FRIDAY COMMENTARY – GAME DAY

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

THE RIDERS ARE AT EDMONTON TONIGHT AND I WONDER IF PEOPLE ARE TRULY AWARE OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.

SASKATCHEWAN GOES INTO THE GAME FAVOURED BY 6.5-POINTS AND IT REPRESENTS A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE CFL HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE.

IN 20 YEARS AS VOICE OF THE RIDERS I CAN NARILY REMEMBER AN INSTANCE WHERE THE RIDERS WENT INTO EDMONTON AND BEEN FAVOURED.

EVEN WITH STRONG RIDER TEAMS BACK THEN, THE HOME FIELD AT COMMONWEALTH ALWAYS SEEMED LIKE A 10-POINT ADVANTAGE BEFORE THE TEAMS EVEN TOOK THE FIELD. WITH THE NAMES OF ESKIMO GREATS ADORNING THE STADIUM, YOU FELT LIKE YOU PLAYING THEM TOO.

BUT NOT SO THIS YEAR, WHERE EDMONTON’S SEVEN GAME HOME LOSING STREAK IS THE LONGEST IN FRANCHISE HISTORY AND A LOSS TONIGHT WOULD MARK THE FIRST TIME THE GREEN & GOLD HAVE BEEN SKUNKED AT HOME IN A SEASON.

THE POINT SPREAD ALSO INDICATES THAT THE RIDERS ARE A STRONG TEAM AND DESPITE A RASH OF INJURIES, PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE THIS CHECKED OFF AS A “DUB”.

LAST WEEK’S RIDER WIN AT MONTREAL ALSO CLINCHED A PLAYOFF SPOT WHICH, BACK IN THE DAY, WOULD’VE BEEN CAUSE FOR CHAMPAGNE-POPPING ALL ACROSS THE WHEAT PROVINCE.

CERTAINLY IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IT IS.

BUT IT UNDERSCORES THE CULTURE SHIFT IN SASKATCHEWAN OVER THE PAST DECADE-AND-A-HALF WHERE THE PLAYOFFS ARE NOW AN EXPECTATION, NOT AN UNEXPECTED LUXURY.

NOW THEY’RE IN POSITION TO CLINCH A HOME PLAYOFF GAME WHICH, FOR A GENERATION, WAS UNHEARD OF AROUND HERE.

AND THEY’RE IN GREAT SHAPE TO DO IT. THIS GAME TONIGHT REPRESENTS THE FIRST OF A HOME-AND-HOME SERIES AND EDMONTON HASN’T SWEPT SASKATCHEWAN IN A BACK-TO-BACK SINCE 1957. (WHERE’S JOHN FRENZY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?)

IT’LL BE A FUN NIGHT OF KICKING BACK AND WATCHING CFL FOOTBALL, AND EXPECTING THE RIDERS TO TAKE A WIN OUT OF EDMONTON WHICH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, HAS BECOME FAR LESS RARE.

KICKOFF IS 7:45 ON TSN.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY