Entertaining to the end

Ritchie was a great quote and a caring coach to his players

In a reality show such as The Apprentice, the words "you're fired" have become an entertaining phrase, but in the thin vein of reality called sports there is nothing entertaining when someone is fired.

Dave Ritchie had his job terminated as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday after a crushing 49-27 loss to the Calgary Stampeders the night before, replaced on an interim basis by assistant Jim Daley.

The Bombers, now 2-5, had been in a free-fall for several weeks, if not years. It had been known that a loss to the Stamps, who entered the game with a 1-5 record and had problems of their own, would cost Ritchie his job.

His players knew the gravity of the situation, but failed to respond to the challenge, so the Ritchie era ended 5 1/2 years after it began with a record of 52-44-1-1. Ritchie's highlight in Winnipeg included a Grey Cup appearance in 2001, an amazing resurrection of a football team left in disarray by his predecessor, the mercurial Jeff Reinebold.

Ritchie is a good guy who had a strange relationship with the media, chastising reporters for, in his opinion, a lack of football knowledge. In his office, he had a sign that read: "If I ever needed a brain transplant I'd like to get one from a sports reporter because then I'll know it's never been used."

But it was really just an act. Underneath his gruff exterior, Ritchie is a warm and fuzzy guy.

Ritchie provided entertaining copy the day before games, challenging the opposition, his players and just about anything or anyone that interested him. Prior to what would be his last game, he talked about how glad he was that Calgary planned to implement a running game after Winnipeg had been torched defending the pass in its previous game. In another comment, he made fun of his kicker's long hair.

Behind the scenes, he loved his players, curiously taking a special interest in the ones with questionable character and personality. A devout Christian, Ritchie privately helped many of these players, never seeking recognition. His wife of many years, Sharon, became almost a surrogate den mother.

Ritchie kept some of those players beyond their shelf life because he loved them like sons. In the end, that might have contributed to his downfall.

The decline of Winnipeg's on-field product coincided with the rise of its business operations and, in particular, president and chief executive officer Lyle Bauer. He re-joined the team in 2000 after a five-year absence and the former Blue Bombers offensive lineman, who later became the team's assistant general manager, whittled the club's deficit from $5.3 million to fewer than $500,000.

It was no secret that Bauer and Ritchie had a relationship that became increasingly rocky over the years. Bauer refused to give Ritchie a contract extension this year -- he was in the final year of a three-year deal --setting the stage for the head coach to improve the team's performance or lose his job. Bauer also reduced Ritchie's duties.

At age 65, you have to wonder if Ritchie's head coaching career is over. With a push towards youth when it comes to most professional head coaching jobs these days, Ritchie may be considered old school or, quite simply, old.

Then again, he's a career coach and he might love an opportunity to get right back into it.

From a journalistic perspective, he'll be missed. He was anything but dull and, more than anything else, a good guy.

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