TUESDAY SHOW RECAP: TOUGH TIMES IN THE CFL

The Return To Sports is a hot topic and the CFL is front and centre in Canada. We covered it all on Episode #256 of The Rod Pedersen Show! Here’s a recap:

• Rod and Dupes opened with The Rollout for Flooring Superstore covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) It appears the roof is caving in on the CFL, 2) 3DownNation and TSN report a $500,000 cut per team to CFL Football Operations in 2021, 3) Agents, media and fans are calling out Randy Ambrosie for his salary, 4) ESPN’s Return To Sports special which aired Monday evening, 5) Week 2 CFL SIM preview (Naaman Roosevelt’s return to Saskatchewan with Montreal) and 6) The NHL is under-the-radar with no apparent squabbles between owners and players.
• On the CFL topics, Rod questioned why “the product” is under attack (more cuts to coaches and the report that players are next). RP feels the CFL on-field product is at an all-time high and that’s a credit to coaches, players, scouts and support staff. However the revenues are falling and that’s the responsibility of the business/marketing staff. Why aren’t they under the gun at this time? It appears Randy Ambrosie is taking the fall for years of mismanagement by the owners and operators of the CFL who appear to be getting off scott-free.
• The panel agreed that the CFL head honchos are losing the PR battle and if they’ve taken paycuts, they need to publicize it because the optics at this time are terrible.
• TSN’s Rod Black joined the show from a hockey arena in the Toronto area and said they’re working on a story about a Return To Play for amateur hockey. The popular commentator also discussed the Raptors’ chances at repeating as NBA champions and whether he’ll be in Orlando to cover the NBA Playoffs. Blackie also talked about the plight of the CFL and said he chooses to be optimistic about the CFL playing games in 2020.
• The Silver Fox Kelly Remple made his long-awaited return to the show and discussed the lawsuit settled between the CHL and a group of former players, Canada West’s decision to cancel fall sports including football (he feels there was no other appropriate decision due to all the moving parts). Remps also offered an interesting tidbit that Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe reportedly said they’re hoping the SJHL will be able to begin play in the fall, as close to schedule as possible.
• The guys announced they’ll be broadcasting Friday’s CFL SIM game between Montreal and Saskatchewan on the RP Show Facebook Live channel. All other Week 2 CFL SIM games will be aired on www.twitch.tv/nhacker49.
• The Leader Post’s Rob Vanstone joined the show to discuss his miraculous weight-loss program during the pandemic (100+ consecutive days of exercise), the potential for no MLB in 2020 (he’s a staunch Yankees fan) and the current situation in the CFL. He admitted it’s pretty gloomy.
• Pittsburgh Pirates 5th round pick Logan Hofmann of Muenster, SK joined the show to discuss the baseball factory that is Muenster. The pitcher explained his road through NCAA stops in Kansas and Louisiana, the outlook of Pirates pitching, the landscape of baseball during the pandemic (the KBO wasn’t viewed as a preferred choice until now) and much more.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Will you stand for the national anthem at the next sporting event you attend? Over 90% of respondents said yes. RP said he will out of respect for his country, and that he loves Canada, “the greatest country in the world”. Dupes said he’d vote yes as well, but respects the views of those who vote no.
• You can vote now on our Twitter poll for the Rockstar of the Day for RoxDar Supply Chain Solutions. At press time, the leader was Rod Black. Monday’s vote was won by Troy Westwood.
• Tuesday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab at the top of this page, or you can listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive presented by SUDS Full Service Car Wash.
• See you at 10 MT on Wednesday on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive. On the guest list is country star Brett Kissel!