MONDAY COMMENTARY – DON’T LISTEN TO THE NOISE

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

As I begin the second half-century of my life, it’s become very clear what my mantra is going to be:

“Don’t listen to the noise.”

Frankly, that should’ve been the goal of my first 50 years – because my Dad had been telling me that for decades – but I guess you need to experience these things for yourself.

And I’m not talking about the news and politics. I don’t need Tucker Carlson or Don Lemon to tell me what to think. Or for that matter, John Gormley.

It’s always been pretty easy for me to forge a path that way, without allowing a political commentator to get into my head.

But when it comes to sports, it can get a little confusing. And to be honest, sports haven’t changed that much. I should’ve never gone away from my internal compass in the first place.

For instance, I was reading an article at the Florida Panthers website over the weekend where the writer applauded Sergei Bobrovsky for stopping all 30 shots he faced when the teams were 5-on-5 in last week’s game against Pittsburgh.

I thought to myself, “Ya but the Penguins won 4-2!”

When did it matter in what situation a goalie faces his shots? They track that now?

The size of the puck hasn’t changed.

Did he make the save or not?

And then with the NFL, this isn’t new, but the fans and media get down on their teams if they don’t win games by enough.

They call them “close calls”.

Well I can tell you the coaches only care to win by a point. That’s enough.

The pundits say they predicted the Dallas Cowboys’ OT loss to Jacksonville on Sunday because they’d had a “close call” the week before against lowly Houston.

Nope. Uh uh.

Each game is different, and momentum from games doesn’t carry over from one to another except in playoff series.

Don’t listen to the noise! Just enjoy the games and don’t let anybody try to pull your leg.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE Radio)