10 THINGS FOR FAMOSO PIZZERIA
1 – EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING: It’s finally here. The Eagles, Vince Gill, the Memorial Cup, Roughriders training camp, the NLL Finals … it’s all hitting at once. Is Saskatchewan ready for it? It’s all coming, ready for not.
2 – MUST WIN: We’re dusting off a phrase we haven’t used here since football season. The Regina Pats are already facing a must-win scenario when they open the 2018 Memorial Cup at home against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday night. The Queen City Kids CANNOT afford to get behind the 8-ball early in this tournament. That’s what happened in the 2001 Memorial Cup in the Agridome and they were forced to “chase” the rest of the week. It’s a “must-win” on Friday.
3 – THE ODDS: An oft-asked question lately is, “What are the Pats’ chances of winning the Memorial Cup?” I’d say 1-in-4, or 25%. If there’s an official betting line somewhere, I can’t find it. Swift Current, Acadie-Bathurst and Hamilton are all riding momentum coming into Regina but the Pats obviously can’t rely on that. The Blueshirts have been off since April 2 and one of the phrases I’ve heard from Pats staff is: “Rest is our weapon”. They’re good enough to compete for the championship in a short tournament such as this so they’ve got as good of a chance as the other three teams. Mainly, because they’re in it.
4 – IN THE PADDOCK: Pats Coach/GM John Paddock refuses to tip his hand over who will start in goal on Friday: his 17-year old nephew Max Paddock, or 19-year old Ryan Kubic. Paddock didn’t play in Round 1 versus Swift Current – we can only assume he was injured – but he represents the Pats’ best chance to win next week. Will the stage be too big for him? We’re about to find out but the Brandon product certainly seems to have the appropriate demeanour. He definitely has the tools.
5 – SAVE A HORSE: Clearly I want the Pats to win the Memorial Cup, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if the Swift Current Broncos are skating around with the trophy on May 27. They’ve earned it so far, and they aren’t taking their eye off the prize. “The job’s not done,” one Broncos scout told me this week. How ironic that the WHL championship is so hard to win, yet no one is ever satisfied with it. That’s why they say the Memorial Cup is the toughest trophy to win in sports.
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6 – TAKE IT EASY: We’ll be in attendance on Thursday when the Eagles – featuring Vince Gill – entertain Mosaic Stadium. Vince was quick to point out in a surprising interview on Monday’s SportsCage that he is not the “frontman” for the Eagles on this tour. He’s simply singing a few of their hits, while Glenn Frey’s son Deacon will sing his fair share of the band’s hits too. It should be a fantastic show! Hopefully the weather cooperates.
7 – GET YOUR TICKETS: I had no trouble buying extra tickets for Friday’s and Saturday’s Memorial Cup games and there are still scores of seats left for the Eagles show. What gives? I expected an automatic sellout of the hockey tournament, at the very least. Many listeners complained about high ticket prices when we asked them on Tuesday’s radio show. Several said, “They’re charging NHL prices for junior hockey!” Stop it. I think the pricing was set very reasonably.
8 – DOUBLE-BOOKED: The Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Edmonton Eskimos in CFL preseason play on Sunday, May 27. That’s the same day as the Memorial Cup championship game in the Brandt Centre. As far as Saskatchewan’s Sports Radio 620 CKRM goes, we’ll air the Rider broadcast on the AM band while the Memorial Cup final will be carried on 104.9 The Wolf. Easy peezy.
9 – THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN: Tongues were wagging at CKRM Radio on Tuesday when Rider QB Zach Collaros came in to voice some commercials. “He looks so young,” many of my co-workers marvelled while others were surprised by the size of his arms. Welcome to the fishbowl Zach. Your every move is being examined six ways from Sunday.
10 – DARIAN: The way Darian Durant pulled one over on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – accepting a $70,000 bonus and then retiring – will be talked about for years. I don’t think I could’ve done it, (although maybe I would have, who knows?), but as most everyone has pointed out, he didn’t do anything illegal. What shocked me is how pissy it made the Winnipeg media. I get why the Bombers and their fans would be upset, but why on earth would Winnipeg reporters be so upset? Weird.
Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen
