News Day in Tigertown

Another Tuesday means another round of fresh Tiger-Cat news.

We have to give congratulations once again to Chris Williams. Williams was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season. As everyone is probably already well aware, Williams has tied Earl Winfield's team record for return touchdowns in one season and is one off the league record. With 11 games left to go, Williams has a great chance to not only break the records but shatter them completely.

Next, the Tiger-Cats have revealed the names of the linebackers up for the all-time team. It is a strong list of 12 players, three of which will make the squad. Two current Tiger-Cats, Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton, are up for consideration and join Marwan Hage as the only current Tiger-Cats who have been named as nominees. The list is a good one, with Ben Zambiasi being the only shoe-in, in my opinion.

Finally, the Ti-Cats announced that they will hold a practice at the University of Waterloo next Tuesday. The team will practice on Warrior Field and then hold an autograph session for fans. It is very similar to what the team does at their Black and Gold Days. I am a big proponent of the team trying to find a regional foothold outside of Hamilton and giving fans in other communities a chance to meet Tiger-Cat players is a great way to accomplish that. Hopefully, we'll see more of this in the future.

What I Saw at Burlington's Black & Gold Day

I went to the team's Black & Gold Day at Burlington's Nelson High School today. I saw the vast majority of the team's practice, but I spent a good half an hour speaking with a reporter from the Hamilton Spectator about all things Tiger-Cats, Black & Gold and Ivor Wynne, so there were portions of the practice that I missed. But here is what I did see:

• The first thing I noticed what that this Black & Gold Day was not as well attended as the one they staged in Burlington last year. A number of things could have contributed to that, such as last year's taking place a week early before the team had played a game. The people who were starving for Tiger-Cat football got their first fix at Black & Gold Day last year; this year, they got it at the team's preseason opener on Wednesday.

• Terence Jeffers-Harris made two nice plays back-to-back during the team's scrimmage. He caught a pass and turned upfield for a long touchdown and then hauled in a pass a turned up field for a long gain. I have high hopes for Jeffers-Harris and what he did today is the reason why.

• Avon Cobourne got more work today on the second-team offense. He is moving along at a regular pace, and my guess would be that he'll be ready to go by the opener on the 29th.

• Marwan Hage got more work with the first-team offense. He looks like he's progressing and I would be surprised if he's not in the starting lineup on opening day.

• Sticking with the offensive line, I liked what I saw out of the group today. They were making big holes for the running backs and gave the quarterbacks a lot of time. They're really coming together as a unit and I think Hage's return has a lot to do with that.

The team is back at Mac for one practice tomorrow, starting at 10:20AM. It is the penultimate training camp session of 2012, with the final practice set to take place at the same time on Monday. I am going to attempt to take in both and I will, as always, post what I see.

Ivor Wynne's Black & Gold Day

The Ti-Cats will be running a number of Black & Gold Days this year – the next is next Saturday at Nelson High School in Burlington – but today was the first and it was the last at Ivor Wynne Stadium. I only caught the tail end of the practice, but here are some of the things I saw:

• Newly re-signed Avon Cobourne was in pads, but never saw the field. This isn't too surprising considering he's had all of one practice with the team. I would expect he'll be part of the fun next week in Burlington.

• Couple of big names sat out, namely Andy Fantuz and Markeith Knowlton, but I am sure it was just precautionary. Dave Stala took Fantuz's reps with the first-team offense and Kevin Eiben took Knowlton's with the first-team defense.

• The recently re-signed Shawn Crable picked up a sack on Henry Burris when the team was scrimmiging from their own three. For a guy who has already been released once before, Crable is trying to make the most of his second opportunity.

• Another practice and another impressive outing from receiver Chris Duvalt. Every time I see him play he does something to stand out.

• I feel like no matter what Quinton Porter does, he will never catch a break. He looked quite good out there, but yet I still heard complaints in the stands when he opted to run in a touchdown instead of throw it to his receiver (I believe it was running back Daryl Stephenson). The receiver was open, but so to was the running lane. I wonder sometimes if Porter will ever be accepted by Tiger-Cat fans. I know he has disappointed in the past, but it seems as if everyone else can get a fresh slate but him.

• Third-string running back James Berezik had a couple nice runs, especially near the goal line. Looks like the Cats will once again have a very deep backfield.

As I said, I didn't see everything. As of now, I plan to be at tomorrow's lone training camp session and probably Monday's afternoon session (weather permitting, of course), before we get into game mode. Yes, we have an actual game to watch this Wednesday. Hard to believe it's already here. My goal for tomorrow is to keep an eye on Cobourne and the running backs as well as the offensive line. Those areas, along with the secondary, are the only ones I haven't focused on during camp.

Black and Gold in Burlington

What a great afternoon. The weather held up nicely, the play on the field was excellent and meeting the players afterward could not have been more fun.

The 2011 edition of the Black and Gold Day was a huge success. The crowd was fairly large. I don't want to speculate at size, but it was a very healthy turnout.

The scrimmage itself was decent as well. From what I saw today, the Offense looks extremely sharp. Kevin Glenn, Arland Bruce and Avon Cobourne all looked to be in mid-season form.

Justin Medlock didn't kick, which is unfortunate because I was hoping to see him boot a few. Eric Wilbur looked OK. His punting was extremely sharp, but his field-goal kicking leaves a bit to be desired. I still favour Medlock, but Wilbur's punting will probably keep him in the running until the bitter end.

After the scrimmage, the players did an autograph signing on the field. The group of guys (and gal) I went with mingled with some of the players. All the guys were great. We chatted with Avon Cobourne, Arland Bruce, Markeith Knowlton, Dave Stala and Marcus Thigpen, to name a few. I'll say exactly what I said last year: Arland Bruce is one of the nicest people I have ever met. All the guys seemed happy to meet with the fans, but every time I see Arland Bruce, he takes it to another level. A true class act.

This year's edition of the Black and Gold Day was an roaring success, and I'm now even more pumped up for the start of the season.

2011 Black and Gold Day

Tomorrow afternoon the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be hosting their annual Black and Gold Day in Burlington at Corpus Christi High School. The event gets underway at 2:00PM and ends at 6:00PM.

The team will participate in a scrimmage where, like last year, Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille will be mic'd up to offer insight into what the team is doing.

Last year's event, aside from the weather, was pretty fun. I expect nothing different this year.

It'll be interesting to see some of the new acquisitions (Avon Cobourne, Rey Williams, Justin Medlock) in action for the first time. I also look forward to seeing the rebuilt Secondary in action.

All in all, I expect a fun afternoon of events in Burlington.

Training Camp Schedule, Guest Coaches, Black and Gold Day All Announced

The Ti-Cats have just released their Training Camp schedule, the date and location of the 2011 Black & Gold Day and the names of the guest coaches that will be at Training Camp.

Rookies and Quarterbacks will report to McMaster (where Training Camp will once again be held) on June 1st, while the rest of the team will report on June 4th.

Black & Gold Day will be held at Corpus Christi High School in Burlington from 2:00PM to 6:00PM on Saturday, June 11th, one week before Hamilton's first preseason game against the Argos in Toronto. I attended last year's Black & Gold Day, and aside from bad weather (it rained and drizzled most of the afternoon), it was a fun event.

Finally, the Ti-Cats have announced their guest coaches for Training Camp, and one name pops out: Leon Lett. Yes, that Leon Lett. The Cats have also invited Nelson Martin and Steve Pasterchick.

Less than a week until Training Camp begins. Is everyone as excited for the start of the season as I am?

Black and Gold Day, Pt. 2

2010: The Year of the Tiger(-Cats)

Despite the weather, a group of us decided to head down to Ivor Wynne for the Black and Gold Day. Not much to report as far as the action is concerned. MacKay made a nice one-handed catch during practice, and the scrimmage portion was mostly dominated by the defense. The offense didn't score a TD (at least not one that counted), but the defense did snag a pick and had a chance at a couple more. Coach Bellefeuille provided a running commentary, and he was fairly engaging. He asked the crowd (which I would estimate to be around 250 people) some questions and seemed very affable and comfortable with the microphone. Once he's done with coaching, a career in broadcasting might not be far behind.

The weather was absolutely atrocious. The rain came down, then went away, then came down again. By the end of the two-hour session, I was soaked, as were the two people who came with me. But that couldn't dampen the day, even if it did dampen our clothes. But we're Ti-Cat fans; we're not afraid of a little rain.

After the scrimmage, the team made their way to the concourse section to sign autographs and pose for pictures. I had my #4 Arland Bruce jersey from last season signed by the man himself, and I had my photo snapped with Bruce, Otis Floyd and Kevin Glenn. All three seemed to be really nice people and were very engaging and more than willing to have their picture taken with this fan. Arland Bruce might be, from our brief conversation, one of the nicest people I've ever met. Not to say that Glenn and Floyd aren't, but Bruce seemed genuinely excited to be interacting with the fans.

A really good afternoon. If the weather had been nicer it probably would have been a great afternoon.

Black and Gold Day

This used to be called the "Black and Gold Game" but it hasn't been an actual game for years. This season the team is conducting an open practice and then a controlled scrimmage. Head Coach Marcel Bellefeuille will be wearing a microphone during the afternoon to let fans in attendance in on what is transpiring on the field. Following the scrimmage, the team will host an autograph session with the entire team. The fun kicks off at 12:00PM tomorrow, and it's free for everyone.

While I lament the loss of the actual game, I have no doubt that this will still be a fun day at the park. This will be my first foray to this event (I may have gone when I was a kid, but I don't remember), so I don't really know what to expect. I do hope that, unlike the season-ticket pickup party, there are refreshments available. It should be a fun afternoon regardless.