THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. LET THEM PLAY: Great article by my old pal David Willberg in the Estevan Mercury this week about the need for allowing athletes to perform with some fans in the stands. This virus is dangerous, this virus is contagious, and this virus is deadly. But this virus cannot defeat us. We’ve had enough time now to prepare for it and it’s time to open sports up again. Mandatory masks, spaced out seating and maybe even slightly higher ticket prices will make this a possibility once again. It’s bad enough everyone has had to suffer since March. It’s time to push our way forward and adapt to this temporary new reality. Vaccine or no vaccine, the SJHL and WHL should be allowed to live again by Christmas. If they want to.
2. DIGITAL STADIUMS: We’ve been hearing about these coming for the past 30 years and now it’s time to experiment with it. The NBA has the best example of anyone. Their production has been phenomenal. There’s just got to be a way to lay fans out in a WHL or SJHL arena the same way it’s been done in the NBA playoffs. Put a quality broadcast for games live on YouTube, even if they have to be pay-per-view. There’s just got to be a revenue stream in there somewhere.
3. RIDERS PROTECT PAXTON LYNCH: Looks like another Cleo Lemon to me. Yawn!
4. CANDIDATES FOR REGINA MAYOR: Michael Fougere exceeded my expectations in his first 2 terms though he hasn’t clarified his stance on the idea of a new downtown ballpark. I’ve looked thoroughly at the other 6 candidates and I think I’ll keep looking.
5. CARNAHAN HANGS IT UP: Big loss for the Swift Current 57s and Western Canada Baseball League when head coach Joe Carnahan stepped down Monday after 20 years with the organization, including the last 13 as coach. A Wisconsin guy, Joe found a home in small town Saskatchewan and won 6 championships. That’s what this league does. It brings Americans to us in a way no other league or employer ever could. I don’t know if they absolutely need to play next year, but it would be a heart-wrenching blow if they cannot.
6. NFL SUNDAYS: Love the camaraderie of visiting with friends and fantasy football. But other than that, I’m just not that into it. Hard to take the NFL seriously with everything else going on in the world these days.
7. JAC COLLINSWORTH: I see the NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast hired Cris Collinsworth’s son to host its new postgame show. Nice to see that network execs didn’t bother to put any effort in to finding the most deserving broadcaster in the country and instead thought it would prove to us all it’s still nothing more than an old boys club.
8. STANLEY CUP FINALS: Cheering for Dallas Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness to finally win a cup after coaching in the league for 5 different decades but aside from that, like many of you, I have no dog in this race. The Stars are refreshing because they seem to just go out and play while not obsessing over ridiculous, boring formulas that so many other teams do. Beginning to wonder how Jim Montgomery, who was replaced by Bowness back in December, feels now that he’s watching all of this.
9. DID YOU KNOW?: The Cup will be presented in Edmonton for the first time since Gretzky last wore an Oiler Jersey in the spring of ’88?
10. GREAT YOUTUBE VIDEO: A FOOTBALL LIFE-DOUG FLUTIE is about the only one of those NFL network documentaries that pays the CFL any real respect.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
