FLAME TECH FOOTBALL FRIDAY RUNDOWN: BALDINGER, LAWSON & MORE!

Fridays are reserved for the gridiron so we tackled all the latest topics, and the hottest hockey news, on Episode #451 of The RP Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talkshow! Read on for the rundown:

• RP and Moose Dupont got it going with The Warmup for Four Seasons Sports Palace covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) Thursday NHL leftovers (a record-setting night for Sid, Mika and Rocco!), 2) BCHL/AJHL leftovers, 3) Dub Hub – a busy 27 hours for the Pats, 4) RP Show’s NHL Top 5 are Tampa, NY Islanders, Carolina, Vegas and Edmonton while the Bottom 5 are Anaheim, Detroit, Buffalo, Buffalo and Buffalo!, 5) Kyle Lowry remains a Raptor, and 6) A report from Octagon Sports suggests CFL/XFL media rights could be worth $100M US. Rod said it’s Fake News.
• NFL alum and NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger joined the show for a wide-ranging football chat. He appeared on the show through a hook-up with Ticats special teams coach Jeff Reinebold and revealed the pair coached in NFL Europe together and currently cover the NFL for Europe’s Sky Sports. Baldy played for the Dallas Cowboys offensive line along with Chris Schultz in the 1980s and agreed with Rod that Schultzie was “a beautiful human being.” Regarding a CFL/XFL merger (Baldinger once had a tryout with the Ottawa Rough Riders), he feels there needs to be some sort of a feeder league for the NFL and if this is it, he’s in favour. Baldinger explained where things have broken down between Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, but doesn’t expect he’ll be traded. He also touched on the Deshaun Watson harassment scandal and said his trade value has plummeted. Regarding Dak Prescott’s whopping new contract with the Dallas Cowboys, Baldinger said it’s unfair that any Cowboys QB will always be compared to Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. It was a great visit!
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Will the Seahawks trade Russell Wilson? At press time, over 70% of respondents voted no.
• In Hour 2 in the Second Half Kickoff we were joined by Estevan Bruins GM/Head Coach Jason Tatarnic to discuss RP’s scoop that the BCHL intends to split from the CJHL. Tatarnic coached in the BCHL with Chilliwack and revealed the notion of creating their own league has been around for years. He suggested BCHL owners are upset about having to participate in the Centennial Cup (because it hurts ticket revenue) but feels separation is a bad idea. Tatarnic then went deep into comparisons of the USHL and NAHL and said the USHL is a far better league than any Junior A league in Canada, rivalling major junior. He also discussed this week’s decision by the SJHL to cancel its season.
• Next up was Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson, the former Chairman of the CFL’s Board of Governors. He talked about the state of horse racing in Canada during the pandemic and said they hope to begin their racing season next month. Regarding the state of the CFL, Lawson admitted the business model has long been broken and advised CFL fans to “keep an open mind” regarding a partnership with the CFL.
• Hall of Fame Rider broadcaster John Lynch rode shotgun throughout the show and expressed his concern over the 2021 CFL season and wonders if league leaders are “doing enough” to save the league. He doesn’t favour a merger with the XFL and agrees with Rob Vanstone’s assessment that the CFL should go to a majority “Canadian player” league like it was up until the 1970s.
• Don’t miss our RP Show Best of the Week airing on AccessNow TV Saturday & Sunday at noon Sask Time.
• Friday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can catch the replay at 4:00 pm on Game+, listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab at the top of this page, or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
• See you at 12 pm ET/10 am MT on Monday on Game+ TV and YouTube/Facebook Live!