10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – ELK FLU: Told you after last week’s 54-20 blowout loss at Winnipeg that I wasn’t buying the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ excuse that they were flu-ravaged. Or were suffering from food poisoning. Or whatever the story was at the time. But I still thought they could beat the hapless Edmonton Elks on Friday night in an elimination game which would’ve turned Saskatchewan’s season around.

Nope. An almost-as-bad Edmonton team – the Elks took 158 yards in penalties – walked out of Mosaic Stadium with a 26-24 victory in Week 15 and now “The Insiders” think the Chris Jones-led Elks are going to overtake Saskatchewan for the fourth and final playoff spot in the CFL West.

And I didn’t hear one word about the “flu” after Friday night’s fumbling where the defense couldn’t stop anybody and the offensive line couldn’t protect Cody Fajardo.

Oh, and Craig Dickenson can only coach what he’s given. I feel sorry for that guy.

2 – WHAT’S NEXT: The fans want heads to roll NOW, and The Insiders are already talking about “Who’s gonna run the Riders next year?” and “Who’s gonna be the coach?” The reality is, as far as you and I are concerned, those are not worthwhile discussions at the moment. Nobody’s being fired until this season plays out and the fact is Sask is facing two possibilities: 1) A miraculous run which lands them in the Grey Cup game on November 20 in their own park, or 2) The biggest flop in franchise history.

That’s what’s at stake. So no matter whom gets fired or doesn’t, the President, the GM and the Head Coach will forever wear whatever the final outcome of this season is.

Jim Hopson, Brendan Taman and Corey Chamblin are remembered in Riderville as champions. Those who didn’t achieve the Holy Grail in 1995 and 2003 – when the team also hosted the Grey Cup but didn’t appear in it – are not. There’s no need to name names here. You know who they are.

3 – THE INSIDERS: Ohhhh those talks with the football insiders are FANTASTIC! These are CFL greats who really have no skin in the game anymore – nor dog in the hunt – so they sit back in these sunny locales, watch all the games, and call ’em as they see ’em. I guess I’m now one of them because they keep calling me. Anyway, they say Jason Maas’s playcalling as Offensive Coordinator of Saskatchewan is “atrocious”. But no matter, they say he’s going to coach Danny Maciocia’s Montreal Alouettes next year. 

The Insiders say the next great G.M. in the CFL will be Sammy Garza, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback who’s better known for being Cal Murphy’s son-in-law, and has been in the personnel department of the Dallas Cowboys for years and years. A bomb’s expected to go off within the Cowboys, you see, (metaphorically) and Sammy could be looking at coming back to Canada.

So while fans are calling for heads to roll in various CFL markets, and those who do the hiring and firing aren’t about to do anything YET, the football types are circling the wagons, dusting off their resumes and making phone calls.

It’s fascinating.

4 – HALL OF FAME: Mini rant here I guess but it would’ve been nice to watch a livestream of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony from Friday night in Hamilton, and also read some coverage of the speeches somewhere. (If it was streamed and I missed it, I apologize. But I tried to find it.) A Google News search on Saturday morning of ‘Roy Shivers’ and ‘Dave Ritchie’ only brought up days-old articles previewing the ceremony. There’s nothing on CFL.ca except for an article telling you where to buy tickets.

But that’s how the business has changed, and it ain’t going back as much as you and I would love for it to.

Someone who was in attendance at Tim Hortons Field Friday night told me, “Each of the inductees spoke for 2-4 minutes and each speech was from the heart and not notes. It was a very good event.”

Too bad not enough people are able to read/watch/follow it.

It’s the CFL’s history. But not enough people seem to care.

Is family history important? Ask your doctor.

5 – SHIV: For pre-event photos, the Hall of Fame inductees were dressed up in formal wear. That is, all but one. Roy Shivers. Shiv showed up in shorts, sandals and a Hawaiian shirt. You could look at it and say, “Would you mind dressing up and showing some respect for the event Roy?” or you could be like everyone’s always been with Shivers and simply say, “That’s just Roy.”

And to be honest, if there ever was a poster child for the phrase “Just Be You”, it’s Roy Shivers. We’re not going to get into his colourful career here because I’ve done enough of that over the last 20 years but Roy is a worthy Hall of Fame inductee and I’m glad to see that, thanks to Roy Shivers, those of us who favour the motto “just be yourself” can look forward to a happy ending one day. Actually, I’m pretty damned happy now, living that way. Hopefully Roy’s happy too.

FYI: Regarding this week’s CFHOF induction gala, one of The Insiders said, “What do you think Eric’s thinking when he sees Roy go in?”

6 – THE NEST: They’re calling Kurtis Rourke – the younger brother of BC Lions phenom Nathan Rourke – “The Next One”, and say he’ll be even better than his big brother. Just like Nathan, Kurtis hurls for the University of Ohio Bobcats and as luck would have it, Ohio played Florida Atlantic University on Labour Day Weekend. The Owls practice just down the street from me, and I watched that game (it was in Athens, OH). Kurtis Rourke tossed four touchdowns in a wild 41-38 victory. What a family!

The Insiders say Nathan Rourke just needed some playing time in the CFL and then he’d be ready for the NFL. Now here we are, and we just wait to see if he’ll ever put on a Lions uniform again before heading to the States. As BC co-GM Neil McEvoy said regarding the elder Rourke still having one year left on his CFL deal, “If the NFL wants him, they’ll get him.”

I love following U.S. college football. Right now it’s like taking a sip from a firehose, but it’s getting easier everyday.

7 – THE GREATS: Former Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach and Bombers & Eskimos coach Mike Kelly won’t mind me saying he’s one of those football types in my circle, living in Florida. Don’t miss our special RP Show on location broadcast from The Beach House in Pompano Beach, FL on Monday, Oct. 3 as we’ll be joined LIVE IN PERSON by Coach Kelly and 8-year Edmonton Eskimo WR Andrew Nowacki. (He’s a real estate agent down here now).

Big, big things are happening. I knew this would be a tremendous sports hotbed, and a great spot for our show, with CFL and Canadian sports angles.

**Incidentally RP Show podcast downloads increased 500% over the summer at 72,000+ per month. I’m happy to report the landslide majority of listeners remains in Saskatchewan, but we’re growing fast in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, the U.S. South, California and Nevada. I credit this to quite a few things including a very solid team as always, the addition of C.O.O. Lee Genier, and broadcasting from the World Juniors at Rogers Place in July-August.**

8 – ON THE ICE: FINALLY! NHL training camps got going with this weekend’s rookie prospect games around North America. The teams I’m following the closest are the two teams I’ve picked to be in the Stanley Cup Final: the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames. These aren’t homer picks just because we broadcast the RP Show out of these two markets! Both teams won their division pennants last year and have made changes to come back back and win it all.

Book it: Calgary vs Florida for the Stanley Cup.

(FYI: I suck at betting, and betting advice)

9 – BEDARD WATCH: Our viewers, listeners, followers and fans are simply the BEST people. Many have DM’ed me saying, “It’s great that you’re adding college football and additional content to your show and website but don’t ever stop with the junior hockey coverage!” Don’t worry, we won’t because junior hockey is in my heart. The Hockey Insiders in Regina tell me that Pats team ownership has dropped the edict that Connor Bedard is not to be traded. Sounds like not now, and not ever. And that’s come from multiple sources.

And that’s a big mistake. The Regina Pats simply aren’t good enough to contend in the WHL this year and the adage – of the good teams anyway – has always been: “If you’re not in contention to win it all, then be a seller.”

So what I see playing out is this: By Christmas the Pats will be languishing at or below the playoff line and the right-minded hockey people will convince ownership to trade Bedard to either the Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers, or the contending Seattle Thunderbirds.

And I trust General Manager John Paddock as a hockey man enough to know he’ll make the right deal to set the franchise up for years to come. Let’s not forget he got them to the WHL Final in 2017 (the first time since 1984) and into the Memorial Cup Final (the first time since 1974).

Please Pats — do the right thing.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Say it with me – “There are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason.” … The Riders had to play a game with multiple players suffering from the flu. Yet if just as many players tested positive for Covid, they’d have moved the game. Explain that one to me. … Fireworks after a loss? … There’s a reason no CFL team has ever crossed over in the playoffs and gone to the Grey Cup. I don’t know that reason – only the football gods do – but there IS a reason. … You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. … The Insiders say Chris Jones has “mellowed” in his latest incarnation in the CFL. I say it’s because the NFL and High School experience over the past two years humbled him. It happens to us all. … New voices in new places – Congratulations to Gino de Paoli for being named Bob Ridley’s successor as Voice of the Medicine Hat Tigers and we’re told kudos are due to Dan Robertson, who’ll soon be named Winnipeg Jets TV broadcaster, succeeding the great Dennis Beyak. Dan’s been the radio voice of the Montreal Canadiens for quite some time. Congrats guys! … Did I mention here that Dog The Bounty Hunter has been married six times and has 12 kids? And he’s also 5’6″? Maybe I have. But it still astounds me. … TV shows that run on a loop in South Florida — Golden Girls, Miami Vice and Dog The Bounty Hunter. … I sit by the TV and write down ideas from all the daytime sports TV talk shows on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports 1, Bally Sports Florida, etc., then transfer them to mine. … Used to do the same thing with my local radio talkshow, listening by the pool in Phoenix to sports talk radio. It worked then. And it’s working now. … Getting stale would SUCK! … Leading off the sports updates in Miami on Friday was the fact Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are no longer living together. … And how was YOUR WEEK? … If it’s not good for your Mental Health, it’s gotta go. … And if you’re not doing what you love, what ARE you doing??

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen

(Photo: Joanne Lee)