Scruffy’s This N That

1 – COUGARS OR RAMS:  Yes, it is odd that the University of Regina has one team named “Rams” and the others named “Cougars”. That was part of the agreement when the Rams left the world of junior football to enter the University ranks. The U of S doesn’t have Huskies and whatever and either do other Canada West schools. Does it matter?  The U of R wants to know what you think. They have a survey asking your thoughts on its two brands. They want to know how best to move forward in a way that:

• Complements and enhances the U of R brand
• Ensures a consistent and coherent brand experience
• Enhances pride amongst students, athletes, and the entire U of R community

I don’t know where this ends up. If the football team has to change its name, there will likely be some bitterness. If they don’t, there will likely be some bitterness. Is a name other than Cougars or Rams to be determined?

To me, I don’t care what the team(s) are called. What matters are the athletes that are representing THE UNIVERSITY OF REGINA.  I’m interested to see where this goes.

2 – THE WHL CENTRAL: The Lethbridge Hurricanes made a big move on Monday sending three players and six draft picks to Moose Jaw for Brayden Yager and Jackson Ungar. This move makes me wonder just how things will pan out in the Central Division, but one thing is for sure and that is one of Calgary, Medicine Hat or Lethbridge won’t be making it to Round 2 of the playoffs meaning a very good team will have a short playoff run.

3 – RESTOCKING THE CUPBOARD: Give Warriors GM Jason Ripplinger a thumbs up for filling up his draft cupboard again. In winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup last year, Ripplinger had to trade a lot of assets to get what was needed, but he now has several second-round and several third-round picks over the next couple of years and he has what is considered to be a very good prospect in 15-year old defenceman Colt Carter. It will be short-term pain for long-term gain in Moose Jaw.

4 – UMMMMMM:  It’s a yearly ritual in Canadian hockey circles when the players invited to the World Junior camp are announced and this year is no different as the debate centers on who is and who isn’t going to the camp. Some that follow the WHL have legitimate questions when they ask why Kelowna’s Tij Iginla and Calgary’s Carter Yakemchuk did not receive an invite. I thought Melfort’s Nate Misskey might get an invite too, but nope! At the end of the day we will see how Canada does in Ottawa. If they win gold in Ottawa, it won’t matter what the fans think as the right players will have been selected. If they don’t, the debate will be on. It’s like that every year and it won’t change.

5 – UMMMMM PT 2: The rosters for the first-ever Four Nations Cup are out. Thoughts? I put up the guys I thought were good enough to make Team Canada in last week’s column. Some of them made it, others did not. Like the Juniors, you can debate who made the cut and who didn’t. Guys like Mark Scheifele, Alexis Lafreniere, Robert Thomas, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson will be watching like the rest of us. Are guys like Anthony Cirelli, Mark Stone, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim guys that should be on the team? I guess we will find out soon. Again, if they win no one will care, but if they don’t……well you know.

6 – THE GOLDEN AT-BAT: When I first saw Rob Manfred’s golden at-bat suggestion in which the baseball commissioner is floating an idea allowing a team to have any player bat at any time during the game, I had to check to see if it was a satire site like “The Onion” or “The Beaverton”. Nope!

I have always thought Rob Manfred is a joke and this just reinforces that thought. I am OK with some rule changes like the pitch clock, but I hate having extra innings start with a player on second. I would love that rule compared to this idea if it comes to fruition—–which realistically I can’t see happening.

Baseball is great in spite of idiots like Rob Manfred who can’t get out of the game’s top chair soon enough. Stop trying to change the game and let it be the way it has been for years making it the game it is.

7 – JUAN SOTO: Blue Jays fans are just as excited this year about getting free agent Juan Soto as they were last year when they thought they had a chance to get Shohei Ohtani. If I am Soto, why would I want to be in Toronto? You need pieces to build a championship. One of those pieces is Vladimir Guerrero Junior. He is looking for a new contract at the end of this year. The same for Bo Bichette. If I am Soto, I am asking about contract extensions for those guys before I even consider signing on the bottom line no matter the price. 

8 – NFL WEEK 14: Here are some bits of information to get you ready for Week 14 of the NFL season:

• Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 1,499 rushing yards in 12 games this season. On Sunday against Carolina, Barkley can become the fifth player since 2000 with at least 1,600 rushing yards in his first 13 games of a season and the first since DeMarco Murray in 2014 (1,606 rushing yards).
• Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has 19,774 passing yards in 74 career games since entering the NFL in 2020. On Sunday night at Kansas City, Herbert can join Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (20,618 passing yards) as the only players with at least 20,000 passing yards in their first five seasons in NFL history and become the fifth player all-time with at least 20,000 passing yards in their first 75 career games. Herbert hs also had 305 consecutive passing attempts without an interception.  The record is 402 set by Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay in 2018
• Since head coach Kevin O’Connell was hired in 2022, the Minnesota Vikings are 24-9 in games decided by eight-or-fewer points, tied with the 2021-23 Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins in games decided by eight-or-fewer points in a three-season span since 1994. O’Connell’s .727 winning percentage in games decided by eight points or fewer is the highest among head coaches who had at least 10 such games since 1994.

9 – SIGHHHHH: Earlier this year, the Ontario Hockey League suspended a player for four games for calling another player a “Mennonite”.  It drew a lot of laughs with former Premier Brad Wall asking why the young man was suspended for complimenting another player. This week, the league suspended Michael Misa, who is expected to be a top 5 draft pick next year, for doing the dastardly act of shooting a teddy bear that had been thrown on the ice in a teddy bear toss back into the crowd. THE HORROR!! At some point, we need to put the brakes on what is going on with society and dial it back about 10 or 20 notches. Suspend Misa for an act on the ice like boarding, slashing or whatever but for shooting a teddy bear into the crowd? Maybe the OHL should just ban teddy bear tosses for the safety of all. (insert eyeroll here). 

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• Four of the nine head coaches in the CFL are Canadian. Make it five if you want to add Dave Dickenson seeing he got his Canadian citizenship earlier this year. That’s a good thing if you ask me.
• Many are saying Charlie Lindgren’s own goal against Tampa last week was the biggest own goal in NHL history. I guess everyone has forgotten about Steve Smith in 1986. Is Steve Smith still in hockey today and if so where?
• Does Auston Matthews look at the RBC ads that he did and go why did I agree to do that?
• Dan Campbell’s “bold” moves cost the Detroit Lions a chance at winning the Super Bowl last year. Dan Campbell’s “bold” moves will cost the Detroit Lions a chance at winning the Super Bowl this year.

That’s all I got. Have a great weekend everyone!