STACKHOUSE’S 10 MONDAY THINGS

1 – FRANKLIN RETIRES – I’m old enough to remember when Saskatchewan Roughrider fans were screaming for Rider brass to trade for James Franklin to be their quarterback. I miss those days when I could have fun jabbing at Rider faithful who would lose their tempers over Tino Sunseri not getting a big enough chance to show he was going to be a Hall of Famer, and I hope one day I get to write about such nonsensical fan opinions again, but I’m veering off topic. I forgot the Riders acquired Franklin last year to be Cody Fajardo’s back-up, but in the event this type of football is ever allowed to be legal in Canada again we will never see Franklin as he announced his retirement this week at the age of 29, approximately ten years sooner than when he figured he’d be retiring. It’s sad to see this happening on what feels like a daily basis as pro football players are packing it in and getting on with their lives out of necessity due to governments robbing them of their chosen careers. The bright side, of course, is that no CFL players have passed away and had we allowed football to go ahead in this country there is no telling the carnage the virus would leave on these athletes. So, I’m sure there has to still be a tremendous amount of satisfaction from fans even though it comes at a cost of not watching pro football, potentially, ever again in Regina.

2 – CHRONICLE REPORTER FIRED – The Houston Chronicle fired their Houston Texans writer over comments he made on a Boston radio show regarding the sex allegations against quarterback Deshaun Watson. The reporter defended Watson, saying he knew him quite well and had confidence in his character, therefore he didn’t believe the accusations and then later added that from Watson’s perspective it doesn’t make sense to pay the accusers money without going to court because ‘you don’t negotiate with terrorists’.  Management at The Houston Chronicle informed employees of the reporter’s dismissal and reminded them to stick to facts and not offer opinions or else there would be job terminating consequences. At this point, if you are not laughing at the notion of a major news outlet suggesting they ‘discourage’ all opinions rather than just one side then you don’t have a sense of humour.  

3 – JETS TRADE COLUMBUS RETURN – Not even the smartest hockey analyst on the planet could have predicted just how bad Patrik Laine would fare in Columbus. Sure, there are many who didn’t expect a Laine-John Tortorella marriage to work but as of Saturday morning Laine had gone 14 straight games without a goal and 8 straight without a point (he finally scored Saturday night). Laine’s biggest beef with the Jets was that he wanted to be the focal point of the offense. Columbus attempted to do just that and he’s responded by giving them, literally, nothing. I’m shocked. I figured there would be growing pains but I had a belief Laine wanted to be as good as he possibly could be and Tortorella would eventually get that from him. Instead, Laine has shut down completely, he’s likely to be on his third team in a year by this Fall, and Tortorella is unlikely to be coaching. Lose, lose all around. The throw-away in this deal, Jack Roslovic, was recently a healthy scratch but he’s exceeded expectations overall by emerging as the Blue Jackets’ second-leading scorer and has 5-points in his last 2-games and 7-points in his last 6-games. He’s already set a career high in assists for a season and is only two points away from his career best of 29 but he’s reached that mark in 37 fewer games. 

4 – JETS RETURN – Laine’s disastrous season with the Jackets doesn’t change my mind about Winnipeg overpaying to get Pierre-Luc Dubois. Especially with their need for a competent defenseman showing to be greater than ever. Roslovic would have been a nice chip for that. The Jets are also paying $1.75-million to the Jackets and Roslovic, who makes $2-million, is essentially playing for free with Columbus. Dubois has been a bit of a disappointment and doesn’t look comfortable although there are indications lots of good is still to come from him. What this trade did, though, is force Paul Maurice to change up the overall style on how the team plays and that, in itself, is what makes this deal a win for them. Still, if the Jets are to succeed in the playoffs they will need more from Dubois and they’ll need to be much better at even strength as a team.  Having said that, it wouldn’t surprise me if history repeats itself from nearly 40 years ago when Wayne Gretzky crushed the hopes and dreams of Jets fans with Connor McDavid reprising the role of Gretzky in the first round of the playoffs.

