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Bombers' board may come to see shakeup needed

By: Gordon Sinclair Jr.

14/11/2009 7:38 AM | Comments: 21

'I know damn well I'll be back. I'm not going anywhere' -- Bomber coach Mike Kelly

I'VE got a bulletin for the Mouth of Maroons Road.

The Bomber board

Ken Hildahl (chairman), Brock Bulbuck, Gene Dunn, Eugene Kostyra, Debbie Metcalfe, Chrys Pappas, Joe Poplawski, Bruce Robinson, Paul Robson, Jeff Thompson, Bill Watchorn
 

Your future with the Bomb­ers isn't in the bag. Although, from what I hear, it could be if some members of the board of directors can arrange to put you in one.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, much the way Lyle Bauer did when he assured the media this week that the first-year Bomber head coach will be returning for Season Two of his three-year contract.

First, I need to answer the phone.

* * *

It's shortly after 8 a.m. Friday and the Free Press switchboard has put an angry man through to the city desk.

He wants to talk to someone in the sports department.

Nobody's in yet, so he gets me. As it turns out it didn't matter to the guy, because, in these parts, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are bigger than a sports story.

They're part of our collective community brand and our cul­ture. These days it's a bruised brand that looks more black and blue than Blue and Gold.

Which is why the guy is so angry.

It's actually not the Bomber team he's angry with, though.

It's the people who direct the operations of the CFL team, namely president and CEO Lyle Bauer, the 11-member board of directors and, oh yes, head coach Mike Kelly.

"I'm really disgusted," the cranky caller begins.

He's hardly alone.

It was bad enough the Bomb­ers didn't make the playoffs, but what's even worse is how and why they flopped, beginning with the rookie coach bringing in a rookie quarterback without a league veteran as a backup and mentor.

You know, the way the Ham­ilton Tiger-Cats did with Kevin Glenn, the quarterback Kelly didn't want on his team. And then there's the way Kelly, the team's leader, routinely reacted to being questioned, by open­ing his all-too-often aggressive, rude, arrogant, dismissive and controlling BIG mouth. That behaviour is based on the old the-best-defence-is-a good­offence routine, a strategy evoked, ironically, by a team whose best offence was too often its defence. This from a coach whose specialty was sup­posed to be offence.

But the team's performance on the field this season isn't what the guy on the phone is concerned with right now. It's the people who run the organ­ization and created the chaos that was the 2009 season that he wants held accountable.

As I was saying, he's not alone.

Where he may be in more of the minority, though, is who he lays the most blame on: the Bomber board of directors.

He feels they aren't exercising their responsibility, which, in the angry caller's mind, is to fire both Bauer and his buddy­hire hire Kelly.

Of course that would mean the Bombers, who fired Doug Berry last year with time on his contract, would also be paying a second head coach not to coach.

And maybe a CEO not to man­age.

Consider this quote when you're thinking about Bauer's role in all of this.

"There were some things that happened on and off the field in this organization this year that do not necessarily mesh with the culture of this organiza­tion."

That was Bauer talking.

Not this year, but last year when he was explaining part of the reason for firing Berry.

Bauer was referring to the way Berry treated his players.

But what about Kelly's dis­graceful treatment of the fans and anyone else he felt like verbally bashing?

That, to my mind, isn't repre­sentative of the Bomber culture I grew up admiring.

There have been crusty, outspoken Bomber coaches before who didn't get along with the media. But I can't remem­ber the fans being demeaned on radio, and certainly not the broadcasters.

As I was suggesting at the out­set, I'm told by someone close to the board that there is a camp within it that believes Kelly has to go. There's also another camp that doesn't, and probably some who will listen to both sides before casting their vote.

But you need to understand the board's role. It can't fire the coach. At least not directly.

That's Lyle Bauer's respon­sibility.

What it can do is fire Bauer, who is the board's hire, and let the next president and CEO make the coaching change.

That's not necessarily what's going to happen, of course.

Lyle Bauer still has to present the board with his full analysis of the lost season -- what went right, what went wrong and how he's going to make it better.

But if Bauer doesn't change his mind about Kelly, the camp that didn't like the coach's perform­ance might be willing to go looking for a new CEO.

Whatever happens, you can be assured the board has heard the fans.

They can't help hearing them. And the board is concerned about the team's future, as it should be.

David Asper's proposal to take over the team is at least two years away.

They can't wait to do what's best for the franchise and its fans.

What will make their delib­erations all the more difficult when they sit down together some time after the Grey Cup is the cost of keeping a classless coach versus the cost of cutting their losses and paying two head coaches not to coach.

There are some who say they can't afford to do that.

I say they can't afford not to.

Now it's just a question of how many board members feel the same way.

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca

 

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21 Commentscomment icon

donminimo, you might want to lay off the coffee for a bit.

Here’s a peak at the truth about the Winnipeg Free Press and other media, courtesy of River City Sports Blog. Enjoy this small break from being brainwashed.

“It's been a fun week in Winnipeg, made even more fun by Winnipeg drivers who need a little NASCAR fix and the local mainstream media who just can't stop taking out all their frustrations on the only person who has the guts to call them what they are — belligerent, obnoxious, childish, ignorant and thin-skinned.

1) Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly made them all crazy again, just by saying he'll be back next season. They whined and moaned and cried and b****ed. Even the ones who have never, ever interviewed Kelly, screamed for his firing.

Then the hypocrisy of the local media mob reached comical levels.

Remember when the Bombers got to 7-9 and suddenly the local media made Manny Matzakis the darling of the masses. According to the tall foreheads with the cameras and microphones, Kelly had nothing to do with the team's resurgence and it was all Matzakis.

Then, after the Bombers were drilled in the final two games of the season, Matzakis suddenly got a pass. The lousy offence wasn't his fault, it was Kelly's. Nowhere in the local media was Matzakis even mentioned as a culprit.

The smartest thing anyone in Winnipeg can do is this: Don't believe a thing you read in a newspaper. They're just making it up.”

You may now return to your regularily scheduled mob mentality.

Well, Hell has frozen over, Gordon Sinclair and I finally agree!!! He is the first to print about Bauer's hypocrtical comments from last year, about "things that do not mesh with the culture of the organization"...Kelly has done more harm then ALL before him combined. All this spin about we are headed in the right direction...OMG...this under qualified meglomanaiac was hired to fix the offense, that is what the CFL is all about...now the metrics he is being measured on have changed...how convenient. We have private ownership already...an old boys club of not what you know but who you know, they have been accountable to no one since the beginning of time. Until their names were published, they were as mysterious as "the Skulls" organization, which pretty much they are. Get some guts, stand up to Bauer, who by the way has gotten rich of this 'community' owned club, $300K plus yearly for 10 events per year, money not well spent.We have paid him over 3 MILLION Dollars since the start of his rule. If you like this club the way is now..then I pity all of your legacies...I was a huge fan, but Kelly and Bauer sucked the life out this year..my spirit will not return, until they are gone. Get some guts board..the people have spoken.

Gordon, there you go, giving us hope again.

They need to fire Kelly immediately. He is a DISGRACE and a CANCER as long as he is associated with the Bombers. His conduct has been unacceptable since he arrived.

Obviously Bauer is not willing to acknowledge that he made a huge error by hiring Kelly.....for this reason Bauer, YOU ARE FIRED!!!!!!!!!

I will never go near the Stadium or even watch a Bomer game on TV or listen to a game on the radio as long as these [edited] are associated with the team.

As a 50 year fan and a 13 year season ticket holder I am outraged. When does baseball saeson start?

Hey Commander....get a clue. There is NO community ownership and NEVER has been. The Bombers are a taxpayer funded toy for local businessmen and always has been. I've gone to games for 30+ years and have NEVER received a dividend cheque or a form in the mail asking me how they sould run their business. I've never been invited to a sharholders meeting....So WHAT "community ownership" exactly ARE you talking about??? Why is Winnipeg so stupid and why do they continue to harp on this community ownership garbage. The team has finally got something right and IS heading in the right direction. Good things take time and it's time to let things take their course...By his time next year all the naysayers will be silent and sitting at home waiting for the next opportunity to comlain about something.

Felix you hit the nail right. Some community owned clubs are run well. Too bad not ours. At one time this club was doing ok. We are so unlucky as the conspiracy continues. I am always proud of WBB and our great players. We lost some good players, coaching and management staff and now the WBB are in this position. Look at the recent quotes by Bryant and Franklin. They are treated well by their HC, Staff and Players in Calgary. We got good value from that trade. We lost far too many great players this year.

Does anyone know what David Asper thinks of this season and of the current admin and coaching staff? Perhaps ut would be wise to leave things as they are until new ownership takes over. As for Mike Kelly, put a governor on him or a 10 second delay as was done to Grapes. Mike should check his ego before having anything to do with the media.
Now, Doug Berry was perhaps a better technical coach, but to watch his angry reaction on the sidelines to a player who missed a play was disgusting. Do things like that in private, not in open view of the fans. That's why Berry was let go. Kelly has never been seen to reprimand a player on the sidelines. Good management.
Kelly is a loyal coach and in spite of his many blunders of the mouth, he should be given another chance.

People may write to say right is wrong. The fact of the truth remains in the eyes of many fans. A good article by Gordon Sinclair. This is one of the best articles I have read in the recent past. For those who are wrong coverups are not possible when there is a decent watch dog. You will hear a loud bark very soon.

Great column Gordon, lets hope that the BoD take note and save this community owned team from financial disaster

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