At a press scrum last Thursday, the day before the Redblacks were to play their season home opener and officially open the new TD Place Stadium, one of the owners, Roger Greenburg, was asked why he decided to become the co-owner of a football team. Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . His answer just may be the best example of why football will work this time, when it didnt on two previous occasions in Ottawa. Im paraphrasing, but the chairman/CEO of Minto Developments said that he believes there are four pillars that make up a strong community. The first is the medical system. Second, is the education system. The third is the arts and the final one is the sports culture. He went on to say that the Senators have contributed to the sports culture, but it was time to add to that with the return of professional football to the city and the addition of professional soccer. Greenburg and his partners John Ruddy, William Shenkman and Jeff Hunt wanted to be part of building and strengthening one of the pillars of a strong community. In other words, this ownership group has done all of this for the right reason - to strengthen the community that they live in and they were rewarded on Friday night for all their hard work and perseverance. Fridays home opener was an unforgettable experience and, hopefully, showed one of our other major cities in the country, that happens to be only about four hours away, just what is possible. The Redblacks didnt score a touchdown on the field, but they did in the stands and that is what mattered most. Jeff Hunt said the team could have sold another 15,000 tickets to the game and that will translate into demand. Based on the in-game experience on Friday night, nobody should be surprised to hear that the next home game will be sold out soon. The atmosphere was electric. It was a young energetic crowd, who partied like they were attending a rock concert. In fact, in what was an ingenious move, there was also a rock concert going on before the game to get people pumped up for kick-off at what was a Canadian-style tailgate party. TD Place Stadium is fantastic with great sightlines and a design that not only looks outstanding, but is designed to enhance the fan experience for soccer and football, specifically. It doesnt feel like an all-purpose facility that accommodates many, but pleases none. The game itself was not a masterpiece, but it had an exciting finish when, down by two, Redblacks QB Henry Burris hit Kerrie Johnson on a deep ball to set up the game winning field goal. It wasnt a walk-off winner by Brett Maher, but when Ricky Ray was intercepted in the dying seconds, it was game over and the crowd erupted. The games MVP was the crowd, that included Prime Minister Steven Harper, who sat beside CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and Rough Rider great, Russ Jackson. In fact, one of the highlights of the night was when our TSN cameraa caught a fan walking by the PM and the commish to shake hands with Jackson. It was not a slight to our country leader or the leagues top man, but a show of respect for history of football in Ottawa. And speaking of the telecast, I owe the football fans in Ottawa an apology for mistakenly saying that the five Grey Cup teams in the 60s and 70s were all coached by Frank Clair. My intention was to say that all the Cup teams in the 60s were coached by Clair. Jack Gotta was the coach from 1970-1973 and George Brancato was the coach when the Rough Riders beat Saskatchewan to win in 1976. The telecast wasnt perfect and neither was the night - apparently, some of the concessions ran out of beer and the traffic was a bit tricky, which, of course, was pointed out by some sportswriters...I swear some people would complain that their ice cream is too cold. I recently went to a George Strait concert in Dallas at AT&T Field, one of the most elaborate and state-of-the-art stadiums in the world and it had traffic issues, as well. In fact, it was so jammed up, I ended up tailgating in the parking lot for almost two hours after the event waiting for it to clear. On Friday night, the small issue were just that - small - and didnt, in any way, take away from the success of the event. It was a look at what is possible, even in Ontario ,when it comes to CFL football. The capacity of TD Place Stadium is 24,000, which just may be the perfect number and a blueprint for a possible stadium in Toronto. Our country has great football fans, but just not the volume to consistently fill a 40-to-50,000-seat stadium and at 24,000 in the stands, owners are making money. For those who would say that, if the NFL were in Toronto, they would sell out the old SkyDome, I would remind those people that the NFL regular season games played in Toronto were not sell-outs and not even close. In fact, sources have said that upwards of 20,000 tickets to the games in the Buffalo Bills series were freebies, handed to people on the street. No, 25-30,000-seat stadiums are the perfect size for CFL football, professional soccer and summer concerts and, for proof of that, look no further than Friday night in Ottawa. It can work in Toronto, as well, with a stadium at a realistic capacity and one built for football and soccer, specifically. It worked in Montreal, it is working in a big way in Winnipeg and, after Game One in Ottawa, it looks like it will be a huge hit there, as well. The answer may be BMO Field, which seems to still be part of the plan for the Argos. On our TSN set in Ottawa, Commissioner Mark Cohon had this to say when asked what it would take to replicate the Ottawa plan in Toronto: "The answer is a smaller stadium like BMO," said Cohon. "We know that they have a four-year deal left with Rogers Centre. Were talking to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, were talking to the city of Toronto and were working to see if we can move [the Argos] into BMO Field and replicate what we have [in Ottawa.]" The blueprint for the correct business model has now been created and now all that is needed in Toronto is for David Braley, or whomever buys the Argos, to start building the fourth pillar in that community. Congratulations again to the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and, on behalf of the football fans in our country, thank you. At the end of the night in Ottawa, the scoreboard read Redblacks 18 - Argonauts 17, but the true winners were the fans and the community in our nations capital. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. Damian Lillard Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Cj-Mccollum-Blazers-Jersey/ . - Mike Zimmer has brought a demanding style to the Minnesota Vikings.IRVING, Texas - For all the drama Dez Bryant created on and off the field early in his career, the Dallas receiver has never really had a public spat with a high-profile rival.Tony Romos top target isnt going to start with Richard Sherman, the talented Seattle cornerback whos been known to call out opposing receivers in pointed ways.I feel like at times he says what he feels and thats what he believes, said Bryant, who will try to match his second-longest touchdown streak at five games when the Cowboys (4-1) visit the Seahawks on Sunday. Theres really nothing wrong with what hes doing. He has issues with other players that are a conflict, but thats not here. We have respect.Days after dismissing Washingtons Pierre Garcon as a receiver who doesnt matter, Sherman had entirely different words for Bryant, one of the leagues most productive receivers since the Cowboys drafted him in 2010.The timing might have had a little to do with it because Bryant had just made one of the best catches of his career a€” a leaping, juggling 37-yarder on third down to set up the winning field goal in a 20-17 overtime victory against Houston.He made a fantastic play for them last week, which is indicative of what he can do when the ball is in the air, Sherman said. Hes definitely physical throughout the route.The Cowboys bring a surprising record and NFL rusher leader DeMarco Murray to Seattle (3-1), and the matchup of Murray against the leagues top rushing defence is certainly a talker. But Sherman against Bryant is probably the most intriguing one-on-one battle in the game.Its unlikely that Dallas will follow the lead of other teams and simply stay away from Sherman. The Cowboys have generally been better when theyve found ways to get the ball to Bryant, whose 44 scoring catches through 64 games are more than twice what Drrew Pearson had and 15 more than Michael Irvin at the same point in the careers of those No. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey. 88s for Dallas.They have really good players all across their defence, so I think if you got into that game with these guys you wouldnt really snap the ball, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. Theyre awfully good. Just put the tape on. But we have to do what we do.Even if Sherman took aim at Bryant the way he did with San Franciscos Michael Crabtree, its unlikely he would get much of a response from Bryant. While the fifth-year receiver had a petty sideline moment as recently as last season when he went to the locker room before the clock expired in a loss to Green Bay, he usually dances away from headline-grabbing sound bites.He wouldnt oblige reporters Thursday when asked if he considered himself the best, and after Garrett playfully pushed him away from the conversation, he came back for one more answer a€” and a politically correct one at that.But Bryant isnt naive enough to believe all the niceties will extend into the game.Im pretty sure hes going to say something to me, said Bryant, who said he chatted with Sherman and exchanged phone numbers at an event during the off-season. Im pretty sure Im going to say something to him. But at the end of the day, when its all said and done, were going to congratulate one another and talk and take pictures and get back on the plane and go our separate ways.NOTES: LB Bruce Carter is out for a second straight game because of a strained quadriceps, but LB Rolando McClain (groin) practiced Friday. Hes listed as questionable, but owner Jerry Jones said on his radio show that he anticipated McClain playing.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler ' ' '