FOOTBALL FRIDAY RECAP: SCIANITTI, MAKOWSKY JOIN!

Episode 207 of The Rod Pedersen Show was a Football Friday and it was tremendous! Here are the highlights:

Rod and Dupes opened with The Rollout for Flooring Superstore covering these Devine Nine show topics: 1) The Chinese pro basketball league is reportedly going ahead with the Bubble Cities concept, and the league includes American players, 2) SaskTel Centre confirms to CJWW Saskatoon that they’ve been contacted about being a Quarantine venue (for the NHL?), 3) Wrestlemania goes this weekend, live, indoors before no spectators in Orlando. Will you be watching?, 4) Wayne Gretzky says Connor McDavid will win a Stanley Cup before his career’s over. Will it be in Edmonton? 5) The Athletic’s NHL broadcast rankings (including Carolina as #1 and Boston as #31. Ottawa was Canada’s highest-rated crew), 6) Rod attempts to clarify Duron Carter’s comments about job instability for pro football players, 7) Do you like Tom Brady?, 8) Have you, at any point, thought you have Coronavirus? and 9) It’s critically important to support local businesses at this time.
CFL Players Association Executive Director Brian Ramsay joined the show via video chat and provided a State of the Union address. He said they’re doing their best to keep players informed amid the pandemic, through daily communication and the association’s website at CFLPA.com. Brian said there is currently no fund in place to assist players similar to the PHPA, but cases like this show prove that it would be a good idea to start one. Like other pro leagues at the moment, Ramsay concurred that the league and its players are working together like no other crisis before. They all have the common goal of getting on the field, on schedule. He also said how impressed they are with the efforts and leadership of new CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian.
On Day whatever-it-is of the State of Emergency and Stay At Home order, Rod observed that people are getting stir crazy and very snappy on social media (Exhibit A: The reaction to Duron Carter). He said now is not the time to get lax on social distancing and advised that if you’re getting triggered by what people are saying on social media, it’s up to YOU to put down your phone or delete your account. You’re not going to change people; especially not now.
Hall of Fame Rider broadcaster John Lynch joined the show via phone from his Rider phone. “Frenzy” was a riot, predicting that if there’s no Roughriders football this summer, “there will be divorces, murders, heart attacks and hospitalizations”. A viewer chimed in, asking if John’s referring to his own home specifically? Lynch talked about what a shame it would be for a season disruption, given how primed this current Roughriders roster is to take a run at the 2020 Grey Cup. He also figures a shortened-season would be in Sask’s favour.
Hall of Fame Rider lineman and Sask Party MLA Gene Makowsky joined the show from his home, where he’s working remotely. Geno said he hasn’t thought a ton about football lately, as his focus is on serving his constituents at this time. However the guys talked about Gene’s time with the U of S Huskies, the outlook for Canada West in 2020, and the job his old buddy Jeremy O’Day has ton putting together a Grey Cup-calibre team.
CFL on TSN’s Matthew Sciannitti joined the show from his Toronto home. He said the reporters are still working, despite having to do it from home and/or while observing social distancing. Matt discussed why he’s such good friends with Zach Collaros (they both came into the CFL in 2012), and why he thinks Collaros winning the Grey Cup with Winnipeg hasn’t been as big of a story as it should be (Zach’s career has been overshadowed by injuries). Scianitti wouldn’t predict if the CFL will play this year, and said he won’t even allow himself to think otherwise. He agreed with Rod that the CFL is on the verge of an explosion of great football, with a new legion of QBs including Cody Fajardo, Nick Arbuckle, Dane Evans, Vernon Adams Jr., etc. plus a host of great young coaches, and great storylines (Bo Levi’s comeback, the return of Scott Milanovich, etc).
The new feature of the RP Show Rockstar of the day for RoxDar Supply Chains Solutions has been a popular one! Penguins assistant coach Mark Recchi beat out Connor Bedard in voting by viewers on Thursday, and Rod chuckled that perhaps the world isn’t as taken by the up-and-coming Regina Pats phenom as he is. Regarding Friday’s voting, John Frenzy was winning by a nose at press time.
The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Is Wayne Gretzky right? Will Connor McDavid win a Stanley Cup before his career is over? Over 60% of respondents said yes.
Friday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab or you can listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive presented by SUDS Full Service Car Wash.
Have a safe weekend and we’ll see you at 10 am MT on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive. Our guests include Chris Getzlaf, Alondra Johnson, Less Browne and #1 CFL Draft prospect Jordan Williams of East Carolina!