SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

1 – OOPS! It’s not as bad as the Experience Regina fiasco, but there are some people within the Saskatchewan Roughriders organization who should be embarrassed after what was just a braindead promotion. The team that saluted all of its female staff in a recent article on their website basically slapped all of those staff across the face with just an insulting email campaign towards women and to be honest some men as well since body shaming was involved.

Who in their right mind today would approve of a campaign where slogans like “the best excuse for cute matching outfits” and “take the stairs, earn the seltzers” are involved? Who? The Riders in a statement tried to highlight the fact that 50 percent of their staff are women. Not one of those women raised an eyebrow over this? In this case, a statement wasn’t what was needed. What was needed was for Craig Reynolds to be apologizing! As I have stated in this forum before, I have zero problem with Craig Reynolds who has been very fair to me over the years, but he had to be the one making statements. Tim Reid was big enough to apologize for the Experience Regina campaign as he was the one who signed off on it. You can’t tell me that Reynolds didn’t have an opportunity to look at what was about to go out and if he OK’ed it, well………

Female Rider fans are mad and those who are a little over their ideal weight (like yours truly) should be as well no matter if they are a man and a woman.

This needs to go further than “we made a mistake”. And when you don’t use your website or social feeds to issue an apology instead of sending one to media outlets asking WTF it says a lot. Yes, you apologized in an email to some of the fans that you angered, but you didn’t go far enough on this one.

2 – NOT AGAIN: Winnipeg isn’t in danger of losing the Jets again are they? By reading an interview with owner Mark Chipman in “The Athletic”, it would appear the answer may be yes! The question I have is how and why?

It’s not as if the Jets are a bad team. Ownership did a tremendous job in getting Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to sign long-term extensions, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff absolutely fleeced LA in the trade for the once again under-achieving and team-killing Pierre Luc-Dubois and Rick Bowness might very well be the Coach of the Year with all apologies to Rick Tocchet. This is a team that should have Winnipeggers, Manitobans and yes people in the 306 that cheer for the team in an ecstatic mood, but that appears to not be the case.

Chipman has admitted that in the time the Jets 2.0 have returned that they have made some mistakes with the fanbase and that he needs to fix those things. Ticket sales are a major issue. While the cost of a Bombers season ticket is obvioiusly cheaper than the price of Jets season tickets. I have to ask if the business community has somehow soured on the team that brings millions of dollars of benefits to the city each and every year. 

As a friend of mine in Winnipeg told me, the problem isn’t with the fans who are buying tickets, it is the business community that isn’t. Again, how can business ignore a team that is likely helping them out immensely by being around? I am guessing that same business community is helping support the Bombers.

True North Sports and Entertainment needs to engage the business community.  They need to find a way to get them involved. They also need to draw back fans that perhaps can no longer afford games by offering packages or whatever that allow those not only in Winnipeg, but Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan to come to games at a price that won’t damage their budget. I know many people here, and I have been one of them, who go to Winnipeg for games especially when the likes of Connor Bedard, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid are in town. Those in many parts of Saskatchewan know the best chance to see their favourite NHL team or player is by going to Winnipeg. The Jets not only need to get their local fans to come to games, but they need to give fans in the 306 a reason to come to maybe more than one game.

At the end of the day, I would think Winnipeg will not allow the Jets to leave again and Gary Bettman seemed to throw some cold water on this saying the situation isn’t as dire as you may think. This just in, if the team leaves, there won’t be a Jets 3.0.

3 – DROPPIN THE MITTS: There are those that hate fighting in hockey and want it eliminated. That minority is not going to get their wish anytime soon. Yes, the days of the enforcer are gone (sorry Ryan Reaves), but fighting isn’t going away. Check out the highlight reels of last Saturday’s NHL action and while you have lots of goals and lots of saves, the two things generating the most clicks were the fights featuring Nicolas DesLauriers of Philadelphia vs Chad Rempe of the Rangers and Mattias Janmark of Edmonton against Blake Coleman of Calgary. These were two great bouts with a lot of bombs being landed on both sides.

