10 WEEKEND THINGS

Taking shots …

1 – WEEK 3: It was a near perfect day. If you’re a Rider fan, Saturday was a perfect day as Saskatchewan snared a 29-26 overtime victory over the Calgary Stampeders before just under 25,000 fans at McMahon Stadium. In a game which featured just about everything the CFL has to offer, a fan beside me in Section D said sarcastically, “It feels like neither team deserves to win.” Indeed it appeared headed to a tie in overtime, before star Rider cornerback Nic Marshall stepped in front of a game-winning touchdown pass and stuck a dagger in Saskatchewan’s second win of the season. Moments later, the Rider players gathered on the stage under the McMahon jumbotron and celebrated lustily, adding insult to injury.

2 – DICKENSON BOWL: Saskatchewan coach Craig Dickenson said afterwards it felt like his team snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and they probably did. I was most looking forward to the game simply to see which team was better – each came in at 1-1 – but I’m not so sure that was decided. The two West Division rivals are that close. Craig improved to 2-6 all-time against his little brother Dave but got out by the skin of his teeth. A 3rd-and-1 Rider turnover in the redzone with a minute to go, leading 26-23, allowed Calgary to march the other way and tie the game up with a 53-yard Rene Parades field goal. The “Dicken-cision” has been soundly debated since, with many opinions on each side but as Craig MacTavish once famously said, “We don’t critique our wins.”

As an aside, Rider quarterback Trevor Harris was shaky in the first half but sparkled in the second and is proving to be a wise investment. As an American football-type texted during the game, “Harris is saving people their jobs in Sask.” That’s the idea!

3 – STAMPS: On the other side, Calgary has much to sort through. The criticism of Stamps coach Dave Dickenson to throw to the endzone on the second of possession of overtime, to win the game, is silly. Had they kicked a field goal and settled for a tie, there would have been MORE questions of, “Why didn’t you go for the win?” Dave made the right call. But the Stamps have now lost six of their last nine home games and starting pivot Jake Maier threw three interceptions in an average, at best, showing.

Both the Stamps and Riders have bye weeks next week.

4 – MCMAHON: Calgary’s football stadium gets its share of knocks but Saturday’s experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Opened in 1960, McMahon has certainly seen its better days however I came away with exactly zero complaints. A crowd of 25,000 is perfect for that place. Parking was a breeze, the lineups were tolerable and the sightlines are as good as you’ll find anywhere. Over 20 seasons broadcasting games out of there as the visitor, I always enjoyed games in Calgary and you’ll never find a single instance where I criticized McMahon. Does Calgary deserve and need a new facility? Yes. Should fans stay away from the current one? No.

5 – FOOTBALL WEEKEND: We had a fun time hosting CFL fans of various teams and league alumni at Ace Casino Airport and Hotel Clique Calgary Airport. So much so that an elderly gentleman from Barrie, ON stopped by our party Friday evening and asked if we were co-workers. I replied, “I guess you could say that!” He smiled and said it was nice to see how well we all got along. The next day I saw the gentleman in the hotel lobby as he and his wife were set to fly back to Ontario. “I’m going to miss the West,” he offered. “You folks have a great vibe out here.” 

Indeed.

6 – CFL MEDIA: It was a delight to watch a portion of the game with Hall of Fame sportswriter Graham Kelly of the Medicine Hat News. The best-selling author of the book Green Grit, chronicling the history of the Roughriders, Graham has been covering the CFL for decades. We had a tremendous CFL chat but Graham specifically bemoaned the state of Canadian media as we looked over all the empty seats in the press box. “Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be sportswriters,” Kelly smirked.

It is what it is, but we’re doing our part.

7 – RING OF FIRE: The football game seemed only a mild distraction to the outright panic gripping Cowtown over the state of its NHL team. If you’ve been following any of the coverage in the national media this week, a handful of big name Flames players have reportedly informed the club they won’t be re-signing long term deals in Calgary. Cue the panic. I’m with whichever media person said this is all being overblown. It’s hard to recall who said it, since there are roughly one million hot takes out there. However with a new, beloved General Manager (Craig Conroy) and a promoted-from-within Head Coach (Ryan Huska) whom fans are willing to give a chance, it’s time for a fresh start in the Saddledome. When and why exactly did the term “rebuild” become a swear word, and one teams refuse to utter?

Edmonton was once consider an undesirable place to play, but now it’s not. What changed? They have a new arena and a good team. As Mike Kelly famously said, “Now what don’t we understand about that?”

8 – DRAFT WEEK: If you’ve noticed, the NHL news cycle never slows down and it’ll get cranked up even more this week with the NHL Awards and Draft in Nashville. There’s not much intrigue for Regina sports fans since we all know Connor Bedard will go #1 to Chicago but we’ll all be tuned in. Don’t miss the Pats Draft Party at Western Pizza! But there’s considerable intrigue from picks 2-15 and we certainly have tons to discuss this week live from Ace Casino Airpot on the RP Show on Game+ TV, WQEE, Podcast & YouTube Live.

9 – WEYBURN: Booked a hotel room in the Hospitality Capital for my little cousin’s wedding in late-July and couldn’t be happier about it! Whenever someone says, “I’ve been following you since Day 1”, I always say that I hope they mean the summer of 1989 with my first radio job at 1190 CFSL, and the cast of colourful characters which included owner Jim Laing (who always called me “The Rookie”), Colin Lovequist, Wayne Ross, Grant Urban, Paul Miller, Al “The Midale Mustang” Krueger and many more. I was weekend swing DJ, Ag Director, Religious Programming Director and sometime janitor. The stories were legendary and we’ll fire ’em up again but I’ve got a very exciting career announcement coming up between now and then!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Thank you, Calgary. … Bob Cole turned 90 this week, as pointed out by Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons who placed Bob on the Mount Rushmore of Canadian hockey announcers. I’d probably give Bob TWO spots on that mountain but the other three would be Foster Hewitt, Don Wittman and Jim Hughson. … A friend from the States came up to spend the week with me and as he was leaving, he uttered “It’s better to be a fan of the whole CFL than just one team. People treat you way better.” BINGO! Then he dropped $800 in the Stamps Store. … Going down with the ship (figuratively) sounds great until the ship starts to go down. … I’m talking about the newspaper industry, in case you were wondering. … The Winnipeg Sea Bears? I feel the Prairie Bears would be me accurate. … The animal I despise the most: the coyote. … Speaking of, congrats to CFL great Derek Dennis for landing a job as ticket rep for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. … And also, congrats to Imperial, SK’s Connor Ingram on a new 3-year deal with the Yotes! … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen