10 WEEKEND THINGS

1 – WELCOME TO REGINA: Where it’s minus-40 all winter and down to single-lane traffic all summer. But it’s a Paradise on the Prairies! Our #1 resource is our people.

2 – THE WEEK THAT WAS: Just in time for training camp, Riderville got a boon. The signing of free agent punter Jon Ryan was a huge benefit for the Green & White both on the field and off. It got people talking about football that don’t normally talk about football because it’s a good news, dream-come-true story. And make no mistake, Jon Ryan is a weapon for the Roughriders. He did win games for the Seattle Seahawks with his variety of talents and toughness.

3 – GREAT GAME, NASTY BUSINESS: Days before training camp, long-time CFL vets Josh Bartel, Bear Woods and Rolly Lumbala were cut. Training camp rosters are set now, so there’s nowhere for them to go. They join a long list of big names who aren’t in training camps this week including Weston Dressler, Rob Bagg, Adarius Bowman, Chip Cox, Kevin Glenn and a host of others.

4 – POWER RANKINGS: Friday’s posting from Hamilton’s Rick Zamprien got a lot of play. Here are mine: 1) Calgary, 2) BC, 3) Hamilton, 4) Saskatchewan, 5) Winnipeg, 6) Edmonton, 7) Toronto, 8) Ottawa, 9) Montreal.

5 – WHY THE RIDERS AT #4?: These are power rankings, not predictions. This is a rating of where the teams stand now, not at the end of the season. And a healthy, motivated Zach Collaros makes the Saskatchewan Roughriders a formidable threat. Folks, the Riders would’ve beaten the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last year’s WSF if Collaros was playing. That’s a fact. But if/when he gets hurt this year, the Riders’ season goes south fast.

6 – RING TO IT: The Calgary Stampeders held their Grey Cup ring ceremony Friday night. Or as all other teams call it, the pre-camp dinner. The Stamps are so used to this kind of thing. And now with a new season upon us, it’s time to dust off all the storylines from before the snow fell. The Stampeders answered any and all doubters with their Grey Cup victory in the 106th Grey Cup. The “choker” label is gone. Will they ever fall?

7 – “LION” TO US: Fans in the lower mainland of B.C. received personalized, autographed postcards from Mike Reilly and the B.C. Lions this spring. They came in the mail and B.C. fans sent me photos of them. The fans were thrilled! Whomever’s idea this was in the Lions marketing department, take a bow. This is extremely creative and takes work, but will pay off. Now the Lions need to win!

Friday’s Sofftie Lunch

8 – S.O.F.F.T.I.E. LUNCH: Every Friday in the lounge at Boston Pizza South, a group of football people meet for lunch. It’s called the Society Of Football Featuring Tom’s Intellect & Expertise and you guessed it, it’s organized by Hall of Famer Tom Shepherd. This time we honoured Tom for his many years with the Friends of the Riders Lottery, which ended this week. The group included, but wasn’t limited to, Larry Mueller, John Lynch, Alan Ford, Eric Tillman, Lorne Harasen, Joyce (Mrs. Cal) Murphy, John Lipp, Del Reimer, Jarrod Livingstone, Paul Harasen and a few others. This lunch group is a CFL treasure, and it’s where all the league’s latest news and gossip gets shared. Good times. Congrats Tom!

9 – ALS TAKE FLIGHT: Who knows when we’ll get some concrete news on the sale of the Montreal Alouettes? But it’s happening. The word I got recently is that the Wetenhalls weren’t actively pursuing a sale, but when they were snubbed by the CFL governors when it came time to vote on Grey Cup hosts (Saskatchewan got it in 2020 and Hamilton in 2021), they felt it was time to pull the pin. Now, it appears, Commissioner Randy Ambrosie and said governors are trying to find the best, most stable new ownership group.


10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: The P.A. Raiders looked overwhelmed in the Memorial Cup opener Friday night, a 4-1 loss to the host Halifax Mooseheads. They’ll rally. Coach Marc Habscheid and GM Curtis Hunt have literally been here before. It’s just one game.  … 3 people at the Sofftie lunch asked me, “Do you miss it?” My answer is that, at this time, no. … They say the NHL game is too fast for officials these days, plus people are getting hurt because the players are bigger and faster. It’s a very simple solution: Put the redline back in. … The host Brooks Bandits will face the Prince George Spruce Kings in Sunday’s final of the National Junior A Hockey Championship (Centennial Cup). … Join me at the Indian Head Library this Tuesday for a book-signing and reading of Heart & Soul of the SJHL. We’ll have the books for sale too. … Two thumbs up for the movie HUSTLE starring Rebel “Fat Amy” Wilson and Anne Hathaway, now playing at Galaxy Cinemas. I needed a few belly laughs this week, and they provided it. As for the plotline, think Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, only in skirts. … Great season Raptors! Maybe next year.

Y’er welcome,
RP

@rodpedersen