Scruffy’s This N That

1 – BUCKLE UP: I get the feeling Rider Nation is in for a roller coaster ride on Saturday night. This contest between Saskatchewan and Montreal should be a battle and it wouldn’t surprise me if it comes down to the foot of Brett Lauther or Jose Maltos. The number one offence in the league takes on the number one defence. On paper, I think Saskatchewan has the advantage, but games in Montreal are a different animal.  I think this one will be one of those that will be undecided with two minutes to go and it could be one of those games where the first team that gets to 21 points, wins.  Should be a lot of fun, but don’t be surprised if it ends in disappointment. 

2 – THE GREATEST CFL CATCH:  CFL fans are still buzzing over Robert Carter Jr’s interception in the B.C-Hamilton game last Sunday night. It was one of many exciting plays in what was arguably the best CFL game of the 2025 campaign.  Many are saying it is the greatest catch they have ever seen. It is certainly the best INT in CFL history as I can’t think of a nicer one, but is it the greatest catch?  I would throw the Eddie Brown 1996 Grey Cup TD in the snow, the S.J. Green catch at the back of the endzone at Taylor Field in 2010 and the Duron Carter one-handed touchdown snag in what I think was 2017 or 18.  There have been so many great catches in the CFL that it’s hard to say what one is the greatest. What is known is to this point of the CFL season that is the play of the year and it should be one of the top five plays when TSN and Sportsnet provide us with their plays of the year.

3 – STARTING THE CONVERSATION:  While the Stamps-Ottawa game was on Thursday night, I was scrolling Twitter when I saw Luke Willson was holding a  “Twitterspaces”. (Is that what they call it!).  The TSN football analyst that isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers (right Mayor Bachynski?) while growing the game took another step to doing that. Willson started what basically was a CFL version of the Manningcast.  While watching the game, he told us what he was thinking about the game, the plays, the formations etc. etc. while inviting some of those to come on and talk about what we were seeing and the state of the league. At one point in the second half, I suddenly heard Luke mention my name and saying to come on to which I obliged as we chatted with about 50 or 60 others listening in.  What a novel idea!  I don’t know if Luke plans on doing on this as the season moves on, but it was an initiative that was embraced by many.  Very informal, but very educational for the novice fan or the hardcore one.  It is this type of fan engagement that the CFL needs.  I don’t know where everyone was from and there were a few Rider fans on the call, but if you can get fans from all teams talking about the game on a platform like this, you are getting what the league needs to have with the demographic it needs to have.  Say what you will about Willson, but he has done more for the CFL in his short time talking about the league, than has been done over the last couple of decades. 

4 – ITS DIFFERENT IN GEORGIA: We all know high school football in the United States, especially the southern ones, is a different animal. More proof of that this week when a Georgia high school unveiled a new 10,000 seat stadium with 15 luxury suites, a mammoth videoboard and other amenities that makes some college and pro stadiums look sad in comparison.  The cost for this–$62 million U-S so likely about $80 million Canadian. You can see pictures of it all over social media if you haven’t seen it already. If you could grab some stadiums like this and plop them down in places like Victoria, the Maritimes and Quebec City you could really roll on CFL expansion and make things so much better than they are now in a variety of ways. Dare to dream folks! Dare to dream!

5 – THE LIST IS OUT:  Hockey Canada released a list of 42 players for an off-ice orientation camp as the journey to the Winter Olympics begins.  The usuals are there in McDavid, Crosby, McKinnon and Makar.  It is nice to see Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini get an invite, but I find it strange that only three goalies got an invite and they are the same three that played at the Four Nations. Jordan Binnington is still the odds-on favourite to be the starting goalie in Italy, but can this country not do better than Adin Hill and Sam Montembault?  Logan Thompson doesn’t get an invite, Mackenzie Blackwood doesn’t get an invite and yes, Stuart Skinner doesn’t get an invite.  Those three at the minimum should get an invite. 

6 – OVERRATED NFL TEAMS: The fight for the Vince is unofficially underway as NFL Training Camps are underway with the season beginning in just over a month. As always, there are contenders who will disappoint, and some will come out of the weeds to become a playoff team.  Two teams that I think are going to disappoint are the 49ers and Lions.  San Francisco was a major disappointment last year due to injuries which resulted in a six-win season. They gave a lot of money to Brock Purdy, who I still think is in the average tier when it comes to NFL QB’s, they lost Deebo Samuel, they don’t have a healthy Brandon Aiyuk and three talented members of their defence have moved on.  Speaking of moving on, Detroit lost both their OC and DC and two-fifths of their offensive line that made it easy for Jared Goff and crew.  Putting money on either team is a risk to me. 

7 – SECOND TO NONE: We all have our favourite all-time athletes. I said goodbye to mine on Monday when word came down that Hall of Fame 2^nd baseman Ryne Sandberg had passed at the too young age of 65 due to prostate cancer.  Those who know me who I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan. I have been since the spring of 1983 when WGN Television reached my living room.  Harry Caray, Steve Stone, Wrigley Field and daytime baseball. What a great combination.  In my Grade 12 year, I had an afternoon spare in the second semester which was great as I could go home many days and watch the Cubs. It was there where I saw Sandberg do his thing and he quickly became my favourite Cub which turned into my favourite all-time player. “The Sandberg Game” as it was called is one of the most memorable regular-season games ever played. Weston Dressler and Jeff Fairholm may be my all-time favourite Riders and Steve Largent will be my all time favourite Seahawk, but they take a back seat to Ryno.  As someone said to me this week when we celebrated the life of my good friend and Locker Talk co-host Pete Paczko, we are at that age where we are losing people and remembering people who have been in our lives far too often these days. The sad thing is we haven’t even really started. Yup! While on the topic of Pete, thanks to Darrell Davis of the Leader-Post for his write-up on Pete’s celebration of life.

8 – NOW THE FUN STARTS: The trade deadline is over, and the stretch run is on in Major League Baseball.  There are many contenders for the World Series and the teams that think they can win it did what they hope is enough.  Starting pitchers like Mackenzie Gore, Joe Ryan and Mitch Keller, who were expected to be traded to a contender, stayed with their team because the price tag was too high.  The decision not to pay may come back to haunt some teams over the next two months, but time will tell.  San Diego obviously sent a message to the Dodgers and the other good teams in the National League with the moves they made, and Seattle hopes they have some power bats to go along with a strong pitching staff.   It’s anyone’s guess as to who will be in the World Series, but if your team is in it, get ready for a lot of stress on a daily basis. 

9 – GOOD LUCK TEAM SASK:  The Canada Summer Games go next month in Newfoundland and Team Saskatchewan will once again have a solid contingent. 92 communities across Saskatchewan will be represented with 377 athletes and over 100 coaches and mission staff taking part. This is where it starts for many who end up being Canada’s elite athletes. In the past, Team Saskatchewan has been represented at either a Canada Winter or Summer Games by athletes like Emily Clark, Catriona Lemay-Doan and Mark McMorris and Brianne Thiessen-Eaton. This showcases how good our young athletes are on the national stage. Since the inaugural Games in 1967, Team Saskatchewan has won 785 medals (428 medals at Canada Summer Games and 357 medals at Canada Winter Games), including 195 Golds. 67 of those medals were won at the 2005 Summer Games which went in Regina. Was that really 20 years ago? I’m old!  Good luck to all competitors in whatever sport they are in. 

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• The NFL’s Hall of Fame game means we now have football until February.  There is nothing wrong with that.
• I have had smokers tell me they no longer go to games at Mosaic because once you leave, you can’t get back in. You do realize that is a city of Regina bylaw, right? That’s a lame excuse and one that should not be directed at the football team.
• When you lead the Colorado Rockies 9-0 after a half-inning of play, you should win the game.  Someone forgot to tell that to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It is games like that why I love baseball. It is something different every night! 
• Why are the Blue Jays giving up Will Wagner for a catcher in double A? That weakens your depth a little.
• Was there outrage when Cindy Crawford, in a tight white tank top and jeans, created an iconic commercial for Pepsi in the 90’s.  Did people come out and complain the way they are with the American Eagle-Sydney Sweeney ad campaign? Give it a rest already! 

That’s all I got. Have a great weekend!