Jul
Calgary: Lewis nursing sore hip
Courtesy Calgary Herald:
It’s a long season, so Nik Lewis is taking no early chances with his body.
The tough-as-nails Calgary Stampeders slotback sat out practice on Wednesday to rest a troublesome hip, and was wearing an electronic device at his side to help the joint get back to game health in time for Friday’s game with the Toronto Argonauts.
“We play a physical game and sometimes we just get banged up a little bit,” shrugged Lewis. “And sometimes I just need a day to recuperate. And that’s what today was. A day to be able to be prepared to play the best I can on Friday.
“Nothing hurts right now. I’m standing still. I have a lot of little things going on, but nothing major. It’s just something you have to get through.”
Still on the injury front, Stamps coach and GM John Hufnagel said both receiver Titus Ryan (ankle) and defensive end Juwan Simpson (arm) are doubtful for Friday’s game, while defensive end Justin Phillips (hip) is a definite scratch.
Lewis, by the way, is appreciative that Stampeder fans aren’t panicking over the 0-2 start by the team.
“I’m pretty good with the fans; they’ve definitely been encouraging,” he said. “Starting out 0-and-2, I definitely expected to see a lot more stuff, but they’ve been positive, and it’s great to know that people just don’t jump off the bandwagon when things aren’t going great.”
Lazeo to play
Barring another unexpected injury, centre Rob Lazeo will be back in the lineup Friday after sitting out last Friday’s game in Winnipeg with an out-of-nowhere elbow injury.
To the best of his knowledge, he suffered the injury during a Tuesday practice, although he doesn’t know how, specifically. The elbow (he won’t say which one) stiffened up on him on the way home that afternoon, and he left practice early the next morning because he couldn’t bend the elbow.
“It just locked up on me,” he said. “It feels pretty good now, but it was just something weird; I’ve never had anything like it and it’s hard to explain.”
So, how did he get the elbow back in playing shape?
“Lots of cheeseburgers and Diet Coke,” replied Lazeo. “Well, who am I kidding? Regular Coke. The usual stuff that (Stamps director of medical services) Pat Clayton gives me. He’s a miracle worker. From six days ago having it locked up and not being able to move it at all to being back at practice this week is amazing. So all the props go to Patty Clayton. He might be old, but he knows what he’s doing.”
While the injury was frustrating, it was even worse having to watch the loss at home on his television.
“I haven’t missed a game in so long and it felt like I was letting my brothers down,” he said. “And there’s nothing you can do. It’s tough to play and watch your team lose. But sitting at home? Man, that’s a tough one to take.”
Stands out
Tuesday’s mini-scandal in Hamilton, where a man claiming to be a scout for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (the team has denied the man was acting officially on their behalf) was thrown out of Ivor Wynne Stadium and had notebook pages confiscated by the Ticats, garnered more than a few chuckles at McMahon Stadium.
And while Hufnagel said it’s never really been an issue in Calgary during his time with the team, it’s an issue he’s aware of.
“I’m always scouting the people in the stands and seeing if there are any unusual things,” said Hufnagel. “If I did, I would have one of my equipment managers go up and ask that individual. Usually it’s a harmless thing and I don’t really believe it’s a big issue.”
