Published on June 28, 2008
I realized on a visit to the TSN.ca CFL page last week that I may have subconsciously lifted the Hash Marks title used for the recent links section in the sidebar of this site from them. I have decided to rename that section to avoid any confusion.
Some options I have come up with so far are:
I will make a decision and switch over to the new name by July 2. After the change, old links and feeds to the Hash Marks page will redirect to the new name.
Published on June 28, 2008
After discussions with our provider, Overtime Central, we have agreed with their decision to cancel the 2008 CFL Pick ‘em Challenge that we were proud sponsors of. We agree with Overtime Central that any CFL contest should be of the highest quality before it is opened to the public. We will work with Overtime Central to try again next year.
Published on June 25, 2008
There is either more information being published on the CFL this year, or the rise of the Internet is making it easier for me to find and view it all, because I cannot remember previous years having this many camp reports, team previews and other articles leading up to the season.
For a full league preview, check out CBC’s 2008 CFL preview. If you need help picking the winners for week one, Perry Lefko’s picks may help. Still pumped about TSN’s coverage all the way through the playoffs? The hype continues to build. Chris Cuthbert also sits down for a season eve interview with cfl.ca.
The entry numbers for our inaugural sponsored CFL Pick ‘em Challenge are creeping up there, so don’t delay any longer - get signed up today. There are other CFL fantasy contests out there as well. Check the sidebar for a few links. I encourage all CFL fans to participate and show their CFL interest and pride. See you at the games.
Update: The Challenge was cancelled due to a lack of preparation.
Published on June 24, 2008
With the countdown on to the CFL‘s 2008 season kickoff on Thursday (7:00 PM EDT) in Hamilton, excitement is building about the television coverage with TSN starting it’s five-year run as the exclusive CFL broadcaster. The globesports.com article by William Houston hints at some changes TSN will bring to the broadcast this year, like a remote goalpost camera for Friday Night Football telecasts. CFL fans with recent investments in big-screen televisions and High Definition subscriptions will also be pleased to know 57 of 72 regular season games plus all playoff games and the Grey Cup will be broadcast in HD this year.
TSN will cover all games with only two crews, Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor covering 42 games while Rod Black and Duane Forde will call the remaining 30 games. Forde is the newcomer to the network, working previously for The Score. His colour commentary resume and just-the-facts analysis will be a welcome change to CFL fans who have suffered with Leif Petersen and Chris Walby for too long. The panel will be working more than in past years, with Dave Randorf moderating the experienced group of Jock Climie, Matt Dunigan and Chris Schultz. It appears Brian Williams will provide special reports and interview segments for pre-game shows.
With a rumoured price tag of $75 million over 5 years, TSN will be looking to bring the quality of the broadcasts up and keep viewers interested with the quality broadcasts. TSN will establish a strong online and mobile media presence for the CFL over the next five years, starting with live streaming of Friday Night Football games this year. All of this is good news for CFL fans.
Published on June 21, 2008
The CFL pre-season has been suffered by CFL fans who just want the season to start probably since the inception of the league, but recently matters seem to have gotten worse, catching the attention of the media and probably many fans sitting in stadiums across the country. The CFL needs to act to fix the issues in a way that provides a balance of preparedness for players and interest to fans.
Published on June 19, 2008
cfldb is proud to announce our sponsorship of the 2008 CFL Pick ‘em Challenge on Overtime Central, the leader in providing unique CFL fantasy contests. Our sponsorship consists of donating $150 in items for prizes. The contest is free and open to the public, so all CFL fans should check out the rules and create an entry today.
The contest is hosted at Overtime Central, but in the future we want to work with Overtime Central to have results tracked here and perhaps even host our own contests. Get a group of friends to sign up and follow each others progress; it will make the CFL season that much more fun for everyone involved.
I decided to sponsor a contest this year at Overtime Central to support their efforts to provide fantasy sports contests for the CFL. One of my goals at cfldb is to promote other sites which have quality information and items of interest regarding the CFL. CFL fantasy sports have always overshadowed by hockey drafts and NFL pools, but I believe the CFL fans are waiting for the time when CFL contests are as plentiful as other fantasy sports.
I hope to continue to work with Overtime Central, sponsoring additional contests, but that will largely depend on the reception this contest receives. So if you are a CFL fan, get over to Overtime Central today and get your entry in. The season starts June 26. You have nothing to lose and some great prizes (I’m a little biased) and bragging rights to gain.
Update: The Challenge was cancelled due to a lack of preparation.
Published on June 14, 2008
The National Post published a series entitled Turf Wars this weekend, perhaps predicated by the launch of the CFL season and the recent CFL protectionism bill introduced by Senator Larry Campbell. In the series, Sean Fitz-Gerald reports on the stakes of an NFL invasion and answers both sides of the question of whether an NFL team will ever land in Toronto, while an editorial looks at the things other than a law that the federal government can do for the CFL and CFL commissioner Mark Cohon provides his reasons why the CFL matters in a guest opinion piece.
Published on June 6, 2008
David Naylor of globesports.com reported today on the breaking off of talks between the CFL and NFL that the CFL proposed the NFL take an ownership stake in the Canadian league. Naylor names no sources and provides no quotations from anonymous insiders to corroborate the report.