FRIDAY COMMENTARY – BLACK FRIDAY

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

MAYBE WE WERE TOO HARD ON THE YEAR 2020.

REMEMBER THAT? ALL THE CARNAGE THAT 2020 BROUGHT WITH IT? IT’S WHEN COVID FIRST CAME ON OUR RADAR. ALL THESE CRAZY MOVES WERE HAPPENING IN SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT AND IT JUST SEEMED SO WEIRD. EVERYBODY’S LIVES WERE GETTING DISRUPTED AND WE ALL SAID, “THAT’S 2020 FOR YOU”.

WELL, I DON’T THINK IT WAS JUST THE CALENDAR.

AND JUST LIKE DON CHERRY LEAVING SPORTSNET IN 2019, THURSDAY’S NEWS THAT ROD BLACK IS LEAVING TSN REMINDS US THAT THIS IS AN ODD TREND RATHER THAN A FAD AND 2020 WASN’T TO BLAME.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO DO TODAY IS JUST TELL YOU ABOUT THE REAL ROD BLACK. HONESTLY, WHAT YOU SEE ON TV IS WHAT YOU GET.

GOOFY, GREGARIOUS, THE CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL, VERSATILE … ROD BLACK IS ONE OF THE GREAT BROADCASTERS IN CANADIAN HISTORY.

WE ALL HEAR THE CRITICISM OF “BLACKIE” BUT HONESTLY I’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD IT. HE CERTAINLY HAS A QUIRKY STYLE, BUT HE’S ALWAYS KNOWN HIS STUFF. HIS PUNS AND NICKNAMES FOR PLAYERS ALWAYS MADE ME ROLL MY EYES, BUT THEY MADE ME SMILE TOO.

FOR SOME REASON WHEN I THINK OF ROD BLACK, I GENERALLY THINK OF THE 2013 GREY CUP AT TAYLOR FIELD. HE WAS CALLING IT ON NATIONAL RADIO AND I REMEMBER SEEING HIM IN THE PRESS BOX IN THE GRAND OL’ LADY DRESSED IN JEANS, SORRELS, AND A GIGANTIC CANADA GOOSE PARKA. IT WAS CLEAR HE WOULD NOT BE ON TV THAT DAY.

AND AS USUAL WHEN WE CROSSED PATHS UP THERE, HE WAS GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR AND WAS JUST HAPPY TO HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BE ON THE AIR.

FOR ROD, IT DIDN’T SEEM TO MATTER WHAT IT WAS; A CFL GAME, A RAPTORS TELECAST, FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE OLYMPICS … YOU NAME IT.

HE JUST WANTED TO BE ON THE AIR.

HIS ANNOUNCEMENT ON TWITTER OF HIS DEPARTURE CERTAINLY SEEMED ABRUPT ON THURSDAY AND WE ALL WAIT WITH BAITED BREATH FOR WHERE HE’LL END UP.

BUT I JUST CAN’T IMAGINE THAT WHEREVER HE LANDS, HE’LL HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE NATIONAL IMPACT HE’S HAD OVER THE PAST GENERATION.

AND FOR THOSE WHO CRITICIZED HIM OVER THE YEARS, YOU MAY FIND OUT YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT YOU HAD TILL IT’S GONE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY