Gregor: it’s good to be back
By Jason Gregor
14 years agoMondays suck at the best of times, but this Monday, after two weeks of holidays, is surprisingly upbeat even after I forgot to check the pockets of my shorts and washed them with five lotto tickets and a pack of gum still inside. I guess I’ll be writing here for a bit longer.
When I go on holidays I try not to read or watch anything sports related, and I was fairly successful. But last week after spending an entire day golfing and slowly killing my liver I woke up Thursday afternoon and read Wanye’s piece on mini-Leno possibly coming back to E-town.
It took a while to register what I just read, but that might have been due to the five Grenade shots from the previous night. After contemplating it some more I’ve decided it is too much of a fairy tale to actually occur. It sounds like an ABC After-School Special, and I hated most of those shows; I’m not much of a romantic either.
Local boy who made it big, but was ran out of town, then spends a few years trying to find himself in other markets, only to be welcomed back home in the arms of the local owner.Make no mistake, if Comrie does return to Edmonton, he will have lots to prove and I think it would be a GOOD move.
I know many of you are thinking I must still be in holiday mode, but think about it for a second.
You might not have liked how Comrie left, but the fact is he would be the only player in Oiler silks who actually scored 30 goals one year. If he does sign, it would be for around $1.5 million, and considering he made $4 million last year that’s a hefty pay cut. You don’t think he’d play his ass off to try and get back in that pay range?
Sure Comrie is another small forward, but he at least has a bit of an edge to his game. Remember when Ilya Kovalchuk thought hair pulling was allowed in an NHL fight?
Hell my grandpa used to buy sugar when it was on sale even when he didn’t need it, so getting another small forward at a low cost might not be a bad idea. The organization is split on whether Comrie is a fit, but it definitely has been talked about. I just spoke to a player who thinks it would be a good fit, so we’ll see how it plays out.
New rink
The Oilers have called a press conference for 11am today where they’ll discuss news of a new arena. The Oilers need a new rink, the city needs a new facility, and concert goers can expect even better bands once it is built. Funding will be the major issue, but if you don’t realize that Edmonton needs a new rink you aren’t paying attention.
I’m sure we can squeeze in a few Comrie questions as well.
Holiday tidbits
- If you haven’t golfed SilverTip in Canmore I suggest you do. Save up before you go though, because the $183.00 green fee is a bit much, but the scenery is magnificent. The course isn’t overly long, and you don’t have to pull out the driver that often, but you need to be straight. The greens are fast and really challenging, and there are no beer carts on the course so I suggest stuffing a few in the bag. They have coolers on the golf carts.
- Seems like the Olympic camp proved nothing. Does anyone think Marty St. Louis will play on the first line? St. Louis has tremendous skill, but I don’t see him on that line, if any. While in Calgary I bumped into one of the coaches and he told me flat out they were looking for chemistry more than anything. Ryan Getzlaf wasn’t there and he is a lock to make the squad, and based on how well he meshed with Rick Nash and Dany “I’ve-been-unfairly-painted-as-the-bad-guy” Heatley at the World Championships in 2008 they are an option for Mike Babcock. One big question for me will be if Joe Thornton makes the team and how much of a role he’ll be given if he does.
- Looks like the Eskimo secondary can catch the ball. If the Esks win the Grey Cup this year that would give them three this decade. Would that make them the team of the decade in the CFL? I think so, and yet Eskimo fans have been pissed the entire decade it seems. Interesting.
- Had my fantasy football draft yesterday. I’m in a draft with 12 teams, and all the guys feel they could be an NFL GM. They spent hours after the draft analyzing who has the best team. Fantasy football takes the armchair quarterback to a whole new level. If you haven’t played I recommend getting in a league. Fantasy football is better than fantasy hockey in my opinion. The time commitment is far less, which is a good thing, because if you spend two hours a day “researching” your fantasy stats you have issues.
The side bets are more entertaining than the draft sometimes, and if you are in a good draft you have a message board that runs year round. The chirping on the boards kept me interested last year, once that pansy Tom Brady got hurt. That’s the hard part about fantasy football/hockey. Sometimes you have to pick a player from a team that you despise, because you know he’ll score points. I love the Dolphins (they will go 10-6 this year btw) but Brady is my fantasy QB. I hate the Pats, Bills and the Jets, but pretty boy is my QB so I’ll root for him to pass for 300 yards and three TDs every week, but hopefully they lose every game.
Off to the Oiler presser. I’ll give you an update after.
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