10 WEEKEND THINGS

TAKING SHOTS ..

1 – SASK SUMMER: It almost feels like all is well here in the Rectangle. The Roughriders are back playing, the lakes, golf courses and camp sites are busy, and two out-of-the-way sports are coming back to life as well; auto racing and pro basketball. One is a long-running Saskatchewan sports staple while the other is trying to get a foothold in the market. Read on …

2 – FEAR THE FANG: The Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Saskatchewan Rattlers were proud to be the first sport in the province to play before live fans and they did it twice this week. In fact the Rattlers hosted a pair of games at Saskatoon’s Sasktel Centre this week – both losses – but the relief on the faces of everyone in the building was evident. If you’d like to take in some pro basketball and feel what live sports is again, check out the Rattlers’ website here for ticket information and a schedule. Two years removed from winning the whole league, the Rattlers are a league-worst 0-8 and have already undergone a coaching change. Watching the social media backlash from Saskatoon basketball fans is a little amusing, only because a year ago they wouldn’t have cared about the team’s record as long as they were playing! I could care less about the record at the moment. It was just nice to be in the building, and accept the invite from team President & CEO Brad Kraft.

3 – DOLLARS & SENSE: Once you get bitten by the sports business bug, you can’t “unsee” it. I’ve been scratching my head for months how the 7-team CEBL can afford to play in 2021. They’re crisscrossing the country by jet with teams in Fraser Valley, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Guelph, Hamilton, Niagara and Ottawa, presumably paying, feeding and housing the players, plus paying staff, officials, broadcasters, etc! Don’t forget the daily testing (quite expensive) of all these players and staff, so the tab has to be running into the tens of millions. All I can think is that the league’s sole owner Richard Petko must simply have a deep love for basketball and limitless money. Good for him!

4 – START YOUR ENGINES: It wasn’t a sellout at Estevan Motor Speedway Saturday night, but it was close. The dirt track hosted a few thousand spectators for the second racing weekend of their schedule. Drivers from all over the prairies competed in six classes and it was a fun, loud weekend. I’m a racing newbie but I’m told had the border been open, there would’ve been drivers from all across the northern States. So we’re not back to normal, yet. Incidentally you can watch the races on SaskTel Max TV.

5 – RIDERS: The Roughriders opened their doors to fans for Saturday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium and it was a thrill to see the fans’ reaction on social media. I don’t think there’s a team in the CFL whose fans get such a charge out of watching PRACTICE. Perhaps the return of the CFL seems a little more real now since we’re not just going off media reports? Still, I can’t wait until we have some actual games to dissect. Training camp has gotten monotonous fast!

6 – CONFUSING: Everything, seemingly, is moving in the right direction in sports in Canada. Saturday’s Toronto FC game at BMO Field in Toronto was played before a few thousand socially-distanced fans. That should bode well for the Argonauts shouldn’t it? Or do CFL teams need a guaranteed number in the stands before they play at all? However we’ve had Covid postponements in MLB and pre-Olympic basketball games in Las Vegas so maybe we’re no further ahead at all. That’s the confusing part. The Riders having to pull linebacker Deon Lacey off the field this week and place him in “Covid protocol” was worrisome.

7 – HOCKEY: The Fastest Game On Earth truly doesn’t take a break. This weekend NHL teams are unveiling their protected lists for the Seattle expansion draft and the biggest news is the Montreal Canadiens leaving star goalie Carey Price unprotected. It was a whopping scoop when it came down on Saturday night, but shouldn’t have been. If the Kraken take Price at his $10.5-million price tag and 33 years, it’ll upset their entire salary structure. I wouldn’t THINK you’d want a goalie that old and that expensive to build your team around however Marc-Andre Fleury was that age when the Golden Knights selected him in 2017. So this will give us MORE to talk about leading up to the expansion draft on July 21.

8 – WAKE ME UP WHEN: Over the past few years it’s dawned on me how hockey truly is #1 in this country – by a wide margin – and a good measure of Canadians can’t get enough of debating NHL salaries, contracts, and love kicking around phrases such as “term”, “bridge” and “A.A.V.”. If you’ve been reading this blog for a long time, you’ll know that this is where hockey loses me. It’s fun for everybody else to debate, but I’d prefer to stick to the games. Hockey wasn’t this way in the 1980’s when I was growing up, and it was a lot better.

9 – FEAR THE DEER: How bout those Milwaukee Bucks? They are one win away from an NBA championship after a 123-119 surprise victory over the Suns in Phoenix Saturday night. I realize the NBA Playoffs barely rate with a lot of this blog’s readers however I do enjoy them come this time of year, plus we have plenty of RP Show viewers in both Wisconsin and Arizona so it’s been prudent to keep an eye on the series. Plus, these are two franchises whom have been perennial doormats so the buzz amongst their fanbases has been exhilarating!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I think the new Portland Winterhawks logo looks wayyyyy too much like the old Tri-City Americans logo! … What exactly does “champing at the bit” mean? … Why is TSN showing highlights of Team USA exhibition basketball games but is ignoring the CEBL like the plague? … It’s shameful that CEBL Commissioner Mike Morreale was turned down TWICE to be Commissioner of the CFL, and that Damon Allen couldn’t get an interview for a coaching position in the CFL but happily joined the staff of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. … Happy 16th birthday to Regina Pats wonder boy Connor Bedard. He can now drive a car! However he can’t legally consume alcohol, vote or get married. I’m certain he’d rather fill the net than do any of those things anyway. … Is it too early for CFL West predictions? I think so. The Riders should be as good as any but don’t forget they’re in the toughest division in pro football. … It’s fascinating to think about how the CFL – and sports in general – will look when we come out of this. The Leader Post’s Rob Vanstone said on Friday’s RP Show that “preseason games are overrated”. Would they consider scrapping them entirely in the years ahead? Would they drop one and go with a 19-game regular season? I could see it happening. … The WHL won’t have an interlocking schedule between their conferences this season, I’m told. They’ve been wanting to do that for years, and Covid has provided a convenient reason. … I still have dirt in my air from the Estevan race track Saturday night. Now THAT’S an experience! … Tip of the cap to outgoing Regina Pats C.O.O. Stacey Cattell. He mentioned that he hopes he’s left his mark on the franchise. I’d say so! I’m disappointed to not be able to work with him with God’s Team in the years ahead, but wish him all the best. He’s a smart, hard-working, talented guy. … Now off to take advantage of what’s left of this weekend. Enjoy!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen