Chris Bauman was direct and to the point when describing his season with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“I’m very disappointed. I was hoping for a big year this year.”

Bauman, 25, a Brandon native, just wrapped up his third season with the Ti-Cats, who lost to the B.C. Lions in the CFL East semi-final Nov. 15 in an overtime thriller 34-27. After finishing dead last in the East Division last season with a CFL-worst 3-15 record, the Ti-Cats had a relatively successful season in 2009, finishg with a 9-9 record.

But for Bauman, the first overall pick in the 2007 CFL Canadian draft, it was his worst year statistically. The wide receiver had only 19 catches for 255 yards and no touchdowns.

The downward spiral for Bauman began in training camp. The Ti-Cats decided to move the 6-foot-4 Bauman from wide receiver to slotback this season to better take advantage of his physical tools. But Bauman found himself watching Dave Stala, a seven-year veteran who was signed as a free agent in April, take over Bauman’s position due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the pre-season.

“I got banged up a bit in training camp and he stepped in and I guess they felt more comfortable with him,” said Bauman. “So he took the spot that I was playing last year.”

Bauman’s contract stipulates there is a team option for a fourth year, which basically means the team decides whether it wants to bring him back or let him go as a free agent this off-season. Bauman says he expects to hear from the Ti-Cats after Christmas as to whether he’ll remain with the team or be set free.

“If they want to keep me, they’ll keep me, if not, then we’ll see what happens,” said Bauman. “If I had the numbers I wanted, it would’ve helped with negotiating and all that but I’m happy the team was winning. It sure made the season go by quicker and more enjoyable when you have something to play for after mid-season. It would’ve been nice to have the catches I wanted but that’s the way it goes.”

When asked what he thinks will happen with his future, Bauman says it’s difficult to say right now but one thing is for certain, he has to do what’s best for him – whether that means staying in the Steel City or moving on with his career.

“I love Hamilton. They’re the ones that gave me the opportunity to play football so I’ll always be loyal to them. But this is my career, so I have to do the best thing for me at this point in time. Whatever that is, it is and I’ll prepare and get excited for training camp next year.”

Playing for Marcel Bellefeuille

A big reason for the resurgence of the Tiger-Cats this season has been head coach Marcel Bellefeuille.

Bellefeuille was named the head coach in October of 2008 after originally joining the Ti-Cats as offensive co-ordinator in December of 2007 after running the Montreal Alouettes offence the previous season.

“He (Bellefeuille) never has anything bad to say,” said Bauman. “He’s always upbeat and positive. I know sometimes it gets annoying talking positive all the time but in the end it keeps the guy’s morale up. We’re never down on ourselves for longer than a couple of minutes because he’s always positive. That’s a huge difference. You can really tell on the sidelines.”

Bauman on knocking the Bombers out of the playoffs

The Ti-Cats defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the final week of the CFL regular season 39-17, and in the process knocked the Bombers out of contention for post-season play.

“I always love going back to Winnipeg to play,” said Bauman. “I like playing at that stadium and having my family there was great, too. It’s always fun when you know there’s people in the crowd cheering for you, even though it is Winnipeg. It was a really cool atmosphere and it was a good test for us going into the playoffs. It was good to knock them out, especially in their house. It was a great feeling.”