Robservations: The fame game … thank you, Jake … Emma’s super bowl … and welcome, Geronimo!
As I was telling Taylor Swift the other day, I simply cannot stand name-droppers.
Trevor Harris and Mario Alford are of a similar mindset. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist asking them: Who is the most famous person you have met?
“Denzel Washington,” responded Harris, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ marquee quarterback.
“I was a teammate of his son, John David Washington, in 2011 with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.
“I saw Denzel on the sideline at one of our games. I was thinking, ‘I’m pretty sure that’s Denzel.’ I just went up to him and said, ‘Pleasure to meet you.’
“I don’t really get enamoured with people. I’ve never been star-struck. But seeing Denzel was pretty cool.
“He seemed awesome. He’s very well-spoken and I love listening to sound bites of him and the wisdom he imparts on people.”
And you, Mario?
“Beyonce and Jay-Z,” the Roughriders’ return specialist replied.
“I met them when I was with the New York Jets. I used to hang around with (quarterback) Geno Smith and he knew Beyonce and Jay-Z. I was with Geno when I met them. It was crazy.
“I wasn’t too star-struck, but I was still thinking, ‘OK, it’s Beyonce!’ ”
As for yours truly, my Mount Rushmore of brushes with greatness consists of:
Oscar Peterson: The greatest jazz pianist ever — and such a nice man!
Tom Hanks: I asked him two questions before the 2013 Grey Cup game. Also a nice man.
Roger Federer: He pleasantly fielded one of my inquiries at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Wayne Gretzky: Media scrums on Dec. 31, 1985 (in Edmonton) and Dec. 30, 1996 (Dallas).
Honourable mention: Donovan Bailey, Randy Bachman, Connor Bedard, Fred Biletnikoff, Scotty Bowman, Kurt Browning, Gary Carter, Patrick Chan, Jim Cuddy, Doug Flutie, Ted Giannoulas (San Diego Chicken), Glenn Hall, Rick Hansen, Bret (The Hitman) Hart, Paul Henderson, Gordie Howe, Lorie Kane, Guy Lafleur, Ron Lancaster, Catriona Le May Doan, Peter Mansbridge, Warren Moon, Jay Onrait, Jackie Parker, Maurice (Rocket) Richard, George Reed, Steve Rogers, Felipe Rose (Village People), Sandra Schmirler, Josh Shaw, Elvis Stojko, Ted Sorenson (John F. Kennedy’s speechwriter) and Hayley Wickenheiser. Oh … and I nearly met Julian from Trailer Park Boys.
Notable exclusion: Taylor Swift. I suspect that we are never ever getting together. My flagrant lie, inflicted upon the readership at the outset of this column, has been exposed.
Another vocalist I have most certainly not met: Carly Simon, who performed “You’re So Vain” — words you may very well be uttering after enduring my shameless name-dropping.
Most famous people my wife has met: Mark Ruffalo, Yoko Ono, Julianna Marguilies, Ali MacGraw, Gary Carter, Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour, Bobby Jurasin, Dave Ridgway, Bryan Trottier, George Reed, Jenny McCarthy, Don Narcisse, Glenn (Chico) Resch, Darryl Sittler, Brian Glennie, Bobby Curtola, Arthur Kent, Princess Anne, John Pizzarelli (great jazz musician, a la Oscar Peterson), Elie Wiesel and Joey Walters.
Speaking of personable pass-catchers with the initials J.W. …
THANK YOU, JAKE WIENEKE
Like yours truly, Jake joined the Roughriders organization in February of 2023.
Jake signed with the Green and White as a free agent on Feb. 14. A week later, I enjoyed my first day as the Senior Journalist and Roughrider Historian.
One of my first interviews in this capacity was with Wieneke, an accomplished CFL receiver who was spending the off-season of 2023 working as a teacher in his hometown of Maple Grove, Minn.
From the outset of the conversation, I felt like I was talking to an old friend. Every subsequent interaction left the same impression.
In nearly 40 years of writing for a living, I have not met a nicer person than Jake.
You will not meet anyone who doesn’t have complimentary things to say about him.
Therefore, it was hardly surprising — but nonetheless exciting — to hear that Jake had received the Gord Barwell Award at the annual Athletes in Action breakfast, held on Grey Cup weekend.
The award is given annually to a CFL player who exemplifies Christian character and leadership on and off the field.
Most recently, the award was presented to Wieneke by a close friend and the Roughriders’ team chaplain, Jared LaCoste.
“I always joke that my wife can always tell when I spend time around Jake, because he just has this ability to bring out the best in people and look for the best in people,” Jared said when I interviewed him in November.
“Sometimes I’ll come home and she’ll say, ‘You hung out with Jake. You just have this positive attitude, through the roof, beyond what you would normally have.
“It’s just a testament to how he doesn’t conform to anything else. He is who he is, and unashamedly so, and that is one thing that I really do respect about him.”
Because of the degree to which Jake is respected, it was especially difficult to hear the news on Thursday that he had been released by the Roughriders.
Honestly, the toughest part of my dream job — and a challenge that is faced by all of us who are blessed to work here — is when the business of football leads to the departure of an all-star person.
