(CFL.ca wire) — Fresh from being selected the No. 1 overall choice in the CFL Canadian Draft, Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Chris Bauman joined CFL.ca and Ticats.ca on Tuesday for an online chat. Read the transcript below.
snoopaloop says: Hey Chris, congrats on becoming the first overall pick. Does it make it easier to go into your first professional training camp with Chris Getzlaf, your Regina teammate?
Chris Bauman: Thanks.
Chris Bauman: It will make it a lot easier…especially since we’re both receivers who can go over the playbooks together and help each other out as much as possible.
acaudle says: hey Chris, are you excited to get the chance to work wtih Charlie Taaffe?
Chris Bauman: Absolutely!
dave says: I’m not sure if this went through the first time so here goes again. Hi Chris, good luck with the ticates on every other day then when you are playing the Riders. How much of your success do you attribute to a high calibre quarterback in Teale Orban?
Chris Bauman: Whenever you have a guy who can thow 65-70 yards, it make my job a lot easier.
Chris Bauman: Thanks for the well wishes.
Blue says: Hey Chris! Being a Brandon native do you think you may ever want to return to Manitoba and play for the Winnipeg Bombers?
Chris Bauman: It would be nice but I’d obviously like to stay here under contract for as long as they’ll have me. If it ends up that I’ll be in Winnipeg down the road then that would be fine too
dallas135 says: Hey Chris…Has Coach Taffe spoke to you about your role on this year club?
Chris Bauman: Briefly. It looks like I’ll play mostly as a wideout and backup for a while until I become comfortable/familiar with the offence. Hopefully this will help me to become a key contributor.
acaudle says: Its awsome to have you in black and gold Chris, are you going to be ready for the energy that comes out of Ivor Wynne?
Chris Bauman: Thanks! I am REALLY looking foward to it. If they’re anything like the Rider fans then it’s gonna be fun playing here every game!!!
dallas135 says: What defence is most intimidating do you think?
Chris Bauman: At this level it looks like it’s going to be the bump and run that will give the most trouble. Coming up from college I haven’t seen much of this type of D
BlknGld4ever says: Welcome to the Hammer Chris! Is there a certain player(s) on Hamilton’s roster who you are excited to play with?
Chris Bauman: Morreale, Maas, Ralph to start, and a lot of others.
Blue says: So as a rookie what role do you expect to play on the Ticat offense? Do you expect to be on the field for every offensive play?
Chris Bauman: Not right off the bat. We have some excellent receivers in Morreale and Ralph. I’ll pobably work my way around special teams and then hopefully get into the starting line-up later on.
dallas135 says: what’s your pre-camp workout routine like?
Chris Bauman: Usually two workouts a day…run in the morning and then lift later in the afternoon.
makaveli says: hey chris who was your favourate cfl player when you were growing up and who is your favourate now
Chris Bauman: Geez…it would have to be Milt Stegall from the past and now Jason Clermont is a guy who I’ve followed since he left the Rams.
Dane#52 says: which universist did you play for?
Chris Bauman: The University Of Regina Rams
oskeemannyo says: how did you feel when the Ticats drafted you? Considering the last couple of years where there any doubts of coming to HAMMER TOWN?
Chris Bauman: Speechless….I didn’t really think that I would end up here as the first pick overall as there wasn’t a lot of talk about it initially.
acaudle says: How many times do you think your going to burn the argo’s this season?
Chris Bauman: As much as possible…oskee wee wee.
spytgale says: what did you feel when you were waiting for name to be called?
Chris Bauman: I was told the night before as I was on the golf course.
oskeemannyo says: Do you like the Argos and have you ever cheered for them?
Chris Bauman: I like Pinball, but that’s as far as it goes
dallas135 says: What draft pick suprised you?
Chris Bauman: Getzlaf slipping as far back in the draft as he did was a big surprise, but a good one for Hamilton.
oskeemannyo says: What number will you be wearing?
Chris Bauman: They gave me 89, but when I found out my former teammate Getz was coming I gave him the number. So I guess I’m waiting to see what I’ll get.
Blue says: As you probably are aware the Ticats have performed quite poorly in the past several seasons. Do you feel that this year will be any different? If so do you think your impact will be a significant part of this difference?
Chris Bauman: With the coaching changes made and the new personnel coming in, it looks like it will be changing things around and I hope I can be a part of that in some way.
CreepyCorner says: Could you compare your playing style to another player in the CFL or NFL?
Chris Bauman: Fantuz or Clermont, but not quite as physical as Clermont.
Dane#52 says: do you think you guys are going to make the playoffs this year
Chris Bauman: I think that’s everyone’s goal coming into camp.
campy2k4 says: i dunno if u answered this one but if u where not in football what other sport would u have pick up
Chris Bauman: Probably baseball or basketball.
oskeemannyo says: Have you spoken to Maas at all since being drafted. or any of the guys. Who was the first teamate to contact you so far?
Chris Bauman: I haven’t talked to Maas yet, but I did talk with Morreale when I first came into Hamilton.
argos_fever says: What type of stats do you think you’ll put up in your first season?
Chris Bauman: I guess that will depend on how quickly I pick up the offence and adjust to the defences.
dallas135 says: who is the toughest DB you played against and did he get drafted?
Chris Bauman: Toughest DB is probably Andrew Rumbough or Joel Lipinski, but neither one of them were drafted.
campy2k4 says: Before now have you ever visited Hamilton
Chris Bauman: I did come to Hamilton before…a good friend of mine from high school moved here and I came out to visit.
oskeemannyo says: What do you think of all the changes in Hamilton?
Chris Bauman: I think it was needed for this team to be able to compete.
oskeemannyo says: Will you be living in Hamilton all year or just during the season?
Chris Bauman: I plan on living here year round…not much left for me in Brandon, so I’ll be looking for an off-season job here in the Hammer.
TCTD says: Welcome to Hamilton, Chris! Do you prefer playing wide receiver or slotback?
Chris Bauman: Thanks. I prefer playing wide receiver.
makaveli says: do you listen to music before you go out and play and if so what is your favourate pump up song to go out to
Chris Bauman: If I remember to bring my MP3 player out with me 😉 Nothing specific though.
campy2k4 says: How nervous do you think you will be suiting up for the first time running onto that field
Chris Bauman: Especially since it’s going to be in the home povince of Manitoba, there’ll pobably be a lot of people I know in the stands watching. But after a few plays I’m sure the nerves will fade.
shawny says: If you werent in Hamilton, what team would you like to play for?
Chris Bauman: If it wasn’t Hamilton, then Calgary would be my second pick…they both use two Canadian receivers in their starting lineup and I felt it would give me a good chance to compete for a spot.
onknight says: what is Favourt Route to run..
Chris Bauman: Either a post or a fly.
Chris Bauman: Good question.
eskinator says: welcome to the cfl. what is it about you big receivers coming out of regina programs (like clermont)?
Chris Bauman: Their program investing as much as they do, it draws a lot of the top high school receivers in from around the province.
BarbieGirl says: Chris Are You Going To Be At the Tiger-Cats Kickoff Bash tomorrow night????
Chris Bauman: YEP…ABSOLUTELY
17Linden says: chris, what are your thoughts on the Vincent Massey Program producing yourself and Israel?
Chris Bauman: I think it shows a lot about the coaches. They put a lot of emphasis on going out and having fun and that keeps a lot of us wanting to play.
dallas135 says: who do you think is the best reciever in the league right now?
Chris Bauman: I would have to say Geroy Simon.
17LindenBLVD says: how is your mom and dad handling this?
Chris Bauman: I think they’re more excited than even I am right now…they’re on cloud 9
onknight says: My Brother Son is playing his 1st year of Ball HMFA what would tell young Football players
Chris Bauman: Don’t worry too much about winning or losing, just enjoy it while you can.
katzie says: How do you see yourself helping Hamilton initially?
Chris Bauman: Probably having to make some tackles on special teams at first, but then working my way into the offence and catching a few balls.
TCTD says: Have you had a chance to meet Ticat receivers coach Dennis Goldman yet? By the way, did you know that he coached Marvin Harrison at Syracuse many years ago?
Chris Bauman: Yes I did I have talked with him (and yes I did know that). I got a chance to see the playbook and some of the routes that I’ll be running.
dallas135 says: how does the pro and CIS playbook compare?
Chris Bauman: The book is a lot bigger, probably because there are so many more games and play the same teams many times in a season.
pcik45 says to katzie: what are u doing to get ready for training camp?
Chris Bauman: As I mentioned I workout twice a day, running in the morning and lifting in the afternoon.
catsfan says: Chris – What do you think about the comparisons to Jason Clermont?
Chris Bauman: Whenever you can be compared to a reciever like Clermont it’s always a good thing….I just hope I can have a rookie season like he did.
silver3030 says: This might seem abit random but what did you gain from playing at the provinical level with team manitoba when you were younger
Chris Bauman: Well coming from nine-man football, I needed the experience in 12-man…so I think that’s where I got the experience from playing in the Canada Cup.
argos_fever says: How will you have to adjust your game to be sucessfull in the CFL?
Chris Bauman: I have to get a little stronger and quicker and work on my route running.
spike says: Have the Cat coaches told you that you will be playing exclusively at slotback, or is there a chance you will be running some routes as a WR too?
Chris Bauman: Most of my time will be spent as a wideout, they haven’t told me that I’ll be playing a lot at the slot.
TCTD says: What does your Regina and Ticat teammate Chris Getzlaf bring to the table as a receiver?
Chris Bauman: He’s a big physical receiver and has a tendancy to make big catches when you need them.
silver3030 says: what are your goals entering next year?
Chris Bauman: Just gotta get through my first year at the pro level…
RamsFan07 says: What are you looking forward to most about playing at the CFL level?
Chris Bauman: Probably being able to play football as a career!
spike says: When will you get your first opportunity to catch some balls from QB’s currently on the Cat roster? Or have you already practiced with some of them?
Chris Bauman: Probably when rookie camp gets underway…I haven’t caught passes from any of them yet.
