Elks: Edmonton Eskimos 2018 v5

[Stoneman89]

Has Rhodes done anything well in his time here?

I think I heard somewhere that there were a couple guys that went crazy when Vanilla Ice was a big halftime announcement. Other than that, I can't come up with anything right now.

 

[Stoneman89]

to be fair, in previous seasons they had people on the upper deck throwing the footballs in our area.
they did earlier in the year this season, too. although it was few and far between. it's like they spent all their money on that stupid football cannon and didn't have any left over for footballs.

I know it's a small thing, but it's the one this the esks do that everyone loves, and they screwed it up and then quit doing it this year.
I actually went to value village this summer and bought some esks mini footballs for the 3 kids that sit in front of me every game with their parents. they were never going to get one otherwise.

Maybe a dumb question, but why couldn't those 3 kids parents buy them the mini footballs themselves?

 

[rboomercat90]

wish they'd announce actual fans at the game instead of the way they'd do it now. at least be honest. for all I know they could all the tickets Sobey's has to sell.

boring game, though. you could tell Winnipeg didn't try. they only cared about not getting hurt, or showing too much of their playbook.

I will complain about one thing. It's petty and really a small thing but sums up the esks to me.

I'm about 10 rows up in the upper deck and not once in the last two home games did I see anyone throwing a mini football.

it's tradition, fans love it (especially the kids), and it's inexpensive to do.
Rhodes, if it's about the fan experience, where are the footballs?

heck, if it's about money those crappy halftime shows can probably easily cover the cost of footballs for a season.

I mentioned, when I went to the Ottawa game, that it was the first game I’d been to in several years. I thought they stopped shooting the football into the upper deck after that fan fell trying to catch one. Considering how much we’ve been forced to bubble wrap the world to protect the idiots, I’m surprised they’re still doing that.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I seem to remember Chris Jones playing Reilly in the 4th quarter of a meaningless last game of the year against B.C. with a big lead and Reilly's ankle got mangled and it arguably cost them the cup that year, so you can throw him into that pile as well. But at least the man can identify defensive talent and has a killer system to utilize them.

Jones at least seems to have learned. Collaros, Bridge, and Watford all saw meaningful reps this season. Even had Marshall handling sneaks. And like you say, as frustrating as a Chris Jones/Steve McAdoo offense can be, the personnel he assembles on defense is simply ridiculous.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I mentioned, when I went to the Ottawa game, that it was the first game I’d been to in several years. I thought they stopped shooting the football into the upper deck after that fan fell trying to catch one. Considering how much we’ve been forced to bubble wrap the world to protect the idiots, I’m surprised they’re still doing that.

Wait, somebody fell off the upper deck trying to catch a mini football?!

 

[rboomercat90]

Wait, somebody fell off the upper deck trying to catch a mini football?!

I can’t find it now but I do recall reading an article, or the game notes of one, years back that a fan fell trying to catch a football, landed on a fan below and they were going to stop throwing them into the upper deck. Maybe some other old timers remember it.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

I can’t find it now but I do recall reading an article, or the game notes of one, years back that a fan fell trying to catch a football, landed on a fan below and they were going to stop throwing them into the upper deck. Maybe some other old timers remember it.

Hmmm...perhaps a fan fell over the edge of one of the staircase entrance ways? Which would be like 10 feet or something. I find it hard to believe somebody fell from the upper deck to the lower deck and landed on somebody without it being a bigger news item, unless there were miraculously no serious injuries...but there is a good chance such an event would have killed or maimed both the faller and the unfortunate fan below.

 

[BleedingOil]

It happened was probably 15-20 years ago. I believe the fan tgatwas landed on was worse off.

 

[BleedingOil]

Pretty sure they kept doing it for quite a while afterwords though

 

[rboomercat90]

It happened was probably 15-20 years ago. I believe the fan tgatwas landed on was worse off.

Glad somebody else remembers it. 15-20 years ago sounds about right.

 

[bone]

Trestman always has a limited shelf life so it doesn't surprise me.

I agree that this Rhodes guy makes me sick. I can live with Maas coming back for one more season but please get us a new President who is a football guy.

I can't like this hard enough.

 

[bone]

Maybe a dumb question, but why couldn't those 3 kids parents buy them the mini footballs themselves?

It's not about owning the football. It's the excitement at catching it and keeping it. The look in most kids eyes when they catch one is priceless.

 

[bone]

It happened was probably 15-20 years ago. I believe the fan tgatwas landed on was worse off.

Glad somebody else remembers it. 15-20 years ago sounds about right.

Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to put a year to it, but they still did it every touchdown 5 years ago. Then they started mostly doing lower deck but an occasional trip up top. Then they went to small balls. I think they are back to normal balls but pretty much just use the gun.

As for the guy going over the ledge, I don't think it was a mini ball though. Back then they threw them from the landing so the football was never at risk of going over. With the gun, the risk is higher actually because if one of the balls got high enough that someone thought they could get it, they'd be getting awfully close to the edge.

 

[rboomercat90]

Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to put a year to it, but they still did it every touchdown 5 years ago. Then they started mostly doing lower deck but an occasional trip up top. Then they went to small balls. I think they are back to normal balls but pretty much just use the gun.

As for the guy going over the ledge, I don't think it was a mini ball though. Back then they threw them from the landing so the football was never at risk of going over. With the gun, the risk is higher actually because if one of the balls got high enough that someone thought they could get it, they'd be getting awfully close to the edge.

Yeah I wondered about this today after I couldn’t find it. I remember it happening but maybe it was a tee shirt from a cannon. I also remember them shooting stuff from a giant slingshot. They did shoot footballs from them once upon a time. Those things had a long range.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

It happened was probably 15-20 years ago. I believe the fan tgatwas landed on was worse off.

If it was 20 years ago, yeah I could see it. I was under the impression it was more recent since they were still tossing mini footballs on the upper level as of three or four years ago. At least in the section I had my tickets in.

 

[BleedingOil]

If it was 20 years ago, yeah I could see it. I was under the impression it was more recent since they were still tossing mini footballs on the upper level as of three or four years ago. At least in the section I had my tickets in.

They are just cheap, they stopped shooting them up in a cannon but had guys throwing them from the rails a few years back. No reason they cantc do that anymore. I loved catching the balls as a kid, especially from the fire truck.

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

Wait, somebody fell off the upper deck trying to catch a mini football?!

Ya, it happened about 15 rows in front of me. Would have been been about early/mid 90's. They used to shoot the mini-footballs up to the upper level. Think it was from a sling shot thing they used. Dude was reaching over and fell. Landed partially on a pregnant lady I believe. Everyone was relatively okay I think.
Not sure if it has happened again since then.

 

[Gord]

Maybe a dumb question, but why couldn't those 3 kids parents buy them the mini footballs themselves?

the 3 were good kids and very well behaved all season, so I wanted to do something nice for them.

not the same as catching one, but it did make them happy. they were hoping for one all season and rarely had one thrown our way.

 

[Valhallis]

This is just another example of the disconnect between the organization and its fans. It would be nice if there was a survey or something put out to ask fans opinions on things they could do to improve the experience. Maybe they'd get a clue. I've emailed the org previously but never received a response. I'm pretty sure it went to the same 'good ideas bin' they have at my work, ie the garbage.

 

[rboomercat90]

Ya, it happened about 15 rows in front of me. Would have been been about early/mid 90's. They used to shoot the mini-footballs up to the upper level. Think it was from a sling shot thing they used. Dude was reaching over and fell. Landed partially on a pregnant lady I believe. Everyone was relatively okay I think.
Not sure if it has happened again since then.

Those slingshots had a long range. Some of those guys could easily reach the middle of the upper deck from the ground if that’s where they were aiming.

 

[Valhallis]

Maas is apparently meeting with Sunderland now. Is this a normal end of year evaluation or something else?

 

[iCanada]

It's not about owning the football. It's the excitement at catching it and keeping it. The look in most kids eyes when they catch one is priceless.

Yeah... it's strange for me personally that the organization that has prided itself on there being more to it that winning has all but removed most of the small things that initially hooked me as a kid.

I remember being so excited about mini footballs, shirt tosses and getting free 2Ls of pop. I remember going to a game in the winter one winter when i was maybe 6 or 7 with a sleeping bag, hot chocolate, blankets and the works. I cant recall the game at all (imagine it was a rider's game, being a transplant), but i definitely remember an usher helping me stuff my sleeping bag full of free blue Pepsi that i was jacked about and carrying it to the car.

That 20 bucks of free merch (after my dad bought tickets, mind you) they invested in me in those days is likely what hooked me into the hundred or so games ive attended at commonwealth over the years.

 

[Stoneman89]

Maas is apparently meeting with Sunderland now. Is this a normal end of year evaluation or something else?

At the risk of interrupting all the fascinating talk of free one dollar footballs and their impact on society , I would have to think this is standard procedure in most businesses at their year end.