The euphoria that the Rider Nation is feeling in the wake of the football team's performance in 2008 has been silenced somewhat after one of the more horrible days for the organization in recent memory. It was bad enough to hear Matt Dominguez's football career is likely over after he suffered yet another major knee injury---his 3rd since becoming a Rider and it got worse upon hearing Ron Lancaster is about to fight a battle with lung cancer. Dominguez is one of the current greats and I don't have to tell you what Ronnie means to Rider fans. Both men have a battle in front of them. Dominguez will have to get used to life without playing the game that he has a tremendous amount of passion for. Not being able to do the day-to-day things that he loves will indeed be an internal battle. That doesn't even compare though to the situation facing Lancaster. He has been through this once before when he fought bladder cancer and I hope the 69 year old has enough in him to win this battle. I know your thoughts are with both men as they start a new chapter in their lives and I know you are behind both as well.

August 6 was indeed a dark day in Rider history and I don't know if a win against Calgary tomorrow can have people feeling better knowing that Dominguez and Lancaster aren't playing games with their future. I hope the team can go 7-0 but it will still leave a hollow feeling because of what is going on elsewhere.