MONDAY COMMENTARY – WHAT A RUSH!

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

IT’S VERY EASY, IN TIMES LIKE THIS, TO ASK “HOW COULD YOU THINK ABOUT SPORTS IN A TIME LIKE THIS?”

AND I LOATHE THESE TIMES, WHEN MY TV IS TUNED TO CNN ROUND-THE-CLOCK RATHER THAN TSN, RIVETED TO THE GOINGS-ON IN THE UKRAINE.

BUT PEOPLE ALSO NEED TO BE ENTERTAINED, AND THAT’S WHY THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

SO IT WAS WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IN SATURDAY’S SASKATCHEWAN RUSH NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE GAME AGAINST THE COLORADO MAMMOTH AT SASKTEL CENTRE.

AS WE WERE MAKING OUR WAY ACROSS THE PRAIRIE, I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND EXHALED, “MY GOD IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK IN SASKATCHEWAN.”

AND FOR THE 9,302 IN ATTENDANCE IN SASKATOON ON SATURDAY, IT WAS GREAT TO BE BACK TOGETHER.

IT WASN’T A FULL HOUSE LIKE YEARS PAST FOR THE RUSH, BUT IT WAS A FAR BIGGER CROWD THAN ANY OTHERS THIS SEASON.

WHEN THE ANTHEM SINGER BELTED OUT “OH CANADA” TO ITS CONCLUSION, THE PLACE WENT BANANAS. IT ALSO FELT LIKE A GIGANTIC SIGH OF RELIEF FOR THE ASSEMBLED SASKIES, THAT IT APPEARS LIFE IS GETTING BACK TO NORMAL. HERE ANYWAY.

IT WAS A BIG NIGHT FOR SASKTEL CENTRE TOO, AS THEY UNVEILED A NEW MILLION DOLLAR SCOREBOARD COURTESY REGINA COMPANY IKS MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY.

AND THE GAME WAS THE NLL AT ITS BEST. BACK-AND-FORTH, AND THE RUSH LED THROUGHOUT BUT THEY HAD TO WORK THEIR HARDEST TO EAK OUT A 10-9 VICTORY OVER THE MAMMOTH.

ROBERT CHURCH SCORED FIVE GOALS, INCLUDING THE WINNER, FOR SASKATCHEWAN ON BLACKOUT NIGHT AND THEY UPPED THEIR RECORD TO 3-6 IN A MUST-WIN GAME.

I THOUGHT NEW RUSH GOALIE ERIC PENNEY COULD’VE GIVEN A WAVE TO THE CROWD WHEN HE WAS ACKNOWLEDGED DURING A BREAK, BUT A FAN EXPLAINED PENNEY WAS LIKELY TOO FOCUSED.

I’D HAVE GIVEN A WAVE HAD I BEEN IN GOAL, BUT THAT’S PROBABLY WHY I’M READING A COMMENTARY ON THE RADIO RATHER THAN NETMINDING PROFESSIONALLY. (LACK OF FOCUS)

PEOPLE ARE GETTING READY TO TOSS THEIR MASKS AWAY AND FLOCK BACK TO THE ARENAS AND STADIUMS.

I’M NOT SURE IT ALL TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN, BUT IT FELT BETTER THAN IT HAS IN A LONG TIME.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live and listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)