FRIDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

THE RETURN TO PLAY IS GOING TO LOOK A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT FROM LEAGUE TO LEAGUE.

FROM THE SJHL AND WHL TO THE NFL AND NBA, EVERYBODY’S PLAYING BY THE SAME HEALTH RULES. WHAT DIFFERS IS THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS, AND GEOGRAPHY.

AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, WE ALREADY KNOW THERE WILL BE NO UNIVERSITY SPORTS THIS FALL. YOU CAN DEBATE THE REASONS WHY, BUT AT LEAST THEY MADE A CLEAR DECISION FROM THE GET-GO.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL – I.E. THE THUNDER AND HILLTOPS – PLAN TO PLAY AND IT’LL LIKELY BE A SHORTENED, 6-GAME SCHEDULE BEGINNING LABOUR DAY WEEKEND. JUNIOR FOOTBALL HAS PERHAPS THE PERFECT BUSINESS MODEL – THEY DON’T PAY THE PLAYERS, AND THEY TRAVEL BY BUS ACROSS THE PRAIRIES.

JUNIOR HOCKEY ISN’T FAR BEHIND. SJHL PRESIDENT BILL CHOW’S MET WITH THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TWICE IN THE PAST THREE WEEKS AND SAYS IT APPEARS ALL SYSTEMS ARE “GO”. HE ENVISIONS A START TO THE SEASON IN LATE SEPTEMBER.

HOWEVER THE WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE HAS SOME ISSUES. WHILE THEY’VE DECLARED THEY PLAN TO BEGIN PLAY ON OCTOBER 2, LEAGUE INSIDERS TELL ME THAT AS LONG AS THE STATES OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON ARE RAVAGED BY COVID, THE WHL WON’T PLAY AT ALL. IT MAKES SENSE, BUT IT SUCKS.

THE CFL IS A WHOLE OTHER BALL OF WAX, AND IT’S THE BIGGEST MOVING TARGET OF THEM ALL. JUST WHEN I GAVE UP ON THE SEASON, I GOT A TEXT ON THURSDAY SAYING WINNIPEG’S BEEN CHOSEN AS THE LONE LEAGUE BUBBLE CITY IN THE EVENT THE CFL GETS ON THE FIELD THIS SUMMER.

NOW A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS NEEDS TO HAPPEN BEFORE THAT COMES TO FRUITION, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE TAB FOR IT ALL BEING COVERED AND I’M NOT AT LIBERTY TO DIVULGE THOSE DETAILS AT THIS TIME.

BUT OUR FINGERS ARE CROSSED AND AS WILLIE JEFFERSON FAMOUSLY SAID INTO A TSN CAMERA DURING A BOMBER HOME GAME, “COME ON DOWN TO WINNIPEG”.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.