FRIDAY COMMENTARY – OH WHAT A NIGHT
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
OH WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS THURSDAY IN EDMONTON!
THE CFL’S WEEK 5 LID-LIFTER PRETTY MUCH HAD IT ALL … EXCEPT FOR A CLOSE GAME. THE CALGARY STAMPEDERS SCORED 35 SECOND HALF POINTS AND CLOBBERED CHRIS JONES’ ELKS 49-6 TO IMPROVE TO 4-0, AND DROP EDMONTON TO A DIVISION-WORST 1-4.
WHAT EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IN THE ALBERTA CAPITAL TODAY IS THE SEVERE STORM WHICH BLEW THROUGH THE AREA, CAUSING A 1-HOUR DELAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME. IT WAS A WILD ONE.
THEY’LL ALSO BE TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT COMMONWEALTH STADIUM WAS LARGELY EMPTY – STORM OR NOT – WHICH SHOULD SETTING OFF WARNING BELLS TOO.
THE ANNOUNCED ATTENDANCE WAS 21,023 BUT TO BE HONEST, I’M NOT SURE THERE WAS HALF THAT MANY IN THE PLACE.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS WERE BLAMED, INCLUDING THE WEATHER FORECAST, IT BEING A THURSDAY NIGHT, THE COST OF GAS, THE ESKIMOS NAME CHANGE, ETC.
YOU CAN’T BLAME THE COST OF TICKETS IN EDMONTON ANYMORE, THANKS TO NEW TEAM PRESIDENT VICTOR CUI (WHOM I HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET BEFORE THE GAME). HE’S DOING ALL HE CAN DO TO BRING THAT FRANCHISE A PULSE. OH, AND IT CERTAINLY DOESN’T HELP THAT WAS THE TEAM’S 10TH STRAIGHT HOME LOSS.
ANYWAY YOU SLICE IT, IT WAS A BAD NIGHT FOR EDMONTON BUT CHRIS JONES WAS VERY EVEN-TEMPERED AND THOUGHTFUL IN THE POSTGAME INTERVIEWS. I EXPECTED A TIRADE.
AND FRANKLY, I HAD A BLAST. IT WAS AN EASY DRIVE UP FROM CALGARY AND THEN GOT TO SEE AND VISIT WITH TONS OF FRIENDS INCLUDING ELKS ALUMNI WILLIE PLESS, ROD CONNOP AND RANDY AMBROSIE (WHO’S ALSO CFL COMMISSIONER), AND MEDIA BUDDIES.
NEXT UP IN THE CFL IS THE REDBLACKS AT THE ROUGHRIDERS FRIDAY NIGHT AND THE FORECAST CALLS FOR A 50% CHANCE OF RAIN AT MOSAIC STADIUM.
SASK IS FAVOURED BY SEVEN, BUT JOHN FRENZY SAYS THIS IS A TRAP GAME FOR HIS BELOVED GREEN MACHINE.
AT LEAST WE KNOW IT SHOULDN’T BE HARD TO BEAT THE CROWD IN EDMONTON.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
(Photo: Keith Moore)
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