The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS

TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH

1 – TAKE A MINUTE: Illustrious former Premier Brad Wall once said Saskatchewan is known for two things — the Roughriders and Craven Country Jamboree (renamed Country Thunder 20-some years ago). How lucky are we that they both hit on the same day! The Roughriders hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sunday at 5:00 pm MT while Country Thunder closed under the stars with weekend headliner Lainey Wilson, the country music superstar who gained fame on the Paramount series Yellowstone. What a show she put on!! More on that in a minute, but Brad was understating Saskatchewan’s brand, as we’re also known for producing the best hockey players and a robust Agriculture sector. I guess you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere. However take a minute out of the hustle, bustle & hype today to appreciate the place so many of us are lucky enough to call home!

2 – RIDERS/TICATS: It was slow-going at first (1-1 after the first quarter and 11-7 Saskatchewan at the break) but in the end the Roughriders motorboated the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats 38-7 to up their record to 4-1. That ties the Green & White with Edmonton and Montreal for the best record in the CFL. The TSN Turning Point was the 107-yard pick six by the Riders’ Josh Woods at 3:20 of the fourth quarter, which sealed the game. The Tabbies were marching at the time under starting QB Jake Dolegala, and trailed 24-7, but that play broke their back. Tre Ford came in to mop for Hamilton, but it only got worse. The Riders have a bye in Week 7, while Hamilton hosts Toronto on Saturday.

3 – CFL: The Ticats/Riders game was the finale to Week 6 in the CFL so there had already been three great games played before that. On Thursday the Edmonton Elks (4-1) unsurprisingly dumped Ottawa (0-5) 40-17 which has me wondering if the RedBlacks will win a game in 2026. Rome wasn’t built in a day but with the 1-year contracts which have become en vogue in the CFL, Ottawa fans are correct to expect more progress than this. As for Edmonton, death, taxes & Cody Fajardo winning. Those are the guarantees in life. … On Friday the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2) beat Toronto (2-3) in a game which saw the Bombers’ sellout streak end. Frankly I was working at Country Thunder and didn’t see a snap of it so you’ll have to tell me how backup Dru Brown piloted the Bombers to the win over the CFL’s top passer, Toronto’s Chad Kelly. … And Saturday in Montreal, the Alouettes hotshot QB Davis Alexander guided the home team to a 37-30 victory over the Calgary Stampeders. … So far through six weeks just about every team has shown Jekyll & Hyde traits; we’ve seen the best of them and also the worst of them from one week to the next. The Alouettes made Calgary look average, one week after the Stampeders scored 58 points against Toronto. The wildness and unpredictability is fun and great for the CFL.

3 – GAME NOTES: Did ya know Rider great Darian Durant holds the CFL record for the longest streak without an interception with 323 straight attempts without throwing a pick? Montreal’s Davis Alexander is breathing down his neck with 304 following Saturday’s win. … 78% of CFL games this season have been decided in the final 3:00. That’s an all-time high. … Another all-time high this season is the stat of CFL games featuring an average of 5.94 “big gainer” plays per game. That’s 20+ yard passing plays, 10-15 yard rushing plays and/or big returns. Entering Week 6 there have been 66 passing plays of 30+ yards, more than ever at this point in the season, and that’s led to the eye-popping QB stats. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you! … Jake Dolegala is now 2-10 as a starter. … Saskatchewan has won five in a row versus Hamilton. … Sunday was Sask QB Trevor Harris’s 200th career game.

4 – COUNTRY THUNDER: Who says you can’t go home? This weekend was the first time in 11 years I’d stepped on the grounds of the former Craven Country Jamboree in Craven, SK but it felt like I’d never left. Through a partnership with Country Thunder, The RP Show, and influencer agency Creatorade, I had the great fortune of spending the weekend in The Valley posting tons of pics and videos of the artists. On Friday when I showed up at the media trailer backstage, they slipped the bracelet on me and said, “Go wherever you want.” If you check my social media, I did! The highlight of it all of course was Lainey Wilson’s high energy performance Sunday night and my Lord, does that Louisiana gal put on a show. Other highlights were the bucking bulls Saturday & Sunday afternoons, and the performances I caught from up and coming young country stars Logan Layman and Robyn Ottolini. Thanks Country Thunder, and see you next year!

5 – DUNDON CUP: There was no shortage of things to discuss in sports last week and the biggest news out of the NHL – even more than Anaheim matching Philadelphia’s offer sheet to young star Leo Carlsson for 5 years/$90M – was Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon putting his wife & kids’ names on the Stanley Cup ahead of longtime staffers and some players. Nothing surprises me in this world anymore, of course, so I wasn’t in an uproar like a lot of media and fans but it gives you a helluva glimpse into how sports runs these days. Sports 1440 Edmonton’s Jason Gregor related a story that Oilers owner Peter Pocklington had his father’s name engraved on the Cup but the NHL etched it out. 40 years later, there’s no way Dundon’s antics didn’t pass through Gary Bettman’s office in downtown Manhattan. John A. Ziegler ran the NHL back in Pocklington’s time but it’s Gary Bettman’s show now and he knows who butters his bread. The owners are in charge now more than ever and if you ever needed definitive proof of the Golden Rule (he who owns the gold makes the rules), this is it. If you don’t like it, get out or turn it off. The rest of us have learned to go with the flow …

6 – BECK BRAVES: We reported here in the late spring that Carter Beck – the former WCBL Saskatoon Berries star outfielder of Indiana State and Carnduff, SK – was rated as high as Round 2 of the MLB Draft and some scoffed. I guess they scoffed for good reason because in Saturday’s Draft, Carter went in ROUND ONE, 26th overall, to the Atlanta Braves. Carter’s family had a Draft Watch Party in Carnduff and the video of that has gone viral. What a sensational story all around! It’s been such a joy to get to know him and interview him in my time in the WCBL. … Watching all the WCBL teams and Carter’s former competitors congratulating him on social media has been heartwarming. … 10 years ago on July 4, Regina’s Dustin Molleken made his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers. His parents Doug & Lisa were on hand for that game just as they were last weekend as Dustin’s Saskatoon Berries – where he’s the pitching coach – visited our Moose Jaw Miller Express for the annual Fourth of July Game. Dusty was acknowledged during that game and he came out to tip his hat to the soldout crowd at Ross Wells Park. … What a couple of incredible moments, and what an inspiration for young Saskatchewan ball players that you too, can make it!

7 – SPORTS RADIO: Rogers sportsradio in Calgary (960) and Vancouver (650) went off the air this week, without notice. The Flames and Canucks weren’t informed ahead of time and clearly neither was the staff, which is cowardly. Regardless, I’m told young people in these markets are having a tough time with the news and while I get that, they’ll get over it. We grew up without sportstalk radio and managed just fine. In fact, things might’ve been better. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and what this does is make selected shows and podcasts like ours all-the-more special. … I spent countless hours on both stations both as a guest, and calling World Junior games for Team Canada, so don’t think I wasn’t rocked by this news too. However we all survive these things and I’m glad to be long on the other side of it. … The Flames and Canucks will be on the air, somewhere on the dial, and their announcers won’t be left in the lurch. However how the teams handle this moving forward will be interesting to watch.

8 – TEACHING THE GAME: 3-time Grey Cup champion and 25-year NFL coach Marc Trestman asked to come on the RP Show this week to promote his new book ‘Teaching The Game’, with forewords by Tony Dungy and Steve Young. If the interview was any indication, the book is going to be fascinating and you can get 20% off your pre-order with the promo code GAME20 at TeachingTheGame.com. Marc says the book is a culmination of everything he’s learned from his decades in the game and is ideal for players, coaches, parents, media and fans. We are so blessed to have had Marc in the CFL for as long as he did (four Grey Cup appearances in seven seasons) and we’ve vowed to meet up in Florida this Fall. He’s retired in Naples.

9 – TOP 10 NFL STORYLINES THIS SEASON: Training camps open shortly. With the help of our viewers, listeners and analysts, here’s what we came up with for the top stories entering the season: #10 Can the Chicago Bears continue their meteoric rise with coach Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams?, #9 Is the NFC West the toughest division? The Rams & Seahawks are in the Top 5 of Super Bowl odds, #8 Who will sign Tyreek Hill?, #7 It’s Super Bowl or bust for Dallas but will the Cowboys even make the playoffs?, #6 Year 1 of the Mike McCarthy/Aaron Rodgers combo in Pittsburgh, #5 How soon can John Harbaugh make the NY Giants relevant?, #4 Who will the Vikings start at QB: J.J. McCarthy or Kyler Murray?, #3 Can the Chiefs run it back with a healthy Patrick Mahomes and back for one more shot, Travis Kelce?, #2 Las Vegas Raiders QB situation with veteran Kirk Cousins and #1 pick Fernando Mendoza. #1 What will the Super Bowl match-up be? (I’ll take Rams & Broncos). 59 days till Week 1.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Why don’t doctors have to be on time? Everyone else does. … “Breakups are good for business” – country singer Robyn Ottolini told the crowd at Craven. … I’m the only one in Moose Jaw without a tattoo. … All kids should be taught the art of meditation. … How does Peavey Mart close? Especially here. … They want the glory without the gory. … 1 in 3 food bank users is a child. … One sees obstacles while the other sees opportunity. … While Europe’s still in the throes of summer heat, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Danish city of Aalborg. Dozens of Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves from around the world have descended on Denmark’s fourth-largest city for the Nordic nation’s annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition for decades. The gathering offers a chance for professional Santas — not the real one, of course! — to swap stories, compare beards, sharpen their craft and compete in lighthearted contests months before anyone checks naughty-or-nice lists for the Christmas rush. “Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach,” 33-year old Santa Simon Brens from nearby Copenhagen said with a smile. “So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.” … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome.