If you have more questions for Bob, or any other member of the Tiger-Cats organization, send them to blackandgold@ticats.ca and let us know who you want an answer from. On to this week’s questions.
Mr. Young,
Which CFL executive or governor brings the most to the table when you meet at the league level? I’m assuming losing Keith Pelley must have been a pretty big loss for the league as a whole.
-Dave G.
BY: For all the bad PR he seems to suffer from, it is David Braley, a local Hamiltonian who currently owns the BC Lions. And you are right about Keith Pelley, former President of the Argos. His knowledge and understanding of broadcast in general and TV in particular was of great value to the league. The good news is that he has not gone far and remains a big supporter of the league.
Bob,
As a fan I think the last few years with the team struggling has made attending games later in the season very difficult. Do you still feel the same excitement watching a Tiger-Cats as you did when you first bought the team?
-Lana H.
BY: Lana, I’m with you. While the Ticats don’t have to win the Grey Cup to be worth cheering for, the disappointing seasons we’ve suffered in recent years has been hard on all of us die hard Ticat fans.
On the other hand, for me personally the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is that I love learning new things. Running a professional football team is a project unlike anything I’ve ever done before, so I still find this project fascinating. And, as our record indicates, I still have lots to learn!
Thanks for your support while we get the team back to a level of excellence that Tiger-Cat fans have come to expect.
Dear Mr. Young,
I have been to all the Ticats games since I was 7 (I’m 10). My favourite player is Matt Robichaud because he is very good at long snapping and he does not get many cheers from the fans when he makes a good snap. Who is your favourite player this year?
-Cameron T.
BY: Cameron, thank you for cheering for some of the lower profile, but very important, players on the team – Matt being a very good example. I like some of our younger Defensive backfield players. Chris Thompson being a great example of a young player who plays with lots of heart but is seldom noticed. Hopefully now that he leads the East in interceptions, he will start to get the accolades he deserves.
Bob,
I understand that you haven’t made money since you bought the team, but us fans haven’t gotten anything back either other than a team that consistently doesn’t make the playoffs. When the team sign Casey Printers last year I thought it you had made the decision to buy a Grey Cup, so my question is this, why don’t you? It’s easy to say because I sure couldn’t afford to, but can’t you go out there and sign every free agent and make this team better? Or do they not want to come to Hamilton for some reason? Time is running out to win a Grey Cup this decade so we need to do something.
-Hal D.
BY: If only it were that easy. Football is a team game. For whatever reasons (and there have been a variety of them) the Ticats teams of recent years have not come together as a team. Some of this is due to the changes we had to make to the team, that was very old in 2003, and some of it has been just bad luck. Everyone across the league knows this years Tiger-Cats are very talented and the other teams have been as surprised as you and me that we have lost so many close games this season. But Bob O’Billovich and Scott Mitchell are assembling a team that will make us all proud – one of these days.
Dear Mr Young,
I want to express how much I appreciate your leadership of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I have been a fan since returning to Canada in 1994. While living in the States I forgot all about the CFL, but was quickly reunited by the fast pace and high scoring nature of the game.
I was living in Fort Erie in the early 90’s and was offered the chance to see the Ticats vs. the Blue Bombers, in November, in the rain, when they had no chance of making the playoffs. I sat among 13,000 or so wet fans that night, in the cold, with the looming threat that the team would fold due to lack of interest and little or no investment. As the Ticats went down in humiliating defeat that night, I felt this may be there last season–ever.
A few years later you came and breathed life into this team and thus a lot of hope for the average fan like myself. I am not one of those types who swears on a stack of Bibles that unless the Ticats win I’ll never come back. As long as there’s a team in Hamilton, and there’s a Labour Day Classic, I’ll be there. I average 2-4 live games a season, win or lose.
Recently there has been talk of renovations to Ivor Wynne. I’m sure you must cringe at the thought of spending more money. I hope you don’t find a structural situation as they have in Ottawa. But, if you are entertaining ideas I have one.
I have gone to Rogers Centre on quite a few occasions and feel that they have the best the seat in the house, literally. The plastic blue seats, with cup holders on the side are very comfortable and at my age back support is becoming mandatory. Buffalo also has these seats in the lower bowl, the first 30 rows or so from the field. If it is cost supportive I would recommend the same type seats for all of Ivor Wynne, with just one advantage over Toronto–there needs to be an extra 8-12 inches between the rows to allow the people easier access as they pass down the rows.
Again, Kudos for all you’ve don
e so far. And even though the Cats have lost more than they’ve won this year, you can count on at least on fan driving up from the Niagara Region (I live in St. Catharines now). Kindest Regards,
-Stanley Fuleki
BY: Stanley, Thank you for your support! Both for driving in from a distance and your dedication through thick and thin. We are due to end this run of bad luck someday soon. I’ll admit to having suffered through a serious learning curve, but it is also true that our luck could have been better.
Improving the stadium is an ongoing topic at the Tiger-Cats and in our regular conversations with the City of Hamilton.
As in Ottawa, we are playing in an older stadium that needs either major renovations or a complete replacement. So we and the City hesitate to conduct significant work on the stadium until we know what the longer term plan for the Stadium in Hamilton is going to be.
That long-term plan will require the support of both the Provincial and Federal Governments. While we continue to work hard on this project with both those levels of government we do not (yet) have any specific news on this topic.
But you can be sure readers of Ticats.ca will be the first to learn of any news on Stadium work as soon as there is anything news we can share with you. Thanks again.
Oski-Wee-Wee,
Bob (the CareTaker)
