10 WEEKEND THINGS

TAKING SHOTS … 

1 – Can’t decide if this latest round of CFL garble is more amusing or annoying. The “4 Down” talk has certainly generated a ton of reaction across Canada and amongst the football community in the USA. Hopefully you’re abreast of the situation because it’s too long of a tale to untangle here but suffice it to say Sportsnet’s Arash Madani reported on the RP Show this week that the CFL’s new digital/analytics partner Genius Sports is the ones behind the push to make the CFL a 4-down league. On Friday, that company issued a statement saying that report is incorrect. TSN’s Dave Naylor quoted a CFL source as saying the same thing. More …

2 – Don’t shoot the messenger. The fact is somebody’s behind it and the first mention of it came from Commissioner Randy Ambrosie at Grey Cup. (As far as I can tell anyway). Just like the ill-fated XFL talks, this “story” has got a whole lotta people worked up and they’ve said a whole lotta things they can’t take back. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this fairytale was cooked up in the league office to generate off-season interest but the CFL has never worked that way. Nor do they favour negative press. My intuition tells me a significant CFL stakeholder favours a move to 4-downs and the fact Ambrosie hasn’t issued a flatout denial supports my spider sense. The CFL is caught between upholding tradition and “Adapt Or Die”. At least everyone’s talking about it.

Even famed coach Marc Trestman joined the discussion on Saturday, Tweeting that he hopes the CFL sticks with three downs because it’s a beautifully-designed game. Trestman, by the way, won three Grey Cups in seven seasons as a CFL head coach. Beat that!

3 – Moving on. The Randy’s Road Trip initiative of the Commissioner travelling the country and addressing season ticket holders in each market has always been a great, laudable idea. I’m not going to criticize Ambrosie for not being overly “smooth” in these addresses because that’s just the way he is. He’s a typical Canadian offensive lineman; smart, not flashy, but real. My guess is Randy sweats buckets standing in these rooms full of people with a mic in his hand. (I still do, and I’ve been a professional speaker for over 30 years).

4 – My biggest problem with the Road Trip is that there’s been nary a mention of it on TSN’s Sportscentre shows and that’s a crime, as the league’s sole TV rightsholder. However there’s a great interview with Randy on the Stampeders website hosted by new Stamps TV & Flames TV host Natasha Staniszewski. (Great hire by CSEC by the way, but she has a tough act to follow in the incredibly popular Alanna Nolan). 

5 – Randy’s Road Trip should be more hallowed. As one sports person in Calgary said to me this week, “If Gary Bettman was in town, there’d be a motorcade and wall-to-wall coverage. As it is, I didn’t even know Ambrosie was in town till I watched your show.” It is what it is.

6 – It’s been fascinating to get a peek behind the curtain of the Calgary Stampeders over this 7-week stay at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino on Tsuut’ina Nation, just outside Calgary. It’s easy to see why the Red & White have been the CFL’s Cadillac franchise ever since John Hufnagel showed up in 2008. From the top down, they hate to lose more than they love to win which is the hallmark of a champion. In talking with Stamps coaches, players and staffers, I notice they lament the Grey Cups they’ve lost rather than boast about the ones they’ve won. It reminds me of spending time with NHL great Martin Brodeur. When I asked him about his three Stanley Cups, he kicked the snow outside a Saskatoon hotel and spat, “Yeah but I LOST TWO!”

My relationship with the Stampeders warmed up considerably several weeks ago when I raised my hand sand said, “I come in peace.” I plan to stay close to the CFL with coverage in the years ahead, because it’s awesome, and the Alberta teams have been really accommodating.

7 – The carousel of players in the NFL this week – a game of musical chairs if you will – makes me think the CFL deserves a pass when it comes to players switching teams every off-season. Just look at the old faces in new places down south: Russell Wilson/Denver, Devante Adams/Las Vegas, Khalil Mack/LA Chargers, Deshaun Watson/Cleveland, Amari Cooper/Cleveland, Jacoby Brissett/Cleveland, Mitch Trubisky/Pittsburgh, Carson Wentz/Washington, Alex Singleton/Denver, Baker Mayfield/???. Loyalty in sports is long gone folks, and you best not get too attached.

8 – To hockey. TSN’s NHL Trade Deadline show is shaping up to be a dud with all the big available names switching teams ahead of Monday’s deadline. Saturday’s deal which sent Claude Giroux from Philadelphia to Florida is perhaps the biggest yet. The Panthers paid mightily in giving up young star forward Owen Tippett (he’s amazing to watch live) and a first round pick. However Giroux’s the longest-serving captain in Flyers history (10 years) and he’s the type of player that could put the Panthers over the top. Regarding the trade deadline, the biggest fish is still out there; Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. But I won’t be watching TSN on Monday morning. Notifications on my phone will suffice.

9 – TSN’s Craig Button was correct on the RP Show this week when he said NHL fans make you want to pull your hair out. Criticism over Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record has been ridiculous. Some “fans” say Ovie just sits in that left face-off circle and cherry picks. Yes, like you can score 769 goals in the NHL easily! It’s hard to score ONE. (Meanwhile news came out this week that Ovechkin was advised not to change his Instagram profile pic of he and Vladimir Putin out of fear for his family’s safety).

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Yes, a radio station still exists which plays Garth Brooks and George Strait records on the regular. It’s Calgary’s Country 105, which is still the gold standard for Canadian country music stations. However the king of ’em all is KVET, “Austin’s Country Original” in Texas. … It’s ironic that Garth Brooks’ Friends In Low Places was named the #1 country song of all-time considering it’s nearly impossible to two-step to. … Had a wonderful phone conversation with SJHL career wins leader Dwight McMillan this week. “Mac” watches the RP Show religiously in Weyburn and had a question about one of our guests. I joked that I think of him daily when I see Calgary’s Dwight McLellan Trail and wondered when the Hospitality Capital will honour him in the same fashion. Dwight said he’s been told that’s on the City’s “To Do List”. We’re eager to meet up at the Centennial Cup in Estevan in May. … Last week I mentioned all the masks I’ve lost, and money burnt replacing them. Turns out I found them all buried in pockets and bunnyhug pouches while packing up to leave Calgary. Wanna buy a mask? … ESPN NFL writing/broadcasting icon John Clayton passed away this week, as announced by the Pro Football Writers Association. “The Professor” was ahead of his time, broadcasting from his home studio in Seattle for many, many years. Condolences to John’s family and friends. … A hockey transaction caught my eye this week. AJHL Drayton Valley Thunder defenceman Adam Oates has committed to the USPORTS Trinity Western Spartans. TWU coach Barret Kropf tells me the player is NO relation to the St. Louis Blues great, who bears the same name. … Tons of curling drama this week! Team Matt Dunstone announced they’re splitting up after four years while Team Colton Flasch said they’ll be back for another run at the Brier in 2023. Meanwhile Team Jennifer Jones and Team Brad Gushue both announced shakeups to their teams. … One Edmonton sports person said this week, “The RP Show is exploding in Alberta!” It was to hear, and a big reason why is Game+ TV is carried by Telus Optik TV, Alberta’s premier cable carrier. I love being on Game+. We account for 2/3 of the channel’s ratings and it’s like being on an expansion team. No one’s handed us a thing since we debuted on June 3, 2019 and the show’s success is very gratifying. … Everytime I see a toddler wearing headphones and entranced by a tablet screen, a voice in my head always says, “There’s another future client”. As a certified Recovery Coach in Mental Health & Addictions, opportunity is flourishing. With 1.5-million people in the Calgary area and 9.3-million in South Florida, it’s like a gold rush for a self-employed Mental Health professional like me! Plus we’ll be spending our time in Sask too.  … Onwards and upwards.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen