It recently occurred to me that I have been annoying members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 20 years. Nobody sent over a cake.
In August of 1996, upon being named the Regina Leader-Post’s sports columnist, I staggered into the CFL team’s dressing room and began asking questions.
Twenty years and thousands of answers later, here is an admittedly incomplete list of players who have made my alleged job much easier …
Mike Abou-Mechrek: Now a weekly football columnist for the Regina Leader-Post, the former Roughriders offensive lineman bailed me out with funny comments on many days when I was struggling for a topic. All I had to say was “Hi, Mike.” Tough job, this.
Josh Bartel: The current Roughriders punter is extremely friendly and funny.
Daved Benefield: One of my all-time favourites — a great guy who can can talk expansively about anything (sports, politics, jazz, life in general).
Henry Burris: He is called “Smilin’ Hank” for a reason. If the media didn’t approach him for an interview, he would come over just to say hello. An all-star person who signed every autograph.
Matt Dominguez: A recent inductee into the Roughriders’ Plaza of Honor, he was a virtual ghost-writer for some columns. He could break down a game like nobody else. That explains why he is still doing it for CTV.
Darian Durant: On good days or bad, the Roughriders’ quarterback is accommodating with the media. Already a legendary Rider, Durant will always be remembered by reporters for conducting himself with class and understanding that we have a job to do.
Ray Elgaard: Pity the poor sap who asked him a dumb question — and, yes, I have been that person — but the considerable upside to interviewing the Hall of Fame slotback was the candour and intelligence of his responses.
Jeff Fairholm: I never covered the speedy slotback when he played for the Roughriders — neither did the defensive backs he routinely outran — but did interview him after he joined the Toronto Argonauts. Since then, I have looked for every possible reason to chat with the Riders’ former No. 18.
Dan Farthing: Much like Fairholm, Farthing invariably offered intelligent answers. As former CKRM play-by-play man Geoff Currier said: “If you had a son, you’d want him to be Dan Farthing.”
Ricky Foley: Pure gold. All the time. Funny. Honest. Accessible. (I just wrote five incomplete sentences in a row. Is that a record? Probably.)
Stu Foord: I’m not sure any member of the Roughriders enjoyed being interviewed more than the former Thom Trojans and Regina Thunder tailback. He loved every minute of playing for his hometown team. After the formal part of the interview, he routinely wanted to chat. It was always a pleasure.
Lance Frazier: Local reporters were in mourning when Frazier was released in 2012. He was always happy to talk and his answers always made a story sing.
Kevin Glenn: A bright light during the 3-15 season of 2015. Before and after media scrums, the veteran quarterback liked to shoot the breeze.
Neal Hughes: A home-grown success story — an undrafted player who enjoyed a long CFL career — and someone who never forgot his roots.
Eddie Johnson: Without question, the funniest guy ever to play for the Roughriders. What is it about punters?
Kerry Joseph: A wonderful player on the field and a tireless contributor to the community.
Joel Lipinski: Like yours truly, a proud alumnus of Campbell Collegiate. He once quarterbacked the Campbell Tartans — and quite well, thank you — while unknowingly playing with a broken leg. The only future Roughrider ever to job-shadow this scribbler. (I still feel badly about it. My passport was about to expire, right before a vacation. Joel had to sit with me as I waited for my number to be called at the passport office.)
Gene Makowsky: “Geno” was always characterized as a man of few words — a misconception — but everything he said had substance. His wife, Tami, is one of the nicest people ever.
Travis Moore: For whatever reason, I hit it off with the veteran slotback. He always treated me well, even while some of his teammates were barking at me.
Don Narcisse: Even when the Roughriders were struggling, the prolific pass-catcher was a fountain of good cheer. Many of the conversations pertained to good deeds that helped kids throughout Saskatchewan.
Colin Scrivener: The former Roughriders defensive lineman was relentlessly honest and always amusing. One fine day, I asked him what it was like to play at Hamilton’s Ivor Wynne Stadium. “It’s like playing in the prison league,” he responded. Priceless.
Reggie Slack: Oft-criticized (including by me) as the Riders’ quarterback, Slack was nonetheless a delight to interview. His answers were always intelligent and interesting. To this day, he is the only athlete I have encountered who has used “confluence” in an interview. Now, please excuse me while I look up “confluence” …
(Rob Vanstone is the Regina Leader-Post’s sports co-ordinator.)
