SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

RIDERVILLE IS BURNING:  Last week’s disaster in Montreal by the Riders is fanning the flames of change amongst the vast majority of Rider Nation.  As the Leader-Post’s Darrell Davis wrote in his autopsy of the one-sided Alouettes win. “No game plan, no enthusiasm, no energy, no heart.” That pretty much sums it up. I did not watch the game live as I was happily watching the Chicago Cubs dismantle the Blue Jays, but when I did start watching, it was obvious early on who the better football team was. Yes, I think the short week had a role to play in the effort, but the guys with the “S” on their helmet simply were not ready.

Before getting hurt, Mason Fine did not look good while Caleb Evans did. I took heat from Fine supporters this week on Twitter after I commented on Dru Brown’s performance for Winnipeg against Edmonton. Caleb Evans only strengthened my argument that Fine is not a starting calibre quarterback. Not yet! The Riders have done a terrible job in finding quarterbacks to develop since Darian Durant and Fine at this point looks to be the latest in a group that includes Isaac Harker, Brett Smith, Tino Sunseri and Drew Willy. One could maybe add Cody Fajardo to that list but we know how that story ended. Oh yeah, people shot back that Brown has better receivers and an o-line to work with. It seems to me that Dustin Crum hasn’t had any problem since taking over as starting QB in Ottawa and his o-line and receiving group isn’t anything to write home about.

Other teams have been able to find QB’s and maybe Mason Fine will turn out to be one, but right now I would put him in the same spot as the others mentioned.

By the way, we have reached the halfway point of the season. If handing out an overall grade, I would have to say C+ for Saskatchewan and that is just because of the way the defence has played with the exception of last week. If they are going to keep it close Sunday night at home against the Lions, that unit will have to be on the top of their game. Right now, BC is favoured by 9.5.  I see them covering at ease unless Vernon Adams Junior has an effort like he had against Toronto.

WELCOME BACK DOUBLE D: As mentioned, Darrell Davis is back at the Leader-Post. It is great to see him once again writing stories. Double D does a great job in keeping the Riders accountable on CJME’s Green Zone and he won’t be pulling any punches with his columns for the LP. His contributions are already being noticed. Rob who? Kidding!

THE FATE OF THE DICKENSONS: Who he or she is remains a mystery, but the person behind the X account Fake Gainer asked a great question. FG said Dave Dickenson has 35 regular season/playoff wins since 2019 while Craig has 34 with two trips to West final. So to those that want Craig fired, should Dave be told to hit the road too and if not why? Two organizations certainly have two different paths and I’m sure the recent downfall of the Stampeders has to be something that Calgary is looking at. Imagine if both were told their services were no longer needed and they both ended up in Edmonton and led the Elks to a great 2024. I think a part of me would laugh very hard if that prediction came to fruition. FWIW:  Both are very good men and will get another opportunity if they want one if one or both are relieved of their duties.

THE STATE OF THE ELKS:  Some people in Edmonton firmly believe the current state of their CFL team is because of the what they believe forced name change from Eskimos to Elks. This just in: it’s not! The Eskimos or Elks or whatever name you could have come up with that started with an E would be a bad football team no matter what they are called.

While Chris Jones is seen as the scapegoat and yes, he deserves some of the blame, the bottom line is that this goes way back to former board chair Ian Murray. Victor Cui tried his hardest to make Edmontonians proud of their football team, but he failed and now he is no longer having stepped down. What the final straw was for Cui is not known, but what is known is that this team has a long ways to go to get back to a level of respectability. Is it as bad in Edmonton as it was in Saskatchewan before Jim Hopson came on board? Every Rider fan knows what Hopson did when it came to the franchise. If Edmonton has someone like Hopson kicking around, the Elks need to find that person because they are in trouble. People in the Alberta capital that I talk to say the team has basically fallen off the map and with the current success of the Oilers, many see the football team as an afterthought which is sad.

SPORTS RADIO LIVES IN EDMONTON: Many of us know what a great sports market Edmonton is. It was a tremendous shock a few months ago when Bell Media announced it was shutting down TSN1260 throwing good people like Dustin Nielson, Allan Mitchell (Lowetide), Jason Gregor and others out of work.  They weren’t out of work for long. Nielson is going to go at it online while an oldies station in Wetaskiwin is picking up the ball Bell dropped and thanks to Gregor is going all sports. Sports radio, if done right, can be very successful and by all accounts it was in Edmonton making the decision to get rid of 1260 that much more confusing. RP and I always discussed sports radio in this market when the two of us worked together and whether it was feasible.  With people craving for Rider information 24/7, would it have worked? That’s up for you to decide.  Good luck to Dusty and Jason and everyone involved with the two ventures.

WHAT AM I WATCHING?  I sat down in front of the TV Saturday afternoon looking to see what time the PGA’s St. Jude Classic was starting. CBS had something called 3ICE on. It’s a 3 on 3 hockey league and it’s quirky to say the least. It is basically the XFL on skates. The coaches were guys like Ray Bourque, Larry Murphy and Grant Fuhr. The only player I recognized was Brandon Pirri who spent time with a few teams.   One of the things I laughed at is that the player who led the league in points was allowed to wear “the golden helmet”.  Just imagine Connor McDavid twirling around NHL rinks with a golden helmet!

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS SUMMER?  Many of us got away to take a vacay this summer, but the runaway winner for me for best holiday is the one taken by Dave Taylor’s U of R Cougar women’s basketball team. Taylor and squad went to Greece to not only enjoy the country but play some NCAA Division 1 teams.  They didn’t win a game against the schools they were up against, but the experience they will get is second to none and they won’t face competition like this all winter. It’s an opportunity not many teams get at the USports level and its one they will always remember.

The same can be said for the North Regina Little League team that unexpectedly won the Canadian Championship on home turf last week. After losing their first three, I think many thought they wouldn’t be making the trip to Pennsylvania but they are in Williamsport and win or lose, it is a week they will never ever forget. On Sunday, they will have a chance to rub elbows with the Phillies and Nationals as they will play a game in Williamsport and spend some time with the competitors. Folks, that is just cool.

What was also cool was tuning into TSN Thursday afternoon and watching North Regina play a game being broadcast by ESPN. The Regina kids got beat in the opener thanks to Chinese Taipei’s starting pitcher who might be Little League’s version of Shohei Ohtani. He struck out nine and hit a homerun in the victory.  Oh yeah, he was also throwing 80 mile an hour fastballs which translated to 100 plus from a major league mound.  Kids weren’t throwing that fast when I was 11-12 years old swinging away. Some wonder if he really is 12.  That’s another story for another time. 

SUPER BOWL TO NASHVILLE:  It’s only a matter of time and when that time hits, it might be the best Super Bowl ever. The city of Nashville and the Tennessee Titans unveiled what their new stadium and surrounding area will look like, The NHL draft went in Nashville this year as most of you know and from people I talked to, it was unreal.  The NFL draft went in Nashville a few years ago and it was a smashing success. While Vegas is the hotspot when it comes to American sports these days, Nashville has to be a close second. It won’t surprise me to see them get an MLB team and the NBA might just follow—-although they need to go back to Seattle first.  There is no doubt that when this facility is ready that the NFL will come calling with a Super Bowl and it will be fan-frickin-tastic!

FORE!: Has Canadian golf ever been in a better spot? The Masters win by Mike Weir did great things for the game in this country. Proof of that is looking at the PGA Tour today and seeing how many Canadians were in the top 70 when the FedEx Cup playoffs started last weekend.  Canadian Open winner Nick Taylor along with Corey Conners, the pride of Moose Jaw—Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson and Mackenzie Hughes were all involved.  The top 50 after the tournament all moved on to this week’s BMW Championship in Chicago and Hughes was the only one not to advance as he was ranked 51^st when all was said and done.  Add Brooke Henderson to this list and as I stated, golf in this country has never been better.  Its too bad Weyburn’s Graham DeLaet had to call it a day because his body wouldn’t cooperate, but he is doing a great job working with TSN as an analyst.

?????:  The Blue Jays run a commercial during games advertising their $1 hotdog nights. That commercial includes a woman eating a hotdog with a knife and fork.  Who eats a hotdog with a knife and fork? Who and why?

Have a great weekend!