Derrick Moncrief, to cite another example, was released on Jan. 5. Everyone around here thinks the world of Derrick, to whom we were introduced in 2017, and his family.
Although Jake’s time in Saskatchewan was comparatively brief, he made a remarkable impact in slightly less than a year.
A few seconds spent with Jake Wieneke can brighten someone’s entire day.
We should all leave such an impression.
KEANE OBSERVER
The Roughriders’ recent signing of receiver Geronimo Allison prompted this creaky chronicler of Roughriders history to sift through the dusty files … again.
My quest: To find out who had caught the most NFL (or AFL) touchdown passes before joining the Roughriders and subsequently making at least one regular-season reception in green and white.
Allison’s resume includes six NFL touchdown receptions. If he earns a spot on the Roughriders’ roster and proceeds to make a reception, he will vault to fifth on the team’s all-time NFL touchdown catches list — if that makes any sense whatsoever.
Jim Keane, who played in two games with the Roughriders in 1952, arrived in Regina with 24 NFL touchdown catches to his credit. Most notably, Keane caught 10 TD passes for the Chicago Bears in 1947.
Mac Speedie (Roughriders, 1953-54) and Chaz Schilens (2014) are tied for second, with nine NFL touchdown grabs. Daryl Hobbs (2000) is next with seven.
Then comes Allison, with six … IF he makes the Roughriders.
The rest of our NFL-AFL touchdown catches list is as follows:
5 — Ken Carpenter (Roughriders, 1954-59).
4 — Robert Holmes (1976).
3 — B.K. Williams (1991-93).
2 — Jack Russell (1951-52), Tydus Winans (1997), Eric Guliford (1999-2001), Roell Preston (2001), Joe McKnight (2016) and Trent Richardson (2017).
1 — Paul Dudley (1966), Rick Eber (1973), Rhett Dawson (1974-76), Jamie Holland (1995), Karsten Bailey (2004-05), Naaman Roosevelt (2015-19), Marcus Thigpen (2017-19), Tre Mason (2018) and Duke Williams (2021-22).
SHORT SNORTS
- A few dozen Roughriders empl0yees visited the Golden Mile Bowling Lanes as part of a Friday night staff function. One of our accountants, Emma Brezinski, impressed everyone with a super bowl — registering the evening’s high score (170).
- As for yours truly, I led all Roughriders bowlers in age (59).
- Best bowling names in Roughriders history: Bamidele Ali (1999-2000), Alli Abrew (1999), Gary Lane (1970), Eric Striker (2018), Joe Roller (1970), Roell Preston (2001), Dwaine Ball (1980), Reggis Ball (2007) and Dave Sparenberg (1984).
- Pet peeve: People who say “libary” instead of “library.” And, believe me, many well-educated people still say “libary.”
- Another pet peeve: A visit to a restaurant that is marred by a customer who, for some reason, feels compelled to use the speaker on a mobile device while having a telephone conversation over dinner. On Wednesday, for example, I heard every word of a 30-minute exchange that didn’t have the slightest urgency or, as far as I could ascertain, importance.
- The sad decline of X/Twitter is exemplified by the “verification” of fake accounts. The other day, for example, my timeline included a tweet (or whatever it is called now) by “Connor Bedard.” There was a checkmark beside the name, leading to the impulsive (albeit erroneous) conclusion that the message was posted by the Chicago Blackhawks rookie and former Regina Pats star. The account, as it turned out, was a parody.
- Also lamented: (1) The sad decline of Sports Illustrated; (2) The faux Bedard account showed up in my timeline even though I am not one of the followers.
- For a better X-perience on the erstwhile Twitter, follow NFL historian Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163). One can exhaust an entire day by watching the vintage videos he posts. As a bonus, the checkmark beside his name is actually legitimate.
- Kent Austin, a Grey Cup-winning quarterback (1989) and Head Coach (2007) with the Roughriders, was named the Auburn Tigers’ Quarterbacks Coach on Wednesday. This past season, Austin was a Special Assistant to Auburn University bench boss Hugh Freeze, with an emphasis on quality control. The affiliation with the Tigers was a natural for Austin, a former Hamilton Tiger-Cats Head Coach who previously faced the Tabbies when he won his first pro start and first CFL championship game.
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Jake Wieneke, Brenda Wieneke, Israel Wieneke, Colette Wieneke, Felicity Wieneke, Anthony Partipilo, Jim Hopson, Rob Harrison, Yvonne Harrison, Shianne Harrison, Winston Harrison, Glen Suitor, Frankie Hickson, Colin Smythe, Braden Konschuh, Ian Young, Gaye Cooley, Mickey Redmond, Rhonda Haus, Jo Shepherd, Charbel Dabire, Brayden Lenius, Curtis Hunt, Zach Moore, Nathan Clearihue, Bill Stevenson, Ty Spencer, Dr. Mark Anderson, Dean Barton, Rolan Milligan Jr., Kevin Gallagher, Norm Fong, Kathy Fong, Jason Kelce and, my close personal friend, Taylor Swift.
