FRIDAY COMMENTARY – NEVER IN DOUBT

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

IT WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SURPRISED NO ONE.

THE 2013 GREY CUP CHAMPION SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS WERE ANNOUNCED AS PART OF THE 2021 INDUCTION CLASS FOR THE SASKATCHEWAN SPORTS HALL OF FAME ON THURSDAY.

THAT TEAM HAD HALL OF FAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT.

SO LET’S SPEND SOME TIME TODAY REFLECTING ON IT.

CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE WON IN THE OFF-SEASON AND THIS WAS NO DIFFERENT. EVERYONE KNEW THE 2013 GREY CUP WAS TO BE PLAYED AT TAYLOR FIELD AND RIDER PRESIDENT JIM HOPSON MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO GM BRENDAN TAMAN AND COACH COREY CHAMBLIN THAT THE EXPECTATION WAS TO PLAY IN THE GAME, AND WIN IT.

IF I RECALL, THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE ALONG THE LINES OF … “WIN, OR ELSE.”

TO THE PUBLIC’S EYE, IT ALL STARTED THE MORNING OF THE FIRST DAY OF TRAINING CAMP IN SASKATOON. THE RIDERS WON A BIDDING WAR FOR THE SERVICES OF FREE AGENT JOHN CHICK (REMEMBER HIM?) AND JOHN SIGNED ON THAT SUNDAY JUST BEFORE DAY 1 OF WORKOUTS.

I RECALL STROLLING THE SIDELINES AT GRIFFITHS STADIUM DURING STRETCHING THAT MORNING AND THINKING TO MYSELF, “THIS IS A HALL OF FAME TEAM.”

IT FELT LIKE ROAMING THE LOT AT A MERCEDES DEALERSHIP.

DARIAN DURANT, GEROY SIMON, BRENDAN LABATTE, RICKY FOLEY, DWIGHT ANDERSON, TYRON BRACKENRIDGE, BEN HEENAN, ON AND ON AND ON.

THE ROSTER ALSO INCLUDED 13 SASKATCHEWAN-BORN AND RAISED PLAYERS. 14 IF YOU INCLUDE TAMAN.

THE RIDERS ROLLED TO AN 11-7 RECORD WHICH INCLUDED A CONCERNING 4-GAME LOSING STREAK IN SEPTEMBER. LET’S NOT FORGET THE “DEWDNEY INCIDENT”. BUT THEN THEY ROLLED OVER BC IN THE SEMIFINAL IN REGINA, SLAPPED AROUND THE STAMPEDERS IN CALGARY IN THE WEST FINAL, AND THEN WERE ALL SET UP FOR THE GREATEST DAY IN SASKATCHEWAN HISTORY.

NEVER MIND ROUGHRIDER HISTORY. NOVEMBER 24, 2013 WAS THE GREATEST DAY IN THE PROVINCE’S HISTORY. AFTER A WEEK OF MINUS-50 TEMPERATURES WHERE I WAS CERTAIN SOMEONE WOULD DIE FROM GREY CUP REVELING, THE CONDITIONS WARMED UP TO MELTING ON GAME DAY.

THE VISITING HAMILTON TIGER-CATS WERE NEVER IN THE GAME. THE RIDERS WERE OUT TO A 31-6 LEAD AT HALFTIME AND CONTINUED TO PULVERIZE THE TABBIES 45-23 BEFORE 44-THOUSAND STRONG IN CANADA’S FOOTBALL CAPITAL.

THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET. WHEN THE WORLD OPENS FOR BUSINESS AGAIN, I’M EAGER TO TELL ALL THE STORIES THAT GO ALONG WITH THIS GREAT TEAM AT A SPORTS DINNER IN YOUR TOWN. WE’RE GONNA NEED EM ALL ACROSS THE PROVINCE!

BUT JUST LIKE THE SCORE IN THE 2013 GREY CUP, THIS TEAM’S PLACE IN THE SASK SPORTS HALL OF FAME WAS NEVER IN DOUBT.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.