MONDAY SHOW RECAP: JOHN MURPHY JOINS!

We were back on the air Monday with Episode #216 of The Rod Pedersen Show! Here are the highlights:

• Rod and Dupes opened with The Rollout for Flooring Superstore covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) Thoughts with Nova Scotia after their tragic weekend, 2) Wayne Gretzky expects the NHL to conclude its season, 3) Max Pacioretty says this will be the hardest Stanley Cup to win, 4) ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary on the 90’s Chicago Bulls, 5) How was our weekends (same as the last five) and 6) The start of Draft Week (NFL, CFL, WHL).
• Rod posted the daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question Sunday night: Which has you the most excited: NFL Draft, CFL Draft, Both or Neither? The majority voted for “neither”, and Rod was at a loss for why that was. It was a theme throughout the entire show. Is there even any point of trying to whip up some hype?
• Toronto Argonauts Assistant GM John Murphy joined the show via video chat and feels apathy towards the Drafts is a reflection of the Coronavirus pandemic, and people being more concerned with their own livelihoods. It’s understandable. Murph was his usual informative self, explaining how this is a huge draft for the Argos since they hold the #2, #9 and #11 overall picks. He explained why personnel types in the NFL and CFL feel handcuffed with their inability to interview and measure prospects at this time. “No one’s getting a pass if you have a bad draft,” Murph explained. He also took a shot at the rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats, referring to them as a “self-proclaimed super team”.
• 10-year CFL’er Mike Abou-Mechrek joined the show from his Regina home and told a colourful story of his draft day back in the late 1990’s. He explained that that was pre-internet, and that he didn’t know he was drafted until several hours later. The former Bomber/Rider/Renegade told some colourful tales of his time in Ottawa, including a time when a Renegades fan severely injured himself while attempting to streak on the field at Frank Claire Stadium.
• WHL Commissioner Ron Robison joined the show from the league office in Calgary for a wide chat. He explained the difficult decision to cancel the season, why Connor Bedard was granted Exceptional Player status (it’s a Hockey Canada designation, not the WHL’s), previewed Wednesday’s WHL Draft, and said they are planning to start the 2020-21 season on schedule unless otherwise notified by health officials.
• Soccer Talk Vancouver co-host Simon Fudge joined the show from Vancouver for a soccer update, saying the second season of the Canadian Premier League is on hold. He feels that’s a shame because the 8-team loop made great strides in its inaugural campaign. He also reported the Sask Summer Soccer Series has been postponed till further notice.
• You can vote now on our Twitter poll for Monday’s Rockstar of the Day presented by RoxDar Supply Chain Solutions. At press time, it was a 3-way tie between Abou, Murphy and Ron Robison. The winner of Friday’s vote was Matt Heatherington from the Drive The Green Podcast.
• Monday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab at the top of this page, or you can listen anytime on our 24-hour live audio stream at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive presented by SUDS Full Service Car Wash.
• See you at 10 am MT on Tuesday on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive!