e past week, which is this: Were not good enough to go out

At a press scrum last Thursday, the day before the Redblacks were to play their season home opener and officially open the new TD Place Stadium, one of the owners, Roger Greenburg, was asked why he decided to become the co-owner of a football team. His answer just may be the best example of why football will work this time, when it didnt on two previous occasions in Ottawa. Im paraphrasing, but the chairman/CEO of Minto Developments said that he believes there are four pillars that make up a strong community. The first is the medical system. Second, is the education system. The third is the arts and the final one is the sports culture. He went on to say that the Senators have contributed to the sports culture, but it was time to add to that with the return of professional football to the city and the addition of professional soccer. Greenburg and his partners John Ruddy, William Shenkman and Jeff Hunt wanted to be part of building and strengthening one of the pillars of a strong community. In other words, this ownership group has done all of this for the right reason - to strengthen the community that they live in and they were rewarded on Friday night for all their hard work and perseverance. Fridays home opener was an unforgettable experience and, hopefully, showed one of our other major cities in the country, that happens to be only about four hours away, just what is possible. The Redblacks didnt score a touchdown on the field, but they did in the stands and that is what mattered most. Jeff Hunt said the team could have sold another 15,000 tickets to the game and that will translate into demand. Based on the in-game experience on Friday night, nobody should be surprised to hear that the next home game will be sold out soon. The atmosphere was electric. It was a young energetic crowd, who partied like they were attending a rock concert. In fact, in what was an ingenious move, there was also a rock concert going on before the game to get people pumped up for kick-off at what was a Canadian-style tailgate party. TD Place Stadium is fantastic with great sightlines and a design that not only looks outstanding, but is designed to enhance the fan experience for soccer and football, specifically. It doesnt feel like an all-purpose facility that accommodates many, but pleases none. The game itself was not a masterpiece, but it had an exciting finish when, down by two, Redblacks QB Henry Burris hit Kerrie Johnson on a deep ball to set up the game winning field goal. It wasnt a walk-off winner by Brett Maher, but when Ricky Ray was intercepted in the dying seconds, it was game over and the crowd erupted. The games MVP was the crowd, that included Prime Minister Steven Harper, who sat beside CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and Rough Rider great, Russ Jackson. In fact, one of the highlights of the night was when our TSN cameraa caught a fan walking by the PM and the commish to shake hands with Jackson. It was not a slight to our country leader or the leagues top man, but a show of respect for history of football in Ottawa. And speaking of the telecast, I owe the football fans in Ottawa an apology for mistakenly saying that the five Grey Cup teams in the 60s and 70s were all coached by Frank Clair. My intention was to say that all the Cup teams in the 60s were coached by Clair. Jack Gotta was the coach from 1970-1973 and George Brancato was the coach when the Rough Riders beat Saskatchewan to win in 1976. The telecast wasnt perfect and neither was the night - apparently, some of the concessions ran out of beer and the traffic was a bit tricky, which, of course, was pointed out by some sportswriters...I swear some people would complain that their ice cream is too cold. I recently went to a George Strait concert in Dallas at AT&T Field, one of the most elaborate and state-of-the-art stadiums in the world and it had traffic issues, as well. In fact, it was so jammed up, I ended up tailgating in the parking lot for almost two hours after the event waiting for it to clear. On Friday night, the small issue were just that - small - and didnt, in any way, take away from the success of the event. It was a look at what is possible, even in Ontario ,when it comes to CFL football. The capacity of TD Place Stadium is 24,000, which just may be the perfect number and a blueprint for a possible stadium in Toronto. Our country has great football fans, but just not the volume to consistently fill a 40-to-50,000-seat stadium and at 24,000 in the stands, owners are making money. For those who would say that, if the NFL were in Toronto, they would sell out the old SkyDome, I would remind those people that the NFL regular season games played in Toronto were not sell-outs and not even close. In fact, sources have said that upwards of 20,000 tickets to the games in the Buffalo Bills series were freebies, handed to people on the street. No, 25-30,000-seat stadiums are the perfect size for CFL football, professional soccer and summer concerts and, for proof of that, look no further than Friday night in Ottawa. It can work in Toronto, as well, with a stadium at a realistic capacity and one built for football and soccer, specifically. It worked in Montreal, it is working in a big way in Winnipeg and, after Game One in Ottawa, it looks like it will be a huge hit there, as well. The answer may be BMO Field, which seems to still be part of the plan for the Argos. On our TSN set in Ottawa, Commissioner Mark Cohon had this to say when asked what it would take to replicate the Ottawa plan in Toronto: "The answer is a smaller stadium like BMO," said Cohon. "We know that they have a four-year deal left with Rogers Centre. Were talking to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, were talking to the city of Toronto and were working to see if we can move [the Argos] into BMO Field and replicate what we have [in Ottawa.]" The blueprint for the correct business model has now been created and now all that is needed in Toronto is for David Braley, or whomever buys the Argos, to start building the fourth pillar in that community. Congratulations again to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and, on behalf of the football fans in our country, thank you. At the end of the night in Ottawa, the scoreboard read Redblacks 18 - Argonauts 17, but the true winners were the fans and the community in our nations capital. Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . Phoenix originally signed Barbosa to a 10-day contract on Jan. 8 after Eric Bledsoe injured his knee and then signed him to another 10-day deal. Nike Air Max 270 Clearance . Calgarys Bo Levi Mitchell and Montreals Troy Smith will be the starting quarterbacks in a CFL season-opener for the first time in their careers. Both want to reinforce their No. 1 status. You can watch the game live in the first half of a doubleheader on TSN and TSN GO at 3:00pm et/Noon pt. http://www.max270cheap.com/ . There are practical ideas, like this Chewbaca inspired Star Wars jerseys. Star Wars themed jerseys for the Toledo Mud Hens. Air Max 270 Mens Cheap . The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. It immediately halts all domestic track and field competitions, including track meets May 12-13 in several Greek cities. Air Max 270 Black And White Cheap . The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. Expectations arent high in Buffalo this season, but that can work in favour of the fantasy owner who is looking to find value. Top Picks: LW Thomas Vanek has scored 250 goals since 2005-2006, eighth-most in the NHL in that span, so he has to be accorded the respect of an elite scoring winger. The issue is that his supporting cast isnt ideal, which could make it difficult to put up numbers in his contract year. Last years supporting cast wasnt ideal, either, and Vanek still had a career-best 1.08 points per game. At the very least, hes a quality No. 2 left winger. Since 2007-2008, Ryan Miller has played in 371 games, ranking second among active goaltenders (behind only Henrik Lundqvist) and playing that much provides some value because, even on bad teams, goaltenders that play 65-70 games are going to accrue some wins. In that time, Miller has a .917 save percentage, which puts him in the Top 10, but his last three seasons (.916, .916 and .915) put him at slightly above an average starter. Essentially, his 2009-2010 season, when he had a .929 save percentage, is an outlier, but Miller is still worthy of a No. 2 goaltending post in fantasy. Christian Ehrhoff hasnt scored in Buffalo like he did in Vancouver, particularly on the power play, and that doesnt figure to change dramatically, but hes the Sabres number one scoring option on the blueline and good enough to fill a No. 3 spot on defence in most fantasy leagues. Value Plays: The path to a scoring centre role hasnt been the smoothest for 23-year-old Cody Hodgson, but he did score at a career-best rate (0.71 ppg) last season, while playing a career-high 18:24 per game. If hes getting first line minutes, there is a chance for decent production. Big minutes in Buffalo bring the risk of a negative plus-minus, but as No. 4 fantasy centre with upside, Hodgson has value. Tyler Ennis has a slightly longer track record than Hodgson and took some plus-minus lumps (minus-14 in 47 GP) last season, but hes a small, skilled forward who has had some productive stretches. As a low-risk play for potential in the later rounds, Ennis could provide a payoff. Sometimes, when players dont produce the biggest goal and assist numbers, they can be overlooked, but value can be found in other categories too. In leagues that reward penalty minutes, Steve Ott is a beast -- one of six players to recordd at least 70 goals and 500 penalty minutes in that time.dddddddddddd However, Ott is also a hit machine, with 968 hits over the last four seasons. Even with modest offensive numbers, Otts contributions in other categories make him worthwhile in many leagues. Sleepers/Breakthrough: Drew Stafford is a bit of a fantasy heartbreaker, coming off a career-worst season, but hes a three-time 20-goal scorer who has size, skill and gets decent ice time. Hell surely be better than he was in the 2013 season, but its admittedly difficult to pull the trigger on a player with his up-and-down history. A big-bodied forward who exceeded all expectations when he scored 13 points in 14 games with the Sabres in 2011-2012, Marcus Foligno came back to reality last season, scoring 18 points in 47 games, which is more befitting his crash-and-bang style of play. Nevertheless, if Foligno gets an opportunity with a scoring line, he does have a chance to provide some value because he adds a physical dimension (ie. lots of hits) in addition to occasional scoring. Its not that long ago (2009-2010) that D Tyler Myers scored 48 points as a rookie defenceman, but his production has fallen off since, down to eight points in 39 games last season. Based on last season, theres no reason to consider him for fantasy but, knowing that the Sabres should be playing him 22 minutes a night, there will be an opportunity for the 23-year-old to get his career back on track. If Ville Leino stays healthy, theres a chance that he can be productive. His contract virtually dictates that he will play, but its nearly impossible to recommend him given 31 points in 79 games over two seasons with the Sabres. Rookies: Strangely enough, for a rebuilding team, there arent necessarily a lot of rookies knocking on the door, but C Mikhail Grigorenko is one to watch. He played only 10:14 per game in 25 games with the Sabres last season, managing five points, but hes a big, skilled center who has 139 points in 92 QMJHL games over the last two seasons. Its conceivable that he could land a role centering a scoring line (maybe moving Ennis to wing?) and then his scoring totals could be enough to warrant interest. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '