Monday, August 20, 2007

Believe it or not, we're number one!

Game highlight film from the CFLs YouTube Channel

For the first time since 1976, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have a 6-2 record, and are now statistically the best team in the Canadian Football League. And it took a very wild and eventful contest against the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday night to earn that distinction. The game was played during, DURING, a thunderstorm. Heavy rain, lightning, and a power failure at the stadium caused a 55-minute weather delay in the 4th Quarter with the Riders trailing 32-27. When play resumed, the Riders scored a field goal and a touchdown to win the game in front of several thousand brave fans at Mosaic Stadium

I didn't go to the game, and a early morning kept me from watching all of it, and let me say, I will regret it for the rest of my life. But many other people did and they all have their opinions, especially about CBC (the channel that telecast the game, and I remind, are on their final year of the national CFL contract), who didn't return to the game in all areas of the country but Saskatchewan (the blackout was lifted) after the delay ended.

Rod Pedersen (of course he was at the game, he's the radio voice of the Riders)

News Talk Radio's Green Zone had a whole bunch of audio interviews about the game and the delay, especially with Rider CEO and President, Jim Hopson, who said they were very close to calling the game.

Globesports.com had a press release from the CBC about their handling of the game broadcast

Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy was at the game, with a camcorder that recorded the very moment the power failure hit the stadium, and in a move that now puts his blog on my Links that I Like, posted the video.

Jon Keen, newsroom colleague, took time out of his impressive coverage of Bronco Training Camp to give a tip of the hat to the Riders, and a wag of the finger to the CBC

James Whittingham, one half of Cable Regina's James and Kevin Show, showed his displeasure to CBC HD's coverage

The Leader-Post, who put a photo that even Joe Rosenthal would be envious of, on the front page of today's paper

USA Today, yes, that USA Today, had a story about CBC showing Nick Nolte's The Good Thief instead of the end of the football game and compared it to the infamous Heidi Game

And speaking of the Heidi Game, the CBC will forever be publicly connected to it by Wikipedia

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link and kind words. The camera was a Canon Powershot S30 (from 2002) and takes 30 second video clips. It was extremely fortuitous that I caught the moment of the blackout.

Colin said...

That is fortuitous. Fortuitous, indeed

Jon Keen said...

thanks colin. Keep kickin ass in the newsroom

Colin said...

You're welcome Jonny