MONDAY COMMENTARY – THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

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

A coupla three thoughts to open a brand new week …

First, mondo respect to those who feel the fall is the best time of the sports year. I mean, I get it; NFL kickoff, the CFL homestretch, MLB Playoffs and the beginnings of the hockey and basketball seasons.

But to me, that doesn’t hold a candle to spring.

We can begin and end with the hockey playoffs alone. These stretch drives are bonkers, the arenas are full and as Andy Williams sings, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

He was singing about Christmas of course, but right now it’s Christmas for hockey fans. Unless your team stinks.

And let’s not forget the weather. If you’re reading this, you made it through another bitter, cold winter. Shoot, I missed half of it and am still sick of it. Soon though, we’ll be driving through puddles and the leaves will be blossoming.

Then of course there are the other sports. The day I do a commentary on mens college basketball will be a first, but it’s hard to not at least follow March Madness, if not getting swept right up in it.

I heard on the radio yesterday two analysts saying this tournament features schools we’ve never even heard of (Fairleigh-Dickenson U anyone?), who would normally face each other in a gym with barely a thousand people in attendance. But now ESPN has put them on national TV and made the players stars.

It’s called marketing, doncha know.

Florida Atlanta University has made the Sweet 16 and they play just down the street from my house. I’m sure Boca Raton is coming undone right now with the fortunes of the Owls!

Baseball’s firing up and this year the Blue Jays actually have a chance which has made us pick up and take notice. Meanwhile 17,444 filled the Saddledome Friday to watch the NLL’s Roughnecks hand the Sask Rush their fourth straight loss. The NLL remains this continent’s best-kept secret.

The world womens and mens curling are a novelty to follow and TSN makes them stars too. Although for Saskatchewan, the world mens curling championship has long been nothing but a rumour.

My inbox is full of coverage of NFL Free Agency and who the winners and losers are, and last night at a junior hockey playoff game in Canmore, a Calgary Stampeders coach extended an invitation for me to attend this weekend’s CFL Combine in Edmonton and perhaps even do the RP Show live from Commonwealth Stadium.

The most wonderful time of year, indeed.

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)