The fans in both rinks went crazy! Yes, we don’t need enforcers in the game running around acting tough and we could get rid of some of the fights that happen when there is a big hit that seemingly has to have retribution, but I have zero problem with two guys willingly dropping the gloves and going at it. I don’t think many of you do either.

4 – HURRY, HURRY HARD: The Montana’s Brier gets underway tonight at the Brandt Centre. I am still not comfortable calling it “The Montana’s Brier” after all of the years that Tim Hortons had the title sponsorship.  A week from Sunday, I fully expect Brad Gushue to have his hands back on the trophy, but what a field for curling fans in Regina/Saskatchewan to enjoy.  Gushue, Brendan Bottcher, Kevin Koe along with former Saskatchewan skip Matt Dunstone who is now skipping Team Manitoba, Mike McEwen, who is skipping Team Saskatchewan and Regina’s Catlin Schneider, who is the skip of Team BC. Who have ya got?  I think it will be weird if Dunstone plays McEwen considering what Matt did during his time in the 306 and I think I might cheer for Schneider and his BC boys if they are playing McEwen.

Of course, the chatter comes back to Saskatchewan ending a Brier drought that hasn’t seen them win since 1980. I think that chatter is now overblown seeing guys like Moose Jaw’s Pat Simmons, Regina’s Ben Hebert and Saskatoon’s Colton Flasch have all been on Brier-winning teams. Should the drought end this year it will come with the Winnipeg born McEwen skipping Saskatchewan.  It should be a great week at the Brandt Centre.  Chances are I’ll see a few of you at the couple of draws that I have tickets for.

5 – FOOTBALL ON ICE! Did you see the video that was making the rounds this past weekend of what was a football game on ice.? Think arena football but the game being played on ice.  It looked amazing! You put that in the Brandt Centre with the Riders playing whoever and I am there.

6 – GETTING READY FOR THE 111^TH GREY CUP:  The BC Lions will host the 2024 Grey Cup and it sounds like the week leading up to the game will be a lot of fun for those who make the trip. I would have to think the zip line that will run over the water between the two convention buildings on the harbour will be popular as will another one that will be set up downtown.  Do they have a halftime act yet? Would the league go wrong if they went with Tate McRae who dazzled many at the NHL all-star game. Some say you need to go bigger after having Green Day perform at last year’s game. McRae seems to be a star on the rise so get her while you can afford her is what I say.

7 – ZACH HYMAN: No doubt this guy is turning out to be the best free-agent signing the Edmonton Oilers have ever made. Did anyone have him as having the second most goals in the NHL going into March? He has 40! Only Auston Matthews has more.  Take nothing away from Matthews having 53 goals, but he is a legitimate sniper, Hyman is not. The fact he has 40 may arguably be a more impressive stat.

What will these two do in the playoffs? Time will tell, but I don’t see either guy skating around the ice holding the Stanley Cup this year.

8 – ALEK MANOAH: Yes, it’s just one start but Alek Manoah did nothing to silence his critics. The mouthy righthander who got a solid diet of humble pie last season made his first spring start for the Blue Jays this week and he got rocked giving up four runs and hitting three batters in less than two innings of work. Toronto should have sold this guy in the off-season but they hung on.

At this point, I don’t think they can get anything substantial for him so they might just have to take their losses on this one and move on.  He certainly will have something to prove when he makes his 2^nd spring start.

9 – HENOC MUAMBA: The next stop for Muamba is the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. There haven’t been many better Canadian linebackers than Muamba in my time covering the league. There is talk he could end up on the TSN panel this year. I think he will be great in that role if it comes to fruition.

10 – LEAVE IT BE!  The NFL competition committee is reportedly looking at not changing the rule that sees a touchback gets called if an offensive player fumbles the ball before going into the other team’s endzone. The committee feels at this time there is no need to change the rule saying the play rarely happens rarely and  it’s the ballcarrier’s responsibility to protect the ball. They are absolutely correct on this one.

That’s all I got, Have a great weekend!