10 Weekend Things

Truth & Rumours

1 – BC TAKES WESTERN SHOOTOUT: The Saskatchewan Roughriders put up a decent fight Saturday night but in the end, lost the battle for CFL West Division supremacy with a 35-20 loss to the Lions at BC Place before 30,803 (thanks for the attendance figure CFL Chatter & Curtis Mullen). There are scads of talking points coming out of the game – most of which I’ll save for Monday’s RP Show – but two things stuck out clearly for me in this one: 1) BC QB Vernon Adams Jr. is putting up video game numbers for the Lions this season and is a sheer treat to watch, and 2) The Riders win that game if Trevor Harris is their starting QB.

2 – WEEK 6 NOTES: The CFL is on pace for all-time lows in rushing yards, sacks and kick return TDs. Is this a fad or a trend? … The BC Lions are on pace to lead the CFL in attendance for the first time EVER! This stat has historically belonged to Edmonton, Sask or Winnipeg. Lions owner Amar Doman is proving that no situation is ever dead, but it takes elbow grease to make it work. … Don’t look now but the Ticats are 0-5 and as TSN’s Jim Barker stated on our show, head coach Scott Milanovich is in a “bad situation”. How did Hamilton owner Bob Young allow this to happen? … The Edmonton Elks could join the Ticats at 0-5 should they lose on Sunday at home to Ottawa. A lack of leadership at the top may be the reason Chris Jones has been allowed to get to Year 3 with the Elkimos despite perennial losing. … CFL great Eddie Steele blamed the leadership in Edmonton for the franchise’s failings and was promptly fired at 630 CHED. That’s the business now folks! Speak the truth, get fired. No thanks! Fortunately Eddie quickly found a home at Sportsnet and Sports 1440 AM. … Blaming short weeks for Montreal QB Cody Fajardo’s hamstring injury on Thursday night was a cheap shot at the CFL and low-hanging fruit. It was merely a coincidence.

3 – FANBASE RANKING: One thing I’ve truly loved from our RP Show football coverage (and from this website) is the chiming in from Canadian football fans league-wide. Due to the inexplicable decline in CFL media coverage across the country, fans have found what they’re looking for here. THANK YOU! … Having observed it for a bit, here’s my ranking of the most rabid fanbases in Canada (a mix of current and historic) — Saskatchewan, Hamilton, Winnipeg, BC, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa. … The fans are out there. Millions of em. But they need to feel valued.

4 – TRUMP: My stomach turned on Saturday afternoon while watching the assassination attempt on U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Why? I’ll keep those reasons to myself. During Covid I learned that it can be fatal for a sports commentator to make his political leanings known. Losing followers is akin to losing business and any business owner will tell you that’s not good. If you’ve been following me for a long time, you already know which way I go. If you’re a new follower, you can try to guess. But if you cheered that event, I hope you seek professional help because there’s something wrong with you. Interestingly, my Immigration lawyer in Florida said I can thank President Joe Biden for approving my application because “he’s letting everybody in.”

5 – HALL OF FAME: The Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is a hockey Hall which still runs as a meritocracy. Inductees go in on merit and that includes the 2024 class which we inducted Friday night in Swift Current (photo above): Patrick Marleau, Cory Sarich, Travis Moen, Brad Meier, Tim Tisdale, Jack Norris, the 1995 Team Sask and 2016, 2017 & 2019 Kyle Elks senior team. It’s the most prestigious hockey event in Saskatchewan yearly and my deepest “thank you” to the Saskatchewan Hockey Association for inviting me to be part of it. Executive Director Kelly McClintock has done an outstanding job for a long time! And by the way, the Hockey Hall of Fame is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Stop in and see it if you’re driving through Swifty this summer! It’s on the second floor of the InnovationPlex, home of the Broncos.

In Sask we produce the best beef, grain, and hockey players. What else is there?

6 – THE BUZZ: If I had a nickel for every time some guy’s come up and shook my hand in S.C. or M.J. this summer and said, “We hate the f*cken Pats!” … Guys – I’ve had nothing to do with the team for years! Some people just can’t turn the page, and that’s human nature. That’s why a fresh start in Florida has been so seamless. A blank canvas. … One hockey big name said Friday night, “GM Jason Ripplinger has singlehandedly changed the culture in Moose Jaw.” No argument here! It’s 100% positive in the Band City. … Former Saskatoon Blades owner and Sask Hockey Hall of Fame founder Jack Brodsky discussed the Blades’ inability to win a WHL championship during a chat. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it’s really hard to win.” At least now we know it wasn’t Jack’s fault!!! They sold the team years ago, but the Blades still can’t get over the hump. … Jack then put Tim Tisdale in a headlock and grimaced, “And no thanks to this guy!” (Tisdale, of course, scored the Memorial Cup winner in 1989 for Swift Current over Brodsky’s Blades in Sask Place). … What’s this I’m hearing? The Saskatoon new arena notion is dead? Talk to me. I still love Sask Place.

7 – NFL STORYLINES: In about a week NFL training camps will open and that’s all we’ll hear. Fine by me! In no particular order here are my top NFL stories: 1 – Aaron Rodgers return from Achilles injury, 2 – How will Dak Prescott fare in the final year of his deal in Dallas?, 3 – Will the Dolphins take the next step?, 4 – Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, and 5 – The Steelers new QB room. … It’s going to be a wild ride and the plan is to be broadcasting from the Super Bowl again, this time in New Orleans!

8 – WCBL: Again, not sure why business is booming in the Western Canadian Baseball League this summer but we’ll take it! Ballparks across Alberta & Saskatchewan are packed as the teams plow into the final third of the season with some great races at the top of the divisions, and the playoff cutoff lines. There was a lot of buzz about the league at the hockey dinner Friday night! This Saturday is the All Star Game & Homerun Derby in Okotoks, AB and we’ll be there broadcasting live. The Moose Jaw Millers All Stars are OF Nate Mensik (Pleasant Dale, Nebraska), 1B Austin Gurney (Campbell River, BC), 3B Thomas Soto (Round Rock, TX), 2B Nathan Houston (Melville, SK), P Matt Vasquez (San Antonio, TX) and P Takao Cookson (Regina, SK). Come on out to Seaman Stadium and say hi! As expected, this summer has been SO much fun.

9 – HOCKEY TALK: Missing hockey? Think of something else. Everyone needs a break. But it’ll be exciting to get back on the Panthers & Lightning trail this fall, and I’m grateful to have been added to the South Florida Tribune’s NHL coverage for the upcoming season! Full circle. My first paying media job was as a columnist with the Weyburn Review in 1988 while in high school.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: There’s one in every crowd. … Don’t judge a book by its cover. … But everyone does anyway. … These days, don’t try to sit on news. It’s gonna get broken, and then you’ll be mad. … I miss the Flintstones. … Not sure what city’s name gets made fun of the most; Regina or Moose Jaw. … The pics & videos from Craven and Calgary Stampede don’t make me jealous. They make me exhausted. … The best ability is availability. … Look it up: Al Capone spent his later years in Florida & Moose Jaw. … So am I. … A teenager is being called a hero for safely stopping an empty runaway boat speeding in circles on New Hampshire’s largest lake. It happened Wednesday in Smith Cove on Lake Winnipesaukee. The boat’s operator, a sailing instructor, fell overboard and sent the boat into a spiral. Seventeen-year-old Brady Procon hopped on the back of his neighbor’s personal watercraft, pulled alongside the boat, jumped onto it and cut the engine. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen