10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – BANJO BLOWOUT: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are now 18-10 all-time against Saskatchewan in the Banjo Bowl after a 54-20 demolition of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. The Bombers’ 54 points were one point off a Banjo Bowl record. Many things have become crystal clear to me over the past week or two and chief among them is the fact the Bombers, at 12-1, are a better team than the last two Grey Cup winners who also happen to come from Winnipeg. Secondly, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are in a world of trouble.

2 – RIDER PRIDE: What’s also become very clear to me, after observing things from the outside for a spell, is that there a great many people who will defend the Green & White at all costs, regardless of the truth or reality. And that’s GREAT! That’s what the team wants. I used to be one of them, and sacrificed any and all credibility to that end (the good news is you can get it back). But defending the actions of Garrett Marino after potentially ending a career, hurling racial insults, etc. is just plain ludicrous. And refusing to acknowledge or admit where the Roughriders are headed is just as misguided.

3 – BUGGY: No matter what caused the stomach bug which ravaged the Roughriders locker room heading into the Banjo Bowl, I have a tough time *stomaching* that was the reason for the loss. The illness very likely could’ve been the reason the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed but was it the reason for taking 141 yards in penalties? Or losing the turnover battle 4-0? Or the myriad of other stats the Riders came out on the wrong end of? Some have gone so far as to say the Riders shouldn’t have played the game due to the illnesses. Have we gotten that soft in society or am I just too old school? Please advise. This is pro football, not peewee.

I see a lot of people blaming “bad luck” for the fortunes of the Riders this season or, frankly, the last couple seasons.

I’ve also learned there’s no such thing as “luck”.

4 – THE RAT: Frankly the story which caught my eye the most this weekend was the fact 15-year old Dayce Derkatch scored the winning goal for the Prince Albert Raiders in a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats in preseason play in the Brandt Centre on Saturday night. Dayce is the son of Pats all-time points leader Dale Derkatch and clearly has his dad’s nifty scoring touch. Dayce is listed at 5’4″! A couple things: Why isn’t Dayce playing for the Regina Pats? (He was a third round pick of P.A.) And why is he wearing #25 instead of the famed Derkatch #16? Perhaps young Dayce wants to play outside of his father’s shade but … uh-uh … that’s not going to happen son. Not the way it’s going.

5 – RAT PACK: Dale Derkatch is now scouting for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s taken some brutal knocks in this game but he keeps coming back bigger and better. Good people always do! … The attendance for the Pats game Saturday night was listed at 600 in the Brandt Centre. Imagine if Connor Bedard hadn’t have been playing! It might’ve been 200. … Bedard scored both Pats goals in the 3-2 loss, and he was named the game’s #2 star. This may be a sign of things to come. … Bedard will play for the Pats on Tuesday when they face the Swift Current Broncos in preseason action at Estevan’s Affinity Place. Might this be the first preseason sellout in Estevan history? … It seems like just yesterday we were broadcasting the RP Show from the Energy City and Hockey Canada’s Centennial Cup. However that was a full three months ago …

6 – BIG RIVER: A huge kudos to the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders for being part of the grand opening of the Jim Neilson Sports Complex in Big River, SK this week. Having spent three years at CKBI Prince Albert, I know what a hallowed figure Jim is having played 1,023 NHL games with the Rangers, Seals and Barons. What a nice touch by the Rangers to send Adam Graves to the festivities as well! … Jim’s son David had a nice junior and pro career as well, having played with the Raiders and being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1991. … Well done Big River!

7 – COLLEGE NOTES: The reaction was very positive and a little surprising to the addition of college football coverage last week on this website and on the RP Show. It seems the football fan viewers were just waiting for it! As I advised, it’s an addition and not an outright change. We’ll still cover all the things we’ve been known for. … Having said that, I got goosebumps at Howard Schnellenberger Stadium (look him up) in Boca Raton on Saturday night as the hometown Florida Atlantic Owls blewout Southeastern Louisiana 42-9. The Owls were favoured by 10.5 … Meanwhile I was on the edge of my seat for the Alabama-Texas game earlier in the day as my favourite team, the Crimson Tide, opposed my old buddy Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns at Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin. The Tide was favoured by 20-points but barely eaked out a 20-19 victory. Going back and forth with viewers and fans on social media regarding these games was exhilarating!

Have I mentioned lately that Bet Regal is the official betting partner of The Rod Pedersen Show on Game+ TV, WQEE Radio, YouTube & Podcast?

8 – USPORTS: Canadian university football has been equally as interesting! I’ve lost even more faith in the *experts* as the Regina Rams were picked to be dead-last in the Canada West Conference however Mark McConkey’s charges are off to a 2-0 start following victories over Manitoba and Calgary (both those teams are now 0-2). … The only non-shock is the fact Scott Flory’s nationally #2-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies are 2-0 and Dogs QB Mason Nyhus of Regina is the reigning Offensive Player of the Week in Canada. 

9 – NFL: There are some salacious match-ups on the first Sunday of the NFL season including two ticked off quarterbacks facing their former teams in Baker Mayfield (Carolina) vs Cleveland and Russell Wilson (Denver) vs Seattle. The Panthers and Broncos are both favoured to win. … Tom Brady (-2.5) is ticked off too, but not at the Dallas Cowboys. No matter, that prime time match-up at At&T Stadium scares the hell out of me. Oh well, when the Buccaneers win it’ll be one week closer to Mike McCarthy being fired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. … Henry Burris’s Jacksonville Jaguars are at Washington. … Sam Eguaoven’s Miami Dolphins host the New England Patriots. … We’ve already mentioned the teams of Alex Singleton (Denver) and Kerry Joseph (Seattle). … Searching for CFL ties in NFL games is a lot of fun and gives us an edge/angle in our coverage.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: WSPD. No, that’s not the call letters of a radio station in the USA. It stands for World Suicide Prevention Day which was observed on September 10. Just so you know, suicidal thoughts are a brain malfunction and definitely not normal. I first experienced them in Grade 1 and they persisted well into my teens. Wouldn’t you know it, alcohol took them away but then alcohol posed an entirely new set of problems! If you or someone you know has been experiencing suicidal thoughts, see someone about it pronto. Better yet, DM me and I’ll point you in the right direction. … Did you know Old El Paso Tex-Mex food products make up 16% of the Mexican food market in America and 50% worldwide?! I’d love a tour of their factory one day. Believe it or not, it’s in El Paso, Texas! … In life you’re either going forward or backward. Which one are you? Which way is your favourite team going?? … Condolences to the family of curling broadcasting legend Chuck Pachkowsky who passed away at age 89. I used to produce & operate his curling broadcasts in the late 1980’s on CFSL Weyburn and Chuck would routinely ask me if he was in appropriate condition to go on the air! Weyburn & area listeners of that era will know what I mean. LEGEND! … People routinely complain about the air horns at McGill Stadium for Alouettes games. Honestly, I don’t hear them. … 4/10 thumbs for the movie Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt, now playing at Landmark Cinemas. It was entertaining enough with some great life lessons, but was 40 minutes too long. … What was, was. What is, is. What shall be, shall be.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen

(Photo: Winnipeg Blue Bombers)