Choose the Music

"Enter Sandman" or "Lose Yourself"?

"Thunderstruck" or "Another One Bites the Dust"?

Those are just four of the 11 options that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Y108 have provided fans to choose which song the Tiger-Cats will enter Ivor Wynne Stadium to on Sunday for the East Division Semi-Final.

Voting runs from now until Thursday, November 11th at 5:00PM. After that the 11 songs will be reduced to the four most popular choices. Voting will then reopen for the final four songs, with the song that gets the most votes being played as the Tiger-Cats get ready to step out onto the field to take apart on the Toronto Argonauts.

Here are all 11:

1. "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
2. "Uprising" by Muse
3. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
4. "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim
5. "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy
6. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes
7. "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith
8. "Sirius" by Alan Parsons Project
9. "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen
10. "Lose Yourself" by Eminem
11. "For Those About to Rock" by AC/DC

A lot of good songs and a lot of songs that personally get my blood pumping. I've got to go with Enter Sandman, though. There is just something about that song that gets me all riled up and ready to fight. It's the perfect song, as far as I am concerned, to hear before kickoff.

Baggs Named Defensive Player of the Month

The Players of the Month for October have been announced, and to no one's surprise, Stevie Baggs has snagged Defensive Player of the Month.

Baggs was a dominant force on Hamilton's Defensive Line over the last month. Baggs finished the month with 20 tackles, four sacks and three fumble recoveries – two of which he took back for touchdowns – and an interception. He won Defensive Player of the Week twice in October, after dominating performances against the Argonauts (where he had two sacks) and the Alouettes (where he returned a fumble for a touchdown and had an interception).

I would have been more surprised had Baggs not won this award. Baggs was simply spectacular over the final month of the season (his first since returning to the CFL from the NFL), and his addition provided a spark to the Tiger-Cat Defense.

A well-deserved award for the man we call Shakespeare.

West Defensive All-Stars

Balloting is now closed for divisional All-Star nominations, so over a four-day span I will unveil one of four groups of players. Today I present my West Defensive All-Stars.

Defensive Tackle: DeVone Claybrooks (CAL), Tom Johnson (CAL)
One of the hardest positions to pick an All Star at is Defensive Tackle. Guys who play this position are not stat machines. Their presence is felt in other areas. The Calgary combination of Claybrooks and Johnson made life miserable for Running Backs when they played against the Stampeders. Each man also recorded four sacks, which is fairly impressive for an interior Lineman.

Defensive End: Brent Johnson (BC), Keron Williams (BC)
While the Stampeders clog up the middle, this Lions pair help get to the passer. While BC did not lead the league in sacks, both Johnson and Williams provided excellent pressure on opposing Quarterbacks, combining for 12 sacks over the course of the season.

Linebacker: Solomon Elimimian (BC), Barrin Simpson (SSK), Juwan Simpson (CAL)
Linebackers are the Quarterbacks of the defense, and these three guys were the best of the best in 2010.

What Solomon Elimimian accomplished in his rookie season was nothing short of phenomenal. He led his team in tackles and wreaked havoc on opposing players. He laid out vicious hit after vicious hit. A nice find by Wally Buono.

Barrin Simpson came into this season with something to prove. After being in Mike Kelly's (remember him?) doghouse for most of last season, Simpson was unceremoniously dumped by Winnipeg after the 2009 season. The Roughriders took a chance on the aging Linebacker and all he did was lead the league in tackles.

Juwan Simpson took his game to another level in 2010, tying for the West-Division lead with seven sacks, and leading the Stampeders in tackles with 71. Simpson is also great on Special Teams, where he notched an additional 18 tackles.

Cornerback: Brandon Browner (CAL), Dwight Anderson (CAL)
Probably the two players I hate more than any others, the Stampeder duo of Brandon Browner and Dwight Anderson are the best cover tandem in the West. Week in, week out, these guys shut down the top Receivers in the CFL. They both get a lot of leeway from officials, but their stellar play has earned them the benefit of the doubt.

Defensive Back: Chris Thompson (EDM), Milt Collins (CAL)
Collins seamlessly made the switch from Safety to Halfback this season, and continued to lay the big hits on guys.

Thompson, who was acquired from Hamilton in the off-season, found his ballhawk skills again. Thompson finished second in the league with seven interceptions, after notching only one last season.

Safety: James Patrick (SSK)
Patrick was the top ballhawk this CFL season, leading the league with nine interceptions. Patrick was a force to be reckoned with in the Secondary, tallying 68 tackles to go along with those interceptions.

Special Teams: Yonus Davis (BC)
In the West, there was no more potent a weapon on Special Teams than Yonus Davis. He is a poor man's version of Toronto's Chad Owens. Davis finished with over 1,600 return yards, while adding three return touchdowns.

Go Hard or Go Home (UPDATED)

Getting to marry one love with another is a dream for many people. I love to write and I love football, hence this blog.

For Scotty Tyler Dickens, being able to bring his love for Hamilton Tiger-Cat football and rap music together was a dream come true.

Back in the summer, Scotty, who raps under the alias "Casper," dropped a song entitled "Go Hard or Go Home."



I talked to Scotty back in August about his song, and I was just waiting for the right time to unleash this on the world. Then it hit me, with the Cats about to start their playoff run, what better time than now to get this song some pub? Can you think of a better playoff anthem than this? I can think of no better way to honour a die-hard Tiger-Cat fan – whose first words were "fumble" and "tuckdown" (touchdown) – than by making it the official song of the playoffs. Let's face it, at this time of year, the words "Go Hard or Go Home" have a literal meaning, when one loss ends the season.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Scotty for sharing aspects of his life with me. While I didn't use all the stories he shared, I know that Scotty bleeds Black & Gold, and I am glad I am able to get this song to a couple of more sets of ears. Hopefully someone in the Tiger-Cats organization will catch wind of this, and maybe we'll be hearing this from the stadium speakers on Sunday.

UPDATE: I sent a copy of this song to the Tiger-Cats earlier this morning, and it is possible that they will be playing it at some point during the game on Sunday. I was not promised anything, but my hope is that at some point we'll hear "Go Hard or Go Home" blaring from the speakers at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Blogskee Wee Wee's Most Outstanding Player Awards (CFL Edition)

When the team nominees for the Most Outstanding Player awards were announced last Wednesday, I figured I would add my two cents and pick the players I think were the most outstanding in 2010.

Most Outstanding Player
West Nominee: Henry Burris (QB, Calgary Stampeders)
East Nominee: Cory Boyd (RB, Toronto Argonauts)

I think there are really only four legitimate candidates for MOP: Burris, Boyd, Anthony Calvillo and Kevin Glenn. One could make a case for any of those four, and it would be compelling enough for me to probably agree with it.

I went with Burris and Boyd. I think that Burris has been far and away the best player in the West Division this season. I don't think any player has come close to matching him. Boyd, while not as dominant as Burris in the West, has been the linchpin for the Argonauts' offense. Imagine where they'd be without Boyd. I know that what I just described is most valuable player, but Boyd has also been outstanding. When everyone knows he's getting the ball, he still cannot be stopped.

When stacking up the 2010 résumés of Boyd and Burris, I think the advantage goes to the Calgary pivot. If this award was for Most Valuable Player, I think I'd give it to Boyd. Without him, the Argos simply cannot win. But this isn't MVP, it's MOP, and no one has been more outstanding this season than Henry Burris.

Winner: Henry Burris

Most Outstanding Defensive Player
West Nominee: James Patrick (S, Saskatchewan Roughriders)
East Nominee: Markeith Knowlton (LB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

There were many outstanding defensive performances this season. Whether it was Philip Hunt and Odell Willis making life miserable for opposing Quarterbacks, or whether it was Jamall Johnson, Barrin Simpson and Kevin Eiben tackling anything that came within a 10-yard radius of them, or whether it was Chip Cox taking the heads off people with crushing hits, there were plenty of players worthy of garnering consideration as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for 2010.

In the end I settled on two guys: James Patrick and Markeith Knowlton.

Patrick was the ballhawk to end all ballhawks this season, leading the league in interceptions, with nine. His play, especially at the beginning of the season, was outstanding.

Knowlton's stats don't wow anyone individually, but taken together, they are phenomenal: 71 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks and one touchdown. Those numbers are out of this world.

In my mind, there has not been a more outstanding defensive player this CFL season than Markeith Knowlton.

Winner: Markeith Knowlton

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman
West Nominee: Ben Archibald (T, Calgary Stampeders)
East Nominee: Marwan Hage (C, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

I have said it time and time again: this is the hardest award to choose nominees for. The best Offensive Linemen produce in relative anonymity.

So how best to judge an Offensive Lineman? I say by looking at the numbers of the player they are charged with protecting (Quarterback) and blocking for (Running Back).

Both Calgary and Hamilton have put up fantastic numbers in the passing game. Kevin Glenn threw for over 5,000 yards, and Henry Burris nearly did. Burris led the league in TD passes (38), and Glenn finished second (33).

Both Calgary and Hamilton had 1,000+ yard rushers in Joffrey Reynolds and DeAndra' Cobb, respectively.

The Cats also allowed a league-low 26 sacks. Considering 11 of those came in two game (Week 1 vs. Winnipeg; Week 4 vs. Montreal), that means the Cats allowed only 15 in the remaining 16 games. That's pretty remarkable.

With everything being equal, I'm going with Hage because he's the leader of the Line that gave up so few sacks.

Winner: Marwan Hage

Most Outstanding Canadian
West Nominee: Andy Fantuz (SB, Saskatchewan Roughriders)
East Nominee: Dave Stala (SB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Before the season started, I pegged Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. I figured going in that these two guys would be neck and neck for top Canadian Receiver.

At mid-season I pegged Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. I felt that at mid-season, these two were still the best Canadians in the league at any position, so my position at the start of the season had not moved an inch.

At the end of the season, I've got Fantuz as the West nominee and Stala as the East nominee. After 18 games, I don't think any other Canadians have outproduced, or been as important as, Fantuz and Stala.

Fantuz became the first Canadian to lead the league in receiving since 1995 (Dave Sapunjis), and he was the go-to guy for the Riders in 2010. While Stala had perhaps his best season, Fantuz's season was even better.

Winner: Andy Fantuz

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player
West Nominee: Yonus Davis (RB, BC Lions)
East Nominee: Chad Owens (WR, Toronto Argonauts)

I was going to wax poetic about this award, but this one is such a no-brainer that it would be a waste of my time to write anything and of your time to read it. Anyone who picks anybody but Chad Owens either hates the Argos so much that they let their biases blind them (as I was recently accused of) or they're an idiot. Since I am most definitely not an idiot, Owens wins this one without an argument.

Winner: Chad Owens

Most Outstanding Rookie
West Nominee: Solomon Elimimian (LB, BC Lions)
East Nominee: Marcus Thigpen (RB, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

To make an impact as a rookie in the CFL is not easy to do. Players who come from the United States have to get used to vastly different rules than they have been playing with since they were children. Solomon Elimimian and Marcus Thigpen have made it look easy.

As a rookie, Elimimian led the BC Lions in tackles, and was also voted by players as the Hardest Hitter in a recent TSN poll. For a player to garner that much respect in his rookie season is nothing short of amazing.

In his first season, Thigpen scored a touchdown in five different ways – rushing, receiving, punt return, kick return and missed field goal return – which is something no player had ever done before. Thipgen, on his first touch, took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown in Week 1 against Winnipeg.

Not many players set records in their professional careers, and Thigpen did it in his first year. For that reason alone, he is the top rookie.

Winner: Marcus Thigpen

Coach of the Year
Nominee 1: John Hufnagel (Calgary Stampeders)
Nominee 2: Jim Barker (Toronto Argonauts)
Nominee 3: Marc Trestman (Montreal Alouettes)

I know that they don't announce Coach of the Year until March – something I have never understood – but since I'm handing out awards, I might as well hand this one out as well.

I'm giving this one to Jim Barker. What he has done in Toronto this season is beyond remarkable. He took a team that had won seven games in the previous two seasons, combined, and got them to nine wins and a playoff berth.

The job Barker did this year is nothing short of amazing, and he deserves to be recognized for the tremendous job he has done. He is my Coach of the Year.

Winner: Jim Barker