MONDAY COMMENTARY – OH HENRY

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

BAD NEWS SEEMS TO TRAVEL MUCH FASTER THAN GOOD NEWS.

SO A REPORT BY 3DOWNNATION’S JUSTIN DUNK IS SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE TODAY, THAT THE BC GOVERNMENT HAS ACTUALLY NOT APPROVED THE CFL’S RETURN TO PLAY PROPOSAL WITH AN AUGUST 5 KICKOFF.

DUNK’S REPORT SAYS THIS IS TOTALLY THE OPPOSITE OF A REPORT BY TSN’S TAG TEAM OF DAVE NAYLOR AND FARHAN LALJI LAST WEEK WHICH SAID ALL SIX PROVINCES WITH CFL TEAMS HAVE INDEED APPROVED A RETURN TO PLAY.

I’LL BE HONEST; THIS COMES AS ABSOLUTELY NO SURPRISE TO ME, AND HAS ME WONDERING IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY WATCH THE NEWS CAREFULLY? OR DO THEY JUST BELIEVE WHAT THEY’RE TOLD AS GOSPEL?

LET’S GO BACK.

ON MARCH 5 BC’S TOP DOCTOR, DR. BONNIE HENRY, PREDICTED THAT PROVINCE “COULD BE LIVING A POST-PANDEMIC LIFE” BY THIS SUMMER. THAT HAD ‘EM JUMPING FOR JOY ON THE WET COAST.

BUT THEN A WEEK AGO TODAY, BONNIE CHANGED COURSE AND TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE THAT’S ALL OFF THE TABLE NOW. THEY DON’T ANTICIPATE CROWDS OF OVER A FEW HUNDRED – INDOOR OR OUTDOOR – UNTIL NEXT WINTER.

THAT ONE WAS MET WITH CRICKETS. IT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE NARRATIVE CFL LEADERS WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE.

THE CFL’S ANNOUNCEMENT FROM A COUPLE WEEKS BACK THAT THEY PLAN TO KICKOFF AUGUST 5 ACCOMPLISHED EXACTLY WHAT THEY HOPED IT WOULD. IT HAD CANADIANS BELIEVING IT WAS TRUE.

SO MANY PEOPLE I’VE ENCOUNTERED ON THE STREETS SINCE HAVE EXCITEDLY SAID TO ME, “SO THE CFL’S PLAYING BEGINNING AUGUST 5, HUH?”

I ALWAYS RESPOND WITH, “SURE.”

THEIR FACES ARE JUST SO PUMPED WITH EXCITEMENT THAT I CAN’T BEAR TO BREAK IT TO THEM.

THEY DIDN’T READ THE FINE PRINT, AND THE LONG LIST OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

NOW JUSTIN DUNK HAS RIPPED THE COVER OFF IT ALL WITH HIS LATEST REPORT.

MEANWHILE I’VE JUST BEEN SITTING OVER HERE BITING MY TONGUE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(Photo: Don Craig/Province of British Columbia)