FRIDAY COMMENTARY: “IT STARTS WITH YOU”

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

A coupla three thoughts headed into the weekend …

As far as the Calgary Flames go, it’s going to get way worse before it gets better. The Flames had two goals called back in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to Vegas in the Saddledome and after the game, it was the first time I’d heard the term “magic number” for Calgary to miss, or make, the playoffs.

When you start hearing that, it’s curtains. (Do you ever remember a team overcoming a magic number? I don’t).

I watched the game from the press box beside a Sutter and that always provides a 180-degree opposite perspective from what the fans and media see. And after all, his brother is the Flames coach.

There’s a heckuva lot of finger pointing going on in the Stampede City and there will be some big names get torched over the summer. I just have no idea who they’ll be.

But the barn was full and the Flames will be the #1 topic in this city of 1.5-million today.

Secondly, the Stampeders and almost every other CFL team could only dream of that type of heat. The Riders get it. But the CFL Combine is going on in Edmonton right now and it seems tough getting Canadian sports fans to notice. Or even football fans.

After all, it’s one of the CFL’s marquee events but really the only ones pushing it are the league itself and 3DownNation. As far as the rest of the media goes? Forget it.

The league is getting roasted for not streaming the Combine online for its diehard fans but I’m sure they’ve got a good reason. I’m sure they’d like to.

I’ll likely find out on Saturday when I head to Commonwealth Stadium, planning to take in Day 3 myself.

“It starts with you”.

And lastly, I’m loving watching the debate that’s been opened in Saskatoon regarding a new arena, again.

Thanks to Connor Bedard, close to 15,000 fans showed up for last Sunday’s Pats-Blades game at SaskTel Centre which caused a ton of bellyaching about arena parking and how out-of-date the facility is.

I’m riveted to see how many show up tonight when Bedard and the Pats return again in a playoff preview.

Opened in 1988, that makes it 35-years old. Ancient by today’s sports standards.

However for most Blades games, a facility of 5,000 will do. They rarely draw more than that. And from what I hear, Sask Rush attendance is dipping towards that mark too.

Saskatoon politicians have encouraged me over the past few years to advance the notion of a new arena for the Bridge City so here today, I’ll do that again.

Uh, sure!

However I’m still the farm boy who was raised with values like, “What you want and what you need are two different things.”

I drive a 1975 Jeep.

But as I’ve realized, my opinions and views don’t necessarily scream “mainstream” or “what’s popular”.

That doesn’t bother me at all.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE Radio)