Scruffy’s This N That

1 – D’OHHHHHH! Well, that was something. In what was probably the game of the year in the CFL, the Alouettes beat the Riders 27-24 Friday evening at Mosaic Stadium as the green guys fall to 5-4-1. Did Davis Alexander go out of bounds on his game-winning touchdown run? To me, it’s inconclusive even though there are pictures out there showing he was. Many are saying the command centre blew it again and that for the second straight week the team that they eat, breathe and cheer for got jobbed again. At the end of the day, a touchdown was called, and Montreal won a game that they probably didn’t deserve to but did. It should never have come to that.

Brett Lauther had a terrible night, and he will be the first to take responsibility for that. Does Corey Mace need to bring a kicker in this week? The answer is probably yes just to get some competition going. Give Brett credit for answering questions after the game. He could have stayed out of the room until reporters left, but he faced the music. I am guessing he spoke to his teammates after and that they still have faith in him.

In the end, there is a lot to unpack from this game but the reality is this team as Trevor Harris said had a chance to close it out and they failed on offence to do so. That resulted in the defence being told to get the win and they couldn’t do it either.  Can someone tell me exactly how Alexander got through three players who should have wrapped him up or bounced him out of bounds?  That is what Corey Mace should be upset about and so should you. FWIW: If Mace saw video of the Alexander TD which I’m sure he did, I wouldn’t have blamed him one bit for taking a chunk out of the league knowing full well a fine would come. I think that would have endeared him to a fanbase that would have put him on his shoulders and carried him to his car.  CFL head coaches are sometimes too polite. I can only imagine what some NFL coaches would have said after that contest.

As a text stated from a CFL personality sent to me after the game, even if Alexander is ruled to be out of bounds, do we really think Montreal isn’t scoring because the reality is they likely are which would have left the Riders with zero time on the clock.

Back to the film room as it is another short week.

2 – VIDEO REPLAY: Some say it is time for sports to abandon video replay. I will say it again: The problem with video replay is the ability to slow everything down frame-by-frame-by-frame. The officials on the field, court or ice are making the call they feel is right from what they are seeing.  They do not have the luxury of slow motion which is what the command centres in CFL, NFL, MLB, NHL are seeing.  

I understand wanting to try and get the call right, but why is there such a need to slow it down frame-by-frame to see if a guy is out of bounds, if a catch has been made, if there was offside or goalie interference, was the runner out at first, who touched the ball last, etc etc etc? Give me slow motion, but don’t give me super duper slow motion.

If we went back to the officials on the field making the final call without replay, there would be complete and utter anarchy and you know it.

3 – CODY RETURNS:  I knew as soon as I hit send on the tweet Thursday night what would happen. Figuring that the Riders will have some kind of “thank you” ready for Cody Fajardo, I asked what your reaction would be and as expected, it was a myriad of responses with the pro-Cody and anti-Cody factions weighing in.  Is Fajardo the best QB to play for the Riders—-absolutely not. Is he the best QB the team has had since Darian Durant? —yup!

Cody isn’t to blame for the fact that he had a porous offensive line for two years. Yes, he could have handled things better and I think he would agree with that, but the bottom line is that Fajardo got this team to two Western finals and had it not been for a crossbar, he might have taken them to a Grey Cup. He has that Grey Cup now which is perhaps why many who can’t admit they were wrong are still so anti-Fajardo.

4 – GOOD OR BAD: I fully realize that many people going to games decide not to sit in their seat for whatever reason as they stay on the concourse. On TV, it looked like there were a lot of empty seats. What was the attendance? I would have thought a game featuring division leaders on a Friday night would have had a near sellout crowd but that wasn’t the case. You can market games all you want, but people have their reasons for not going and that seemed to be evident again Friday night. The organization is doing what they can to get people into the stadium although many are steadfast that they no longer can afford it. This team used to get support province-wide, but the cost to come to and from Regina for a game is getting more expensive.  As much as you would like it to, prices aren’t going back to where they were 10-15 years ago. It is a problem the Riders need to address and there is no easy fix because they won’t please everyone.

5 – WELCOME HOME:  Nathan Rourke is home and hopefully he is home for a while. As you know, Rourke decided to put the NFL dream on hold after getting waived by the Atlanta Falcons, who like other teams didn’t really give him a chance, so he is back with the B.C Lions.  This is a good thing for the Lions and a great thing for the CFL. 

What Rourke needs to do in my mind now is start writing a solid resume. He took his chance and went south after putting in three-quarters of a spectacular season.  Rourke needs to do what guys like Jeff Garcia, Warren Moon and Doug Flutie did and that is put up solid numbers in the CFL and then head south. If Rourke can get win some MOP’s and Grey Cups while throwing for a ton of yards in 25, 26 and maybe 27, he will get a chance if he decides to try the NFL again.

Yes, Bo Levi Mitchell tried that and failed but BLM seemed to think he could step right in and be a starter and not compete for a backup job which was the wrong approach to take.

6 – WHAT’S THE PLAN: Edmonton’s CFL team has a new owner. Larry Thompson is hoping he can do something to get people in northern Alberta talking football again. Many believe he will start a campaign to bring “Eskimos” back which is what many want but that could be easier said than done.  There is also talk that Commonwealth Stadium needs to be replaced or refurbished.  I would say replaced because that might be the only way Calgary gets a new stadium as well. Let’s see how Thompson proceeds. 

7 – YOUR MOVE STAN: Nothing like easing into a job that many wish you didn’t have. Oilers GM Stan Bowman has to decide if he wants to match offer sheets put out there for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.  Both are in the future plans for the defending Western Conference champs, but the Oilers were guilty of dragging their feet on getting both players inked to new deals so here we are.

I think Holloway ends up staying in Edmonton, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Broberg ends up with the Blues for what would be a 2^nd round draft pick.  While he performed well in the playoffs when called upon, I think there is still some hesitation there and at almost 5 million per season let him become St. Louis’ problem.  If Bowman can find a trade partner for Darnell Nurse, it changes the equation somewhat but he won’t because no other GM is that stupid to absorb that contract.

I’ll be interested to see what ramifications this move has throughout the league. You remember how Montreal was pissed when the Hurricanes signed Jesper Kotkaniemi after an offer-sheet.  Some in Edmonton have already stated that former Edmonton Oil King Jake Neighbours will be an RFA next year and that Bowman and the Oilers can make life difficult for Armstrong when it comes to a very good player in Neighbours.  That scenario is a long ways away though.

8 – APPLE TV’S MLB PACKAGE: I chuckle so hard when I hear that a Toronto Blue Jays game won’t be on Sportsnet because it is an Apple TV exclusive.  It triggers Blue Jays fans so much.  GET OVER IT!

Every team is affected. The Apple deal with MLB is a seven year, 595 million dollar one. MLB isn’t turning their nose at that and either is any team. Over 90 percent of the games are on Sportsnet. You are given an option to get a free trial of Apple TV so you can watch, which is what I do if I want to the watch the Cubs.  The game is still available if you really want it and if you have to, I am sure places like the Brewhouse have it.

Remember the days when we got one and maybe two Blue Jays games a week and one or two national games a week.  You don’t have to like it, but if you are a Jays fan you can find a way if you realllllllly want to.

9 – STARTING PITCHERS:  There apparently is some talk in the MLB world about having starting pitchers throw a minimum of six innings.  WHAT?  I know “bullpen” games are becoming more and more of a thing with many teams deciding to throw a long reliever as its starter with him just going two innings or so before being replaced by a cavalcade of pitchers.

The question I have is if a pitcher just doesn’t have it and is getting battered about in the 1^st or 2^nd inning, why are you forcing him to remain in the game.  I’m guessing Chris Bassitt wouldn’t have liked it last Sunday when he gave up six runs to the Athletics in the first knowing that he would have still had to register 15 outs before being yanked.

If MLB wants to fix this, make starting pitchers throw a certain amount of pitches.  Relievers have to face three batters per appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning before a new guy can come in.  Why not have starters throw a minimum of 50-60 pitches before they get the hook.  That’s a much simpler solution isn’t it?

10 – C’MON MOOSE JAW!:  Did the Okotoks Dawgs have the champagne on ice? They had another WCBL crown in their sights Friday night in Moose Jaw, but the Miller Express had other ideas as they scored 5 in the 8^th to take an 8-7 win and set up a one-game winner take all showdown in Okotoks Saturday night with the winner getting the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy. I did not know that the league had an official name for its championship until I read it. It has been quite the year for Moose Jaw sports fans as the Miller Express are following up on what the Warriors did. Guessing there are no complaints in the Band City (do people still call it that?) right now with the play of their teams.

Congrats to the Saskatoon Berries on what was a great year of baseball as the expansion team made it to the 2^nd round of playoffs before getting bounced. The mission statement to get people interested in baseball again in Saskatoon succeeded. The WCBL is getting better and better.  It’s too bad the season is rushed but it has to be because of the collegiate nature.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: 

• People that don’t use their turn signals are the same people that don’t put shopping carts away in the parking lot right?
• If you want a sneaky NFL pick for the upcoming season, look no further than the Atlanta Falcons.
• Sportsnet would be wise to pick up MLB Network’s “Quick Pitch” in the morning. The nightly recap of baseball action would be much better than the endless Sports Central loops we get.
• I’m still trying to process the lawsuit that will allow Canadian junior hockey players to play in the NCAA. If a kid plays in a CHL game, he can’t play in the NCAA. That is wrong to me, but will it help or hurt junior hockey in the long run.

Have a great week all!