10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking Shots …

1 – IT’S HERE: The Canadian Football League appears to have survived its biggest threat ever and after missing an entire season of football in 2020, will kickoff the 2021 campaign this week with four contests: THURS: Hamilton at Winnipeg, FRI: BC at Saskatchewan, SAT: Toronto at Calgary, Ottawa at Edmonton. It truly is miraculous that they’ve pulled this off, particularly when you recall some team executives said publicly their franchise would be bankrupt by last September. What changed? Who knows. Maybe it’ll make a good ESPN documentary one day.

2 – INJURY REPORTING: The CFL has a huge opportunity to step into the big leagues starting with Week 1. If they want to get into the betting windfall which the NFL enjoys, they’re going to need to start reporting injuries the same way. It’ll be interesting this week to watch the injury status of CFL stars like Bo Levi Mitchell, Andrew Harris and Nick Arbuckle, all of whom missed time over training camp. These reports will give us endless fodder to discuss on national television daily but if the same hokey, shady CFL practices of injury “reporting” continue, I’ll lose interest fast. This is a huge opportunity to work together (media, teams & league), and I hope they realize it.

3 – EVANDER KANE: In an appearance on ESPN Radio Toledo Sunday morning (where The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Channel 648 on Buckeye Cable), the first topic which came up is allegations against San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane by his ex-wife that he bet on Sharks games. As of Sunday morning Kane denied the accusations but his former wife was pretty clear that he bet on Sharks games, and won money. She went so far as to call out Commissioner Gary Bettman in her post. My take? Kane has a long reputation of character issues and if these allegations are proven true, he should be banned from the NHL for life. The hosts in Toledo suggested he simply be released by the Sharks, but that won’t go far enough.

4 – NHL: If you’re one of the ones who needs a break from NHL coverage, then August is your month. Most NHL insiders and league types have begged off for the month and headed to the cottage after a dizzying July which included the expansion draft, entry draft and the opening of free agency. News would’ve died down this weekend if it wasn’t for the agents for Jack Eichel and Evander Kane’s ex-wife. Personally I’m all for the 12-month news wheel but I also realize it’s not for everybodyl

5 – NFL: Pro leagues would love to focus on training camps and games and simply ignore the elephant in the room which is Covid but that’s still pretty much impossible to do. This morning on ESPN’s Sportscenter AM the big story is the Covid outbreak at Minnesota Vikings training camp and the fact QB Kirk Cousins has been deemed a close contact of a virus carrier. In Washington, their players are being scolded for having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the National Football League. I can’t believe we’re not over this! Where are the experts? TrUsT tHe ScIeNcE

6 – OKAY BLUE JAYS: Toronto is 2-0 in Rogers Centre and looking *fire* in their regular home. George Springer and Alek Manoah were the stars in Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Don’t look now but the Tampa Bay Rays have taken over the AL East lead and hold an 8-game lead over Toronto on August 1. Hands up for those who remember the Blue Jays being 20-25 games out by this time of year pretty much for a generation after 1993? It’s exciting to see Canada waking up to the Blue Jays! That includes me.

7 – BETS: Are you following what’s going on in the sports media business? It’s a status symbol to have a sports betting partner and ours at the RP Show is Come On Official. You can place your futures bets now for the 2021 Grey Cup and 2022 Super Bowl right here. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4.50) are the Grey Cup favourites at Come On while the Ottawa RedBlacks (15.00) face the longest odds. This week you can try betting on the games! We’ve got great sign up bonuses and Come On will match your first wagers.

8 – TRUTH & RUMOURS: Junior hockey is a long ways from most fans’ minds at the moment but that doesn’t mean moves aren’t being made. The word out of Weyburn is that former NHL’er Rich Pilon won’t be back as Head Coach & GM of the Red Wings in 2021-22 and Pilon’s assistant Cody Mapes will be taking over. … Meanwhile former Estevan Bruins broadcaster Rob “The Mouth of the South” Mahon has been named Voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, taking over from Trevor Redden. … If you’ve got anymore hot news tips, fire em at your boy. DMs are open.

9 – AT THE MOVIES: Landmark Cinemas across the Prairies are a proud partner of the RP Show and I’m proud to say the new facility at the Aurora Retail Centre was packed on Saturday. We went to TWO shows! (Summer movie releases are the best). The first was Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring Lebron James which gets one thumb up from the MMG. It was a little “kiddsie” although I was quick to remind myself that it is, in fact, a kids movie. However history will show Michael Jordan was the best Space Jam star. However two thumbs up go to Disney’s Jungle Cruise starring The Rock and Emily Blunt. Obviously I’m a huge fan of Dwayne Johnson and although this is a kids flick, it had plenty of adult humour, some surprisingly offensive dialogue from The Rock, and some heart-pounding intrigue. Go see em this long weekend!

By the way I can see why the CFL wouldn’t want to partner with a loser like The Rock. /sarcasm off

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Whatever happened to Paris Hilton? … And for that matter, Perez Hilton? … I like, but also don’t like, the fact you can see who’s creeping you on LinkedIn. Sometimes you’re better off not knowing that stuff. Thoughts? … Simon Cowell WAS a good-looking guy. … Absolutely no surprise the Roughriders home-opener is sold-out. I’m told the Labour Day Classic is nearing a sell-out as well. … Riders win total prediction this year: 8 … Fat Albert is a TV show title that would never fly in 2021. … What does “champing at the bit” mean? … Enjoy the long weekend and stay safe!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen