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Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 12:57 pm
by BC 1988
https://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040 ... -1.1554109
Ambrosie was just on TSN 1040 with Donnie & the Moj (Rick Dhaliwal filling in). Good interview, not all softball questions. Ambrosie declined to comment directly about the Reilly contract issue.
Unrelated--there is a JJ Adams Vancouver Sun article that says the schedule will be released tomorrow. It's unintentionally funny, since now LeLacheur is using reasoning like the season being so far away, they can safely assume things will be okay by then BUT "we just don't know" (and not have CFL games end up being a scoreboard
cancelled punchline like it was all this year.)
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 2:40 pm
by Hambone
BC 1988 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:47 am
I agree that (given the appearance by Reilly) the Lions are probably working towards resolving the issue (without it going to arbitration).
Without knowing how US tax laws and years work or if Reilly pays everything under Canada but I'm thinking he would rather report that as 2020 income as opposed to adding it to his 2021 income.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:26 am
by BC 1988
https://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040 ... -1.1555931
Lelacheur on with Halford & Brough this morning. Great interview, they covered all the challenges facing the Lions (some of which Lelacheur did not really want to talk about.) It turns out that the Reilly arbitration hearing will likely be happening in January-February.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:22 pm
by David
Thanks for posting BC 1988. The big news for me from this interview is that Ed Hervey won't be replaced by another GM. Rick Campbell and Neil McEvoy will jointly take over duties for the foreseeable future. No word about Geroy.
DH
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:15 pm
by B.C.FAN
David wrote: ↑Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:22 pm
Thanks for posting BC 1988. The big news for me from this interview is that Ed Hervey won't be replaced by another GM. Rick Campbell and Neil McEvoy will jointly take over duties for the foreseeable future. No word about Geroy.
DH
Geroy is listed below Neil McEvoy, Torey Hunter and Rob Ralph on the Lions’ football operations staff chart. Ralph has taken over Geroy’s previous role as CFL draft coordinator. Geroy’s primary role is now evaluating international players for the global draft. That seems like a demotion.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 2:35 am
by Murdoch
Everyone thought that Hervey was the Edmonton connection.
Looks to me like they are putting the old team from 2004 back together with Ralph and Campbell. BC is lucky Maccocia is not available.
Neil McEvoy appears to be a survivor for now.
Sorry guys but it looks like a fifth place team to me.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 1:16 pm
by B.C.FAN
The Lions have vastly upgraded their scouting department by luring Ryan Rigmaiden back from Grey Cup champion Winnipeg as director of U.S. scouting. Rigmaiden held the same position for the Lions from 2013 to 2017 before taking a similar role with the Bombers. Rigmaiden replaces Torey Hunter on the scouting staff. The Lions' U.S. recruiting suffered in recent years under Hunter, who had previously worked with former GM Ed Hervey in Edmonton. Hunter, whose title was director of player personnel and player development, was suspended for 90 days during the 2018-19 U.S. college bowl season for using an anonymous Twitter account to troll the Eskimos on social media.
RYAN RIGMAIDEN RETURNS TO BC LIONS
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 2:49 pm
by Gridiron Ernie
You've just made my day with that bit of news, B.C.FAN! Torey Hunter IMO carried the sort of baggage we don't need, and having Ryan Rigmaiden return is a most welcome surprise (an early Christmas present from the team to us and to themselves, one might say) -- really encouraging! This is a strong move.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:19 am
by SammyGreene
BC 1988 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:26 am
https://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040 ... -1.1555931
Lelacheur on with Halford & Brough this morning. Great interview, they covered all the challenges facing the Lions (some of which Lelacheur did not really want to talk about.) It turns out that the Reilly arbitration hearing will likely be happening in January-February.
Halford and Brough have delivered some solid Lions/CFL talk when I do tune in. Hardly cheerleaders with plenty of criticism of the club and league but at this point all of the shortcomings need to be exposed and fixed.
Brough even said the most exciting sporting event he has ever attended in Vancouver was the 2004 Western Final. That's what has both of them wondering how the brand was allowed to slip so far. They brought Tom Mayenecht on last week for his thoughts that were mainly pointed towards the Seahawks popularity in Vancouver since.
It's been a difficult year for Lelacheur, including having COVID himself back in the spring. At 72, Im sure his last task with the Lions is steering the sale of the team with the Braley estate then slipping back into retirement when new ownership is in place.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:46 pm
by BC 1988
SammyGreene wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:19 am
BC 1988 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:26 am
https://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040 ... -1.1555931
Lelacheur on with Halford & Brough this morning. Great interview, they covered all the challenges facing the Lions (some of which Lelacheur did not really want to talk about.) It turns out that the Reilly arbitration hearing will likely be happening in January-February.
Halford and Brough have delivered some solid Lions/CFL talk when I do tune in. Hardly cheerleaders with plenty of criticism of the club and league but at this point all of the shortcomings need to be exposed and fixed.
Brough even said the most exciting sporting event he has ever attended in Vancouver was the 2004 Western Final. That's what has both of them wondering how the brand was allowed to slip so far. They brought Tom Mayenecht on last week for his thoughts that were mainly pointed towards the Seahawks popularity in Vancouver since.
It's been a difficult year for Lelacheur, including having COVID himself back in the spring. At 72, Im sure his last task with the Lions is steering the sale of the team with the Braley estate then slipping back into retirement when new ownership is in place.
You know, when Halford & Brough first got (apart from their Kurtenblogger period), their TSN 1040 daily slot, they used to annoy me to no end. The most excruciating listen was when Lowell Ullrich had to talk to them. They had no idea how to get the most out of what he had to offer.
When the world changed on Friday March 13th, they were able to evolve into a viable "sports talk with no sports" show better than I expected them to.
I agree that cheerleaders won't fix what is wrong with the CFL. With the storm on Parliament Hill right now about the timeline for widespread COVID vaccine availability, the optimistic 2021 schedule could be just another waste of time. Players and coaching staff readily admit that writing off another year is not an option.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 4:39 pm
by B.C.FAN
The Province has a couple of interesting weekend reads on the Lions. J.J. Adams takes a deep dive into some of the challenges the Lions face, with quotes from team sources, analysts and fans. I was most interested in the comments of popular social media commentator Sam Anderson, who explains why she has given up her season tickets.
Sunday Feature: Lions look for a major reboot, hoping crisis leads to real change
Also, Steve Ewen examines the expanded role of Neil McEvoy in the front office, with supporting roles for Geroy Simon and Ryan Rigmaiden.
Steve Ewen: McEvoy's rise through Lions ranks reminds of Ackles' climb
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:55 pm
by David
Poor Lions. Can't catch a break. If it's not a disgruntled quarterback, it's a disgruntled fan. They kind of got hammered in this article. Lost season, lost GM, deceased owner, Reilly-gate, season ticket holder jumps ship. On and on.
Hey, everyone has a right to leave the Den for whatever reason they choose. But personally, I don't get the
"why should I be a season seat holder when they're offering fans these great deals" argument. What's the club supposed to do to lure fans when the season ticket base is so low? I'd rather they get fans into the building to create an atmosphere than worry about what this means for me. Besides, there are decent enough perks to being a ST holder. 15% discount on merchandise, VIP pre-sale on concerts and events, discounted parking pass etc. Last year we got a $25 gift card that could be used on team merchandise.
DH
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:23 am
by BC 1988
https://www.cfl.ca/2021/01/22/commissio ... -cfl-fans/
Ambrosie posted an update today. Reading between the lines, he's preparing fans for the likelihood that the season will be delayed due to high COVID counts and slow vaccine rollout.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:13 am
by maxlion
I agree. It appears that their return to play plans are contingent on having fans in the stands. The likelihood of this being possible by June is extremely low. The best case scenario is playing a few games in the fall. 2022 is more likely if there is still a league around at that time.
Re: Randy Ambrosie optimistic about 2021
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:03 pm
by Hambone
maxlion wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:13 am
I agree. It appears that their return to play plans are contingent on having fans in the stands. The likelihood of this being possible by June is extremely low. The best case scenario is playing a few games in the fall. 2022 is more likely if there is still a league around at that time.
They may not know what they'll be able to do for the start of the season in terms of fans in the stands (none, partial or full) until literally the start of the season. Even at that it won't be all teams in the same boat. It's going to depend on the situation at the time in each health jurisdiction. A jurisdiction that is able to get a strong handle on Covid and is rocking it in terms of vaccinations will likely be able to open up to partial or full attendance while other teams will still be locked out. Given the Lions have been using only about 1/3 of the potential capacity of BC Place recently I think they have potential to come up with a feasible plan for partial attendance. Even with 4 people/row (2 on each aisle) the could get upwards of 6000 in the lower bowl alone.