10 Weekend Things

Truth & Rumours …

1 – WHERE’S THE BEEF?: Interesting times in the Wheat Province. Your friendly neighbourhood Saskatchewan Roughriders are 4-0 and atop the CFL’s West Division yet the headlines I see, and coffee row talk I overhear, is about the team drawing record-low crowds in the *new* stadium. Gas prices? Cost of beer? Thursday and Sunday night games? Pshaw. We all know what the reason is. I hear it every day and everywhere I go. That’s why they’re not coming. It’s not about winning anymore.

2 – A-MACE-ING: You wanna know the definition of a “mace”? It’s: “a clublike armor-breaking weapon of war, often with a spiked metal head, used chiefly in the Middle Ages.” What an appropriate metaphor, or surname, for rookie Roughriders head coach Corey Mace who is wayyyyyyyy ahead of schedule in Year 1. The Port Moody, BC product got buy-in right away, and has been able to entirely hand-off all the offensive responsibilities to the capable coordinator Marc Mueller, who’s been in the league since 2014 and was raised in the game. (And some nincompoops actually said Marc only got the job because his grandfather was Ron Lancaster! Fortunately we don’t listen to people like that). In the absence of QB1 Trevor Harris which could’ve spelled curtains for Sask, QB2 Shea Patterson was supported and aided by coaching and a ferocious defence in Thursday’s 30-23 home win over Toronto. How far can this go? But don’t forget – adversity is lurking around the bend.

3 – SPRINKLE OF JESUS: The popularity of Mace hasn’t quite hit the pitch of former Rider quarterback Cody Fajardo yet. Has Mace been on the front cover of the Leader Post scarfing down a Buffalo Days corndog? Does he need a seat reserved at Chris The King Church Parish on Garnet Street on Sundays due to the hysteria outside the front doors? LMK when he does.

4 – AROUND THE CFL: Fajardo threw for nearly 400 yards in Montreal’s 30-26 home win over Calgary on Saturday night before an eye-popping crowd at McGill. TSN’s Davis Sanchez huffed that the Grey Cup champs served notice with that win that they’re the CFL’s best team. … On Friday in Winnipeg, Chris “Strevy” Streveler rushed for more yards than he threw in the Bombers’ 25-16 win over Ottawa. Call off the meatwagon! The Bombers aren’t dead yet. And perhaps the 2-2 RedBlacks are who we thought they were. … Week 5 closes Sunday evening with BC (3-1) at Hamilton (0-4). … This, ladies and gents, is the first season in CFL history where three teams started 0-4 (Winnipeg, Hamilton & Edmonton). … Jim Popp and Marc Trestman rebuilt the 2017 Toronto Argonauts in nine months. Danny Maciocia and Jason Maas rebuilt the 2023 Montreal Alouettes in one year. Chris Jones has had four seasons to rebuild the Edmonton Elkimos and could’ve signed Cody Fajardo in free agency, but passed. Does the new owner change things up, or clean house?

MORE AROUND THE CFL: As God as my witness, I was simply trying to be positive by stating that the CFL going to Thursday-Sunday games in the summer is the best thing the League’s done in years. One game per night, over four nights, on prime time television. It works perfectly for me! However that comment triggered an avalanche of scorn, and real nasty comments, both publicly and privately. Can’t win! … It seems en vogue to bash the CFL yet I’ve made a career of going against the grain. It works better when you actually believe it and in this case, I do. … Crowds are up in BC, Calgary & Montreal. It looks like the fans are having a blast. Doesn’t that make you wanna be there? If you want to go, you’re going to go. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. It’s a mantra as old as time.

5 – NHL: I’ve seen the commentary from fans and some pundits that the NHL needs to take a break. They followed the Stanley Cup with the Hall of Fame announcement, the Draft, free agency, schedule release, Friday’s trade between Edmonton & Buffalo which saw Ryan McLeod and Matthew Savoie swap teams, and now the development camps. Canadian hockey fans just can’t get enough talk, buzz and analysis! … Meanwhile back home in Florida, Panthers and Lightning fans say they’re suffering from hockey withdrawal already and want more coverage, even in the summertime. They’ve started a countdown clock to the start of the 2024-25 regular season (89 days). So it’s like this – coverage needs to be like a garden hose; on at all times and you can take a sip whenever you’d like. Or chug-a-lug. But “going away” can be fatal.

6 – RAT PACK: Tip ‘o the cap to the Moose Jaw Warriors for inviting me to their popular annual Alumni Golf event this week. The energy in the room with the DUB champs at the Shrine Club was alllllll positive. And I came away with a notebook full of scoops. (If you want to score, go to the net. If you want hockey info, hang out with the hockey people. It ain’t hard). So that’s where I learned Regina Pats great Dale Derkatch is leaving the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets to become Assistant GM of the Pats. It’ll be announced shortly, and the move is getting applause from around the hockey world. The Rat belongs with the Pats, and his hockey acumen as both a coach and scout is unparalleled. A winner all the day! Bravo. … Want more scoops? Stay tuned.

7 – BATTER UP: Don’t look now but business in the Western Canadian Baseball League is booming. The summer minor league attracted 30,000+ fans over Canada Day and the only thing topping the July 1 attendance for the Moose Jaw Millers was Friday’s crowd which Packed The Park for a doubleheader against the Swift Current 57s. Good clean fun, a pure sport, great personalities and geographical rivalries. Win-win! … The expansion Saskatoon Berries are quite a story too; #1 in attendance in the WCBL East and it appears they’ll make the playoffs in Year 1 led-by star outfielder Carter Beck of the famous Beck clan of Lang, SK. … Hopefully the Berries & Millers meet in the postseason. The Millers have won eight in a row doncha know!

8 – GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK: These are tough times and mean people suck. Therefore I feel called to pass along these self-care tips that will have you feeling better by the end of the day! — Rediscover a hobby you once loved, spend an hour or two in nature, eat healthy, exercise a bit, spend time with a pet or playing music, offer help to a friend who’s struggling and/or smile at a stranger. Tell me how it goes!

9 – HISSSSSS: The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball league got off to the best start in franchise history but have now lost six in a row and sit last place in the West Division. What happened? Actually all their best players got hurt or signed elsewhere, but the club has added CEBL MVP Teddy “Buckets” Allen and they visit the Vancouver Bandits Sunday afternoon on Game+ TV. Check it out, and then perhaps we’ll see you Thursday at SaskTel Centre when the Rattlers host the rival Winnipeg Sea Bears.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: It’s not that people are dumb. They just don’t think. … In the 70s my Mom and Great Gramma made donuts in Milestone, SK and called those things “spud nuts”. Now they’re called Timbits. … Doubleheaders are grossssss. … There’s still time to check out Bad Boys: Ride Or Die at Landmark Cinemas this weekend. … WTF am I supposed to do with all these blue Walmart bags????? … My free cell phone upgrade only wound up costing me around $500! That’s okay. I’m in love with the IPhone 15, and nice new things cost money. … I had a dream that I was MC’ing a banquet for the BC Lions with guest speakers Jim Young and Mervyn Fernandez. A premonition? Perhaps. Or was it the Peach Cobbler Blizzard I had before bed? … Speaking of, I’ll see you Friday in Swift Current for the Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame induction banquet as we’ll induct Patrick Marleau, Cory Sarich, Travis Moen and others in the I-Plex. Can’t wait! … They accuse me of clickbaiting, then they click. … The British Army says three runaway horses have been captured after bolting through the streets of central London this week. The incident began when one horse was spooked by a bus and two others tossed their riders. The Army says one horse had minor injuries but didn’t require further treatment and neither soldier was injured. Two of the horses managed to make it all the way down to the River Thames about 1.5 miles from where they started. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen