Wild weather for June

Watrous has had some crazy weather for the last part of June. The province as a whole has had some unreal weather from tornadoes, funnel clouds and strong winds. Here is a bit from what happened June 25 to 27 throughout the province. The full story can be found in the July 2 edition of the Watrous Manitou:


This past week, it was scorching heat mixed with high humidity that created large storms that brought with them hail. While the Watrous area escaped the June 25 event, places like Prince Albert and Kindersley were left picking up the pieces. From golfball- to baseball-sized hail, large amounts of lightning and loss of power, the storms moved through the west part of the province into north-central regions. In fact, the forecast was great enough to attract storm chasers from the United States to the province to try to catch a glimpse of potential tornadoes.

Those potential twisters arrived a day later June 26 when one hit around Swift Current and another by Moose Jaw. Storms wreaked havoc throughout the province including in the Watrous area where wind, lightning, rumbling thunder and some hail were present. Damage was done to several farmyards and other areas, and several places like Davidson saw a reported 40 mm of rain fall in a 30 minute span.

Prince Albert was left without power for over a day and other communities experienced power losses as well. 

That was not all for the region as June 27 packed a powerful punch of wind. Winds up to 110 km/hr hammered parts of the province including Watrous. Downed trees, scattered bins and other items were strewn about as gusts slammed through the area. 

The picture is from our front window of the oncoming storm that hit Watrous June 26. I have never seen such colours like the turquoise behind the cloud...the wind damage that hit Watrous June 27 had trees splitting/falling, a camper was overturned at the local Success RV dealership and other damage was reported. To check out pictures of that event head to www.facebook.com/thewatrousmanitou -- I posted a bunch on there.

Sutter wins the Cup!

Kings' fans were pumped last night as LA defeated New Jersey to capture its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The team was absolutely dominant in game six at home and for me I couldn't be happier to see coach Darryl Sutter raise the silver mug above his head. Known for a tough guy, Sutter cracked a smile when he got the Cup. Well deserved! I met him twice and is as down to earth as they come. It was great to chat with him in Saskatoon when the Flames visited for a pre-season bout a few years ago. While I don't necessarily agree with some of the managerial moves he made as GM of the Flames, he was an excellent coach with the team and I have always had the utmost respect for him in that position. That is why when LA won last night it felt like a piece of the Flames had won - Sutter becomes the only coach to knock off the top three seeds to advance to the Cup finals - once with the Kings and once with the Flames in 2004 - fortunately for him the fortunes changed this time around as the team defeated New Jersey. Hats off to Sutter as he gets a piece of Stanley.

Early predictions on 2012 CFL season

The first preseason game for teams in the CFL goes this week and with one more after that before the season starts, I think it is fair to say that fans have been anxiously awaiting football to get going.

It won’t be long until the season kicks off June 29 with the green and white in Hamilton to face a few familiar faces in Henry Burris and Andy Fantuz.

So how will teams do this year? Here is my early thoughts and as always feel free to take them with a grain of salt.

Starting in the east here is how they finished last year’s regular season: Winnipeg (20 pts), Montreal (20 pts), Hamilton (16 pts) and Toronto (12 pts). 

• ‘Bomber fans were not happy with the way the teams’ offseason went. Virtually no one was retained and an injury prone Buck Pierce will try and take the team to the Grey Cup for a second-straight year. After going 10-8 last season, I think they will be battling for the last playoff spot. Prediction: fourth in east.

• For years it has been Montreal leading the way but with an aging Anthony Calvillo and a few offseason changes, this year will be a challenge. Take Calvillo out of the equation and the team will be cellar dwellers. However, Calvillo always finds a way to get it done and move into the playoffs. Prediction: healthy QB means third this year.

• Hamilton has seen drastic changes to its offense. Former Calgary quarterback Henry Burris comes in to replace Kevin Glenn, Ontario native Andy Fantuz joins the crew from Saskatchewan and after a season-ending injury to Martell Mallet, the ‘Tabbies bring back high-priced Avon Coburne. The club also hired George Cortez, who worked with Burris in Calgary, as its head coach. While this team has tried to make wholesale changes in the past but were unsuccessful, I think these will be enough to land them in the playoffs. Prediction: number two in the east. 

• Toronto also saw big changes. With the city hosting Grey Cup 100, the team wants to ensure it will be there. A key acquisition of Eskimo quarterback Ricky Ray will at least give them a shot. That and a new head coach with an offensive mind will allow Ray to get the job done. Pairing him up with a tough runningback in Cory Boyd could help them get to the top in the East. Prediction: Like Winnipeg the previous year, this team goes from worst to first.

To the west, here is how last season looked: B.C. (22 pts), Edmonton (22 pts), Calgary (22 pts) and Saskatchewan (10 pts). 

• Lions’ fans may remember the horrendous start to the year, but that is all in the rear view mirror as quarterback Travis Lulay lit it up and the team marched from the bottom to the top, winning the Grey Cup. With a new head coach and lots of change in the west, the team could see much more wins than losses. Prediction: first again.

• Edmonton probably created the most news this offseason dealing its all-star quarterback for a younger and unproven guy. General Manager Eric Tillman has done that before and has been successful but I can’t see it creating an immediate impact. Give this club a couple of years before you see them where they were in 2011. Prediction: fourth in west.

• Like its provincial rival, the Stampeders moved its pivot east and are going with youngster Drew Tate behind centre. Like others in the west, the quarterback position is young but Calgary has some offensive weapons to make some noise. They are also known to self destruct under pressure. Doubt they catch B.C. but will see postseason. Prediction: third in west.

• After a year to forget, changes were plentiful in Riderville. A new coaching staff, some new faces in training camp and upgrades to their stadium, the green and white are hoping to see their fortunes change from last year. All indications point to that, but until the season starts its tough to tell. I like their coach’s no nonsense approach and the ability to relate to the players. If Darian Durant ignores last year and gets back on track, the team should be back in the postseason. Prediction: second in west.