10 WEEKEND THINGS

AN UP AND DOWN WEEK

1 – CHOO CHOO: For the sizeable world of junior hockey, the light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be a train. In last week’s column we mentioned it had been a positive week in terms of announcements from the leagues regarding – or hinting at –  a Return To Play. Then BOOM, the government dropped the hammer this week that there will be no hockey until the end of March at the earliest. 24 hours later the Sask Gov’t offered $4-million in stimulus money. If there ever was a good news/bad news scenario, that’s it. It really feels like small consolation but at least Premier Scott Moe is trying to do something.

2 – APPALLING: The reaction to the WHL and SJHL teams receiving government funding in some corners was jaw-dropping and distasteful. In a lot of ways it added up to “Old Man Yells At Clouds”, but also included a lot of “I don’t want my taxes going to hockey teams“. Again, whomever came up with the slogan We’re All In This Together was either on something or is incredibly naive. By the way, projections from trusted news sources say we’re only about halfway through this thing. There’s next-to-zero empathy in this world right now, and it’s disgusting. Sask Junior teams are already not playing despite the fact their American counter-parts are, and now you want them to go out of business too? Get stuffed.

3 – CFL: There is seismic activity in the Canadian Football League at the moment. A precious few are documenting the historic moves but bravo to TSN’s Farhan Lalji for unearthing a $145,000 paycut by Blue Bombers star Adam Bighill, and 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk for reporting star Roughrider Charleston Hughes may take his talents elsewhere due to a whopping salary drop presented to him by the Green & White. Insiders feel Hughes should be inline with Willie Jefferson’s $205,000 post-paycut wage since his stats are as good or better, but Charleston’s being offered farrrrrrr less than that. There is considerable unrest amongst the players these days, and you will be hearing of more big names walking the plank.

4 – CFL II: The silver lining in this is that things are looking up in terms of a season in 2021. The General Managers are doing what they have to in order to make the numbers work, and fans are taking the announcements of “restructured deals” as a positive sign. The term “restructured” is the 2020s version of the popular 1990s phrase “paycuts” in the cash-strapped CFL. An agent told me this week “There will be some form of a season, just not sure what it’ll all look like at this point.” So what’s that mean?

5 – GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS: As we’ve been saying for months, the CFL is going to have to find a way to get their costs down and new ways to generate income if they plan to hit the field this year. The league-wide five- and six-figure paycuts are going to trim millions off the salary cap so that’s a start. I’m personally waiting to hear a plan from the League on how they intend to take to the field with limited crowds – or none at all – because that’s the scenario they’ll be faced with. But the news releases have achieved their goal; media and fans in the major markets have admitted to me they’re not following the CFL that closely due to the NHL’s return but feel the announcements are encouraging. Myself, I need more convincing.

6 – RAMBO AND MOONER: Huge, huge news in the broadcasting world as our long-time friends Dave Randorf and Cam Moon achieved lifetime goals. Randorf was named TV Voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning and told us on The RP Show that he finally gets to be the voice of a team (a role he’s long coveted). Meanwhile after 22 years as Voice of the Red Deer Rebels, Moon’s been called back to his hometown to be radio Voice of the Edmonton Oilers. This is fantastic news for soooo many reasons but the biggest one is that it gives hope to young, Western Canadian broadcasters who continue to chase their dreams despite an uncertain, changing sports media climate. Dave and Cam paid their dues and after decades, it paid off. It proves to the youngsters in this part of the world that they can achieve the same thing with the right combination of hard work, good fortune and never giving up.

7 – GAME+: Which brings me to this week’s announcement that The RP Show is going to two hours live daily on the Game+ TV Network on February 1 across 10 provinces and 31 states. With the daily replay at 4:00 pm on Game+, that’s four hours of our show on national TV on a daily basis. For two years I’ve been writing in this space and repeating on air that I’m no longer pursuing a play-by-play position, but few accepted it. Now, with this week’s news, perhaps people are finally understanding why. Media pundits – those who truly get it – have recognized that this is the perfectly-suited, ideal role for me at this point in my life and career. My family is very happy, which makes me happy. We’re also going down a road that’s never been gone down before, and it’s tingling excitement on a daily basis. There are infinite directions we can go, and we’ve been able to pivot on a dime. I jump out of bed every morning and race into work with the excitement I had when I was 18.

I’m not interested in repping a team or station brand on a full-time basis anymore. This business isn’t what it used to be. The brand is our show, and that’s where all my energies are focused. Hopefully it’s evident how much fun we’re having! It’s paying off and we have more big announcements scheduled for the next 2-3 weeks. Stay tuned.

8 – NFL DIV PLAYOFFS: The games this weekend are Los Angeles Rams/Green Pay Packers, Baltimore Ravens/Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns/Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers/New Orleans Saints. My picks are PACKERS, BILLS, CHIEFS AND BUCS. It’s working out nicely that as soon as the NFL Playoffs are over, we’ll settle nicely into NHL TV coverage for the rest of winter and into spring.

9 – PHRASES I NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN: “Herd Immunity”, “Jump on a Zoom call”, “Social Distancing”, “We’re In This Together”, “Insurgence”, “Insurrection”, “CERB”, “Unprecedented” and “Pandemic”. Can you think of more?

10 – RANDOMS TO END: The series Yellowstone on Amazon Prime is the first one where I turn my phone off and put away during its duration. I don’t want to – and can’t – miss a single second. I just wish Kevin Costner would talk in his normal voice. For those who haven’t seen, it’s a mix of family drama, cowboy life, racial tension, big business, and Montana. What’s not to like? … Do yourself a favour and check out the movie Promising Young Woman at Landmark Cinemas this weekend. The two-hour film is a classified in the Thriller category and if I could describe it best, it’s a female version of Russell Crowe’s 2020 flick Unhinged. Star Carey Mulligan goes on a spree to seek revenge for a childhood friend who was sexually assaulted by a group of college students, and tossed aside. TWO THUMBS UP! … If you feel guilty being cooped up inside and watching NFL and NHL endlessly, go purchase a stationary bike from Flaman Fitness. Voila. … Tom Brady has proven once and for all that it’s the people that make a corporation successful, not the other way around. And that’s why I’m cheering for him. … Now I see why goaltenders spend more time on their knees than a carpet-layer. After wearing the regulation 12-inch pads myself, you feel naked from the waist down. Your inclination is to drop to cover more space but unfortunately it leaves the top corners open. However as one goalie coach told me, “I think depth of shooter in relation to goalie still makes a difference.” … Sorry to get all technical. … A football cliche I never liked: “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season”. No it’s not! Not if you’re the better team. There were instances where the Roughriders beat the Calgary Stampeders four times in a season, and vice versa. Pundits are using this phrase as a reason by Tampa Bay may upset New Orleans. …. One of my favourite lines from Yellowstone so far – “It’s hard to measure ‘almost’, because almost never happened.” … I started this blog on March 19, 2006 for one reason and one reason only: to get things off my chest. Almost 15 years later, it’s still serving its purpose. Thanks for stopping by!

Y’er welcome.
RP
@rodpedersen

(Photo: Curtis Mullen)