SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

Welcome to Friday!  Here are the weekly collection of thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always, they come in no particular order!

— How about the Regina Pats! A lot of people thought they could pull off a first round victory over an inexperienced Lethbridge Hurricanes team, but did they think they could shut down the high-scoring Hurricanes with two shutouts in the last three games?  After shaking off what was a god-awful first 10 minutes in Game 3 of the series, John Paddock’s proteges have shown there is no doubt who has been the better hockey team in this opening round matchup. If Regina hadn’t played an undisciplined game in Game 1 taking penalty after penalty, this series might be over.  Playoff hockey is always a great thing at the Brandt Centre and there has been a buzz in the building. Wait till Round 2!

— While the Regina Pats appear to be on their way to a first round win, the Moose Jaw Warriors also look as if they will be moving into Round 2 of the playoffs. Does anyone in Moose Jaw know about this though?  WTF was with the crowds at Mosaic Place for Games 3 and 4. The team leads the series 2-0 after taking the first two on the road; they haven’t been in the playoffs for years and they come back to see what looked like a half empty home rink. I don’t understand that one!

— Still with the Pats, figures from the WHL say after 6 years of declining attendance, the Pats saw an average paid attendance of 4563 fans this season. What happened to the hue and cry of tickets cost too much for me!  It would appear as if some still found a way to get to the Brandt Centre during the season. Yes, there are parking headaches and other things which can be a detriment from going to Pats games, but the bottom line is people are going and with the team showing they should be pretty good next year, one can only think that number will go up next year as well. As I’ve always said, you go out to dinner, you go to movies, you do whatever and if you enjoy the product and the establishment, you will pay the price. If not, you won’t. It appears many are enjoying the product and it should be that way for years. Now if we can just find a way to make it a helluva lot easier to get out of the Brandt Centre after a game all will be good. There has to be a way whether it be someone out there directing traffic or something.

— Is it just me or is there something just wrong with this Medicine Hat Tigers-Canalta Centre story?  How could the Tigers not have had a lease and how was this not written up before ground was broken on the facility. Medicine Hat can’t lose the Tigers. If they do, the mayor has some serious explaining to do. He says it is for the good of the taxpayers. What will those taxpayers think if there is an empty building. This is something that should have been settled a long time ago. In the end, it probably will, but it makes both sides look bad.

— The story of the week has to come from the LA Lakers. Talented rookie D’Angelo Russell did one of the stupidest things I have ever seen. He taped a conversation with teammate Nick Young without Young knowing it and then got him to confess he has been sleeping around. The video ended up going viral. ??????  The Lakers have expectedly shut the rookie out and why wouldn’t they. Doing something like that is beyond dumb at any level. One has to think his Laker days are over, but what team would seriously welcome this kid into the dressing room.

— The Major League Baseball season begins Sunday. There is optimism for the Toronto Blue Jays to do what they did last year and make their way back to the playoffs. I don’t know if they are good enough to win the division, but I do think they can be a wild-card team. The Boston Red Sox have armed themselves and are ready to win the American League East, but Toronto should be right there.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of talk about this being the year for the Chicago Cubs. As a long-suffering Cubs fan, I will not be sold on this until the final out has been squeezed and the 100 plus year drought has ended.

In the meantime, I await one piece of bad news after another.

— Voting day is Monday. Whether you support Brad Wall and the Saskparty or a Cam Broten led NDP, just get out there and vote. You can even vote Liberal, PC or Green Party if you want, but the key thing is to just get out there and cast your ballot.

— We are just over a month from the CFL Draft. Quick, name me 10 players who should go in the first or second round. Quick, name me 10 players who could go in the first round of the NFL draft. Why isn’t the CFL promoting guys who could be their future stars? It really does make you shake your head. Do they just close the office at certain times of the year?

— The Tor Hill Golf Course opens today. It is supposed to be plus 15 on Saturday. I am guessing many will be on hand to swing the sticks.  I can’t remember many years when golf courses have been open before the Masters begins around these parts.

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