The Monday Morning Goalie For SUDS
TRUTH & RUMOURS FOR SUDS CAR WASH
1 – ROAR BY THE SHORE: The much-anticipated BC Lions “home opener” fell flat Saturday night as the Toronto Argonauts (3-4) walked out of BC Place with a ho-hum 26-12 victory over the BC Lions (1-5). Oh, it’s not that the game didn’t include its share of drama; it’s just that the Lions – preseason Grey Cup favourites – didn’t put up much of a fight. Argo starting QB Chad Kelly left the game with a neck injury however back-up Nick “Fatty” Arbuckle came off the bench with his team up 17-6, and seamlessly guided the Boatmen to their first victory in four games. Uh, what about the Argos’ whining about never playing at home? Uhhh, why can’t the Lions win with their own backup? Somebody named Chase Brice was the first Lions QB to make his CFL debut since 2022 but he looked lost replacing injured QB1 Nathan Rourke. In fact, QB3 Kaidon Salter looked better for BC, whose offense came from four Sean Whyte field goals. Panic on the west coast? Likely. But they’ve already fired a coach (ST coordinator Cory McDiarmid). BC is at Winnipeg in Week 9 while the Argos have a bye.
2 – PRINCESS “UH OH” STADIUM: Speaking of the Blue Bombers (4-3), they dropped to 1-3 at home with Friday’s 52-30 shebockalling by the Calgary Stampeders (3-4). I was broadcasting baseball so I missed the game, but they’re making a huge deal out of the Touchdown Hattrick by Calgary’s Tyreik McAllistair. “McAllister became the first player in league history to record a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and a kick return touchdown all in a single game,” trumpeted the Canadian Press story. I thought former Rider Marcus Thigpen had a feat somewhat similar but upon review, Thiggy is the first, and only, player to score a touchdowns five different ways in a single season. Either way, both remarkable. The other stat that jumped off the page to me is Bomber QB Dru Brown throwing four picks in the loss. Frankly the online chatter around Brown is as entertaining as Netflix. Seriously, who needs openline shows anymore??? … Week 8 closed with Montreal expectedly upending Hamilton 31-18 at McGill.
3 – DEATH, TAXES & FAJARDO: The patented phrase seemed a little callous and/or tone deaf given the events of the past week however other pundits were saying it in the aftermath of Thursday’s game, so I guess I will too. Did anybody actually think Cody Fajardo wasn’t going to rally the visiting Elks to victory with 1:00 to go at Saskatchewan, trailing 34-33? Well, he did, thanks to a 57-yard walkoff field goal by Victor Blanchard and the Elkimos are the toast of the CFL at 6-1. The guy just keeps winning, against all odds, and that’s what Chosen Ones do. As for the Riders, hats off because they showed no effects of a team dealing with the death of a teammate – and the circumstances around it – less than a week prior. In the end, the result was a coin flip. A pick ’em. They played valiantly. Now the rematch goes Saturday in Edmonton.
4 – DALKE: If you’ve been following my stuff for years, you’ll know I loathe when news and sports intersect. It’s nevvvvvvver good. The same applies here as former Roughriders player Jayden Dalke lost his life in a crash on Highway 11 a week ago which also took the life of innocent victim Bhishma Rajyaguru. Here’s the thing; we all await the toxicology report to learn if Dalke was under the influence but as a fellow media member asked in the baseball press box at Ross Wells Park the other night, “Since Dalke was killed, does the RCMP even have to release the toxicology report?” Great question. We’re SPORTS GUYS, not newsies. I don’t know. However I really have to give the CBC a lot of credit. They interviewed me this week regarding the criticism the Riders have faced for how they’ve handled this whole tragedy. I suggested everyone’s doing the best they can, this is a societal issue not a football one, and everyone needs to avoid rushing to judgment. They published the quotes word for word and never insinuated anything else. I was impressed.
5 – THE DEBATE: You can research these things, and I’m sure if you did, you’d find the most talked-about facet of the 2026 CFL season is how the rule changes have been incorporated. Frankly, I love them. The missed field goal in the Week 7 Toronto-Hamilton game ended the contest the way it should’ve, not by awarding a point and going to OT. As far as the 35-second play clock goes, the transition has been seamless. … People are already debating the “moving the goalposts” for 2027 and the elimination of the 55-yard line but as long as we can keep the chatter civil, the debate is great for the game. However, the childish spat between Luke Willson, Pete Dyakowski and poor Bob Irving is just toxic and distasteful. Is this the kind of thing TSN and the CFL wants? “New fans” have taken to social media saying this dialogue is boring and unattractive. I can’t disagree.
6 – SHAMELESS PLUG: Streaming is where it’s at, they say. And this summer I’m really enjoying the Hulk Hogan documentary series on Netflix. People love the trip down memory lane and if you’ve got the time and Wifi signal, you may enjoy the rash of interviews with CFL greats which we’ve aired on The Rod Pedersen Show YouTube channel recently. Who’d we interview, you ask? How about Marc Trestman, Charleston Hughes, Geroy Simon, Henry Burris, Jorgen Hus, …. the list goes on. The images are spectacular and the feelings are warm and fuzzy. It would be great pregame or midweek programming for DAZN’s new CFL deal! Just sayin’.
7 – WNBA: Boy oh boy, am I relishing being a new WNBA fan. Why? Well I sat down to watch my first ever game last week since the Blue Jays were sucking that night and witnessed, within 10 seconds of turning it on, the absolute abuse and toxicity I’d heard Caitlin Clark has been facing nightly. Indiana was playing Connecticut. I took to social media with my disgust and was quickly told – by friends who’ve followed the WNBA for years – that that’s their culture and to keep my nose out of it. NO, NO, NO my friends! That won’t do. We’ve been told in hockey and football to clean up our act or else sponsors and fans would revolt so we have. Can you imagine Gary Bettman or Ron Robison saying, “Oh, the violence in the game is just part of our culture, as is the old school coaching abuse, so back off!” NOW I GET TO PLAY THAT GAME! It’s delicious. Having said that, in the aftermath of Saturday’s WNBA All Star Game, I’m reading how league leaders are scrambling in the League’s 30th season to answer for the cockroaches under the carpet being exposed once the lights have been turned on. How fascinating! Be careful what you wish for …
8 – NHL: What a week. The highlight was Chicago signing Patrick Kane to a 2-year,$16M deal so he can play on a line with Connor Bedard. “Bedsy” wanted the team to sign Kane, and why wouldn’t he? He’s been playing between two fire hydrants for his entire career. The move was a head-scratcher till it dawned on me that it’s a butt-saving move by GM Kyle Davidson to bring back an aging fan favourite, and it was easy to do since they have plenty of cap space. … Great quotes too, by Bedard, on his 5-year/$75M deal where he said he never considered playing anywhere else and that he’s satisfied with the salary. It IS a great town, a great hockey city, but that franchise has a major culture problem that needs to be cleaned up before this team will do anything. They’ve finished 31st in each of Bedard’s three seasons. It can be done, but plenty of my Chicago hockey people wonder if Davidson’s the guy to do it.
9 – WE’RE THE MILLERS: If you’re following, I can’t remember when I’ve had a summer with this much fun. Our Moose Jaw Miller Express baseball club won a club record 14 consecutive games in July and we shot to #1 in the standings. The streak was snapped Saturday in Swift Current, but Friday’s video of the boys doing a line dance to Footloose at Ross Wells Park has gone viral. … Saskatoon Berries grad Carter Beck going in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft has brought major attention to the WCBL and unlike the WNBA, we have nothing to hide. The best games this summer are still to come! … Last week I was walking out of the gym with two players – pitcher Jacob Quiles of Wallkill, NY and catcher Caden Ransom of Lincoln, NE – and one of them said, “Why aren’t you in Major League Baseball? You’re way better than the guys on TV!” I thought for a minute, then answered “Then I wouldn’t be here with you guys”. That seemed to satisfy them.
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: What you permit, you promote. … Saw a guy golfing in cowboy boots this week. God bless Sask. … Life doesn’t owe you an explanation. … The greatest failure of a man is his refusal to evolve. … Sometimes it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. … I heard the Vancouver Canucks aren’t heartbroken that Sportsnet 650 went off the air. Can’t speak for the Flames and Fan 960, but I wasn’t surprised to hear this. … Theoren Fleury’s annual Breaking Free Foundation Golf Classic is August 20 in Calgary. I plan to be there. … The Seattle Police Department is searching for two men who climbed over the glass wall of the city’s iconic Space Needle on Friday, flipped over the edge and parachuted down from the 605-foot structure. The jumpers face trespassing charges. The pair purchased tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday, according to the Seattle Police Department.They have not been identified by authorities and were described only as white men in their late 20s. The Space Needle did not immediately return emailed requests for comment on Saturday. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
