10 THINGS I THINK I THINK

1 – BROOKE’S A BEAST: All I can say is, WOW! The CP Womens Open in Regina blew this city off its hinges and was another big-time sporting event that added to Regina’s reputation as a major player on the Canadian sports scene. I expected a golf tournament, but not the Super Bowl! I’m not the biggest golfer (only playing with my wife, because I suck so bad) but will be following the LPGA a lot more closely now. It’s the world’s oldest, most successful, and most recognized professional womens sports association.

And with all these costly sporting events out of the way, maybe people can start spending their money on PIZZA!

2 – HISTORY: TSN’s Bob Weeks says Brooke Henderson’s win is one of the greatest moments in Canadian golf history, and perhaps even all of Canadian sports. There’s no argument here BUT it’s not the greatest moment in Regina sports history. That title still belongs to the 2013 Grey Cup and likely always will. It was the biggest game in Saskatchewan Roughriders franchise history and was 103 years in the making. It may never be topped. Meanwhile I was pleased to be able to meet Bob Weeks since I’m a long-time fan of his work. Unfortunately, I didn’t ask for a pic.

3 – GET EXCITED: The Roughriders are finding their groove as they look for their third straight win Sunday in the Labour Day Classic. No one can remember when the Riders and Blue Bombers went into the LDC being tied in the standings! While the two teams appear to be headed in opposite directions, no one said this will be an easy game. The Riders are favoured by 3-points in what should be an absolute slobber-knocker.

4 – WHERE’S THE LOVE?: A guy said to me on Monday that there hasn’t been much buzz about the Riders on Facebook since Saturday’s 24-21 win at BC. Of course there isn’t! If people don’t have something mean to say on social media, they don’t seem to say anything at all. If you’re on board with the Riders and are starting to BEL13VE, let people know about it!

5 – DURON: A lot of things have been said about Duron Carter since his release by the Riders two weeks ago – some true and a lot false – but one thing really sticks in my craw: When people say Duron’s dumb. Anybody who says that has never met the man. The younger Carter has faults (who doesn’t?) but he is highly, highly intelligent. His latest opportunity with the Toronto Argonauts could turn out to be a match made in heaven. For Duron’s sake, I hope it is.

Meantime someone said with the release of Duron Carter, the Riders lost their last marketable star. I disagree, and feel that Zach Collaros could end up being exponentially more marketable than D.C. ever was here.

6 – TOP CFL CITIES: A road trip to Vancouver always inspires us to list our top CFL road cities to visit. After much deliberation on the team bus, I came up with: 1) Vancouver 2) Montreal 3) Ottawa 4) Edmonton 5) Winnipeg 6) Calgary 7) Toronto 8) Hamilton. Halifax will be a game-changer.

7 – BC: How the mighty have fallen. The Lions struggle to attract 20,000 to BC Place, a place where I can remember 55,000 fans showing up for Lions-Roughriders regular season games in the mid-2000’s! “That’ll never happen again,” said one long-time Vancouver sportswriter. Not with an attitude like that, it won’t! Construction experts tell me BC Place would cost $2-billion to construct now, and it seems Vancouver sports fans don’t appreciate what they have.

8 – SMASH: I need an “Idiot String” for my Iphone. I’m blowing tons of dough on screens and phone protectors because I’m always dropping the darn thing. Can someone please invent a bungee cord that loops around your wrist and connects to your phone? Sort of like the idiot strings my Mom sewed into my coat and attached to my mitts back in the day.

9 – GO PATS GO: The Regina Pats staged their annual Blue & White intrasquad game Monday night in the Brandt Centre. It was typical of such preseason encounters. The veterans skated circles around the rookies and filled the scoresheet but more than that, it was wonderful to be back in the hockey arena. The stench of sweat and the fumes of the Zamboni warmed my heart when I strolled through the doors. The Pats are home to the WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos Friday night in their preseason opener.

10 – FOOTBALL: The Regina Thunder are 1-1 on the young PFC season and visit the Edmonton Huskies this Sunday at 1:00 pm … Meanwhile the U of Regina Rams open the 2018 U-Sports season Friday night at Mosaic Stadium against the U of Calgary Dinos.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen