Scruffy’s This ‘N That

1 – COMMAND CENTRE CONTROVERSY: Where do we start when it comes to Thursday’s 22-22 tie in Ottawa between the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and RedBlacks? The command centre and Tim Kroeker’s crew completely botched everything starting with the pass interference call on the Ottawa defensive back which I didn’t think was. As Davis Sanchez said after, if you need slow motion to determine if there is pass interference in a bang-bang play, chances are the call should stand. I thought it was a good play, but the command centre said otherwise. If they would have let that call stand, the rest of the buffoonery we saw wouldn’t have happened.

What’s funny is that prior to the play, a friend I was watching the game with said “if this pass is incomplete, Mace will look for a miracle and challenge it because it’s the only bullet he has left.  How prophetic!

Yes, you can be mad at the command centre all you want, but why isn’t the ref on the field making the call on the field with the controversial roughing the passer call at the end of the game? Yes, the rules say that is roughing the passer so why aren’t the officials on the field making that call?  It is just another example as to how CFL officiating needs to be reviewed. I have heard a lot of people give their comments on what happened and while some of it is tinged with the green-coloured glasses being worn, it is evident that the command centre failed in this instance and as a result, the CFL’s credibility once again takes a hit.

I don’t envy a referee because a lot is going on around him and at times I think the game has gotten too fast for them to absorb everything that is happening. That’s why I like replay, but I don’t like replay that is frame-by-frame to determine a pass interference call, whether or not a goal in the NHL was offside or if the runner beat the ball to first base.  Super slo-mo is not the way it should go and is never the way it should go.

It also brings up the “quarterback protection” discussion. I have said it once and I’ll say it again: if we are this worried about the health of the starting quarterback, just strap two flags to their waist so that defensive players can’t hit them.

Some will say the situation is no different in the US and they are right. With the NFL and NCAA about to begin, we will see calls on a weekly basis that make us scratch our head. The difference is we see 12-15 NFL games a week and many more NCAA games.  We get highlights from one or two about controversial calls. In the CFL, where there are three or four games a week, it happens all the time.  Something needs to change. I would like to hope this provides the impetus for that change to begin, but I fear I am being too optimistic.

2 – WHERE IS THE COMMISH? Randy Ambrosie is still the CFL commissioner right? Have we seen Randy this year? It seems to me as if he has been less visible for whatever reason. With everyone talking about what happened Thursday night, it would have been a good idea to have him come on TSN Friday night to get grilled by the panel about what had happened and do his best to defend his product. This is a time for a leader to step forward.

3 – CFL OVERTIME: I have said it once, I will say it a thousand times. I hate CFL overtime! When you get the ball at the 35-yard line, you could kneel twice if you had to and kick a 42 yard field goal. I see no problem in having the ball put at the 55 so that 10-15 yards are needed to have a legitimate attempt at a field goal. If you want to keep it at the 35, move the goalposts to the back of the endzone. That’s another debate for another time.

4 – WOULD THEY: With flag football being a thing in the 2028 Olympics in LA, there is a thought that NFL’ers will represent the US. That is perfect for them seeing the schedule doesn’t start until the Olympics are over.

We have seen the NHL stop its season so that players can compete in the Olympics, but would the CFL do that?  As a fan, would you like a two-week hiatus in the sked so that Canada could field a team of CFL players. I think it would be cool, but I certainly understand if there is hesitancy or outright disgust and disapproval of the idea.

5 – AND AWAY THEY GO:  What’s a sure sign that summer is coming to an end? In these parts, it is when junior and university football get going. The Prairie Football Conference starts play this weekend with the Regina Thunder heading to Winnipeg. The U of R Rams are starting to ramp things up as well as they get ready for another Canada West season. NCAA football starts at the end of the month and the NFL pre-season is underway. It’s a good time to be a football fan. 

6 – MEDICINE HAT’S LOSS IS SWIFT CURRENT’S GAIN:  Broncos fans, you are going to LOVE your new play-by-play guy. The team announced this week that Gino De Paoli will serve in the position after being let go for some reason by the Medicine Hat Tigers in a move which was ill-conceived. Gino is extremely passionate at what he does and he has worked his a-double dollar signs to get to where he is. I met him for the first time when I was working in the SJ and I could see he had bigger and better things in front of him. Very happy for him!

7 – THE AFTERMATH: With teams creating their own audio and video these days, I guess this shouldn’t surprise me. The Edmonton Oilers camera crew were allowed to stay inside the room after that heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final. With Gary Bettman’s voice in the background, you see the absolute anguish on the faces of the Oilers with Zach Hyman giving a very passionate speech. One could argue that speech should have come from the captain and those people probably have a good argument. For a team to give you that access is unreal. Can you imagine what the scene would have been like in the Riders room after the 13^th man debacle? There are stories about the Oilers after losing to the Islanders in the Stanley Cup expecting to see a team celebrating as they went to board the bus only to see a team that was spent with players taking an icebath as well as celebrating to ease the pain of battle they had been in. Like the Oilers or not, it’s a great watch.

8 – THE GRETZKY TRADE: It was August 9, 1988 when the stark reality hit me that sports wasn’t just a game. It was on that day Wayne Gretzky was traded to LA. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard the news and when it actually happened, I was in shock. The business of sports had reared its head.

In retrospect, the trade was probably the best thing for the game. USA Hockey got better because more eyes were on the game and hockey globally became better as well. The NHL expanded into markets where hockey was an afterthought and now it is right up there with the other major pro leagues.  It was a tough pill to swallow 36 years ago, but its one that made the game what it is today.

9 – TOUGH END: After a regular season that saw them win the division, the Regina Red Sox season came to a crashing halt as they were beaten two straight in the first round of the WMBL playoffs by Moose Jaw. When you have best of 3’s, it is wide-open with any team having a chance to win. It was another enjoyable year at Currie Field and a big thank you goes out to Gary Brotzel and crew for having this guy do P.A. for them for a handful of weekend games. It’s too bad I didn’t have a couple of more on the sked.  

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: 

• It’s just wrong that Costco has Christmas stuff out already. To me, you start putting that stuff out November 1 and not August 1.
• I shouldn’t be watching hockey on August 5, but that is what I was doing with the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament starting in Edmonton.
• Many believe the National League Championship Series will pit the Dodgers against the Phillies. As of the date of writing this, I don’t think either make it. In fact, I might make a small investment on the San Diego Padres to win the NL.
• Breakdancing is a sport being contested at the Olympics and baseball/softball isn’t? That’s wrong!
• If Seattle was to make a trade with Miami to get Tua Tagovailoa, would he be known as Hawk Tua?

Have a great week all!