Elgaard was student of game who combined speed, strength
Robservations ...There seems to be a misconception about legendary receiver Ray Elgaard, who finished third — behind Ron Lancaster and George Reed — in a recent Regina Leader-post poll that listed the top 10 Saskatchewan Roughriders players of all time. Perhaps the misconception has been fostered by this sentimental scribe, who has frequently and fondly recalled the days in which the Canadian Football Hall of Fame slotback routinely squelched would-be tacklers. So please bear with me as I offer a comprehensive overview.
Yes, Elgaard was a bulldozer in the open field, and No. 81 versus an undersized, overmatched defensive back was fabulous fun to watch. But there was so much more to Elgaard’s game. He was a superb technician and a consummate student of the game, someone who ran geometric pass patterns. Brute force was part of his repertoire, but he could also manoeuvre his way into the open on deep routes, using speed that one would not ordinarily expect from a 6-3, 225-pounder who played tight end in college. Consider the fact that he scored three touchdowns of 50-plus yards in 1994, a season in which he turned 35.
Elgaard retired in 1996 with 830 receptions for 13,198 yards and 78 touchdowns. Our top-10 receivers poll listed him at No. 1, which is an especially noteworthy feat based on the fact that the competition included Don Narcisse, Hugh Campbell, Weston Dressler, Joey Walters, Jeff Fairholm, Chris Defrance, Andy Fantuz, Rhett Dawson and Chris Getzlaf.
Everyone associated with Major League Baseball and the sport’s players’ association should be embarrassed and ashamed over the absolute lack of progress in negotiations aimed toward starting a season in early July. The obstinacy of power brokers on both sides is allowing the alleged “national pastime” to suffer so much self-inflicted damage. Think of the opportunity lost — a chance to open the season and to bring back major professional sports in grand style on July 4. What a celebration that would have been. Instead, the owners and players are bickering when they should be bargaining.
Alas, nothing that happens in the world of Major League Baseball will ever be surprising. In 1981, for example, the Cincinnati Reds had the best record in baseball (66-42) and didn’t even qualify for the playoffs after a strike-shortened regular season. Thirteen years later, an impasse between the players and owners led to the cancellation of the World Series. The Montreal Expos had the majors’ best record (74-40) when play was halted due to labour strife. Now this. Sad.
Scarier still is the smouldering mess that the CFL has become. The CFL Players’ Association is openly at odds with the league, to the extent that a grievance was filed on Tuesday. Several players have used social media to lament the situation and, at times, criticize Randy Ambrosie. Isn’t he the same commissioner who routinely speaks in flowery terms about establishing a partnership with the players? Dating back to the fumbled pitch to the federal government for financial assistance, Ambrosie is experiencing the worst spring of any commissioner not named Rob Manfred.
Nice people who deserve a plug: Henry Burris (repeat), Hannah Carver, Howie Fehrenbach, Marty Burke, Karen Prokopetz, Robert Palmer, Gerald Desroches, Freddy Vandelinden, Larry Vandelinden, Susan Lloyd, Jerry Emig, Kyle Mckee, Chad Shepard, Mike Jones, Stefan Endsin, Renee Verge, Brett Vancise and George Peters.