Commentary: Winning Matters

(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on the All New Hits 98 CKHD & LTD Radio)

It’s random thoughts Wednesday. Here we go!

#1 – The WCBL playoffs begin tonight and on our side, it’s the Saskatoon Berries at the Medicine Hat Mavericks and the Moose Jaw Miller Express at Regina Red Sox.

Both series are Best-of-3’s and the ballparks are expected to be packed! In fact here in Moose Jaw, they’re expecting the biggest crowd in Ross Wells Park history, based on advance sales.

The Millers are underdogs in this series, but told me last night at the team Awards Night and wind-up that they’ve got some tricks up their sleeves for the Red Sox. There’s no doubt there’s enough interest for this to be on TV or radio, but we’ll have the call on Home Team Live streaming.

#2 – Personal pet peeve here, and I guess I’ll have to get over it eventually, but how in the world can the CFL get away with using analytics to name their Players of the Week?

And furthermore, this isn’t just the CFL’s problem – it’s more of a football problem – but how aren’t “wins” measured in a quarterback’s stats? In neither real stats, nor fantasy.

For the life of me I can’t figure out how the Riders’ Shea Patterson can get player of the week, but have lost the game Saturday night like Sask did, 42-31 to Edmonton.

In hockey and football, wins are measured in stats and they’re KEY. (For instance, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck led the NHL in wins last season with 37 while in MLB, Chris Sale and Seth Lugo lead in wins with 13).

Is it a hill I’m willing to die on?

No. But these Players of the Week in the CFL seem like decaffeinated coffee to me.

Pointless!

And history will show … winning matters, not just playing well and losing.

Look at the Olympics.

And #3 – I’m hearing it a lot: “I miss hockey.”

In fact, I’m seeing it everywhere. On one hand, I don’t capitulate to what amounts to whining, but on the other hand, I learned long ago that you have to give people what they want.

So for a good hockey fix, you may want to check out our Monday night South Florida Tribune podcast called “Fire Up Florida”. We’ve been doing it the past number of weeks.

This week publisher Scott Morganroth and I, along with columnist George Eichorn, do a 30-minute roundtable covering all NHL topics and it was a lot of fun! You can check it out here.

There ain’t nothing wrong with making it a year-round sport.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 4 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)