FRIDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY

(Listen for the Rod Pedersen Commentary daily at 9:50 AM and 5:20 PM on Cat Country 98 FM)

WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CFL UNTIL THERE’S A REASON NOT TO TALK ABOUT THE CFL.

SPORTSNET’S ARASH MADANI BROKE A BIG STORY FRIDAY MORNING THAT COMMISSIONER RANDY AMBROSIE HAS ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF DOCTORS, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND DISEASE EXPERTS TO FORMULATE A RETURN-TO-PLAY PLAN.

FRANKLY, I ASSUMED THIS WAS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT HAD NO DETAILS UNTIL ARASH LAID IT ALL OUT AT SPORTSNET.CA.

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ALL THE DETAILS OTHER THAN THAT REGINA AND WINNIPEG HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED BY THE EXPERTS AS THE TWO QUARANTINE CITIES WHERE ALL CFL TEAMS WOULD PLAY OUT OF.

TIMELINES, TRAVEL ISSUES AND ROSTER SIZES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THEY TAKE A BACKSEAT TO ONE KEY ISSUE – CONSISTENT TESTING OF PLAYERS FOR CORONAVIRUS ONCE THEY ARRIVE, AND DURING THE SEASON WHICH WOULD HYPOTHETICALLY KICKOFF IN SEPTEMBER.

YES, THIS ALL SOUNDS EXTREMELY POSITIVE AND FOR THOSE WHOM ARE SEARCHING FOR HOPE, THERE IT IS.

BUT AT SOME POINT, REALISM NEEDS TO BE FACTORED IN. THE BIG FOUR – NHL, NFL, MLB AND NBA – ARE ALL EXAMINING THE EXACT SAME THING AND FOR THEM, FRANKLY, MONEY IS NO OBJECT.

UNFORTUNATELY IN THE CFL, MONEY IS A HUGE OBJECT AND AS BC LIONS OWNER DAVID BRALEY SAID ON VANCOUVER RADIO ON THE WEEKEND, THEY HAVE NONE OF IT.

NOW YOU KNOW WHY AMBROSIE TOLD THE NATION ON WEDNESDAY THAT IF THEY HAVE TO PULL THE PLUG ON THE SEASON, AT LEAST THEY’VE EXHAUSTED ALL OPTIONS.

IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS, LONG-TIME COACH MARCEL BELLEFEUILLE LEFT THE ALOUETTES AS AN ASSISTANT COACH TO TAKEOVER AS HEAD COACH AT HIS ALMA MATER, THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA.

WE KNOW THERE WILL BE U-SPORTS WHEN THE PANDEMIC LIFTS. SADLY, WE’RE NOT SURE ABOUT THE CFL.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.