MONDAY COMMENTARY – STATE FAIR FOOTBALL

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

IF THIS PAST WEEKEND WAS ANY INDICATION, THE CFL IS OFF TO A FANTASTIC START.

FOR THE MOST PART.

THE GAMES WERE GREAT, THERE WERE SOME UPSETS, AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF OFF-FIELD INTRIGUE AS WELL, WHICH HAS ALWAYS ADDED TO THE CHARM OF THE CFL.

WE’RE STILL TALKING DAYS LATER ABOUT WHAT WENT DOWN AT MOSAIC STADIUM ON FRIDAY WHEN THE BC LIONS MADE ROOKIE CANADIAN QUARTERBACK NATHAN ROURKE THEIR SURPRISE STARTER BECAUSE MICHAEL REILLY WASN’T READY TO GO PHYSICALLY.

THE RIDERS JUMPED OUT TO A 31-0 LEAD AND THEN AT HALFTIME, THE LIONS MIRACULOUSLY INSERTED REILLY IN THE GAME AND THEY ALMOST CAME BACK TO WIN IT. SASK PREVAILED 33-29.

THE CREDIBILITY OF THE CFL TOOK ANOTHER MAJOR HIT WITH THIS COURSE OF EVENTS, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO INJURY-REPORTING AND BETTING INFO. IF BETTORS HAD KNOWN A ROOKIE CANADIAN WOULD START FOR BC, IT WOULD’VE HAD A MASSIVE IMPACT. (IN RETROSPECT, I PICKED THE LIONS TO BEAT THE SPREAD OF -6.5, WHICH THEY DID).

HALL OF FAMER AND TSN ANALYST MILT STEGALL CALLED FRIDAY’S SITUATION “A CIRCUS” AND THE LIONS HAVE BEEN MASSIVELY CRITICIZED FOR HOW THEY HANDLED IT.

MAY I JUST SUBMIT THAT BC HEAD COACH RICK CAMPBELL DOESN’T CARE ABOUT BETTING LINES? HE WAS TRYING TO GET A QUARTERBACK READY TO GO AND THE REILLY DECISION APPEARED TO GO RIGHT UP TO GAME TIME. BUT PEOPLE AREN’T PLEASED, PARTICULARLY TV RIGHTSHOLDER TSN, WHO WAS VOCAL ABOUT THE SHAM ON TWITTER.

AND OVER IN CALGARY, IT TURNS OUT THE ARGONAUTS HAD BEEN HOLDING ONTO A VIDEO CLIP OF BO LEVI MITCHELL SCOFFING THAT THIS WEEK 1 MATCH-UP AGAINST TORONTO WOULD BE AN EASY WIN. OR A “DUB”, AS MY FRIEND BO CALLED IT.

WELL TORONTO WENT OUT AND SHOVED IT DOWN THE STAMPEDERS THROAT ON SATURDAY, TO THE TUNE OF 23-20, AND ROOKIE COACH RYAN DINWIDDIE GOT THE GATORADE SHOWER AFTER COLLECTING HIS FIRST CAREER WIN.

THE CHORTLING AND SOUR GRAPES EMANATING FROM VARIOUS CFL MARKETS OUT OF THIS WEEKEND WILL LAST US FOR DAYS OF SPORTS TALK THIS WEEK.

I ENJOYED IT ALL FROM THE SANCTITY OF THE LAKE, COMFORTED IN KNOWING THE CFL CAN STIR UP ITS OWN CONTROVERSY JUST FINE WITHOUT ME.

MAYBE THIS IS WHAT NFL ANALYST PAT MCAFEE MEANT WHEN HE REFERRED TO IT AS “STATE FAIR FOOTBALL”.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY