Sports.

Eskimos punt Tillman... and shank it

By Eric Wilkins,
Staff Writer

ith eight losses in

their last 10 games
(as of this writing the
playoff game has not
been played yet), the
Edmonton Eskimos aren’t
exactly the team that
springs to mind when
one thinks of successful
clubs. Possibly with that
in mind, the Eskies fired
general manager, Eric
Tillman ahead of their
game against the Argos.

You have to question

this move a bit. Despite
their horrible record as
of late, the Eskimos are
in the playoffs. Granted
it’s a crossover berth, it’s
still an accomplishment.
Tillman certainly hasn’t
put together an all-star
team, but they’re by no
means the doormats of
the league. Regardless
of what one thinks of

Tillman’s performance,
the timing is a little
curious. Firing your GM
right before the playoffs?
You’d think the message
the organization is try-
ing to send here, is that
regardless of what the
team manages to pull

off in the post-season,
his performance this
year has been subpar
and unacceptable. But
apparently not. President
and CEO Len Rhodes
said that Tillman was
fired for “no specific
reason.” Well, that, or he
hired a new babysitter.

I love the firing, if
only for all the storylines
it’s brought up. All the
conspiracy theories swirl-
ing about Tillman are
absolutely hilarious, with
none being unrealistic.
My favourite involves
Tillman being hired in
Toronto. With head coach
Scott Milanovich recently
re-signed to a new

Royals Roundup

By Josh Martin,
Sports Editor

hat’s all folks. After

a promising 7-1
blowout win against
the NAIT Ooks—where
the Royals men’s soc-
cer team absolutely
dominated the major-
ity of the play—the
Douglas College team
that finished first in
their division standings
were defeated by their
rivals, the VIU Mariners,
in the semi-finals by a
score of 2-1. This was
a devastating loss on
Thursday night for the
Royals, ending their
season abruptly and
one that must have
stung even more see-

20

ing the Mariners, who
finished second in the
PACWEST division
four points behind the
Royals, march on to
the gold-medal game.

The Mariners faced
the Humber College
Hawks of Etobicoke,
Ontario in the Finals on
Saturday night where
the game, after a 2-2 tie
went to overtime and
then a shootout, where
the Humber Hawks
ultimately came out on
top capturing gold.

The men’s volleyball
team suffered their first
loss of the season this
past weekend against
the Camosun Chargers
on Friday night 3-1, and
on Saturday redeemed

contract, and current GM
Jim Barker left to sit on
his final year, the rumour
may not be too far from
the truth. The best part
of the theory though, is
that this plan has been in
place for some time now.
And suddenly the Ricky
Ray trade makes sense.

I don’t know a single
CFL fan who didn’t
scratch a deep hole into
his head when the trade
was announced. Another
OB, a kicker, and a draft
pick? Maybe it looks
better when you stick the
names in: Steven Jyles,
Grant Shaw, and a first
round draft pick. The
poor Eskies got fleeced.
A never-was quarterback,
a kicker (enough said),
and an all-important
first round pick. Quite
possibly, this is the only
trade in history where
foresight and hindsight
are 20/20. Jyles hasn’t
worked out at all. Shaw

themselves beating the
Chargers in the second
of back-to-back games
3-1. The Royals are
first in the PACWEST
division with a 9-1
record and 18 points in
10 games. They have
this weekend off in
terms of games, and
wont play until next
Friday, November 23
at 8 p.m. and Saturday
at 8 p.m. against the
UFV Cascades.

The women’s vol-
leyball team lost their
first match against
the Chargers this past
weekend with a score of
3-1 on Friday, but won
on Saturday 3-2 against
the same team. They
are fifth in the stand-

 

Former Edmonton Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman
Photo courtesy of John Uhlan\Canadian Press

has been average. And
lastly, this isn’t the NFL,
so first rounders don’t
mean nearly as much.
So, is there any
weight to the rumour?
Probably not, but it’s
comforting to know that
in some crazy universe,

ings with a 3-7 record
and six points in 10
games. They also won’t
be seeing any game
action until next Friday
and Saturday at 6 p.m.
against the Cascades.
The men’s basketball
team lost against the
VIU Mariners last
Friday by a score of
77-60 and then on
Sunday recorded their
first win of the season
defeating the Camosun
Chargers 71-58. The
Royals are seventh in
the standings with a 1-2
record and two points.
They will be facing
the CBC Bearcats this
Friday at 8 p.m. and
the Kwantlen Eagles
on Saturday night

that trade wasn’t without
reason. As for Tillman,
his firing is as much a
head-scratcher as his
unbelievable trade. One
thing’s for sure though:
he’ll be back. Franchise
quarterbacks, beware.

at 8 p.m. as well.

The women’s bas-
ketball team had a very
successful weekend
capturing their first and
second victories of the
season, with a 52-33 win
against the Mariners
on Friday as well as a
57-47 victory over the
Chargers on Saturday.
After three games the
Royals are currently in
second position in the
standings with a 2-1
record and four points—
two points behind the
league leading Capilano
Blues. They face the
CBC Bearcats this
Friday at 6 p.m. and
the Kwantlen Eagles on
Saturday at 6 p.m. All
Royals games are away.