10+ WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – Where to begin? The end of the week was a tornado but perhaps the best three-day stint of my life! Let’s start with Friday’s day spent with Rock legend Tom Cochrane. He came by the RP Show at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino before his soldout show in the Event Centre that evening. It was emotional for me because Cochrane’s tunes have been a soundtrack through my lifetime in Canadian sports, with his music echoing through the stadiums and arenas. In the early 90s I wore the paint off his Mad Mad World CD in my car. So here goes …

2 – Believe it or not, Cochrane drove all the way from Oakville, ON to Calgary for this tour and he complained about icy, slushy roads around Medicine Hat. I asked, “On your bus?” and he barked, “NO! IN MY 4X4!” He was driving by himself.

The Lynn Lake, MB product – who turns 70 in May –  said he’s semi-retired but is doing 17 shows in 20 nights. I asked him when he plans to retire and the Life Is a Highway singer/songwriter shrugged, “I don’t know. I still got shit I wanna do.”

That night the Event Centre was jammed and Cochrane jumped around and strutted on stage like he was 18 years old. By the smile on his face, you could tell he’s doing what he loves.

Cochrane’s truly “been there, done that” with everything you can think of including playing halftime of the 1994 Grey Cup; perhaps the second-best Grey Cup ever. I asked him which is his favourite NHL team and he quipped, “We’re in Calgary so I guess I’ll say the Flames”. But regarding the CFL, there was no doubt. “Bombers,” Tom said sternly, as he gave me the ‘look’.

Later in the day Tom wrote and said how much he enjoyed the interview.

#Namaste

3A – Saturday night the Event Centre was again packed to the brim to see Steve-O, the Co-Creator of the MTV phenomenon Jackass. For those not familiar with him, I think you could accurately call Steve-O the most daring stuntman of all time. For those who do know of him, well, you know. Now he calls himself a comedian and a podcaster and he explained to the crowd that this tour is his last hurrah. He wants to do the wildest, zaniest stunts he can think of before he turns 50 and it starts to be creepy! Saturday’s show was absolutely deplorable which is what we’d all hoped! He ended it off with what he called the “crown jewel” of his stunts, a manoeuvre called “Skyjacking”. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Go see him if you get the chance, or pick up his latest DVD entitled Gnarly. The man is not right.

3B – Grey Eagle’s Sheldon Lachambre arranged a private meeting for Steve-O and me after the show. We talked for a good deal of time about Recovery. His sober date is 03-11-2008 while mine is 01-27-2015. We shared why Recovery is so important to us, exchanged resources, pledged to stay on this path of helping others, and promised to meet up down the road one day.

#RecoveryWorks

4 – And of course the weekend all began on Thursday night at the Nashville/Calgary NHL game in the Saddledome where I got to spend time with Predators Co-Owner Brett Wilson of North Battleford, SK. I covered the contents of that meeting in Friday’s commentary so I won’t re-tell it here, but I was particularly astounded by how many people were triggered by the mere photo of Wilson and me together. Look – I don’t pick your friends so don’t attempt to pick mine. Brett and I share a lot in common and he’s been a fantastic mentor for me. Case closed.

5 – I think I found the key. A lot of close friends wrote me over the past few days and asked how I withstand all the horrible things that are said to me via social media. (You should read the ones you haven’t seen! 😀 ) The answer is this: once you reach a certain level of peace, contentment and happiness, nothing anybody can say or do bothers you. I didn’t even know this level of life existed, let alone set out to achieve it! Yet here we are. One day at a time.

6 – It’s great living in not one, but two, NHL markets. We are one month into the season and absolutely nothing has been decided although there are a few reactions/overreactions: 1) Pittsburgh has lost seven in a row and maybe THEY are the team to take a step back this year after perhaps hanging onto their aging stars a little too long, 2) I thought I heard the Flames get booed off the ice Thursday after the first period against Nashville. However some of my media buddies say no, I was hearing things. Either way, the Flames have lost four in a row and everyone is happy they’re finally going on the road, 3) Oiler fans can’t snicker at anyone. They’ve lost two straight. 4) I thought the joke about Lane Frost and the movie 8 Seconds by Oilers announcer Jack Michaels on Saturday was tasteless. Especially during Canadian Finals Rodeo week in Red Deer. Sorry. 5) Just wondering where are all the Jets fans who poopoo’ed the hiring of Rick Bowness this summer? If you recall I advised we take a wait-and-see approach. Now at 7-3-1, the Jets have the 7th best record in the National Hockey League. However I’d be surprised if their dressing room problem has been rectified so soon.

7 – I’ve become great friends with a Medium named Kevin. In fact last night we went for supper at the Keg Steakhouse & Bar. He says the hockey gods told him that Alex Ovechkin will NOT catch Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record.

8 – Following the Grey Cup halftime story this week was fascinating, yet painful. You’re not getting much criticism from me because I’ve never booked a musical act so I don’t know how difficult it is. However I’ll say the trio of Jordan Davis, Tyler Hubbard and Josh Ross doesn’t exactly scream Inclusion or Diversity. But whatever! I enjoy watching musical acts of all ages and genres because we’re all out here trying to make a living from our talents and it’s not easy. Let’s all enjoy it.

9 – Sunday’s CFL Division Semifinals should be great. Throughout the week oddsmakers at Bet Regal have, at times, picked all four teams to win but in each case it’s been by three-or-less points. I’ll take Montreal over Hamilton and Calgary over BC.

However something’s gotta give in the Western Semifinal. The Stampeders have lost their last seven road semifinals while the Lions are 9-18 all-time in these scenarios. … With two QBs making their first career playoff starts – BC’s Nathan Rourke and Calgary’s Jake Maier – the last time that happened in the CFL was 1995 between Danny McManus and Kerwin Bell.

Our RP Show analytics point to the fact our viewers & listeners would prefer we talk NHL, NFL and even NBA over the CFL. But I don’t care. I love the CFL and will continue to talk about it, just likely not as much over the off-season.

10 – The Roughriders have made their firings and I suppose next year we’ll find out if they were deep enough. What I’m hearing a out of Riderville is a lot of “We need to do this (turnaround things on the field)” and “We need to do that (reconnect with the community and the fanbase)”. Some people talk about it while some of us are out here doing it.

I’ll check back if and when they do. Have a nice winter.

11 – The Insiders want to know what offensive coordinator in his or her right mind would take the Sask job with a coach and GM in lame duck positions. I give you Paul LaPolice as Exhibit A. LaPo wants to coach, not broadcast, and likely wants to get the bitter taste of Ottawa out of his mouth. Just my $0.10.

12 – Had the great opportunity to hear from Cody Fajardo this week. I’m happy to report he’s doing much better than I thought he would after being chewed up and spit out by the Green Machine. The contents of our discussion will remain private of course, but you’ll be hearing from him again soon. He’s getting lots of great support. Torching talented, good people hasn’t historically been a recipe for success for any team or corporation.

13 – There will be a full court press to sign Bo Levi Mitchell in Saskatchewan this off-season, it seems. I’m told he’s already been offered a radio show by a Regina radio station. Any guesses which one it is? But Bo’s signing in Sask isn’t a slam dunk. My Stamps insiders tell me Bo will have other offers, and has never been fond of the Queen City.

14 – It’s been a great week for old guys! Dusty Baker finally won the World Series at age 73 with the Houston Astros on Saturday. My Dad would be proud! His nickname was the Old Guy and he was about the wisest guy you ever knew.

15 – RANDOMS: Still nobody has told me what a Muster Point is. If you notice, they’re always empty. … We must be making some headway towards success because a lot of haters are coming out of the woodwork. Imagine if they spent their time trying to be better themselves rather than hurt me! Sad creatures. You can’t hurt me anymore. … Mike Babcock and Tom Cochrane live in Regina. I’ve met them. One’s a financial planner and the other’s a restaurant manager. I knew a Michael Jordan in Prince Albert once too. … Folks, please clean off your iPhone lens! I’m nauseated by seeing peoples’ cloudy photos on social media. … I’m getting a lot of people in Alberta saying, “You were right all along” about many of my bold comments over the years. Yet it doesn’t make me feel vindicated. It pisses me off. I knew I was right at the time. … I will believe the media is at fault for teams’ misfortunes – like the Maple Leafs – when the media actually gets credit for a team doing well. That’s never happened. … Join us at Baller’s on Friday, Nov. 18 for the best party at Grey Cup, presented by Twisted Tea! Sports celebrities like Gregg Zaun and Charleston Hughes will be there and you can get your picture with the Grey Cup. Call Ballers or stop in to purchase your tickets. See you there! … Congratulations to Rob Vanstone for being only the second-ever winner of the Bob Ridley Award for media excellence in the WHL. It’s so richly deserved for RV. And the Dub should be handing this out yearly in order to attract some badly needed – and missing – media attention. …. AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?!

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen