MONDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY – NO ONE’S GETTING A PASS

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

IT APPEARS NO ONE’S GETTING A FREE PASS.

THE BIG FOUR SPORTS LEAGUES – THE NHL, NBA, NFL AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – ALL RETURNED TO PLAY AMID THE PANDEMIC WITH VARYING RESULTS.

WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, SOME TEAMS HAVE THRIVED, AND OTHERS HAVE WILTED BUT NOBODY’S GETTING TO USE CORONAVIRUS AS AN EXCUSE.

THE MOST OBVIOUS EXAMPLE IS THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS, WHO FIRED HEAD COACH TODD REIRDON AFTER BOWING OUT TO THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS IN THE TORONTO BUBBLE.

COULD WE NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT THESE ARE EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES WITH MOST TEAMS LIVING OUT OF COUNTRY IN A HOTEL FOR MONTHS AT A TIME?

NO! AT LEAST NOT IF YOU’RE CAPITALS OWNER TED LEONSIS AND GM BRIAN MCLELLAN. NO EXCUSES.

THIS CONCEPT REALLY CAME ON MY RADAR WAY BACK IN THE SPRING WHEN TORONTO ARGONAUTS ASSISTANT GM JOHN MURPHY SAID NO TEAM’S GOING TO GET A PASS FOR THE CFL DRAFT IF THEY HAVE A BAD ONE.

THERE WAS NO CFL COMBINE THIS YEAR AND OBVIOUSLY FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS WITH PROSPECTS WERE TABOO DUE TO COVID.

SOME WILD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN SPORTS LIKE THE DALLAS STARS MAKING THE COVID CUP FINAL, OR THE BLUE JAYS ACTUALLY BEING IN CONTENTION A COUPLE YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

THOSE ARE THE GOOD STORIES. BUT IF YOU WEREN’T ABLE TO FIND A WAY TO GET WINS IN THESE EXTREME TIMES, YOU’D BETTER BE PREPARED TO GET THE PINK SLIP.

THIS IS A REMINDER THAT PRO SPORTS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

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