10 THINGS FOR CAPITAL AUTO MALL
1 – CAN’T MAKE THIS UP: It did a heart good to watch Winnipeg revel in its first Grey Cup Parade since the Mulroney administration last week. But don’t blame the rest of us for belly-laughing at the fact Bomber fans complained about A) The time of the parade (midday on a Tuesday), B) Having to pay to attend the party with the team ($25), and C) The cost of the parade ($10,000 according to the cheap Mayor). Very Winnipeggish! But congrats again guys.
2 – STREVELER: QB Chris Streveler (pictured) has gone down in Bomber lore with his parade garb, which he’s admitted was a woman’s fur coat, belonging to a friend. He’s also gone on record saying he has no interest in testing free agency, and wants to remain a Blue Bomber for the foreseeable future. It’s a terrible bargaining ploy, but you have to admire his honesty. There’s a reason they say honesty is the best policy.
3 – ZACH ATTACK: It was mentioned to me that Zach Collaros didn’t attend the Bombers parade, but who would know? All eyes were on Streveler and that would suit Zach just fine. The guy went 4-0 as a starting QB in Winnipeg and his time there is now likely done. What a story. Next stop, Toronto. Again.
4 – RIDER PRIDE: With the Bomber drought out of the way, the Roughriders are now on the clock as the team facing the pressure as Grey Cup hosts in 2020. However that will not faze GM Jeremy O’Day nor head coach Craig Dickenson. Their expectation is to win a title regardless, and they are on track to do so. Depending on how free agency shakes down, there’s no reason to expect anyone but Saskatchewan to be the favourites heading into next season. Not to worry with these guys running the show.
5 – DAMON: Hall of Fame QB Damon Allen has let it be known he wants to return to the CFL as an offensive coordinator, and Saskatchewan is a place which would suit him fine. Damon always wanted to play for the Green & White, but the stars never aligned. A change at the Rider O.C. position wouldn’t surprise me, but it’ll be interesting to see if Coach Craig feels Damon has enough experience for the job. Only he knows.
6 – PRIORITY FREE AGENTS: Here are my top 5 for the Riders: Cam Judge, Shaq Evans, Dariusz Bladek, Nick Marshall and Solomon Elimimian. Why? Centre Dan Clark doesn’t want to play anywhere else, Derrick Moncrief is headed to the NFL, Naaman Roosevelt and Marcus Thigpen are aged but ripe for a discount, the club has already signed Loucheiz Purifoy, Makana Henry and Charleston Hughes, and the most-important players on the team are Canadians and offensive linemen. Frankly, they’re all important.
7 – COACHING CAROUSEL: CFL observers are perturbed by an apparent injustice within the coaching fraternity. Rick Campbell was able to quit in Ottawa and quickly resurface in BC, while no one batted an eye. Yet coordinators Jaime Elizondo, Paul Lapolice and Phillip Lolley have all been blocked from switching teams by their employers over the past couple years. Why even have rules if they’re not enforced nor apply to everyone?
8 – #METOO: Most of my thoughts on what’s going on in the hockey world have been aired on The RP Show but suffice it to say, it’s scary. There are some coaches who are deservedly looking over their shoulders, and are waiting for the next shoe to drop. Meanwhile there are plenty of good people on pins and needles too, waiting to hear from a jilted ex-player who has an axe to grind. Meanwhile there’s a positive movement going around Facebook right now where players are thanking their former coaches and explaining they understand now what their coach was trying to do back then. Hockey needs to band together now, not fall apart.
9 – FEEL THE RUSH: The Saskatchewan Rush are 1-0 following an opening night 9-8 victory at Colorado on Friday. The Rush have won 8 straight versus the Mammoth, ignoring last year’s playoff semifinal game, which Colorado won in an overtime heartbreaker. Next up for the Rush is their home-opener, the Holiday Special, against the New England Black Wolves on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Sasktel Centre. A sellout is expected. Last season Saskatchewan once again led the NLL in attendance with an average of 13,459. Still, it’s shocking how many Saskies have yet to take in a game. Now’s your chance!
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I’m now a season ticket holder of the Saskatchewan Rush, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Regina Pats. The biggest reason? So people can’t say I get in for free, and I can still scorn others for not going. Either way, I made it a priority. … Congrats to WHL referee Steve Papp for receiving the WHL Milestone Award. He’s been in the Dub for 16 seasons and reffed 6 Finals and 10 Conference Finals. … Without refs, we couldn’t have games. … Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher – formerly of the Ottawa RedBlacks – leads the NFL in missed field goals with 9. … The biggest trade at the SJHL deadline was Battlefords acquiring Ben Hiltz from the Red Wings. The Weyburn product had appeared in 197 career games with his hometown team but is now going from worst-to-first. … It’s wonderful being an Ambassador for the SJHL and it was a treat to call Hiltz’s first game with the North Stars Tuesday night in Notre Dame. I got into this business to be a broadcaster, with no strings attached. We are back to that now and it’s a boatload of fun!
Happy Holidays,
RP
@rodpedersen
#3 My theory has been that Zach was a rent-a-player. What did it cost Bombers? Their head coach?
“It is what it is.” My all-time least favorite phrase and the philosophy of too many people in hockey including coaches, parents, fans and players. You can’t improve the game with that philosophy. “You can’t get an ought from an is.” And hockey isn’t what it ought to be…yet.
Rod, I don’t think Shepley is a FA. I would sign Blake instead. I also think Nick Marshall should be a bigger priority than Sol, but both would be nice to have back.
If Streveler gets some interest from suitors in free agency, things change quickly. Momey talks. It’s well known Zach wants to play in yhe East where family is. Pinball left the door open so a move to TO is hardly shocking.
Roger – you are a troll. Go somewhere else.
Where to even begin here. 1) Collaros was at the Grey Cup parade. He was quoted in news articles and you can see him on one of the trucks. His presence was low key though, almost oddly so. Like the polar opposite of Streveler. 2) I didn’t hear anyone complaining about the ticket prices for the Friday night party, but anyone who didn’t want to pay that had the option of going for free to another party on Saturday. 3) I didn’t hear anyone complaining about the cost of the parade. Can you point me to where you heard about… Read more »
Collarros most definitely did attend the Bombers parade. He wasn’t in the back of the truck with the other QBs, but he was certainly there.
Good on the Winnipeg Football Club, back to their winning ways, congratulations. Winnipeg now counting 11 CFL Grey Cup Championship titles to their team history while the Sk continue to struggle with 15 WOW losses in the CFL GC game with only 4 titles (13 title colluded result) to their very long drawn out team history. Something very wrong with Sk organizationa team structure. Too many cooks in the kitchen so to say, overhaul it.
How many cups the Riders lost is pretty old news. In the last 15 years have been in 4 and won 2. Better than the odds. The ‘too many cooks’ thing makes no sense. In fact those ‘cooks’ have made the team the richest in the league with the highest per capita … EVERYTHING! In fact if it were not a community owned club it would not be here. (also happy for the Bombers … they have cooks too)