Author: The Maestro

CFL Beat: Week 14

The Maestro -
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School is back, and I'm still in denial about it. Unlike in the South, it's highly unusual to be teaching when the humidex hits 104 degrees... so the start of this school year has been especially unpleasant from a weather perspective. I sure hope some In league news this week: The

CFL Beat: Week 13

The Maestro -
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Hi folks! It's me! I'm finally back from my whirlwind European vacation, and let me tell you - the jet lag has been REAL. Perhaps it had to do with all the cheap Euro booze or the desire to keep avoiding the reality of getting back to the classroom for

No Exit: Your 2023 New England Patriots Season Preview

The Maestro -
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SCENE: A locker room in retro Foxboro Stadium style. A massive, oversized, but dinged up Lombardi Trophy stands alone in a dusty display case.   ROBERT KRAFT [enters, accompanied by the LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANT, and glances around him]: Hm! So here we are?  LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANT: Yes, Mr. Kraft.  KRAFT: And this is what

CFL Beat: Week 9

The Maestro -
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Some personal news: I am headed off on vacation to Europe for three weeks tomorrow with Lady Maestro! It's my longest and furthest trip ever - greatly looking forward to Paris, Normandy, Brussels, the Austrian Alps, and Munich. It also means that for the first time since the [Door Flies

CFL Beat: Week 8

The Maestro -
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We're officially through the first third of the CFL season, and since my complaint recently about the lack of parity in the league, we've had some steps to return to a bit more equilibrium. We've been fortunate to have some really good ball through these first seven weeks, even as

CFL Beat: Week 7

The Maestro -
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After today, I have just one more day of summer band camp left to direct. I'm so close to freedom, I can almost taste it. Lady Maestro is away camping having her bachelorette weekend, and I fully intend to catch every spare second of sports I can from the peace

CFL Beat: Week 6

The Maestro -
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Boy, we sure seem to have a lot of crappy teams at this point in the season. In a nine-team league, it feels like it shouldn't be a huge ask to see a bit more parity, but this year it feels like the league is more divided into haves and

CFL Beat: Week 5

The Maestro -
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It's been a stinking hot week thus far in eastern Canada, and I, for one, am lucky that I'm not the one who has to be practising in this intense heat and humidity. For a lot of Americans, particularly those who grew up in the South, a high of 34

CFL Beat: Week 4

The Maestro -
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School is finally out for me, and we're heading into a long weekend with a short ticket of CFL action this week. Just three games coming up on this weekend's calendar, but no shortage of drama to recap from a few days prior. Let's go! In league news this week: Calgary

CFL Beat: Week 3

The Maestro -
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As we sit here and discuss the beautiful game of Canadian football, I am so looking forward to the end of the school year. Just a few more days until these report cards are done and dusted once more, and I can enjoy my summer precisely how it was meant

CFL Beat: Week 2

The Maestro -
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I want to give you all some insider info on how the CFL Beat is made; I have a perfect workflow, honed from over seven years of doing these articles. At least, it was perfect, until PFF stats fucked me. Looks like live stats are totally down on CFL.ca, which

CFL Beat: Week 1

The Maestro -
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We've finally arrived at Week 1 of the regular season! Buckle up with a few Molsons and a bag of all-dressed chips and make yourself comfy for the summer and fall of 2023, folks. In league news this week: The CFL announced a partnership this week with Pro Football Focus to