10 THINGS I THINK I THINK

1 – NASHVILLE: Wow. We’re down here in Music City USA with 60 SportsCage listeners on the Vision Travel/SportsCage Ultimate Sports Trip VIII and it .. has .. been .. AMAZING!! Of all our sports tours over the years (Phoenix, Dallas, Tampa, Miami, LA, San Diego, Anaheim), this one is right at the top. We’ve got diehard members of the Chain Gang from Regina, Saskatoon, Assiniboia, Odessa, Goodeve, Plenty, Fort Qu’Appelle, Kipling, Wynyard, P.A. and many more Saskatchewan locales. And it’s far from over!

2 – TENNESSEE: This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, but it has definitely been the best. A few things have struck me in the past week: 1) All the men look like either Tim McGraw, or Hacksaw Jim Duggan. 2) I still feel that if you’re not a cowboy, you shouldn’t wear a cowboy hat. 3) They know their football here. They know the /=S=/ logo and they know all about Tennessee football names Corey Chamblin and Kent Austin. They’ve asked about them. That’s staggering to me. 4) The only disappointing thing is they don’t really promote the country greats anymore. Now it’s all about Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Dierks Bentley. No wonder George Strait wrote a song called, “Kicked Out Of Country”. It’s disturbing.

3 – #SMASHVILLE: Heaven only knows why 20 years ago they thought the NHL would work in this football-mad state but it has, in spades. The city is filling up with Predators alumni because once the players retire, they don’t want to leave. What’s the biggest reason hockey is working in Tennessee? THE PREDATORS ARE WINNING! That’s something the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers haven’t figured out yet, while the Lightning, Stars and Ducks have. Maybe it’s not fair that sports fans will only support a winner these days, but that’s the way it is.

4 – PRO WRESTLERS AND FOOTBALL: WWF legend Jeff Jarrett will raise the 12th man flag at Thursday’s Tennessee Titans-Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. This on the heels of wrestling legends Ric Flair and Brett “The Hitman” Hart rallying the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders, respectively, last month. Where did this fad come from? I DON’T KNOW BUT I LOVE IT! And the Saskatchewan Roughriders have their own wrestling connection with global superstar Brock Lesnar making his home in Maryfield, SK. Here’s hoping we see The Universal Champion at Mosaic Stadium next season!

5 – SPORTSCAGE LIVE: As has become the custom, we’ll be doing 620 CKRM’s SportsCage live from the Ultimate Sports Trip. This week we are broadcasting live from Losers Bar & Grill at 4:00 pm CT. Tuesday’s guests were Predators alum Dan Keczmer and Jim McKenzie. Wednesday’s guests are Predators broadcaster Terry Crisp and Country Thunder boss Troy Volhoffer. Tuesday’s show included a cameo by the New Orleans Saints cheerleaders. You can’t plan this stuff. Check out my Instagram.

6 – ONE QUESTION: Usually on this trip I collect at least 10 questions about the Roughriders from the Chain Gang and try to answer them on the show. However this year, there’s only one question: Who’s going to be the QB in Saskatchewan in 2019? The listeners seem shocked that I don’t know, but that’s the truth. Do you think the Roughriders actually know as we sit here in the first week of December? That’s why I set up the following …

7 – THE TIERS: We came up with these rankings of CFL QBs on Friday’s SportsCage and it got a lot of play. Remember that my rankings are NOT based on talent and availability, but rather age, resume and health coming out of the 2018 CFL season. Here they are: 1) Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly 2) Trevor Harris, Matt Nichols, Jeremiah Masoli, Kevin Glenn, Travis Lulay, Jonathon Jennings 3) Brandon Bridge, James Franklin, Zach Collaros, Antonio Pipkin, Chris Streveler, Johnny Manziel. Please discuss.

8 – NHL IN SEATTLE: From what we hear of the NHL adopting Seattle as its 32nd team this week, it’s a very heartwarming story. It seems the NHL has wanted Seattle at least as long – or longer – than Seattle actually wanted to be in the NHL. So … what took so long? I can’t see any negatives. There’s a geographic rivalry with Vancouver, it’s a beautiful, booming city and they know hockey there (i.e. NOT the sunbelt). My only fear – as a junior hockey guy – is what’s going to happen to the WHL’s Thunderbirds and Silvertips? Is there room for them all in that town?

9 – GO PATS GO: Pats fans were literally crying to see stars Jake Leschyshyn and Nick Henry dealt to Lethbridge last week, but they know this is how it goes. Plus Regina got an avalanche of players and picks in exchange so it’s actually a win/win. And, Jake and Nick get to compete for a WHL title AGAIN. Don’t cry for them. Some fans fear we won’t see another team like the 2016-17 Pats in our lifetime but I disagree. With John Paddock in charge, the Queen City Kids are in great hands. We are so lucky to have him.


10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I’m serious. I can’t believe how many guys look like Hillbilly Jim here in Tennessee. … Thanks to Sportsnet for including a shotclock on their NHL telecasts. It’s a huge bonus. … We are a little over a week into the CFL off-season but it feels like it’s been months since we saw the Riders play. … The Saskatchewan Rush host the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday night at 7:30 in a preseason, Christmas clash. The last time they met in this scenario, they cleared the benches and brawled all night. What spirit! … We awoke to snow on cars and rooftops in Nashville overnight. They get the white stuff here, but it doesn’t usually dip below 0 C. … This has been a great trip. Thanks Vision Travel!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen