Commentary: The Good, The Great & The Ugly
Photo: A.J. Jakubec
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on the All New Hits 98 CKHD & LTD Radio)
It’s Tuesday and time for the Good, the Great & the Ugly!
First the good: It seems like we got over the womens soccer scandal at the Paris Olympics and now it’s all clear blue skies in France.
Canada won medals – gold or otherwise – in swimming, diving and judo on Monday and as I write this, Canada is beating Australia in mens basketball.
It’s the Olympics. It’s the greatest thing in sports. I’m watching as much as I can.
Next the great: Life’s been rough for the Regina Pats in the A.B. era (After Bedard) but all you can do in a rebuild is take steps in the right direction.
In the Recovery world we say, “Do the next right thing.”
The Pats did that Monday by adding Dale Derkatch as Assistant GM and Ryan Smith as Assistant Coach.
With Alan Millar as GM and Brad Herauf as Head Coach, the Pats will be good eventually.
They’re all proven winners.
What’s funny is we had a debate in the Southland Mall food court last week about who’s the greatest all-time Pat: Derkatch or Bedard.
All I can say is … imagine if Bedard was on those Pats teams where The Rat racked up 491 points.
Instead, Connor didn’t get much help but still set records.
And finally, the ugly: It begins and ends with the Edmonton Elks.
How in God’s name could a franchise be allowed to fall so far to being the biggest joke in North American sports?
(Can you name me a close #2?)
They already set a pro sports record for longest home losing streak and are hell-bent on setting another.
Chris Jones was fired in the Alberta capital and is being fitted for goat horns but the problem started lonnnnng before him.
No wins. No fans. No hope.
It’s the biggest disaster in sports I’ve ever seen.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
Start with the Ugly: With regards to the Elks. It’s the heartland of Alberta, Canada. When you go woke, you go broke. What’s even worse I was there. My son has a season ticket. When Kevin Nash/Scott Hall left WWE for WCW – the very next week Vince McMahon brought out the “new” versions of their characters; Diesal/Razor Ramon. To wear those iconic colors/jersey’s in that stadium….for shame. To the new Owner who I know reads this. Change the name back to Eskimos. We’ve learned all it takes is a donation and a blessing by the virtue gate keepers so… Read more »
The Good: Thank God the Women’s Soccer team imploded upon itself. There are studies on Sociopaths overtaking workplaces and that’s what happened here. If it isn’t Women’s Beach Volleyball I have no interest. The Great: The Regina Pats with the backing of the Semples/Brandt – it’s only a matter of time now. This is a professional junior hockey franchise that has built a hockey ops infastrucuture for the modern era. When I look at those grizzled men on that panel…..’nuf said about the D.E.I crap. By now you should all get it. I was there for Derkatch and even he’ll… Read more »
Jones was hired to save the franchise not drag it down further. Those horns fit.
Exactly
….wrong. Chris Jones was running on fumes right after Ed Hervey cancelled his and that little posse of assistant coaches tickets. Somehow or other he convinced a beta CEO in Regina to give him control. He then convinced a Jui Jitsu CEO that of all people and evidence to the contrary he should come home again and resurect the Elks. First off Chris Jones had minimal to do with that 2015 Grey Cup. That was Ed Hervey and Mike Riley. ….there is a path forward. Winnipeg is at the end of the run. The Football Ops are butted up against… Read more »