreciate that 75% is a tax write-off, but Canadians are already taxed to the hilt. Why would we want to empty our pockets even further to support a political party? Furthermore, to undertake this campaign through telemarketing, which 99% of Canadians find very annoying, is puzzling to me. I would be more apt to give money if Greg himself knocked on my door some evening and said, "Mike, we need your financial help to win the next election." I'm not saying I would give anything, but it would definitely make more of an impact to me. I realize not everyone thinks the way I do, but my opinion is that if you do a good job while in office, I'm going to vote for you in the next election. You don't need to sell me with an advertising campaign, yet I understand the need to do it.

Anyway, Greg responded to my rant on Facebook on Saturday and, quickly, took steps to have my name removed from the Sask Party's telephone list. It was further demonstrated when a Sask Party representative left me a message at work today. Thank-you Greg.

SPRINGSIDE DOGS DESERVE RESCUE

2011-07-16T11:27:00.001-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110713/YORKTON0101/110719939/0/yorkton/dogs-survive-on-remains

What would you do, if trapped somewhere with nothing to eat for days and weeks at a time? If the only thing in front of you was human meat, would you eat it? It's not a question I'd like to answer, but past stories tell us that it's exactly what people will do. They will eat each other if presented with the only option to survive.

Look no further than Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, otherwise known as the Andes Flight Disaster. The movie 'Alive' was based on this real life tragedy in which a rugby team's airplane crashed in the mountains; stranding survivors for over two months.

Once rescued, I don't believe the survivors resorted to eating people to satisfy their diet for the rest of their lives. Therefore, I can't support putting these dogs to sleep. Find them good homes. End of story.

Here's the update...

http://regina.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110715/sas-dogs-11075/20110715/?hub=Regina

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week July 13)

2011-07-16T10:36:00.000-06:00

http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/20110713/YORKTON0304/110719927/-1/yorkton0304/fantuz-loss-changes-things

EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE

2011-07-16T10:32:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do during the summer while I'm just vegging at the lake is read books. I just finished a real good one called 'Vice'. It's a story about policing the streets of Compton, California; which is a city of about 100,000 people, including 10,000 criminals. There were 130 police officers to maintain some sort of order.

The cop who tells the story is Sgt. John R. Baker (Rick), and there is paragraph in the book that, I think, sums things up perfectly when looking at children and their upbringings and whether or not that has any bearing on their future as a successful contributor to society or whether the individual is going to be a drain.

I, personally, believe that all of us make a personal choice at some point in our lives (some do it earlier than others) as to what type of human being we are going to become. For some, this choice is easy. For others, it's more difficult.

Here's the paragraph:

"The futures of children are balanced on a knife's edge of character and choice, and perhaps a little luck. With proper parenting, or good guidance, or moral role models, any child no matter how unfair his circumstances, can succeed, and excel, and live a life of accomplishment and dignity. Without these, what will become of him?"

ROCKIES TO DEAL JIMENEZ? THEY ARE CRAZY

2011-07-12T16:40:00.002-06:00

If the Colorado Rockies trade Ubaldo Jimenez, then they deserve to finish last this year and for the next four or five years after that.

Why would you deal an ace pitcher, who's under contract long-term at a decent rate?

This is the news today, from rotoworld.com ..

The Reds have Ubaldo Jimenez "on their radar," according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

Cincinnati is at an interesting crossroads. They are in fourth place in the NL Central but only stand four games out of first place. With potential free agents like closer Francisco Cordero and catcher Ramon Hernandez, the Reds could be buyers or sellers at the deadline depending on how they play immediately after the All-Star break. The Rockies aren't yet shopping Jimenez and would probably need to be blown away to consider an offer. After a rough start, he has a 2.52 ERA in his last eight starts (4-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.30 WHIP overall). Jimenez is signed for $2.8 million this season and $4.2 million next year with club options of $5.75 million and $8 million in 2013 and '14.

RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR A HOME RUN BALL

2011-07-12T14:55:00.002-06:00

http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2011/07/man-learns-nothing-nearly-falls-trying-to-catch-a-baseball-at-the-2011-home-run-derby.html

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week July 6)

2011-07-12T11:35:00.001-06:00

Our family spent Canada Day in Regina and as I watched an overcrowded Wascana Park enjoy things like free concerts, food vendors, and fireworks; I couldn’t help but wonder if Yorkton could pull off something similar. Unfortunately, our city doesn’t have a lake in the middle of it. But, we do have a nice green space south of Logan Crescent. I wonder if we couldn’t utilize that for a Canada Day fireworks show and have Queen Street completely closed off.

Thinking out loud, but I wonder if we also couldn’t utilize what is quickly becoming a melting pot of cultures to draw in some tourism during the summer months by showing off some items specific to the Ukrainian, Philippine, English, Jamaican, Native, South African, and East Indian (I’m sure there are other nationalities) heritages. Would a downtown market work if we had something set up every Saturday during the months of July and August?

Heavy applause to the Yorkton City RCMP for acting quickly and making an arrest of a suspect in the murder of Jimmy Wiebe. I knew Jimmy as the first person I would see every morning when I worked at Fox FM. It would not be unusual for me to get my coffee from the Shell at 4:45 a.m. each day.

Jimmy was an easy guy to see at that hour. Who wouldn’t be grumpy being awake at 4:45? Despite my apparent pippy nature on the radio, I would much rather be in bed. Jimmy had a way of allowing you to forget what time of day it was and you always left the store feeling pretty good. Often the conversations were brief; but you didn’t need to spend much time with him to know he was a good man. Further, the attendance at his funeral last week was proof that he impacted many lives in our city. May justice be served in this case.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were roughed up by the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday afternoon and they’ll go from the frying pan into the fire this Saturday when they host the Montreal Alouettes. By no means am I sounding alarm bells; but an 0-and-2 start with both games at Mosaic Stadium would be a disastrous way to kick off the 2011 season. From my seat in Section 26, Row 9 on Sunday; I would say the team needs to work on a couple of things in particular: rushing the passer on defense, and protecting their own quarterback on offense. Sure, Darian Durant needs to keep better care of the ball; but I think he’ll sort that out in short order. I also think the team could have been better prepared than what they showed on Sunday; but that’s also a small correction. A more balanced attack on offense, fewer turnovers, and some resemblance of a pass rush should result in a win against the Als.

Dany Heatley has been traded again. Go figure. His not reporting to Edmonton a couple of years ago was such a blessing. Heatley has proven to be nothing more than a negative in the dressing room for the last three years, at least. He has 5 goals in his last 32 playoff games, which is unacceptable for someone who counts 7.5-million dollars against the salary cap. The baffling part of this equation to me is how do the Minnesota Wild figure things are going to be different with them? Or, maybe they don’t and need to get themselves to the salary cap floor.

I was sad to learn of the passing of Dauphin native Steve Adamski over the weekend. Steve was heavily involved with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings for many, many years; although that had been scaled back in recent times. I lived in Dauphin for a year upon moving to the prairies back in the mid-1990s and I became friends with Steve almost immediately. Steve’s connection with the Kings ended, roughly, about the same time I decided to leave broadcast media; so I hadn’t had a lot of contact with him in the last two or three years. May you rest in peace, Steve.

Nice person mentions this week: Tony Playter, Joe Greba, Melissa Kowbel, and Bonnie Penner.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week June 22)

2011-06-24T15:37:00.000-06:00

Court leniency almost lunatic | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week June 16)

2011-06-20T16:23:00.000-06:00

Miami Heat NBA heels | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week June 8)

2011-06-09T09:29:00.000-06:00

‘Rider veterans facing rookie pressure | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week June 1)

2011-06-09T09:28:00.000-06:00

Walker trial locally historic one | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week May 25)

2011-05-27T14:12:00.001-06:00

After many false reports, it finally does appear as though the city of Winnipeg is getting back a National Hockey League franchise. The Globe and Mail's Stephen Brunt broke the news last Thursday evening and it was immediately denied by all of the other scribes who had, previously, filed erroneous reports. I almost felt sorry for the folks on TSN and the writers of the Winnipeg Free Press, who jumped the gun numerous times only to be scooped by a respected man who waited until there was actual news before issuing a report.

Brunt's major story should be given further credibility when you consider his employer is one of the main buyers of the Atlanta Thrashers. Furthermore, I can't imagine the National Hockey League is overly thrilled with its broadcast partner, TSN, sabotaging attempts to salvage the Phoenix Coyotes, regardless of whether or not you think a 'Save The Coyotes' campaign is worth while or not.

What we have now learned is that with the television deal now signed for ten years, the NHL doesn't care if it loses the 9th largest market in the United States (Atlanta). Furthermore, the NHL knew it had a municipal government (Glendale) willing to shoulder losses for another season and so it only made sense to put a band-aid on the Phoenix situation and let Atlanta go. After all, if Phoenix moved to Winnipeg there would be no place for Atlanta to move to. The fact that Winnipeg is the front runner to relocate an NHL team should tell you that there are, essentially, no more destinations for troubled franchises.

I can only speak for myself, but I can't imagine attending more than 1 NHL game a year now that Winnipeg is back in the mix. Ticket prices will be too expensive for me, as will fuel, parking, and meals. It's worth a treat, but not worth something I would do with any regularity. One friend of mine says he's likely going to cough up his Saskatchewan Roughriders' season tickets for an NHL Winnipeg bundle. I think he's crazy. But, more power to him. I wonder if there are more people than him considering such a thing.

Despite the fact my wife is a teacher, I'm going to weigh in on this dispute anyway. The one thing I don't like about what the STF is doing, is that they are not winning a lot of brownie points in the public eye with respect to grade twelve students who are looking to graduate. They are also not popular in households where childcare is an issue, resulting in a parent having to take a day off work in order to provide for a student who, otherwise, should be in school. I also don't like hearing about wages in Alberta and that teachers make far more to the west of us. To that, I say put your house up for sale and go to Alberta if you like it so much.

Here's what I don't like about the government's perspective: for years, we listened to the Sask Party harp on the fact that we had to keep people in Saskatchewan and prevent them from moving to Alberta. Now that they are the actual government, it's time to put money where there mouths are and pay these people what they, rightfully, deserve so that they don't put homes up for sale. Furthermore, teachers have long sat on the sidelines when it comes to raises in their pay and they simply cannot afford to any longer. Gas prices, mortgages, groceries, and other basic cost of living expenses have increased dramatically. For teachers to say they want 16% over three years when living expenses have gone up by double that amount makes for a request that, to me, is not unreasonable. I look at gas prices as a simple means to accomodate the increase in salary. Everytime fuel goes up, the government takes in more tax dollars. The money is there.

I wonder how many more days teachers need to strike in order for the government to realize that the money saved through lost wages will make up for the increase in salaries over the next three years.

If you are one of these unfortunate people who point to summers off, hours worked, and other apparent perks that teachers have and then say that teachers make more than enough money already; I dare you to put your child into the care of an ordinary labourer for eight hours a day and see how your child fares in the real world when he/she reaches the age of 19. We pay teachers to mould our youth into leaders of tomorrow. For that, they deserve an above average compensation. End of story.

One last comment when it comes to teachers. It used to be that a provincial MLA and a teacher were very close in yearly wages. That's not the case anymore.

