The Rouge White & Blue CFL podcast

Andrew Bucholtz joins RWB to talk CFL on USA TV, ESPN, AAF, XFL and a new CBA

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast is back, and joining co-hosts Joe Pritchard, Dr. Rouge and Os Davis this week is returning RWB guest Andrew Bucholtz of Awful Announcing.

With no new collective bargaining in sight and the opening of free agency about two weeks away, Andrew tells us about the CFL's latest TV deal with ESPN/ESPN+ and the future of Canadian Football broadcasting through the ESPN+ service going forward.

Andrew then gets embroiled in this offseason's hot topic, namely the effects on player movement and signings should the nascent American Alliance of Football (AAF) and/or XFL actually stick around as a viable source of employment for pro football players in North America.

And we've got some wild speculation as to the 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, too.

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast: All our free agents are re-signed...

RWB CFL podcast episode 130: Remembering the good ol' Brimingham Barracudas

Happy new year from the Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast! Now let's get down to talking some CFL -- not to mention CFL USA, AAF, XFL, even a little WFL and USFL -- football.

Joining co-hosts Joe Pritchard and Os Davis for the first RWB Podcast of 2019 is Scott Adamson, a 30-year veteran of American print media who's covered everything from NFL football to PGA golf and who's loved CFL ball since even before the league installed the Birmingham Barracudas in his then-hometown.

As Birmingham has been a favored test market for rogue/alternate professional football leagues since the 1970s, Scott has seen them all come down the pike. His tells us some about his current interest in  the up-and-coming American Alliance of Football (including the Birmingham Iron franchise) and its potential effect on the CFL. 

All in all, this episode contains a lot of of football geekery.

The Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast: Faithfully awaiting the return of CFL USA...

RWB CFL Podcast #129: ...with visions of Atlantic Schooners dancing in our heads

The Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast closes out year 2018 by looking forward to the future. First up, RWB co-hosts Joe Pritchard and Os Davis enthuse about the reconstruction of nearly the entire BC Lions staff with a new generation of coaches; no matter what the BC roster looks like in ’19, the playbook’ll certainly be interesting.

The RWB then welcomes Gregory James of the Atlantic Zone Coverage podcast, a show devoted to Canadian football especially for fans in the Maritimes (and New Brunswick!). Greg tells is how fan interest and a franchise 35 years (and counting) in the making are evolving in Halifax and beyond, as CFL fans throughout North America optimistically await the Atlantic Schooners, a much-needed 10th team for Canada.

And beyond this … well, Happy Holidays to everyone!

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast: Is it 2019 yet?

Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast #128 regales with tales of Grey Cup Partying in Edmonton

Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast co-host is ready to make everyone green with envy with tales of his most excellent trip to Edmonton for last week's Grey Cup festivities there.

Sure, Joe and co-host Os Davis talk a little Grey Cup 2018, admiring a textbook 2010s Calgary Stampeders performance, decrying the often-useless concept of Most Outstanding/Valuable Player in title games, and ranting a bit. (OK, that last one is entirely on Os.)

But the accent in this podcast is all on Edmonton: Joe attended the events, partied with podcasters, talked with the tweeters, sat at a Manitoba social or two and enjoyed a few brushes with greatness -- Hear all about the total freakin' awesomeness in this episode of the RWB. 

The Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast: First to ask #IsItNovemberYet...

Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast #127: Perhaps you've heard of this Grey Cup thing...

What else is there to talk about in all of North American sports to talk about this weekend besides the 106th Grey Cup, a rematch of the 2016 classic between the Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Redblacks?

Thus do Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast co-hosts Os Davis and Dr. Rouge discuss, analyze and take wild stabs at forecasting what we'll be seeing on Sunday. Among the variables at play in Edmonton include the re-emergence of that historically awesome Calgary defense, the fireworks display put on by Ottawa in last week's East Division final, the suspension/appeal of Jonathon Rose, the Lewis Ward factor and, of course, the weather.

Finally, you bet (so to speak) we have fearless predictions. And next week, Joe will certainly regale us with tales of fun and beer from the Great White North to stay-at-homers such as Os and the Doctor...

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast: Is it November already?

RWB CFL Podcast #126: Minimalism rules!

This week on the Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast, co-host Os Davis is left alone in the booth. And so with traditional RWB partners Joe Pritchard and Dr. Rouge unavailable for episode 126, a minimalist version results.

Thankfully it's not all Os all the time, though, as Dr. Rouge provides text for our rumination, and all three co-hosts have predictions/analysis for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers-Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton Ticats-Ottawa Redblacks divisional round games -- and best of all, the whole thing clocks in at less than 20 minutes!

The Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast: One out of three ain't bad...

Rouge white & Blue Podcast #125: Talking CFL playoffs round 1, one wacky Grey Cup prediction

"CFL playoffs" is among the very most harmonious and beautiful two-word expressions in the English language, as far as the Rouge, White & Blue Podcast is concerned, so you bet the RWB's talking round one of the postseason this week.

And "bet" may be the operative word here, as co-host Os Davis is still on a rush from a recent trip to Budapest and so speaks of bets you should not make, including his current outrageous Grey Cup prediction which the league itself reckons has less than a 1% chance of happening.

With Dr. Rouge playing the responsible parent and not in attendance, it's up to co-host Joe Pritchard to be the reasonable one -- and even he's geeked about his Winnipeg Blue Bombers' chances.

The Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast: Americans loving November playoff football.

RWB CFL Podcast #124: Get into the stream of consciousness

It’s a trip down the stream of consciousness with the Rouge, White & Blue CFL Podcast this week, and why not? Just one team – the Calgary Stampeders – is playing their week 21 game for anything other than pride.

There’s nevertheless always something to talk about vis-à-vis Canadian professional football, so RWB co-hosts Joe Pritchard, Os Davis and Dr. Rouge engage in discussion to put an epithet on the 2018 Edmonton Eskimos, to wonder yet again about what’s going on with the Stamps, to marvel about the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defense, to excoriate the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for continued incapability to finish the job…

And after eliminating most of the other possibilities, the RWB does reach a consensus on the best-positioned teams for the upcoming CFL playoffs. Plus, Os has a suggestion for this season’s Most Outstanding Player which apparently is outrageous. Enjoy!

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast: Joycean in our epic takes on Canadian football

RwB CFL Podcast #123: On playoff scenarios and the two-division dilemma

You want CFL playoff scenarios? The Rouge White & Blue has got your scenarios right here.

This is always a favoured time of year for the RWB, as co-hosts Joe Pritchard, Dr. Rouge and Os Davis get to breaking down the possibilities for the post-season -- and this year, things are nicely snafued, with all six playoff spots undetermined with two (or fewer in Edmonton and Saskatchewan's cases) games to play. 

After this, the trio goes down the rabbit hole of possible solutions for situations in which a 5th-place West Division team has a better record than the East Division runners-up, yet misses the playoffs. Should the CFL go single division? Allow two teams to cross over? Reintroduce an imbalanced schedule? Get the Atlantic Schooners up and running sooner rather than later? Or some combination thereof?

Finally, the RWB gets back on track with looks back at last week's games, handicapping week 20 and justifiably grouse a bit about Johnny Failure.

The Rouge White & Blue CFL Podcast: Heading for the playoffs, talking up the wild, wild West...

Eastern Collision

Rod Villagomez of the Wood Cookie Sawcast and Josh Smith of Podskeeweewee join the RWB gang to go over the upcoming clash between Ottawa and Hamilton, as well as the rest of the CFL action this week.