Tag: redblacks

A surprising, disappointing, yet understandable move

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By: Santino Filoso

Hard to believe that only three days ago Redblacks owner Jeff Hunt proudly introduced Ottawa’s newest mascot, Big Joe Mufferaw, to 500 screaming children at a French elementary school in Kanata. The name, a tribute to a French legend in the Ottawa region, was clearly an attempt by the Redblacks to include Franco-Ontarian and Gatineau fans and link to the Ottawa Valley’s history. Jeff Hunt explained the selection by saying:

Our fans spoke and we listened. We heard that fans loved the look of our mascot and hundreds said he had to be Big Joe Mufferaw. We like the name too because it reminds us of our city’s past and fits so well into the branding of our football team.

While many loved the name selection,

a small yet vocal minority immediately expressed their displeasure.

This small minority has led the team to do a complete 180 and drop the ‘Mufferaw’ from the mascot’s name, who will now be known as ‘Big Joe’ in English and ‘Grand Jos’ in French.

It’s interesting to note that at first the official Redblacks twitter account tried to reason with some of these people by replying to them and explaining that the mascot is not specifically based on Jos Montferrand himself but rather the character immortalized in Bernie Bedore’s stories and the Stompin’ Tom song. Even some of the OSEG corporate accounts responded with explanations like:

It’s disappointing that some people can’t understand the difference between a legend and a person. Jos Montferrand was a real person, Big Joe Mufferaw was a fictional character, based on the exploits of Jos, who gained popularity through a Stompin’ Tom song and a series of kids books by Bernie Bedore. The mascot was named after the character, not the man.

Though sad, it’s understandable to see the Redblacks bend to the wishes of a few loud voices. Clearly they are afraid of alienating the French market, a key mistake that played a large part in the Renegades’ demise. That being said, it looks incredibly amateur to suddenly backpedal because of some negative feedback. If something as simple as a mascot’s name is enough to keep some fickle fans away, how will those fans react when the team goes on a losing streak? Was it season ticket holders complaining or were the French news reports giving Redblacks brass sleepless nights?

Futhermore, didn’t the Redblacks anticipate some kind of negative feedback before they made the choice? For a team that withstood a barrage of criticism over it’s own name, it’s surprising to see how quickly they folded and dropped Mufferaw from the mascot’s name.

Even more startling is that by changing the mascot’s name, the team has caused an issue where there wasn’t one. The easiest solution would’ve simply been to keep the name as Big Joe Mufferaw for English market and refer to him as Jos Montferrand in the French one.

In the end there’s not a whole lot of difference between Big Joe and Big Joe Mufferaw, but any way you slice it this kind of flip flopping doesn’t help the Redblacks build their brand.

Where do you stand on this issue?

@RedBlackGade

The Man Behind the Lens; an interview with Ottawa Redblacks photographer F. Scott Grant

By: Santino Filoso

Today we interview F. Scott Grant, an award-winning photographer with over 40 years experience. Grant has covered the Rough Riders, Renegades, and will be wandering along the sidelines at TD Place once again this June shooting the Redblacks. We wanted to give you a taste of the life of a pro sports photographer and find out a little more about his experiences with Ottawa’s CFL teams.

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RR: How did you get into photography and when did you start covering the Rough Riders/Renegades?

FSG: My dad, Ted Grant, who took a lot of the older photos in my archive, is a professional photographer. In 1969 he took me to an Ottawa-Hamilton game, handed me a camera and a single roll of film and let me shoot the game. I was 13 years old and from that game I had 6 pictures published in a game day programme.

Do you only shoot sports events?

No actually, I have shot a variety of different things. I spent 11 years shooting Federal politics and was Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s personal photographer for a year. I will shoot whatever comes my way, although I don’t like doing weddings.

Why not weddings?

Just aren’t my thing. I’ve shot a few over the years; my son’s wedding last year, and before that was one of the Renegades dance team members, that was a lot of fun. She was getting married to one of the CFL officials on the same day as a ‘Gades game. We did half the wedding pictures before the game, all went to the game, and then went back to do the formal part of the wedding after.

Aside from the Redblacks, who are some of your other clients?

Some of my other clients include Swimming Canada, Canada Games Council, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Jogo Trading Cards.

How is covering a CFL game different from other shooting other sports?

Football first and foremost is my favourite game, I enjoy playing and understand everything about it. This in combination with the amount of years experience I have doing this kind of work makes it simple for me to shoot. I enjoy shooting football more than any other sport, but I approach everything I shoot the same way with one simple motto, try and capture the best images.

What are some of the challenges you face as you try to position yourself for that “perfect shot”?

To be honest a lot of it is luck, but even more is understanding the game, I will watch formations, see where players line up, and I avoid being where other photographers are, I want my images to be different.

Do you do a lot of post image processing?

The only post I do is colour correction, crop and straighten the backgrounds if they are crooked.

When you go to a stadium on game day, what kind of cameras and equipment do take with you?

I shoot football with the same equipment that I shoot everything with, typically a Canon body and a 300mm or 400mm lens.

Which stadium gives you the best sight lines when shooting?

Pretty much all stadiums are the same though some only allow you to shoot from one side. Montreal is like this, so it’s tough to get any good bench stuff.

The CFL is famous for it’s wild weather, how do you deal with the elements as a photographer?

Lots of layers to stay warm in the cold and for rain I use a cheap green garbage bag and duct tape to cover the camera, all fairly simple steps to take. Basically it boils down to three things; Stay dry, stay warm and cover the gear.

It was recently revealed that you’ll be the Redblacks photographer for their inaugural season, how did you get the job?

I guess I got the job as the Redblacks team photographer partly because I was the first guy in the door, I had a lot of experience shooting football and I’m very grateful to Randy Burgess as he gave me the opportunity.

Will you travel with the team when they go on the road or will you be based at Lansdowne and only cover home games?

I would love too, but I haven’t had a chance to sit down with Randy and discuss any of the details yet. When I was the Renegades team photographer I would go to the games in Montreal on my own.

What are some of your favourite images that you’ve captured throughout the years?

Favourite images is a tough one, I’ve shot so many in different areas of photography, but still don’t believe that I have shot my best one yet.

In your mind what makes an iconic picture and what are some images that sum up Ottawa’s football history for you?

Hmm, another difficult one to pick. There is one that my Dad shot of a Russ Jackson bootleg in the late 60s, but I don’t really have a single image in mind. I believe that in some cases it takes a lot of images to sum up the history of a team.

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Have you had the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the players and athletes you cover?

I have met many former players and consider a few of them friends. I was friends with Jim Coode, a tragic loss, from ALS. I went to school with his wife Lisa, who was a former Rough Rider cheerleader. She passed away several years ago as well. During the 60s, my Dad was the Riders team photographer when I was growing up and we have had players over to the house.

It seems like every year we see a player get knocked out of bounds into an unsuspecting and unpadded cameraman or photographer, has this every happened to you?

I’ve seen lots of guys get run over but I’ve never been crashed into despite a few close calls. I try to stay safe by always paying attention to where the ball is and where the players are coming from keep. I also don’t allow anyone to stand behind me, so that I can move if I have to.

What are your favourite CFL and NHL teams?

Every Ottawa team.

Tell me about your best Lansdowne memory

Favourite experience at Lansdowne was from the late 70’s during the late season games, when my Dad was still covering the games, we would sit under the south side stands on the field with a few of the other photographers and drink rum and coffee before the game.

Where can people go to buy some of your prints?

People can order high resolution downloads or prints though my web site of over 11,000 images at http://www.imagecommunications.ca/

Thank you very much for your time, Scott. Best of luck shooting the Redblacks this season, I’m sure you’ll snap some memorable ones.

@RedBlackGade

Interview with “Redblacks Theme Song” creator Nevill Carney (@NevillCarney)

By: Santino Filoso

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Today I’m interviewing Nevill Carney, one of the guys behind the “Redblacks Theme Song”, a fast paced anthem that’s been rocking R Nation. Though conceived and edited by Carney, the song itself was written and performed by Lucas Haneman, a close friend. Make sure you give both Lucas and Nevill a follow on Twitter to stay up to date on all of their latest projects:

@NevillCarney
@LucasHaneman

RR: How long have you and Lucas Haneman known each other and been making music together?

NC: I have known Lucas since Grade 7. We both grew up in Kanata (west end of Ottawa) and have been friends ever since. He is the musician while I am the videographer, essentially, I am the eyes and he is the ears. Believe it or not, all of the music that you hear in the RedBlacks theme music is Lucas! I guided him along what I was hoping to achieve but his talent carried it through to where it is now. He never ceases to amaze me!

From start to finish how long did it take you guys to put the whole thing together?

From start to finish, it took about a day and a half to come up with the musical aspect – Lucas is that talented! Once we established that we wanted to keep it simple enough for anyone to hum along to (and have a hint of 80s rock in there for good measure! – think Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart”) we made quick work with the video. The visual aspect took half a day to shoot but two or three solid days to get the edit where I felt it was appealing enough to release on Youtube. So, all in, I would say five days of total time to complete it.

Were you surprised at how quickly the Redblacks and R Nation embraced your song?

In the age of social media, it didn’t surprise me that we would get a few responses for the theme. But the amount of POSITIVE feedback that we have received is ludicrous, especially at this time of year when football is an afterthought for most people focused on hockey. We couldn’t have gotten far without support; R Nation rocks!

Has there been any talk of your song being used at home games next season, and if so what would it mean to you guys?

When I initially thought of the idea for creating the tune, my end goal was to have it used by the team for when the players come out onto the field during home games. If it were to become the ‘official’ theme of the Redblacks, that would be amazing! It would mean a lot to both Lucas and myself as we have wanted to contribute in some small way to the Ottawa community. If it gets people jacked, excited and/or pumped, we have done our job! Hopefully people continue to support it so that it is heard over the sound system at TD Place at Lansdowne.

Are you guys big CFL fans, or was this just a case of being in the right place at the right time?

I wouldn’t say that I am a big CFL fan…yet! Reason being that I don’t like hopping on any other team’s bandwagon and cheering for anyone but Ottawa. I was pretty young when the Rough Riders left in ’96, and the year the Renegades left was when I was hoping to attend my first live football game at Lansdowne. With the announcement that the Redblacks were coming in 2014, I jumped at the chance and got season tickets on the new south side.

Lucas, on the other hand, due to his being visually impaired (many people have expressed shock when we tell them this detail!) is not able to observe sports the same way you or I do. Regardless, he does enjoy supporting his home town teams and maintains a high spirit each and everyday that I have known him.

What’s your favourite Lansdowne memory?

Having missed out on CFL games growing up, my favourite Lansdowne memory would have to be with the 67’s. There was one season (2000-2001 season) where the team went on a tear and won the OHL championship trophy (the J. Ross Robertson Cup). I always enjoyed, at the end of each game, having a chance to meet the players and collect signatures. I still have my signed pennant on the wall from guys such as Jon Zion, Joey Talbot, Zenon Konopka and Brendan Bell.

Which Redblacks player are you most excited to see take the field next year and why?

The Redblacks player that I am most excited to take to the field this coming season would be either Henry Burris or John Delahunt. It will be interesting to see if Burris can shake off both last year’s Grey Cup loss and the expansion woes of a new team. Plus, he seems like such an awesome, likeable guy! John Delahunt was with Hamilton last year and is a local guy who played with the Kanata Knights/Ottawa Sooners – it’s hard to not cheer on a guy from your home town!

How will you follow this song up? Are you guys planning on making any more Redblacks related music?

I would love to follow this theme song up with something else. Some of the comments we have received have been ‘negative’ in that we didn’t make the video funny enough or have ‘creative lyrics.’ That was never the point of this particular theme. It was always about being a predominantly instrumental piece that incorporates the team name in a chant to get both players and fans alike pumped before a game. Maybe eventually we can make a funny chant or something. I would love to make use of the saw blade sound effects for something else! That was a good time incorporating that with the music theme.

Any chance of a parody video in the works?

Chances of a parody video? It might be something fun to do down the line. I would be open to suggestions!

Would you recommend watermelon smashing as a good stress reliever for other Redblacks fans?

Haha, watermelon smashing is definitely a good (yet, costly!) stress reliever for Redblacks fans. Seeing as Saskatchewan is only in town once/twice a season, something else may need to fill in. Stomping on stuffed tiger kitties, perhaps?

Where can people go to check out more of your music?

People can check out more music by going to YouTube and searching “Lucas Haneman” (whom I have helped produce many of his music compilation videos). Here is a link to his channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LucasHaneman/videos
and here is one of my favourite videos:

I am mostly a video guy but some of my work can be found on YouTube as well under “Nevill Carney”. I split my time in Ottawa/Toronto and work for Discovery on the show “Mighty Ships” while in the Big Smoke.

Thank you very much for your time and I hope to see more Redblacks related songs in the future!

@RedBlackGade

Redblacks QB NON-troversy

By: Santino Filoso

Talk about the kind of press the Redblacks didn’t need. On Feb. 11th, just hours into CFL Free Agency, a couple of angry messages came from Ottawa QB Kevin Glenn’s Twitter account:

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Shortly after the tweets went out, Glenn claimed his account was hacked. The offending tweets were also eventually deleted.

Believe what you like, but it appears Glenn simply committed a social media faux pas and accidentally tweeted something that was meant to be a direct message (DM).

Not exactly the kind of news Ottawa wanted to make on opening day of free agency. The Redblacks subsequently took a lot of (unwarranted) heat for how they have treated Glenn to date, warranted or not. There is definitely more than one school of thought, but let’s take a look at the facts (as I see them, anyway):

1. In Glenn, the Redblacks took the best QB available in the expansion draft.

2. Had Henry Burris been released before the expansion draft things would’ve played out much differently.

3. You cannot fault Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins for trying to improve the team in adding a QB like Burris, a sure-fire Hall of Famer coming off a Grey Cup appearance. That’s his job.

4. Desjardins probably shouldn’t have anointed Burris the starter at his introductory presser. Some things are best left implied.

5. Glenn woke up the morning the Redblacks signed Burris to find out he’d gone from being a starter to a backup and trade bait.

6. With that said, Glenn was not told he wouldn’t be challenged, ever. Glenn has been around the block long enough to know better.

7. You can’t blame Glenn for being sour; Pro football is a cut-throat business, but these guys are human beings too.

8. While it’s easy to understand why Glenn is upset, for him to let it slip in public is unacceptable, especially on the opening day of Free Agency.

As mentioned, Glenn quickly denied any wrong-doing with the “I’ve been hacked” defense, as below.

On an unrelated note, Glenn’s dog also ate his homework… and playbook.

Some local reporters gave Glenn the benefit of the doubt, but Twitter wasn’t buying it.

I suppose the biggest unknown in all of this is what Glenn may or may not have been promised by Redblacks brass. Seems really unlikely that assurances of a starting job were given. The following comes from the Globe and Mail report on the Expansion Draft:

Although he now has Glenn and DeMarco in tow, Desjardins said he’ll be active in free agency to land other quarterbacks. Toronto’s Zach Collaros, Saskatchewan’s Drew Willy, Hamilton’s Henry Burris and Edmonton’s Matt Nichols are all slated to become free agents in February.

“There’s a couple of good options out there and we’re certainly going to pursue those,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t be aggressive in that area.

“We’ve got a veteran, (that) doesn’t mean we can’t add another one. We have a young guy, (that) doesn’t mean we can’t add another. There’s three or four obvious guys out there and we’ll certainly reach out to all of them when the time comes.”

Not sure how much clearer that could be…

Though he might still be upset, Glenn’s best bet is to bide his time. If he ends up staying with Ottawa at some point he’ll get playing time. It’s almost unheard of for a single QB to play an entire season. Or maybe another team loses their starter to a significant injury and the Redblacks feel comfortable enough with DeMarco’s growth to trade Glenn.

As it currently stands, the Redblacks are blessed to have two great QBs in their inaugural season, a luxury the Renegades were denied. They’ve arguably got the strongest depth at QB of any team in the CFL with Burris, Glenn and DeMarco. Good QBs in the CFL are what good goalies are to NHL teams; you can never have too many of them.

In my opinion, this whole episode is a whole lot of fuss about nothing. It’s not as if a player never mis-used social media before. And it certainly isn’t the first time a starter was supplanted by a free agent signing. Glenn should be enough of a pro not to let this kind of thing happen again, and besides, he’s only a play away from being “the guy”.

@RedBlackGade

Meet ____________, the newest addition to Ottawa’s mascot scene

By: Santino Filoso

This past Monday, the Ottawa Redblacks unveiled their new mascot during the 67’s Family Day matinee. In a very fitting move, the team chose to keep with the plaid theme and unveiled this handsome fella:

This as of yet unnamed mascot keeps with the theme that the Redblacks organization has chosen to embrace with their brand, logo and history.
1) It pays homage to Ottawa’s lumber history by invoking memories of folk heroes such as Big Joe Mufferaw
2) Lumberjacks are about as Canadian you can get so it’s completely appropriate for the Nation’s Capital’s team
3) He has a jawline that can cut trees, freeing up his axe to chop through opposing teams.

Of course it wouldn’t be Redblacks news without a heavy dose of criticism; first the name was mocked for being too outlandish yet now the mascot is dumped on for being an unoriginal stereotype. Here’s what the naysayers are forgetting; mascots are for kids, and judging by the stream of beaming children’s pictures on Twitter, our lumberjack is a hit!

The Redblacks have given their fans the floor by letting them send suggestions for the name and Twitter wasted no time in responding. Here’s a taste:

The Good
Rough Rider, Big Joe, Tim Bur, Rideau Rooter, Bytown Bob, Big Joe Mufferaw

The Bad
Red Black Jack, Woody, Chopper, Brawny

The Ugly
Axelrod, Arbee, Louis Poutine, Sir Choppington

Personally, I really like idea of naming the mascot Big Joe Mufferaw but what do you think? Send your ideas here.

@RedBlackGade

#RNation

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In spite of what people think about ‘Redblacks’ as the name for our new CFL team (I’m personally not a huge fan, although it has definitely grown on me), the marketing folks at Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group have done a nice job in creating a meaningful moniker for the fan base – R Nation (check out #RNation discussion right now on Twitter)

At first glance, it seems too simple, even lazy. (“Yeah, yeah, Redblacks starts with an ‘R’ and you added ‘Nation’. Great…”) But here’s why I think it might just be a little bit of genius:

A link to the past
There is nothing more emblematic of the proud football history in Ottawa than the white ‘R’ that has adorned the helmets of those great Rough Rider teams of the 1960s & 70s, teams that created some of the greatest sporting memories in this city’s history. Not to mention hats & other gear worn by legendary coaches like Frank Clair (below) and Jack Gotta.

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Yes, we’re not the Rough Riders (two words) anymore. And there are a lot of good reasons, frankly, to let that name die. The last couple decades of that franchise’s existence are better forgotten (perhaps it’s no coincidence that the ‘R’ logo was missing in those last few agonizing years of the Rough Riders existence, not to mention the entire 4 years the Renegades were around). But we’re still Ottawa football and the ‘R’ logo is held in very high regard by those who remember the heydays. This is tradition worth maintaining and honouring.

The ‘R’ is also a great way to create a linkage between the players and the fans of the Rough Riders, Renegades and now the Redblacks.

The Nation’s Capital
Besides team history, R Nation is a clever double-entendre, i.e. “Our Nation”. A great slogan for the team in the capital of Canada’s only true professional sports league. Fits very nicely with the CFL’s “This is our league” slogan, too. And isn’t it a pretty neat thing to be able to say “Welcome to R Nation” to CFL rookies from the US? Oozing with pride & nationalism.

In just a few short weeks, the #RNation name has really been embraced by the budding Redblacks fan base. I must admit it is also part of the inspiration for the name of this humble blog. Again, credit to OSEG and the Redblacks for recognizing these linkages to the past and how important it is to incorporate this rich history into the identity of the new team. They get it.

The R Nation nickname has also been met with some surprising bitterness/anger from Saskatchewan fans who believe it to be too similar to their #ridernation fan base nickname. A little misguided, however, as this is not about them. The Rider name is their’s. But the ‘R’ belongs to Ottawa.

Redblacks jersey numbers?

On the day of the Redblacks Expansion Draft, an astute CFL fan noted that the Redblacks official site was using this number template on its player pages:

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An interesting find. Definitely matches the cut-out style on the Redblacks R logo, as below:

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If this is indeed the number template they’re going with, it certainly points to a non-traditional jersey style. Not necessarily a bad thing. Certainly an ambitious choice. High risk, high reward, I suppose.

Interesting to note that the team has since removed the player number references from all player pages. Simply because numbers haven’t officially been assigned to players yet? Or cleaning up an unintended mini-leak? Pure speculation at this point. Pretty enjoyable speculation, actually 🙂

#RNation

Ottawa Redblacks jersey concepts

Probably the most anticipated – and hotly contested – elements of any new franchise launch are the team name, logos and uniforms. Ottawa is certainly no exception. The Redblacks name was met with a mix of confusion (“what’s a Redblack?”), acceptance (“I’m just happy to have football back in Ottawa!”) and (if Twitter is a true gauge of the fan base) intense hatred. The logo, on the other hand, has been pretty warmly accepted.

And now, we wait for the uniforms.

According to Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group and Ottawa Redblacks President Jeff Hunt, uniforms will be released in April 2014. The original plan was to have jerseys out before Christmas, but looks like Reebok needed more time than anticipated, as they are also releasing all new alternate jerseys for every team. That puts us still a couple of agonizing months away. What is an Ottawa CFL football fan to do?

Answer: concept art!

Here are a few of the concepts I’ve come across over the last few months. The first is from Nelson Hackewich:

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In my opinion, Nelson absolutely knocked it out of the park with this concept. The simple, classic striping on the arms, the Russ Jackson-era red numbers on the white uniforms, the Redblacks ‘R’ alone on a black helmet. Perfection. If OSEG land anywhere close to this, I believe they will have one happy fan base.

This next collection is from Nevill Carney:

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Another great collection with a classic look. This one more 70s/80s-era Riders. I think Nevill is bang-on in expecting a black home & white away, as well as a red alternate jersey right out of the chute. As for an official retro jersey, my guess is the Redblacks wait a year before wearing them, as they will likely want to focus on building their own brand. Also, releasing four different jerseys in the inaugural season seems slightly excessive.

Next is this trio by Dan Ruggiero:

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What’s not to like about these? Nothing loud or crazy. Just some very well executed uniforms. Simple, clean design, yet still modern. The red helmets look quite good (I liked them more than I thought I would, actually), but my guess is the Redblacks stick with tradition and a black helmet – in year one, anyway.

Hopefully this whets your appetite for a little while, #RNation. Kudos to these three talented gentlemen on some great work. I’ll be on the lookout for other concepts in the days ahead as excitement builds towards the official release.

Welcome to ‘Defend the R’

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Thanks for stumbling upon Defend the R, a blog dedicated to coverage of Ottawa’s CFL franchises past and present. I plan to share thoughts & ideas about the Redblacks, as time ticks down to kick-off in their inaugural season, as well as take a look back at franchises from the past – the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Ottawa Renegades. (SIDE NOTE: How perfect is this WordPress theme for an Ottawa CFL blog!!)

I will do my best to keep this blog up-to-date. If it happens to get a little stale, you can be sure there will be some action on Twitter at @OTTRoughRiders.

Looking forward to interacting with you in this format, #RNation.

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