Nice person mentions this week to Randy Steciuk, Mike Farquharson, Sean Frankfurt, and Kevin Shirtliffe.

SASK TEACHERS ON STRIKE FOR 2 DAYS NEXT WEEK

2011-05-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Sask. teachers on strike for 2 days next week - Saskatchewan - CBC News

Here's my comment:

katecross give your head a shake.

First of all, teachers are, perhaps, paid over the full 12 months; but they are not paid for the summer. Most teachers, in order to maintain consistent income, take less during their months of teaching so that they can continue to collect the same pay cheque over the summer.

Secondly, these people that complain about the number of days or the number of hours worked have their heads in the sand. Teachers do not walk away from school at 3:30 and leave the job in the building until 8 the next morning. They mark tests, answer emails from parents, do preparation work from home, etc. My wife is a teacher and spends a good week or more at school during the summer to get the classroom ready for kids. She also spends countless hours at home preparing the academics.

Any teacher that truly only puts in 5.5 hours a day should be canned. Forget the raise.

Thirdly, anyone that tries to associate a salary with hours worked is clueless. You pay teachers to do a good job. For some, it takes more hours than others. I don't care how long it takes you to educate my kids. Just make sure it's done well and I have no problem.

Think of a professional firefighter. Do we pay them to be ready to fight for our lives and possessions when the time calls? Or do we pay them 'hours worked'? If it takes you 3 hours to fight a fire at my house and save my wife and kids...I'll pay you 75-thousand a year if it means you do nothing for the rest of the year other than to be ready for when that emergency call comes in.

The same applies to teachers. Educate my kids. Prepare them for life as an adult. If it takes you 6 hours or 10 hours a day....I don't care. Just do a good job.

Pay these people.

TEACHERS AND GOVERNMENT NEED TO FIND COMMON GROUND

2011-05-20T15:04:00.000-06:00

Weighing in on the dispute between the Saskatchewan Government and the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation is a dicey subject for me since my wife is a teacher.

Before I say anything, it's important to note that my wife and I don't discuss negotiations at all. It would likely lead to an argument anyway! I have teased her that she's not even the most popular person in her house right now, so how can the teachers expect to gain overall public support from people that don't know them!

Here's my take: First of all, the STF has to drop this notion of comparing their wages to that of Alberta. Frankly, if you like Alberta so much then just pack your bags and go. Let me know how you make out finding work there as a teacher.

Secondly, the provincial government needs to take its head out of the sand and pay these people. A three year increase in wages of 16.3% is not unreasonable at all. Think about your expenses and how much they've increased over the last ten years. Gas, housing, utility bills, groceries, and every day expenses have all shot through the roof in Saskatchewan during the last ten years or so. In fact, if someone did the appropriate math on the rate of inflation, the percentage hike in overall expenses, and also the overall average increase in wages you would find that the balance is tilted heavily toward expenses and inflation. Furthermore, governments have money. Every time gas increases at the pump, more green goes into government coffers.

It used to be that teachers made an above average salary when comparing wages to everyone in the work force. That's no longer the case. Why would I want to be a teacher in today's world? The pay, while not bad, is certainly not something that would lure me. Sure, there are plenty of holidays and summers off, but the reality for me is that seeing what teachers put up with over the course of a standard work week, I'd rather do something else.

To make a long story short, I think the STF could do a better job of selling their position and I think the Province could do a better job of respecting this people and giving them their well deserved salary increases.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week May 18)

2011-05-19T16:40:00.000-06:00

Confused by gas prices | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

SOME SPORTS QUESTIONS

2011-05-12T09:49:00.000-06:00

--How does John Lackey go from being one of the top clutch pitchers in Major League Baseball to a guy that shouldn't even wear a big league uniform?

--Is the fall of Tiger Woods the biggest collapse we've seen in an elite athlete in the history of pro sports?

--Now that we know the Melville Millionaires have received Levi Cable, Lee Christensen, Jesse Mireau, Sean Aschim and other 'futures' from the Melfort Mustangs in exchange for Brayden Metz and Cody Hanson, is it safe to say the Mils have fired the first warning shot to the rest of the SJHL that they are not conceding anything to the RBC host Humboldt Broncos in 2011-12?

--And, if the Broncos get the two players everyone is widely speculating on from the Yorkton Terriers in exchange for the rental of Justin Buzzeo and Jeremy Boyer, did the Mils make a better deal than the Broncos?

--Am I the only one that enjoys watching San Jose blow their 3-0 series lead on the Detroit Red Wings? Go Wings tonight. But, go Vancouver the rest of the way. With the Flyers out, the Canucks are an obvious choice for me. It has nothing to do with them being a Canadian team, but rather my appreciation for Ryan Kesler and admiration for Roberto Luongo to battle through his competitive adversity that he dealt with against Chicago. I share no such admiration for Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley. Heatley is a player I loathe.

BLOG POST FROM A DEAD MAN

2011-05-11T16:13:00.000-06:00

http://www.penmachine.com/2011/05/the-last-post

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week May 4)

2011-05-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

Make sure to volunteer | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Apr 27/11)

2011-04-29T10:01:00.001-06:00

Crying over election | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week April 20)

2011-04-27T16:20:00.001-06:00

The Yorkton Terriers watched their playoff run come to an end in game seven up in La Ronge last Tuesday night as they fell 3-1 to the Ice Wolves. The club looked nervous in the opening two minutes and it cost them as they were down 2-0 before fans were even able to warm the seat. From the rest of the way, Yorkton appeared to be the better club, but couldn’t beat Adam Bartko, who saved his best for last in the La Ronge goal. Injuries to Brent Struble and Kurtis Decker, inevitably, hurt the team; but the Ice Wolves had injuries of their own. So, no excuses. Nevertheless, the Terriers did a number on the Ice Wolves by the looks of things as they were down 2-0 in games to the MJHL’s Portage Terriers after the weekend as the ANAVET Cup series takes place to decide who advances to the RBC Cup in Camrose, Alberta.

