10 WEEKEND THINGS

TAKING SHOTS …

1 – RIDER PRIDE: The Saskatchewan Roughriders answered the question ‘What’s wrong with the Riders?’ with an emphatic 20-17 win over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Saturday. The answer: Absolutely nothing. Sure the game went down to the final moments and Saskatchewan was required to recover a Calgary onside kick attempt which would’ve given the Stamps a chance to tie the game, but the Riders snuffed it out. In fact, new signing WR Duke Williams recovered the short kick which underscored the importance of his signing two weeks ago. In his Sask debut, the former Buffalo Bill had three receptions for 48 yards. Winning in Calgary is never easy so the Riders should feel good about themselves.

2 – MORE: Funny what a win will do. That victory improved the Riders’ record to 6-4 and now they’re alone in second place in the CFL West with four games to go. With BC fading and Edmonton flat, they’ve got a real good chance to clinch homefield in the Western Semifinal. The seasons are long and there are plenty of ups and downs along the way. But the Green & White came out after the bye and while they weren’t perfect, they got the job done. They’ve got nothing to answer for.

3 – YARDSTICKS: Rider Leaders – QB Cody Fajardo (21/26, 222 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), REC Kyran Moore (6 receptions, 64 yards), RB William Powell (9 carries, 43 yards). Stampeders Leaders – QB Bo Levi Mitchell (21/31, 311, 1 TD, 3 INTs), WR Markeith Ambles (4 receptions, 73 yards), RB Ka’Deem Carey (15 carries, 62 yards). Each team registered four sacks. Their penalty totals were low too (Sask 50 yards, Calgary 15 yards).

4 – BABS: The highlight of my week was interviewing UofS Huskies mens hockey coach Mike Babcock on Friday at the lavish new Merlish Belsher Place in Saskatoon. It was an incredibly revealing chat, I felt, and afterwards Babs gave it the “thumbs up”. To recap, the Saskatoon product is having a ball coaching in his hometown at a pretty high level of hockey. “The pace is unbelievable,” the former head coach of the Maple Leafs, Red Wings & Mighty Ducks said. Regarding his stint as an analyst on NHL On NBC last year, Babcock said he enjoyed it but a media career isn’t for him. With money never being a concern again for Mike, I got the distinct impression that he’s not yearning to get back on an NHL bench again. At age 58, he’s enjoying the family time and can do whatever he wants with the rest of his life. The only thing that would get him back in the NHL, I feel, would be ego and Babs has a healthy one. Perhaps he’ll be the next head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. Either way, it was great to see Babcock again and since he rarely does interviews, I was grateful he gave us the time.

5 – #WEAREALLHUSKIES: The Huskies are one sports organization which rang my phone after reading last weekend’s 10 Things column where I discussed the plight of Canadian sports. They extended the offer to bring the Rod Pedersen Show to the UofS campus so how could I say no? We got a tour of the jaw-dropping new Merlish Belsher Place and took in a handful of games. The pandemic did not kill Canadian university sports but it took quite a bite out of it. The Huskies are well-positioned for a roaring comeback and have the perfect person in place – Chief Athletics Officer Shannon Chinn – to lead it. She said Babcock, football coach Scott Flory and women’s hockey coach Steve Kook jumped at the chance to come on the show so I can’t thank them all enough. They’re all watching our show everyday here and were incredibly welcoming.

6 – RAMS/HUSKIES: I never checked my weather app to see what the conditions were for Saturday’s Canada West football game at Griffiths Stadium because my hands were frozen but it was unpleasant. The game was great though, as Regina led for most of the first half before Mason Nyhus and the Huskies took over in the second, eventually winning 28-17 to improve to 3-1. The Rams fell to 1-3. A couple of years ago I mounted the campaign to nickname these such battles the “Wheat Bowl”, but it never took off. I still call it that, but I’m the only one. Maybe one day.

7 – HERE WE GO AGAIN: Cougar hockey fans in Regina were excited to see Mike Babcock and the Huskies visit the Cooperators Arena in Regina Saturday night but the game was postponed due to positive Covid tests on the Cougar mens team. I was standing with UofR President Dr. Jeff Keshen on the sidelines at Griffiths Stadium when he got a text notifying him of the news. What a shame! By the way I found President Keshen to be a pretty cool, funny dude. Fun times ahead at the UofR I predict! 

8 – NHL NOTES: It was an incredibly busy Saturday full of CFL football and USPORTS action but it was fun to read up on it Sunday morning. Fans are overreacting across the continent with the plight of the teams – Leafs fans are rightfully distraught – but the NHL world seems to be straightening out. The Sabres lost, Cole Sillinger scored his first goal, the Flames are on a win streak, the Habs won, Alex Ovechkin is scoring every game, the Florida Panthers are off to their best start in franchise history (5-0), and the Jets have won back-to-back games. Can’t wait to get back to Florida to focus on our NHL coverage from FLA Live Arena! However the plan is to broadcast the show from a couple other NHL markets before then.

9 – IT DOESN’T MATTER: One thing became very clear this week, and it came while interviewing Huskie football coach Scott Flory: statistics and history largely don’t matter. I’d mentioned in the interview that Saturday’s Wheat Bowl was only the 11th time in history that the Rams & Huskies met while being nationally-ranked in the Top 10 (the UofS held a 7-3 advantage all-time). Flory screwed his face up and said, “I had no idea”. It reminded me that stuff is great for game notes and pregame shows but means absolutely NOTHING when it comes to game preparation for a guy like Scott Flory. By the way, he wouldn’t say if he has CFL aspirations but he’s absolutely loving running his own show in Saskatoon and living in his home province. I’d say the offers will come if he continues to have success.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: I’m stunned at the furor which was created by me securing not one, but two signed Bo Levi Mitchell jerseys for that corporate speaking event I had in Calgary this week. I suppose that just because I want the feud to be over doesn’t mean it will be. But as far as I’m concerned, it is. Thanks to those who got me the jerseys! … It was a monumental moment for us for Calgary’s #1 sports bar – Shark Club Deerfoot Meadows – to put our RP Show logo on their ad promoting Saturday’s Stamps/Riders game. The times, they are a’changing. … The Regina Pats visit the Saskatoon Blades Sunday at 4:00 pm at SaskTel Centre. Wish I could stay. The Pats have lost six in a row. … The 5-1 Dallas Cowboys have a bye in Week 7. It’s a good day to take my eye off the NFL ball. … The Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is next-to-God. … I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd at the Cougars/Huskies womens hockey game Saturday night. And the hockey was great! … Time to hit the road again. Have a great Sunday!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen