SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

1 – SAY WHAT?: Did Riders HC Craig Dickenson really say that the starter for the Labour Day Classic has not been determined? I understand coachspeak, but Dickenson needed to come out and give Jake Dolegala a vote of confidence after his performance in that upset victory over BC in Week 11. While Mason Fine has not been impressive in his starts, Dolegala’s first start this year was tremendous. He had full control of the playbook and while he wasn’t perfect, it was obvious he gave the Riders a shot of energy on the offensive side of the football. If his 4^th quarter pass to Tevin Jones which came oh-so-close to being completed for what might have been a touchdown, the nail-biting we saw at the end wouldn’t have happened. I like Craig, but I also understand why he is a man on the hotseat.  On this one though, he just needs to come out and say Dolegala is his starter for the Labour Day Classic. I predict the team will come back from the break and Dickie will come out and say Fine is improving, but they want to give him one more week to play it safe which will give Dolegala a chance to try for a repeat performance against the Bombers.

2 – .500: The win over BC on Sunday night has some Riders fans feeling better about their football team.  I put the question out on Twitter this week about their 5-5 record and if they are a good 5-5 or a bad 5-5?  56 percent of those who answered say they are a good 5-5.  There are arguments for and against that.  One wonders what the record would be if Trevor Harris was still under center.  I think they would still be 5-5.

3 – LOOKING BACK: We have hit the halfway point of the CFL season.  All of us have thoughts about what is to happen at the start of the season. Some pan out, others not so much.  I thought Calgary and Hamilton would be much better than they have been and I didn’t think BC and Montreal would be as good as they are.  I thought Chad Kelly would be the best QB in the league, but I also thought Jake Maier would be a lot better than he has been.  At this moment, would I be surprised to see a Grey Cup rematch? No, I wouldn’t, but I could see Montreal or BC getting into the equation.  If the Alouettes were to get to the Grey Cup and win it, , it would be a bitter pill for Riders fans to swallow because of Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo.  The storyline would write itself if it was a Saskatchewan-Montreal Grey Cup. 

Now that we are at the halfway mark, we can start looking at awards.  My votes would go to Chad Kelly (MOP), Mathieu Betts (Def and Canadian), Javon Leake (ST), Ryan Hunter (o-line) and Austin Mack (rookie) if he qualifies. If Mack does not qualify, then Dustin Crum gets the vote. My coach of the year would be Rick Campbell,

4 – GET IT HOT, GET IT FAST: The Bombers took a great dig at Regina earlier this season when their social media team said they weren’t in favour of Regina style pizza.  Hey, if the fine folks involved with the football team don’t want good pizza that is fine and it was a good dig.  Now, a Manitoba brewery is picking at an old wound. Trans-Canada Brewery is offering a 13-pack called “The Saskatchewan Dozen”. It comes with a penalty flag and a whistle. Yeah, they are guilty of piling on for something that happened back 14 years ago, but its all being done in good humour. Just remember at some point, it will come back the other way. Maybe the fine folks at Just Bins can come up with a good-natured dig. It’s one of the things that makes the CFL special. If you’re offended by what Trans-Canada Brewery has done, get over it! By the way, two thumbs up to those involved in the Riders video put out Thursday to promote the LDC with watermelons everywhere in the Riders office.  Brilliant!  More of that is needed everywhere.

5 – ATTENDANCE: Great news for the CFL as we found out this week in the mid-year report that attendance in the league’s three biggest markets is up.   Those numbers show more butts are in the seats as average game-day revenue in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal is up 26 percent from this time last year. More younger fans seem to be watching as well as viewership ratings are up by nearly 30 percent for those aged 25-54  If the momentum in the three biggest markets can continue, it is nothing but a positive for the CFL. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan will always be solid and I would have to think that once Edmonton gets its you know what figured out that fans will come back.  I’m not sure why numbers are down in Calgary, but it would seem as if Stamps fans have been spoiled over the past number of seasons and now that they are a middle of the road team, some fan apathy has developed.

6 – EYE OF THE JAGUAR: Nathan Rourke will not be coming back to the CFL.  Not this year at least! The Victoria native won’t be the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars barring an injury to Trevor Lawrence, but he should be the backup. Rourke has turned heads in both of his preseason games and while Lawrence will likely play a majority of the team’s final tuneup contest at home against Miami on Saturday, it will be interesting to see who comes in after Lawrence. Jags coach Doug Pederson says CJ Beathard is still number two on the depth chart, but one has to think Rourke is pushing him hard for that spot, If for whatever reason Rourke is let go, he will land with another team. Some might say he could be better than some current starters. I don’t know about that, but he is better than some of the backups. He will find work if the Jags don’t want to keep him.  By the way, you know we will be having this conversation next year only it will be Chad Kelly we will be talking about and not Rourke.  I’ll be stunned if Kelly doesn’t seek NFL employment next season with his contract coming to an end in Toronto.

7 – FOUR MORE FOR 34: Did you know Auston Matthews has signed a four-year contract extension? The world stopped Wednesday afternoon when the announcement was made by the Leafs.  Apparently, CTV News Network interrupted a briefing on the Kelowna wildfires to let the country know #34 was staying in Toronto.  Why do so many hate the Leafs again? Matthews obviously had the power to sign a mega-deal, but I like the four-year pact because he can probably cash in again when this contract is over.  Who knows where the Leafs will be and what they will have done over the next five years.  Worry about it then.   The same can be said with Connor McDavid and his comments about he and his fiancee loving it in Edmonton, but who knows what the next three years will bring. Worry about it then. 

8 – THAT BITES: Nothing outrages a baseball fan more than hearing or reading the following phrase—“Tonight’s game is an exclusive Apple TV broadcast”. Yes, MLB teams play 162 games a season, but tell a fan that five or six of their games are not available on TV due to a 85 million dollar per year deal struck between the two sides and they lost it. Especially Blue Jays fans, many who don’t remember nights when CTV Regina would join games in progress on Wednesday nights and you would be lucky to maybe catch two or three games a week with Fergie Olver on the call. Remember him and that “Just Like Mom” show that he did that was cringey even then.  Hey, I think the deal is dumb, but I understand it.  What I don’t understand is the absolute outrage thrown at Sportsnet and other broadcast outlets. They have no control over it.  People say they subscribe to a service and they aren’t getting that service.  Well, yes you are because if you have Sportsnet Now or MLB TV (as I do), you see a line that says not all games are available because they are exclusive to another provider.  Bottom line is if I have a choice between watching or listening, I would rather watch, but baseball on the radio is special.  You always have that option meaning Blue Jays in southern Saskatchewan can tune into Weyburn or Estevan to find out what is going on or you can go to MLB TV and select the audio feature.  It can be done people.  It can be done!  By the way Jays fans, last Friday’s game in Cincinnati was the last scheduled Apple game of the year meaning the last 5 weeks should all be on TV.  I think this Cubs fan has one more Apple TV game to endure so listen to Hall of Famer Pat Hughes I will. 

9 – AROUND HERE: After posting a pair of wins in Alberta, it is time to check out the Regina Thunder.  They are at Leibel Field, which should be the permanent home of both the Thunder and Rams, to the Winnipeg Rifles Sunday afternoon. Can we just pencil in the Hilltops and Thunder for another PFC final? If you’re going to Sunday’s game and even if you aren’t, get yourself an NFL lottery ticket. It’s a bargain for $20.  I’ve got mine!

10 – ALL IN THE FAMILY:  There are some things that make you raise your eyebrows when you see it.  I found out this week that Carroll O’Connor auditioned to be on “Gilligan’s Island” in the role of Skipper.  Yes, the man who became famous as Archie Bunker could have been the Skipper. Imagine! Would he have referred to Gilligan as “meathead”?  Yes, those of you under 30 reading this have no idea who I am talking about which is sad. 

Have a great weekend!