THURSDAY RODSERVATIONS
RAMBLINGS
1 – BREAKING NEWS: The Vancouver Giants are moving. Across town. The MMG has learned the WHL’s Vancouver Giants will announce on Monday that they are leaving Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver for the Langley Events Centre beginning next season. The LEC is currently the home to the NLL’s Vancouver Stealth, while the Coliseum is the only home Ron Toigo’s Giants have ever known.
2 – MORE DUB NEWS: The Niedermayer brothers, Scott and Rob, sold their 25% share in the Kootenay Ice back to the Chynoweth family giving the Chynoweths 100% ownership of the WHL team. The transaction was first reported by a Kamloops TV station on Wednesday. There were rumours recently the Niedermayers were interested in buying out the Chynoweths – with the financial assistance of Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber – and possibly moving the club. However now, the Chynoweths are completely in charge but are looking to sell the team to local ownership in Cranbrook.
3 – Want a steak? We’re hosting a steak night fundraiser for my daughter’s school trip to Thailand on Sunday at the Press Box Sports Bar from 5:00-9:00 pm. Come down, watch some hockey and enjoy a steak for $20. We’re also hoping to have some Roughriders on hand for pictures and autographs. Stay tuned for more details. If you’re interested, please email me at ridervoice@yahoo.ca. Thank you.
4 – I thought Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello came across as disingenous in his interview with Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell this week regarding his positive test for a PED and accompanying 80-game suspension. I do believe he was caught off-guard by the test result, but there was something fishy with his interview. And are we really surprised anymore when athletes are caught with steroids? I’m not. The only thing I’m surprised about is the uproar it causes when it happens every couple of weeks. (Colabello, Jared Tinordi, Maria Sharapova, etc.).
5 – Now everybody in Canada is a Jays expert but the problem is they expect Canada’s Team to win every game. Fans in Western Canada are in an uproar when Toronto blows a save. A year ago no one paid attention to the Blue Jays. A guy wrote into Phil’s column here yesterday chastising him for following the NBA Playoffs because “nobody in Saskatchewan cares about the NBA”. Just wait — if the Raptors go on a run to the Conference Finals, you’ll see a similar euphoria coast-to-coast as last October and fans will be clamouring for WE THE NORTH swag. Such sheep.
6 – Speaking of coast-to-coast, CBC’s Ron MacLean really looked like he hates his life on Coaches Corner with Don Cherry Monday night. At this time of the year the always-classy MacLean is accustomed to welcoming viewers to national broadcasts of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and he did it fluently for a generation. Now, he’s reduced to being Cherry’s conscience on a 5-minute snippet every couple of nights. He never smiles. Scruffy said there was a petition going around the internet Wednesday to have MacLean returned to the host position of the Sportsnet/CBC broadcasts. However do petitions ever work?
7 – Forget the hockey. And the football too for that matter. The best analyst in sports right now – HANDS DOWN – is TNT’s Charles Barkley. It ain’t even close. The best part of getting deep into the NBA Playoffs is that Barkley becomes more prominent on their national broadcasts. It is absolute, must-see TV. From talking about the size of the women in San Antonio to breaking out new dances moves, Barkley is a Hall of Fame analyst. They often ask which celebrity you’d most like to sit down to dinner with and I think I’d have to go with Charles Barkley for my answer.
8 – Not since the Dukes of Hazard have I enjoyed a television series like I do Ballers on HBO starring Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock). It’s so identical to the life of pro football that it’s head-shaking. That series is based in Miami and revolves around the Dolphins and The Rock is the central figure playing a former Dolphins D-lineman who’s attempting to make it in life post-career. The other main character is receiver Ricky Jarrett whom I swear they based on the life of former Roughrider Jason Armstead. The character is played by Denzel Washington’s son John. The only difference between Ballers and the CFL is the palm trees and fancy cars. I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT! We’ve mowed through season one and I’m continually searching for season two on my Android box. It’s just so fantastic.
If the CFL was smart – and the Stampeders too – they’d get The Rock featured in a campaign video promoting the league on both sides of the border. Dwayne Johnson was a Calgary Stampeder for a brief time in the 1990s.
Great idea right? You can have it, no charge.
9 – It would be nice having a character play the play-by-play broadcaster in that TV show but I must concede that radio guys just aren’t that important in the scheme of things. It’s the truth, and radio guys should be heard and not seen. However don’t tell that to the Edmonton Eskimos who continue to belly-ache about my 2016 West Division prediction of them finishing in fourth and the Riders in first. According to TSN 1260 Edmonton’s Dave Jamieson, Esks quarterback Mike Reilly brought it up again on the radio on Wednesday.
Dave-J offered me a spot on his show after 1:00 pm Wednesday and said, “Rod, the floor is yours to respond”. So what did I say? I said Edmonton is above this type of behaviour. I’d expect it out of Calgary, but not The City of Champions. Since when do the Oilers and Eskimos care about what’s being said outside their dressing room? I told them to get over it and put their big boy pants on. This is professional football.
To that, I got zero response. Crickets.
So can we finally move on?
10 – Eskimos GM Ed Hervey was his usual calm, measured self on Wednesday’s “State of the Franchise” conference call with the national media. Some snickered when Hervey got the Esks GM job – replacing Eric Tillman – but he made good on his promise of getting back to the Eskimo Way and delivering a Grey Cup title. Ed said they’re not talking about “repeating” as Grey Cup champions as much as they are simply focused on winning the 2016 Grey Cup. However he said if they don’t win it all, that doesn’t mean the season is a failure. He and rookie head coach Jason Maas seemed to be on the same page during that 30-minute conference call so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare.
Scruffy was urging me to ask Hervey his thoughts on Chris Jones wearing a Roughriders shirt on last week’s Grey Cup tour to Tennessee. While tempting, I decided it’s wise to not ask questions you already know the answers to. AND it would be disrespectful.
——
THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK. SEE YOU ON THE RADIO!
RP
@rodpedersen
Disrespectful? That question would have been awesome! It isn't like the Eskimos haven't disrespected you! It would have been another knife from Saskatchewan plunging into the Eskimo heart.
CB
That's true. But it just didn't feel right.
RP, if you would have asked that question, Hervey likely would have gone off and it would have made national headlines. I understand your thought process though. On another matter, Rogers has to get McLean back in the main chair. They can't be that oblivious to the fact Canadian hockey fans don't accept George S. He doesn't relate. Ron is a guy you could sit at a table with and discuss hockey issues over a beer and a plate of nachos while George S is a guy you would want to throw your beer at because he is so lame.… Read more »
Sorry – can't allow the Robert Pickton comment.
just think these school kids travelling the "world" is a bit much…heck,goin swimming,doin sports,or a local excursion meant a lot to us! nowadays teens want financing to travel exotic destinations before learning to do wash dishes,make their bed,or heaven forbid,take out trash!
I couldn't agree more. However I'm outvoted in our house.
Good call on not asking about the shirt. Makes no sense to burn bridges.
While it might have been a question directed at EDM, it could have caused a ripple effect and make things difficult in the future when you try and get any CFL coach or Management type for an interview.
Does Roger's (Sportsnet) even broadcast games anymore? Looks to me they are riding the American networks broadcasts and then have their panelists provide color on the intermissions. If not, their broadcast teams are awful. Congrats NHL and Bettman, great deal you got there. Rating #'s are a 3rd of what they were two years ago. The product on screen is pitiful. Can Doug McLean say anything positive about anyone or team in any broadcast. What a bitter old man. Sponsors should be asking a lot of hard questions of Roger's and their destruction of the NHL on Canadian networks.
Chris Jones wearing a Roughriders shirt on last week's Grey Cup tour to Tennessee is indicative of his true character. There is no need to even ask about it.
Good response on Edm Radio Rod. Like you I'm very disappointed in they way They reacted to your comments. Don't refer to them as the City of Champs anymore. They lost that a long time ago.
As far as RSN hockey coverage goes, I don't feel sorry for them in the least after they way they keep treating both the Argos and the CFL. As far as I'm concerned the NHL, NBA, and NFL could cease to exist tommorow and it would have very little effect on my life.
So Rod your plan is to have Dwayne Johnson do a commercial for the CFL talking about living on kraft dinner and living with 3 other guys in a 2 bedroom apartment broke. That was his CFL experience. The difference between Ballers and CFL life is a 6 million dollar signing bonus and a practice roster spot that pays more than most CFL stars.
The kids today travel to other places which helps them to enhance and develop their worldviews. You learn by seeing and doing not sitting in small town Saskatchewan or never leaving here. It's why Saskatchewan is so far behind the times, xenophobic and completely scared of anything foreign.
Broad generalizations are usually untrue and a tool of the weak minded.
A guy in Lower Canada
If you're kid at this point can't take out trash, make a bed, or wash dishes it's because you as a parent didn't raise them properly. For those of us that did it's wonderful to watch our teenagers develop into responsible young adults. For the rest of you with irresponsible kids, enjoy having them live at home until they are 32.
Oh that's one classy comment. Tired of attacking Rod because you can't get a response so you attack his teenage kids. There's names for people like you….it's called bully.
You know what man? It's part of The Rock's journey. You ever been on a journey?
Not he hasn't been on a travel he's one of the guys that would rather go to the swimmin' hole.
Have you ever been on a journey Rod? Why do you argue with these people?
Because they need to be tuned in.
And you find it entertaining.
I watch and follow the Raps on a regular basis and I live in Saskatchewan, seems like a shady comment by a self-centered individual
Awesome as usual Rod
Ballers is a great show…love just about anything with the Rock….season 2 is on the way…..If you like Ballers and Entourage you will love Survivors Remorse….NBA theme….very good show…On-Demand on Super channel
Love everything Blue Jays…..shocked at the Collaballo news…thought he was a pretty stand up guy…however…guilty
When the heck does the first cfl preseason game start? Time, day, location? When i say? When? With climate change here, start the season earlier. New stadium on the horizon, getting antze. This idle time waiting a waste. Lets go Roughriders!