8/21/2007 11:36:12 PM
Week Nine

As a rookie and second year player, I can recall being curious as to why halfway through the season the equipment managers or training staff made it a point to get all of our contact numbers in the same week. Not unreasonable tasks mind you, and it wasn’t the task that alarmed me. More so, the urgency with which it was being requested. Cell phones, addresses, email addresses, vacation numbers, emergency contact, everything. Not to mention that they already went through this process weeks ago when the team was picked. So why again, and why now? I always thought that was odd.
This is a bye week for the Western teams and many of us will get away from football maybe even sleep in our own beds assuring some quality rest. However, there are still a great many in both the East and West who won’t sleep easy with or without the bye. Week nine in the CFL is an interesting one because it happens to be the first veteran pay out week. Should we find ourselves still employed with a team having been in the league 6 or more years, 100% of our contract must be paid to us whether we’re released from after this point or not. The tenth week is the same to 5th year players, and the 11th week for 4th year guys. This to us as players is unfortunately the closest thing to guarantees within our contracting system that we’ll ever see, and is quite a big deal. The phrase “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” is somewhat lost in this concept because if we vets don’t get off to a hot start, it’s easy to see how we could be devalued by week 9 and deemed expendable…especially in the new salary cap era.
Although it’s not always the risk of being cut at this time that looms overhead for us, sometimes the threat of a trade can be just as shocking and alter your life drastically. When I was traded to Hamilton from Winnipeg it was a welcome trade, and one that I had been thinking about for weeks by that time. Welcomed not because Winnipeg was a bad team at that time and Hamilton was good or anything like that, in fact I believe Hamilton had zero wins at that time while Winnipeg had one. In that situation, what I was looking for was a fresh start. I felt that I needed a chance to start over in front of new evaluators and re-write my own script if you will. The time I spent in Winnipeg would have been impossible to undo, not necessarily because I played so poorly (a matter of opinion I’m sure), but more because the image that everyone had etched in their mind regarding me was not one that I felt reflected me accurately. Much like the burn-in effect of a plasma TV, the images of me dropping balls had superseded any and all plays that I had made and would be hopeless to erase through future play or any other means that I could envision.
That move did change my life, but not in an adverse way at all. Nor do I think that it changed Chris Brazzel’s for the worst. While it did alter both of our lives and careers and forever link us it seems (I even ended up taking over his apartment), I believe that it was a welcome change of scenery for both of us at that time. However, I wonder if it would have been such a welcome change had either of us not been seeking to escape our present situations? What would it have been like if Winnipeg had jumped out to a 5-1 start that year, and traded me week seven to the 0-6 Ticats? Would I have been so optimistic and eager for change? If all other things were equal, then I probably would have still been, in spite of the dramatic wins/losses difference simply because playoffs to me isn’t enough to justify being miserable. The checks simply aren’t big enough to mask that kind of uneasiness and misery. But what if we weren’t talking about my particular situation? What would it be like to go from a first place team to a last place one? Especially if you were happy and felt like you were performing well on that winning team, and enjoying your season there. Can you imagine?
Yeah, I can imagine. And even if I couldn’t there’s a player by the name of Jason Armstead who’s in that boat as we speak unless I’m way off base, so I could probably ask him. We’re likely talking about a phone call in the early days of your bye week that you’ve planned and paid for weeks ago. Thoroughly satisfied following a dramatic, come from behind, lightning filled, home field victory. This phone call would probably regrettably inform you that for the betterment of the team, you’re being traded to the last place team in the opposing division (as far away from being a difference maker in your current team’s standings as possible.) The call may tell you that you need to pack some things because instead of your bye week, you’ll be suiting up during that week against an Eastern rival. Probably in a starting and featured role, and all eyes will be on you. The call would probably also thank you profusely for all of your service to the club to that point, and wish you luck in all future endeavors. From there you have to call whoever pops into your head as the most important person to hear this news; wife, mother, teammate, accountant…whomever. Why accountant? Well, you may want to soften the blow before you inform your wife that instead of planning for that impending playoff money to go towards the mortgage for the house, you may be home by the first week of November instead.
Let me be clear, I don’t formerly know Jason Armstead other than to have respected his speed, and play making ability from a far. I can’t pretend to know what he feels about the trade so I really shouldn’t be presumptuous. That being said, I know how I would feel if I was in the same situation, and with that in mind I truly wish him the best in his new surroundings. I honestly think that he will be the second deep threat needed to open that passing game up for Jason Maas and help the Ticats turn this season around. I won’t be surprised in the least to see Corey Holmes reacquaint himself with the league after being on such hiatus in Hamilton. It won’t be difficult for Corey to find his form, he’s a much better player than people outside of Saskatchewan may realize. Not to mention the familiarity in Regina, and there’s quite a list growing of Hamilton “cast-offs” that are finding big roles with other teams, thus putting the odds somewhat in his favor.
The week is still young, very young and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see more moves made by some of these teams. With the SMS system looming large, many of us veteran’s worth will be thoroughly explored by the powers that be of our respective teams this week. Should we be thought worthy of our current purse, we’ll have another half of a season to fight on. Should we be deemed unworthy…well put it this way, I doubt I am I the only one thinking that I should have been more patient with baseball.
Get some rest fellas. ©

KP8