10 Monday Things For SUDS
Truth & Rumours For SUDS Car Wash
1 – DEVASTATION: That one’s going to leave a mark. The Blue Jays giving up a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series and losing 5-4 in 11 to the Los Angeles Dodgers isn’t just a “Toronto hard luck” story. This is a Canada-wide gashing, unlike all the Game 7 flubs the neighbour Maple Leafs are using to pulling off. We all watched Saturday night’s game and have seen the postgame coverage so there’s no use in rehashing it here. Pitchers Jeff Hoffman, and to a lesser extent Shane Bieber, are getting flamed for letting the Dodgers wiggle off the hook but this is a Win As A Team, Lose As A Team scenario and that’s how the Blue Jays got this far in the first place. Toronto’s $255-million payroll, had its foot on the neck of the Dodgers – and their $509-million payroll – but they failed to step down and twist. Lesson learned. What do you do in the face of tragedy? Rise from it and come back stronger. The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays have become national heroes, regardless of Saturday night’s outcome.
2 – MEANWHILE: John Denver sang “Some days are diamonds, some days are stone”. If John Denver sang it, it must be true and Saturday was certainly a diamond. While the Dodgers and Blue Jays were waging a Game 7 war in Toronto, 1,200 miles away in Sunrise, FL Brad Marchand was writing a remarkable story. Days after leaving his Florida Panthers to coach his friend JP McCallum’s minor hockey team in Nova Scotia in a fundraising game following the death of McCallum’s 10-year old daughter Selah Panacci-McCallum following her cancer battle, Marchand scored twice in the Panthers’ 4-3 victory over Dallas. After his first goal Marchand pointed skyward, dedicating the marker to Selah. He would later go on to score the shootout winner. “If anything, this week has taught me that there’s so many incredible moments in life that you just have to enjoy and not take too seriously,” Marchand told reporters afterwards. “And just kind of be in the moment. I wasn’t nervous or anything being out there. It was more a great opportunity to honour Selah. I knew all the guys were watching back home and she’s watching from above. I knew she was with me on that one.”
Boston’s loss has indeed been Florida’s gain with this guy.
3 – CFL PLAYOFFS: If you’ve been reading my columns for years, you’ll know I always say the CFL shines this time of year. And it always does. Saturday’s Division Semifinals were ones for the ages as Montreal held on to beat Winnipeg 42-33 and BC downed Calgary 33-30 on a walk-off field goal by the league’s oldest player, kicker Sean Whyte. There are some fascinating nuggets in these results (thanks to CFL Game Notes) like: home teams are now 75-39 in the playoffs since 1996; the year of the return to a 9-team CFL. … Crossover teams are 0-13 in getting to the Grey Cup. … The BC Lions have now won seven in a row. … Davis Alexander is 12-0 as a starter and on Saturday, the Montreal QB looked all-the-part of the CFL’s next gunslinger. “I was built for this league,” Alexander said after Saturday’s game. … Winnipeg hasn’t been the same since Defensive Coordinator Richie Hall was replaced. … Montreal & Saskatchewan have the CFL’s two best defenses. … In next Saturday’s Division Finals, Montreal visits Hamilton and BC visits Saskatchewan. The oddsmakers will have the home teams favored.
4 – CFL AWARDS: Absolutely no surprise that BC QB Nathan Rourke and Hamilton QB Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the Most Outstanding Player Award (league MVP). Rourke proved Saturday why the Lions chose him over Vernon Adams Jr. and Bo Levi led the CFL in passing while starting all 18 games. Are they on a collision course for Grey Cup 112? We’ll know in one week. … I have a slight issue with the Coach of the Year finalists – Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas. First of all, they’re all great, but the Ticats Scott Milanovich took his team from worst-to-first and finished with the top turnover ratio in the CFL (+44). … The pundits are crediting Hamilton’s defensive makeover for the turnaround, and that includes hiring Hamiltonian Brent Monson as Defensive Coordinator. Monson likely isn’t shedding a tear about Calgary losing out in Round 1 after he was fired by the Stampeders in the off-season. … Meanwhile, if there was a CFL General Manager of the Year Award (why isn’t there?) it should go to Calgary’s Dave Dickenson for going from a league-worst five wins last season to 11 wins this season and almost a home playoff game. … If they still did a CFL Media Person of the Year Award, I would’ve voted for TSN’s Luke Willson but his incessant picking on and trolling of the iconic Bob Irving has caused me to jump off his bandwagon. Now he’s in a Twitter war with Hall of Fame Stampeders broadcaster Mark Stephen. Hope he figures it out soon. Respect never goes out of style.
5 – CANADA WEST: In Saturday’s Hardy Cup Semifinals, the Regina Rams (7-2) outlasted the Manitoba Bisons 32-29 in double overtime at Mosaic Stadium while the Saskatchewan Huskies (8-1) upended the UBC Thunderbirds 26-7 at Griffiths Stadium to set up, as we all predicted, a Hardy Cup rematch next Saturday in Saskatoon. It’s just a couple steps more for either team to advance to the Vanier Cup at Mosaic Stadium. … Critics are miffed that the CFL moved its playoffs to Saturday, stealing the thunder from the USports playoffs but here’s a newsflash: They don’t care! Nobody cares anymore.
6 – HAIL THE CHIEFS: On Thursday I had the great honour of announcing the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs-Miramar Patriots Florida High Schools Athletic Assocation game in Fort Lauderdale on Seniors Night. (Thanks Coach Matt Dubuc for the invite!) The highlight was being in the press box with veteran/retired NFL/NCAA/FHSAA officials who now run the clock, score and grade the current onfield crew. When they learned I spent 20 years in the CFL, their eyes lit up! Referees, like most cops, aren’t long on personalities but when you get ’em going on their favourite topic, you can’t shut them up. “Tell us about the 55-yard line!”, they asked. “How does the rouge work?”, “Is it true you can’t see the other sideline from across the field because the field’s so wide?”, “Do you have to say ‘sorry’ if you announce the wrong player?” (A nod to Canadians’ worldwide reputation of being polite). I’m happy to report I’ll be back in the booth for the playoffs.
7 – FOOTBALL, THE REST: History’s being made in the NFL. Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars kicked a 68-yard field goal Sunday in Las Vegas, a new NFL record, surpassing Justin Tucker’s 66-yarder in 2021. … 35 NFL games this year have been decided in the final minute or overtime, tying 2021 for the most through nine weeks in NFL history. And remember, there’s one more game tonight. (Arizona at Dallas) … Bills QB Josh Allen is the first quarterback in NFL history to have six or more rushing touchdowns in eight consecutive seasons. … Cincinnati’s Joe Flacco is the third QB over 40 (Tom Brady & Warren Moon are the others) to throw for 400+ yards and two TDs in a game. … Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer lighting up the media this week about being focused on the wrong things actually gives me hope for the franchise. Although, not this year. … Mario Cristobal is in hot water here in Miami, as the Hurricanes fell 26-20 in OT at SMU, and fell to 6-2. If they miss the CFP, he’ll be out. … Happy for Arch Manning, who played hurt in Texas’s key 34-31 win over Vanderbilt.
8 – HAPPY HALLOWE’EN: Stealing this idea from NBC’s Mike Florio – comparing current NHL teams to Hallowe’en candy. Vegas Golden Knights/Reese’s Peanut Cutter Cups bar (Always at, or near the top), Winnipeg Jets/Popcorn Ball (Don’t trust it), Calgary Flames/Tootsie Roll (Looks like a turd), Toronto Maple Leafs/Snickers Bar (Always leaves you wanting more), Carolina Hurricanes/Twizzers (Safe), Pittsburgh Penguins/Hershey Bar (Always reliable), Montreal Canadiens/Kit Kat Bar (Surprisingly good), Ottawa Senators/Lays Chips minibags (Blah), Vancouver Canucks/Candy Corn (Never tried it. Looks gross).
9 – MADNESS-THE RISE & RUIN OF SPORTS MEDIA: What a rather unbelievable honour to get a note from iconic Toronto broadcaster Mark Hebscher to review his new book MADNESS-The Rise & Ruin of Sports Media, and have him on the RP Show to discuss it, and talk sports. Watch Monday’s show on Game+ TV or Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (Nevada) for the interview but Hebsy’s book is a jawdropping account of sports media from its earliest days (ancient boxing accounts in the hundreds of years AD) to today’s flimsy shell of a sports journalism industry, with a detailed account of the timeline in between. As a kid growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, we got Hebscher and co-host Jim Tatti on the famed late night Sportsline broadcast via satellite. For the generation that wouldn’t know – not your fault, how would you – Hebscher and Tatti are credited with being the first two-person sportscast which spawned Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman on ESPN, and Canada’s Jay & Dan and Tim & Sid. To know that Hebsy is a regular viewer of the RP Show on Game+ is a little staggering to a guy like me, who respects this industry and its history so immensely. Can’t wait Hebsy!
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Slow and steady wins the race. … Cody Mapes has the Weyburn Red Wings as the #4 Junior A team in Canada! … Kudos to iconic Saskatchewan Roughriders & BC Lions broadcaster Ron Barnett “The Bald Baron” for being named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Media Wing. … Said an American to me about Canadian coffee: “Ted Norton’s sucks!” (You mean Tim Hortons and no, it doesn’t suck). … Will there be a Super Bowl played in Europe in our lifetime? … Changing all the clocks around the house is a pain in the ass. … Weird. For decades I wanted so badly for the CFL to move the season up, expand to the US, and use multiple TV networks to broadcast their games. Now it’s all happening, and I’m gone. Maybe they’ll change the playoff format too, scrapping the East-West format in favour of 1-6. Will I return to a CFL broadcast booth? It’s unlikely, but never say never. … Saw somewhere CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston being referred to as “StewJo”. Works for me. … Three monkeys remained on the loose this weekend as searchers in masks, face shields and other protective gear scoured fields along a rural Mississippi highway where a truck carrying the monkeys overturned a day earlier. It remained unclear who owns the monkeys, who was transporting them and where they were being taken when the truck crashed on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg. If anyone sees monkeys, they should call the authorities and shouldn’t approach the animals, the sheriff’s office has warned as they “are known to be aggressive,” … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
MLB playoffs, now that its all said and done, Toronto Blue Jays bandwagon jump on’s from Riderville can now resume back to their regular schedule programs of watching and cheering curling. Those Prairie Hillbillies from Saskatchewan totally believe curling is Major League, Lol.