DeAngelis Signs with Montreal?

So DeAngelis signs with the Alouettes. Somewhat surprising, but he's been good enough in recent seasons that someone would have signed him. Will he stick? Who knows?

Cheetah Power Surge

I'm watching the Boston Tampa Bay game seven and I'm struck by one thing, who's funding all the Cheetah Power Surge ads? Actually one more thing, who's buying Cheetah Power Surge. Frank D'Angelo can spend as much as he wants on sports advertising and used motorcycles, but there's no way I'm buying one of his products.

Backyardigans, Ticats, Ivor Wynne

One issue I've always had with Hamilton Bulldog games is how they cater a little too much to little kids. Endless idiots skating around after whistles leaving my wishing I was on the catwalk with a sniper rifle. I realize that families are the Bulldogs bread and butter, but they do drive away people that are just there for the hockey or the fights.

So the fact that the Backyardigans will be on Balsam for the family day game on Canada Day is about appealing to me as the Cats suddenly signing Kevin Maas as a backup quarterback. I realize that the Backyardigans are playing at Brian Timmis (not Timmons!) so you go can straight from drinking cheap pints of 50 at the Prince Eddie and directly to the North gates and avoid any contact with toddler oriented entertainers. Plus I'll be in New Zealand for that game so the Cats can have a telethon of kid orientated activities for all I care.

Still though, these promotions are OK, but the focus should be on the football. That's the reason people come game after game, rather than for a oneoff for a kids show, where some of the kids inevitably get bored during the actual game, running around creating chaos.

Ticat Financial Tweets

I guess there's a season preview conference going on by the Ticats and I was interested in a couple tweets about their financials. Apparently merchandise sales topped $1 million for the first time in 2010, which is certainly a positive especially in a league with a salary cap around $4 million. Also this tweet "Scott Mitchell: 90% season tickets renewed. More than 1,000 new season seats sold this off-season. Suites are sold out." Hmmm. If there were say 16,000 season ticket holders and 90% renewed, that's 1600 seats gone versus 1000 new ones. Maybe the stadium madness did have an effect on this year's season ticket sales so far. Still time to sell some more though.

Sandro DeAngelis Performance Analysis

After the release yesterday of Ticat kicker Sandro DeAngelis, how bad was his performance last year for the Ticats compared to his Stampeder years? From 2005 to 2009 his field goal completion percentages were76.9, 86.2, 83.3, 86.2, and 85.7. Last year for the Cats, his completion percentage was 76.2, which was a big drop back to his first year with Calgary, after four straight stellar years. Since DeAngelis doesn't punt and was being paid a relative high salary, not performing at around the mid-eighties isn't going to cut it. It seemed that his percentage at Ivor Wynne was lower than his rate on the road (although I don't have the exact data) so that too is going to make it difficult to stay as the Ticat kicker. One other line of pertinent stats, his longest completed field goal from 2005 to 2010: 56, 53, 48, 49, 48 and 45 yards. Not a good trend.

Will Justin Medlock or another import kicker have a better year for the Cats this year? Maybe, but kicking outside at Ivor Wynne is definitely tougher than inside at BC Place or the Rogers Centre and could be tough to adjust to.

Ticats Release Sandro DeAngelis

Happened to be looking at Twitter when I noticed a tweet from the Cats saying they had released Ticat kicker Sandro Deangelis. A bit surprising before camp, but Sandro's high salary and mediocre performance worked against him. No sentimentality in football. Also some import linebacker named James Hargrave got released. To paraphrase Pat Burns speaking about Bill Berg, I wouldn't know him if I hit him with my car.

Jesse Lumsden Offically Done

Not really much of a surprise at this point, but former Ticat and Marauder Jesse Lumsden has retired from football to concentrate on bobsledding. Probably for the best and he's certainly not the first running back to have an injury shortened career. Personally I think back to one game at Ivor Wynne where Lumsden had a long run and was tackled by an opposing player managing to grab his foot. He landed awkwardly on the football and his shoulder was never really the same after that play it seemed. A bright spot on some terrible Ticat teams, Lumsden was a rare non-import starting running back amid a sea of not particularly charismatic American backs. After the draft where there was no running back drafted with fanfare, the search for the next great Canadian back continues.

Already 14,000 Tickest Sold for Touchdown Atlantic 2, Belli Retiring?

From this article from the local Moncton paper, news that over 14,000 tickets for Touchdown Atlantic 2 have been sold by 5 pm yesterday during the pre-sale. With just over slightly 20,000 seats that doesn't leave much when tickets go on sale to the public today. Maybe I should have ordered more than just two tickets.

Looks like Adriano Belli is retiring, announcing it Lonely Island style. Always good for a quote or a kiss, he was a decent non-import tackle. Arguably his best year was 2005 in Hamilton, with 27 tackles and 7 sacks (if you like sacks as a statistic, which I do, especially for defensive tackles).

Ticats Make Pre-Season Game Exclusive to Season Ticket Holders

Just got an email from the Ticats to season ticket holders. They're making the game exclusive to season ticket holders by offering up to ten complimentary tickets if you call before the end of business on Friday. Not a bad idea since in Hamilton the pre-season game doesn't get great attendance. Plus even if people aren't paying for tickets, they'll buy concessions (including high margin beer) and merchandise and parking and hopefully want to attend a regular season game. I'm not sure if I'll get around to calling, but I suppose it would mean more people to go to the Prince Edward Tavern with.

Moncton Ticat Tickets Bought

Just now I used the Ticats season ticket holder promo code to buy 2 red zone tickets ($39) for the second Touchdown Atlantic between Calgary and Hamilton in Moncton. Took a couple of tries to get through to the tickets Moncton website, but eventually I was able to do it. Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow at 9 am. Hopefully a quick sellout again this year.

I'll be interested to see what the stadium is like, especially considering how the Ticats could potentially play some games there when Ivor Wynne is being rebuilt. Can Moncton support and expansion team? Initially I'm sure they could, but the real test is how the fans respond when your team has back to back 3 and 16 seasons.

Hopefully they'll publish somewhere the number of tickets bought by Hamilton and Calgary season ticket holders. Should be easy to do via the promo codes. I'm guessing there will be more Cat sales this year than Argo sales last year mainly because they suck.

Here's a Moncton Times and Transcript article on the pre-sale. Looks like the CFL pre-sale started at 10:00 am today.

Ticats 2011 Draft Prognostications

The CFL draft certainly has a fugacious aspect to it, a CFL story that will have little immediate effect and will promptly be forgotten by the time training camp opens. However those during those recent Ticat seasons, those 3 and 16 ones where a Jason Maas less universe was just a pleasant future possibility, the draft was important, because the pick was generally high, the team would be bad that season, but a good offensive lineman could help in a couple of seasons when the team would hopefully not be in the basement.

The Cats have the fifth overall pick, plus a bunch of lower ones. From the reading I've doing, a receiver seems a possiblity, but never count out an offensive lineman. Probably the easiest way to get a sense of what is going on is to read Duane Ford's various TSN posts. Here's a Drew Edwards article advancing the pass catcher theory.

Mark Masters at the National Post has a story suggesting the Cats could draft University of Ottawa quarterback Brad Sinopoli. With the Cats having only three quarterbacks going into camp, it is not inconceivable as Sinopoli could easily sit on the practice roster all year as the fourth guy and marketing ploy. However if only the Cats are interested, they could not draft him and just invite him to camp, blowing the last round pick on some other project. Who knows. Masters also has a mock first round draft.

Edmonton Eskimos Release Kamau Peterson and Jared Zabranksy

Well turns out the Eskimos not inviting quarterback Jared Zabransky to their mini-camp was foreshadowing, as they released him and veteran non-import receiver Kamau Peterson. Peterson as I recall, mainly seemed to drop catchable balls when he played with Hamilton. So that's Zabransky and Trafalis as former backup quarterbacks floating around the CFL in a big game of musical chairs. I can't see the Ticats being interested in Zabransky.

Ticats Season Ticket Pickup Party

Just received the details via email for the Ticats season ticket holder pickup party,
Saturday, May 14th, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 pm. at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The first 750 season ticket holders apparently get free Swiss Chalet, so get there early. Or just go to Rankin's or the Prince Edward Tavern afterwards.

BC Lions Finally Release Yonus Davis

Looks like the Lions have finally released running back and special teams player Yonus Davis. Obviously being arrested after getting delivered 40,000 pills of ecstasy isn't a good strategy to stay with the team (also how many rookies own a BMW 745i?). Too bad as Davis was one of the relatively few bright spots for the Lions last year. However, one credo of Tigercatatonia is that import running backs are a fungible commodity in the CFL, so I'm sure someone else will emerge.