The federal election campaign is in full swing and the big question remains whether or not the Conservatives will get the much coveted majority government, or will they form a minority one yet again and have to play ball with the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois. Quebec really is smarter than the rest of the country. They pick one party and that’s where the allegiance lies. If the other nine provinces could pick one of the other three, then we wouldn’t have to do this election dance every two years.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper still says he intends to get rid of a policy that allows political parties to get a subsidy of $2 per vote. He maintains that he’s powerless to fulfill this promise unless he gets a majority. Of course, the government that forms power always has more money than the ones that don’t, so naturally he’s okay with this change. However, it does give me pause when it comes to voting. If more people realized that a national political party gets $2 for your vote, would more folks stay home and not vote at all? Admittedly, I’m not real happy with any of the political parties right now, so why should I contribute to the well-being of such a political party? Wouldn’t be easier to not vote? I don’t usually condone it; but if we all stayed home on this one I think a real loud message would be sent to those we have already elected to be in charge.

If the BQ ran some candidates in French speaking areas of New Brunswick and Ontario, would they steal a couple more seats?

I found myself behind a student driver last week on Broadway Street. While I, patiently, waited for this poor person to do what the instructor was telling her, I couldn’t help but wonder how unsafe our roads would be if we all abided by the law right to the letter as per a driving instructor. Does anyone ever drive that way even the first time he/she gets freedom from a driving instructor? I can remember driving 52 in a 50 and getting supreme heck from the teacher. Please. Can we start living in the real world? And, it’s not the teacher’s fault. They are doing their job.

I wouldn’t mind if the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup, but there is something creepy about Mike Gillis, the team’s General Manager. Gillis employed the super-creepy David Frost as a player birddog. To my knowledge, Gillis has never really commented about Frost, but I would even be comfortable with him simply stating that he liked Frost and had no idea the guy was a weirdo. Sometimes ‘no comment’ speaks loudest. Former NHLPA Director Bob Goodenow should also have to answer on Frost at some point. In fact, Goodenow even allowed his own son to be coached by Frost. Yuck. Without Goodenow and Gillis, Frost never gets certified as a player agent.

Nice person mentions this week to Kevin Shirtliffe, Riley Rice, Jessica Evans, Allison Wilson, and Brenda Niefer.

VIGNEAULT AND LAVIOLETTE GET DIFFERENT RESULTS

2011-04-24T21:20:00.001-06:00

Two questionable goaltending decisions today. The guy that made the wrong choice, ended up winning. The guy that made the right choice lost. You don't often see that.

The Vancouver Canucks didn't win tonight, but I have every reason to believe they will on Tuesday in game seven.

Full marks to Alain Vigneault for getting the right pulse on his roster by inserting Cory Schneider to start in goal tonight. While not all of the goals against in games four and five were Roberto Luongo's fault; the team in front of him had clearly lost its confidence with him between the pipes. While media pundits applauded Vigneault's balls for switching to Schneider, I have to think the decision was pretty easy. Schneider is a good goalie, who figures to be even better in the years to come. And, how can you start a guy who has given up 10 goals in the equivalent of a full game over his last 60 minutes? Don't rule out the players going to Vigneault and requesting Schneider be put in there.

Too bad for Schneider, who pulled a groin or something on the Michael Frolik shorthanded goal. To me, the call for a penalty shot was weak. Definitely should have been a two minute minor. Following the Frolik goal, I caught the Blackhawks for slashing on Henrik Sedin, an elbow to the head of Kevin Bieksa, and too many men on the ice. None went for penalties, yet Vancouver had the penalty shot call against them as well as a very lengthy second period five-on-three. So, they got no favors tonight.

Further, Chicago got two goals on screw ups by a seldom used netminder miscommunicating with his defense as well as another on a penalty shot. To me, the Hawks were not in this game tonight. Unlike the last two, where they just obliterated the Canucks. If we see a similar game on Tuesday as to what we witnessed tonight, Vancouver wins.

And, based on the Schneider injury...Luongo will start.

The other thing Vigneault has to do for game seven is reunite Burrows with the Sedins. It drives me nuts to watch players like the Sedins, the sweethearts on San Jose, David Krejci, and Marian Gaborik just float through the playoffs the way they do. While the confidence of Luongo is a big question mark, the dedication of the Swedes in big games also leaves a lot to be desired.

I think Vancouver's biggest problem is that their key players are not Stanley Cup grit guys. Sedins, Samuelsson, Ehroff, Edler, and Salo are all good players; but they are not playoff type leaders. Meanwhile, Toews, Bolland, Keith, and Seabrook are.

Which brings us to another team that was let down by its head coach today: Philadelphia Flyers. Fortunately, they live to see another day.

The decision by Peter Laviolette to start Michael Leighton smells a bit like coaching ego. At the very least, it's stupidity. You are facing elimination in the NHL playoffs and you turn to a guy that has played one game at the NHL level all season? You also play a guy that gave up the Stanley Cup winning goal from behind the crease line last year? This is also a guy that couldn't keep a job in the NHL until he caught lightning in a bottle for a stretch last season. There was just no justifiable reason to put him in there.

To me, Laviolette bailed on Sergei Bobrovsky way too early. He was good in a 1-0 loss in game one and then was bad in game two, giving up three first period goals. From there, he goes straight to the press box. Wow. Your number one netminder doesn't even get the benefit of a mulligan.

Enter Brian Boucher, who has played exactly like Brian Boucher has played for the last fifteen years or so. He gives up the odd bad goal, but otherwise plays good enough between the pipes that a team like Philly should win most nights. Was he shaky in game five? Yes. But, Boucher is like that. Any coach with a pulse on his team knows Boucher could go right back in for game six without missing a beat. It's like a closer who blows a save. You return with your guy.

Instead, Laviolette has pretty much broadcast to the world that he has no confidence in any of these three. Based on interviews and other comments made over the course of the season, the players like Boucher and want him to do well. He's their choice. And, he should be Laviolette's too. If Philly finds a way to win game seven, then Boucher has to be the guy the rest of the way whether he goes to hell in a hand basket or not.

I wonder if Bobrovsky gets elevated to back-up?

KEEPING UP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION

2011-04-20T23:56:00.000-06:00

Our 9-year-old figures it's best to relay a message that may, otherwise, fall on deaf ears through the written word as opposed to the spoken one.

KAREN SOUCHOTTE A HERO

2011-04-19T07:57:00.000-06:00

http://www.leaderpost.com/Mother+Wolves+Nolan+Souchotte+saves+woman+baby+from+partially+submerged+vehicle/4637852/story.html

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Souchotte at Boston Pizza in Prince Albert during the Credit Union Cup final. Even after this brief encounter, I can't say I'm surprised to hear such an amazing story.

Little known fact: Nolan Souchotte was just as close to winning the SJHL Playoff MVP Award as was Adam Bartko, Marc-Andre Carre, and Logan Herauf. It just goes to show that people inside hockey still, truly, value things like hard work, face-off wins, and how hard you are to play against.

LEAKE CAN'T SNEAK T-SHIRTS

2011-04-19T07:38:00.001-06:00

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/19/following-up-on-the-mike-leake-arrest/

And, I see right away there must be some sort of illness involved. After all, we can't just blame the guy for being an idiot.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

2011-04-18T19:02:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322zqTkL0-c
Steve Downie on Dean McAmmond: 20 game suspension

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeZDE9H3_vU
Raffi Torres on Brent Seabrook: 0 game suspension

Downie's hit on Ben Lovejoy tonight is pretty similar to the one on McAmmond. However, I would argue Downie did not hit Lovejoy in the head. Nothing is up on You Tube yet for that hit.

What about the Kunitz elbow to Simon Gagne? Suspendable? You decide.

YOU WANT YOUR BLOCK KNOCKED OFF?

2011-04-18T09:39:00.000-06:00

The Raffi Torres hit on Brent Seabrook last night is generating all sorts of wide ranging opinions concerning whether or not he should be suspended.

I have long been calling for automatic stiff suspensions for hits to the head such as this.

I'm changing my tune. Not because I'm a Canucks fan, but rather because I don't get a feeling that hockey players or the majority of hockey fans want to see the game altered to the point where players aren't getting their daylights knocked out.

As a parent, I've made a choice that the game is too violent and dangerous for my son to play. That's a personal decision. I just feel that, as a hockey player, you are not signing up for that kind of a life changing collision. My son can play soccer, baseball, swimming, pretty much whatever he wants. Heck, he can even play football because at least he'll be able to see the hit coming!

Clearly, I'm in the minority. And, that's fine. Tough guy Krys Barch was all over Twitter last night saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with the hit. Meanwhile, Islander sweetheart Michael Grabner had a much different take with his Tweets. Therein lies the problem with hockey. I think you have a certain faction that wants no part of this violence and some that are of the understanding you can freight-train a guy who's not looking and that it's simply part of the game.

At least with football, every player that straps on a helmet understands the risk of a major injury. It's no different than auto racing, where drivers assume the risk that each race might be his last day on earth. Hockey players aren't at that point. While they are willing to accept that they may lose a few teeth, break the odd leg, heck even become paralyzed due to a hit from behind, I don't think hockey players are in full agreement that getting knocked senseless while not handling the puck is a part of the game. I'm arguing that it might be. The NHL has to step up and either come down with really harsh penalties for those that do it, or else say this is hockey and not figure skating. Suck it up and play or beat it.

And, therefore, it has to come down to personal choice. If Sidney Crosby decides this kind of violence isn't for him and he walks away, then I'm all for it. However, if Crosby also chooses to come back and play, he also has to understand that these violent full body checks to the head are a reality and he may deal with concussion like symptoms for the rest of his life. The price you could, conceivably, pay for being a National Hockey League player. Don't whine about it. Just play. Or, don't play. Simple as that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeZDE9H3_vU

LINGERIE FOOTBALL COMING TO PRAIRIES

2011-04-14T09:02:00.000-06:00

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110414/lingerie-football-women-toronto-110414/20110414/?hub=TorontoNewHome

ICE WOLVES WIN SJHL CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN

2011-04-13T22:06:00.001-06:00

Just a few thoughts to close out the series, which was the most competitive SJHL final that I have seen in my ten years of being involved with the league.

--Adam Bartko deserves way more credit than he gets. He was the difference last night. Anything less than his spectacular showing and the Terriers spoil the party.

--Marc-Andre Carre could approach 130 points next year. I wonder who his linemates will be. Rhyse Dieno, I would think, is a shoe-in. After that, there is a spot open.

--It was great to see Dayton Fossum get the Playoff MVP. The kid is a horse on the blueline. I hope someone takes notice and gives him an opportunity next year either at the minor pro level or in university. If you want an Exhibit A as to why stats are not always important, you look at Fossum, who scored his first goal of the playoffs in game seven.

--Clarke Breitkreuz proved his mettle in a big way. He, almost, single handedly won the series for the Terriers as he looked like a man on a mission in games four through seven. He also dropped the mitts to stick up for a teammate earlier in the series and his feisty style drives the opposition crazy.

--If I had chosen the Playoff MVP, here are the top contenders after Fossum: Carre, Bartko, Herauf, and Souchotte for La Ronge. Breitkreuz, Ciolfi, Peters for Yorkton.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Apr 13)

2011-04-13T15:38:00.002-06:00

Women in Yorkton need to be on high alert while some creep roams the streets asking for directions so that he can try to abduct his victim(s). City RCMP first made us aware of this very scary situation on March 31^st, when a report came in from a female, who was walking along Laurier Avenue on March 30^th was forced, at knifepoint, into a truck. She got away. A huge coincidence later that night as a report came in about a similar incident on March 19^th. What are the chances of something like this occurring and then a victim waiting 12 days to file a report and it just so happens another woman was victimized that same night? With two reports being made public, a third woman has now stepped forward saying a man was asking directions on March 29^th while she was jogging on North Street. (Update...an arrest has been made; but the accused is innocent until proven guilty

Kelsey Jones is a guy I work with and his attention to detail is great because you need to have that as a graphic artist. However, I find this character trait extends beyond the work world. He has a way of finding the most obscure things. Today, he pointed out that after the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. In 1989, the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup after hosting in 1988. Vancouver, of course, hosted the 2010 Olympics and they have to be considered odds on favorites to win the Cup in 2011 , even without this odd pattern.

Speaking of the finer point of details, if you are looking to save money, then pay special attention when in line at the grocery store. I guess if a product goes through the scanner at the cash register with a higher than advertised price, then you get it for free as long as the item is $10 or less. If the product is $10 or more, than you get $10 off. Apparently, it’s called the Scanning Code Of Practice and most major retailers abide by this voluntarily.

A member of the Toronto FC says the locker room should be a sacred place and off-limits to reporters, male and female. I couldn’t agree more. You should be able to wait 15 or 20 minutes for an athlete to shower and get cleaned up before he speaks to the media.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers must be the only team that received the memo about the CFL season being shortened to four games. Why else would they trade Steven Jyles, their 1A quarterback behind the oft-injured Buck Pierce? I have my doubts on Pierce even making four games! One Regina media member remarked that Jyles is not a quarterback that you can win with. My response : Joey Elliott is?

Where do we draw the line when it comes to federal election debates? The Green Party really doesn’t have enough popularity to participate, but the Bloc Quebecois doesn’t even run candidates outside Quebec. So, in the interest of fairness, we should ban both of those parties. The BQ can participate in the French debate, but there is no reason to have them in the English one. The realist in me says to ban the NDP too because they have no chance of forming government, although if Jack Layton and company are able to make a deal with the Liberals and form a coalition, then I suppose his party’s views do become relevant.

Without pointing fingers at any particular party, I will say that it is comical to see what a couple of the leaders have promised so far. It’s almost like a political leader will say anything in order to get elected. We, as a general public, need to remind ourselves that if the promise sounds too good to be true it is because it really is a promise too good to be true.

We are in big trouble in this country if the 63% rent increase that was given to tenants of a Regina apartment building becomes the norm as opposed to the exception. The increase is legal because the landlord has given tenants until August to either find a way to pay the new monthly rent of $1100 (current rent is $675) or else leave. I suppose the landlord knows he can fill his building at that price per suite without any problem, but that’s crazy.

Nice person mentions this week to Garth Simms, Rod Steciuk, Ryan Hoffman, and Kris Sapara.

KEITH ACTON KNOWS WHERE BODIES ARE BURIED

2011-04-10T09:52:00.003-06:00

I'm sure Keith Acton is a very nice person, but why the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to employ this guy as an Assistant Coach is a mystery and why media scribes in that city don't even bring it up is way beyond my understanding.

Acton has been with Toronto since 2002, somehow managing to stay on staff with Pat Quinn, Paul Maurice, and Ron Wilson. Many of the other assistants have changed, but Acton stays constant. So too do the non-playoff performances by the Maple Leafs.

And, now the Leafs have doled out a professional contract to Keith's son Will. This, despite Will plugging along in the Ontario Junior 'A' ranks for three really unremarkable years. His best season was 29-points in 33-games with hometown Stouffville. Unremarkable could best describe his four year stint at Lake Superior State too. Undrafted, Brian Burke and company scooped him up and he's gone pointless in four games at the AHL level.

Perhaps he is a leader. Canada East named him captain for their World Junior 'A' Challenge entry in Yorkton in 2006. That season, he fired 11-goals in 48-games. At least Will's credentials dwarf those of Trevor Nill, the son of Detroit Red Wing Assistant General Manager Jim Nill. Trevor 'starred' in the hockey world with an 11-point season (53-games) for Penticton of the BCHL, taking up a Canada West WJAC roster spot that could have gone to Dustin Stevenson (La Ronge, now signed with Washington Capitals) or Weyburn's Rhett Bly, who had 42-points that year on his way to back to back 70 point seasons and a scholarship in the NCAA. Trevor somehow found his way onto Michigan State where he has contributed goal seasons of 1, 2, and 1. I'm clearly missing something though. Trevor has been drafted by the St. Louis Blues.

Just the latest example of someone with NHL bloodlines getting as close to a free ticket at an NHL shot as possible.

WHO ARE WE TRYING TO PROTECT?

2011-04-09T13:11:00.000-06:00

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/04/08/sk-larose-community-11-408.html

I also see the CBC has closed the commenting on this story as well as the one about the accused abductor in Yorkton story.

Yet, a completely tasteless comment about Mandi Schwartz made it through the screeners today.

ONE ARREST IN RELATION TO ATTEMPTED ABDUCTIONS

2011-04-09T12:39:00.000-06:00

I'm happy that authorities have zeroed in on a suspect. We must remember this individual is not guilty until he has his day in court.

I notice he was arrested on Tuesday, but none of this became public until Friday.

Sloppy media work or did the city RCMP not notify in short order as to when the arrest was made?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/04/08/sk-yorkton-arrest-1104.html

TERRIERS GIVE AWAY GAME FIVE

2011-04-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

The La Ronge Ice Wolves rallied from 3-1 down in the second period to defeat the Yorkton Terriers 4-3 in game five of the Credit Union Cup finals on Friday night.

The Ice Wolves went 4-for-8 on the powerplay, while the Terriers were 0-for-2.

5-on-5, Yorkton looked like the better team last night; but the Ice Wolves found a way to get it done despite missing Doug Lindensmith, Philippe Cliche, Phil Belanger, and Byron Sorensen due to injury.

Yet, I feel if the Terriers find a way to stay out of the box on Sunday, there will be another game in La Ronge on Tuesday night.

I would be surprised if Yorkton mails in game six as some are already suggesting.

BEAUTY QUEEN KILLS HOME INTRUDER

2011-04-08T08:08:00.000-06:00

http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/video.aspx?cp-documentid=a6060997-edc3-47a5-96ce-1ede94be7ce6&src=CPSmall:shareBar:permalink

I'm all for defending your property, and maybe I'm being a little too critical; but she hardly seems like she's stressed about taking another human being's life....even if the life wasn't worth a whole lot.

TERRIERS AND LA RONGE NOW A BEST OF THREE

2011-04-07T07:59:00.000-06:00

The Yorkton Terriers defeated the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-3, in overtime, last night just one night after La Ronge posted their own 4-3 overtime win.

The series is tied at 2 with game five on Friday night in La Ronge and game six back in Yorkton on Sunday at 6pm (note the start time).

After two games, I tipped my hat to Devin Peters, who pretty much stole game two for the Terriers in a 3-0 decision. Today, I'm doing the same for Adam Bartko, who made some highlight reel stops in game three that allowed La Ronge to take the series lead.

Defenseman Dayton Fossum continues to cement his position as the best blueliner on the ice for either side. He's seeing upwards of 30 minutes or more of ice time per game and he broke up a 3-on-1 last night that looked impossible to stop. Further, Fossum's ability to jump into the play without sacrificing his defense is uncanny. In fact, if I had a vote for MVP of the playoffs, I would give it to Fossum despite Robbie Ciolfi's 13-goals and the pile of points put up by the line of Carre-Herauf-Eggum.

The Ice Wolves sorely miss Doug Lindensmith and his 98 regular season points; but the Terriers miss Brent Struble just as much. Struble didn't have the eye popping numbers of Lindensmith, but in a series where the superstars are forced to get greasy in the corners, Struble would have fit perfectly in this series.

Yorkton forwards Justin Buzzeo and Jeremy Boyer finally broke out last night. It was Buzzeo's solid work in the corner during overtime that produced the loose puck to squirt out to the middle, allowing Boyer to show off one of the best shots in Junior 'A' hockey, giving the Terriers new life in the series.

One of the more fun one-on-one battles in this series has been Marc-Andre Carre vs. Devon McMullen. McMullen gives Carre almost a full foot in size; but he's not afraid to go toe-to-toe with him.

Clarke Breitkreuz has discovered a way to make the temperatures rise for a few of the La Ronge players.

MJHL NATIVES NEED MORE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

2011-04-06T16:25:00.002-06:00

http://www.mywestman.ca/content/view/2961/69/

I've been wondering about Neepawa for quite some time. I issued some email questions to Bryant Perrier a few weeks ago and to his credit, he wished to talk on the phone about it. I am not really in favor of that as things can be taken out of context on a phone interview. In this day and age, it's much easier to copy and paste answers given to specific questions. He never did answer. If he does, I'll be more than happy to post.

In the meantime, here is an editorial of mine. For anyone in Neepawa who may be offended, I apologize. But this is how I see things from a distance (because Neepawa was the team I covered in the MJHL for five years during my stay in Brandon, I have always continued to follow their success or lack thereof since I moved away):

This past summer, I posted on my blog that I was surprised to see the Neepawa Natives add a player like 20-year-old goalie Wendell Vye. I also made some comments that were, probably, not fair to Vye or the Natives concerning how they were able to get him and whether or not they could keep him happy for the entire season.

Those comments struck a nerve with Cam Dickie, the now former Director of Player Personnel of the Natives, who decided he’d call me on a Saturday night after 10pm to express his disappointment with me. Obviously, I didn’t take the call at 10pm, but Dickie certainly tried again the next afternoon and let me have it pretty good with regards to potential law suits, and the fact Vye was just looking for a place to play and had a family connection with Neepawa.

I admit to being wrong on my choice of words with regards to the Vye acquisition/signing (whatever it was); but also felt there was an attempt to bully on the phone. Maybe that wasn’t Cam’s intent, but that’s how I took it (rightly or wrongly).

I countered with sticking to my guns that the Natives were a shoestring budget organization (now they have their hand out at municipal council, so this point should be further proven) when I worked in Brandon and I’ve seen nothing to indicate things have changed since I moved on. Cam didn’t really like that assertion, but admitted I was entitled to my opinion.

Still, I left the conversation thinking the Natives must be serious about contending in 2010-11 and I was going to watch how their year goes with great interest following that phone call.

One of the places I go to get a pulse on what people are thinking is the Network54 MJHL Message Board. Granted, there is a ton of crap on there and you can’t really put a lot of credibility into what is posted by anonymous folks who have axes to grind. Still, it was obvious to me that Neepawa head coach Bryant Perrier (and Dickie) generated more emotions from fans than any other person, team, or issue in the entire MJHL. In fact, it’s not even close. I’m not really sure why. I’ve never met Perrier, never talked to him, and wouldn’t recognize him if I passed him on the street.

Having said that, most of the time when you talk to a coach about another coach within the same league, you get the feeling that there is an unwritten code where despite the fact they are on opposite teams, coaches don’t throw one another under the bus. Not so when it comes to Perrier, who is not held in high regard with, at least, two of his MJHL peers based on comments relayed to me. I also spoke to a handful of former players (and there are a lot of former players when it come to Neepawa) and none of them had anything good to say about their stay.

Regardless of whether or not a fan likes or dislikes the management of the Neepawa Natives, this is a team that turned over more than half of its roster from opening night by the end of the season. Dickie was fired in early December and Vye ended up leaving too. At the end of the day, based on my feeling from the summer, I wasn’t surprised to see Vye leave town. Was Dickie the ‘family connection’ for Vye? Why would he leave after Dickie’s departure? In any event, it doesn’t matter. The Natives went completely south from that point on and they ended up finishing in last place and missing the playoffs. I don’t have an opinion on Perrier as a person, but I do know a hockey team that has high hopes to contend for a championship in August, turns over 60% or more of its roster during the regular season, and ends up sinking to the bottom of the standings by February probably shouldn’t be offering a contract extension to the head coach. I’m not saying he should, necessarily, be fired either. Maybe he gets a mulligan and let’s see what happens in the first half of 2011-12.

VRABEL ARRESTED OVER A BEER BILL

2011-04-04T19:14:00.000-06:00

According to rotoworld.com, NFL free agent outside linebacker Mike Vrabel was arrested for felony theft at an Indiana casino early today. The 'theft' is related to a bar tab or "taking bottles of alcohol from a deli" on casino grounds. He was in the grey hotel for about five hours over this incident. I'm not sure what Vrabel made last year for a salary, but couldn't he pony up the bill? I mean, even if there is a dispute on what he owes, just pay it and move on. Some people........

CREDIT UNION CUP FINAL OBSERVATIONS

2011-04-03T13:29:00.000-06:00

The series shifts to Yorkton for game three with the Terriers and Ice Wolves tied at a game apiece.

On Friday night, La Ronge caught Yorkton off guard and that really wasn't a huge surprise as the Terriers played a number of, relatively, easy games on their way to the final. Meanwhile, La Ronge has really had to battle through two top goalies in PJ Musico (Flin Flon) and Charles Corsi (Melfort).

Travis Eggum opened the scoring with a nice move around a defenseman and another to beat Devin Peters for the 1-0 advantage. Robert Monfore scored on a screen shot from the blueline about 90 seconds after that and the result really wasn't in doubt. The Ice Wolves were 5-2 winners.

In game two, the Terriers caught a break in the second when Robbie Ciolfi was given credit for a goal that clearly went in off his skate. What is open for debate is whether or not he made a kicking motion. It certainly appeared to me that he made a definite redirection move with his skate as it went in off the side of his skate. After a brief conference between the on-ice officials, it was decided to give Yorkton the goal. Kurtis Decker scored shortly after that as he picked the puck off the wall and beat Adam Bartko, who was slow getting back in his net after making a clearing attempt behind the goal. The Terriers went on to win 3-0, giving Peters his third shutout in seven postseason starts.

Through two games, the best defense pairing on the ice for either team is Dayton Fossum and Byron Sorensen of the Ice Wolves. They give nothing to the opposition and are quick to jump into the offense. As the series goes deeper, I would expect head coach Bob Beatty to lean even heavier on these two horses.

Yorkton's best player through two games is Devin Peters. They are down 2-0 in the series if not for about four huge stops that he made in the opening 30 minutes of game two.

Give La Ronge credit for doing their home work. Yorkton has gotten very little as far as scoring chances are concerned in the slot area or anywhere in the middle of the ice for that matter. Will that change when the Terriers get on a more familiar ice surface on Tuesday and Wednesday?

The most dangerous player on either side thus far is Marc-Andre Carre. He can go on a 1-on-2 rush and still make something happen. In fact, you almost expect him to make something happen.

Yorkton's penalty killers deserve a ton of credit as La Ronge's powerplay has yet to do damage. Furthermore, last night's 3-0 result was the first time all year the Ice Wolves have been shutout.

Is it good news or bad news that Ciolfi, Clarke Breitkreuz, Jeremy Boyer, Justin Buzzeo, and Blaine Tendler haven't played well, but the Terriers are in a 1-1 series?

Is it good news or bad news that as well as Carre and Travis Eggum have played and as effective as support players Rhyse Dieno, Nolan Souchotte, and Skyler Hladun appear to be that the series is only 1-1.

La Ronge is carrying an extra 20-year-old and that has caused a pretty good player in Nick Keller to watch the first two games from the seats. Now that the Ice Wolves have lost a game, does Keller get back in? Who would sit? It certainly won't be Adam Bartko, Eggum, Lindensmith, Logan Herauf, Fossum, Monfore, or the captain Souchotte. That leaves Taylor Pillar, who has also looked strong. I suppose he could also rest Phil Belanger and insert Alex Vandenameele. Tough decision for Beatty as none of the nine have given him a reason to make a change.

Yorkton defenseman Devon McMullen is only 17 and is listed at 5'8" and 155 Ibs. He plays like he's 20 and 6'4" 210Ibs.