5 – EXTRA INNINGS – I love the rule that puts a runner on 2nd to start the 10th inning. One of the arguments against this rule is that you can bunt to move him to third and then a sacrifice fly can score the run, thus eliminating any need to drive the ball or record a hit. Yet, you can watch nine innings of baseball and seldom ever see the bunt used to move a runner from second to third with no out. If it’s so simple as bunting and then hitting a fly ball to the outfield, why not do it more often during the first nine innings? Or better yet, what about a stolen base to get the runner to second, then a bunt, and then a sacrifice fly? This is how baseball should actually be played for nine innings rather than just the 10th and it’s too bad you need to enact special rules to force teams to play the game the way it’s intended.  

6 – CURLING NEGOTIATES SAFETY – In the Western Hockey League, the Calgary Hitmen had a single virus case and that resulted in shutdowns for both the Hitmen and the team they last played against, the Medicine Hat Tigers.  There’s a similar situation in the AJHL with the Drumheller Dragons as a single case has caused, what appears to be, a fourteen day pause of all team activities. Meanwhile, there were four virus positive cases at the World Curling Championships in Calgary on Friday yet the event continued on Sunday.  Three of the four infected players were leaving the bubble anyway and the one player who’s on a playoff team will step aside and not play. Seems perfectly reasonable to me, yet we have to shut down the Medicine Hat Tigers because another team has one case? We have to shut down Drumheller’s entire team because of one case in the organization? I know the argument you pro-lockdown types are going to make and if I accept that as a reasonable opinion (it isn’t) then how come the World Curling Championship can continue? Shouldn’t, at the very least, the three players on the playoff team who aren’t infected have to go into isolation just like the hockey teammates? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy they are playing but simply pointing out the inconsistency of the rules and the fact that health shouldn’t ever be negotiated. It’s either safe or it isn’t.  

7 – CANUCKS BACK FRIDAY – The NHL’s tentative plan with the Vancouver Canucks is for them to resume game play this Friday. Practices were scheduled to get back up and running on Sunday. An incredible medical miracle if you base all the reports we got seven days ago as fact. To have just about all players ready to-not only function as basic human beings but to also perform physically at an elite level less than 1% of us can do even without a virus circulating, is nothing short of unbelievable. It’s weird reading reports from left wing sports media who come across as though they are actually cheering for something bad to happen just so they can stick it to the rest of us and say ‘there I told you it was dangerous’. For what it’s worth, I’m ecstatic to be wrong on some of the things I’ve said I fear going forward with regards to teams folding, leagues folding, and other various forms of societal carnage. Please, please, please let me be wrong. I take no satisfaction in being right and as I’ve said before: if a Canucks player ended up in ICU I’d be the first to lobby for widespread sports shutdowns worldwide and you wouldn’t hear a peep from me about it until we reach CovidZero.

8 – SIDE EFFECTS – On Friday, no fewer than four Major League Baseball players were sidelined due to ‘Covid vaccine side effects’. Two of them were Blue Jays with both Lourdes Gurriel and Ryan Borucki even going on the Injured List. San Francisco’s Evan Longoria and Yankee third baseman Gio Urshela were the others. Four in one day is a bit concerning and two being down for the count to the extent they need a potential 10-day stint on the IL is a bit worrisome as well. My guess is that none of the four will pass away but it does make me wonder why we insist on putting physically fit athletes at risk when it’s been shown that for well over a year there is no statistical risk of them suffering life long debilitating consequences if they got the virus itself. Yes, I’m aware Eduardo Rodriguez got myocarditis and missed the two month season last year.  He also pitched this week at the same elite level he pitched in 2019. I’m also aware of hockey player Marco Rossi, who suffered long term effects but is also on schedule for a normal training camp this Fall. Now, add up how many players make up the NHLPA, NFLPA, MLBPA, NBAPA, PGA Golf, Tennis, etc. and figure out how many have been forced to retire or passed away from Covid and then explain why a vaccine is in their best interests. 

9 – VACCINES – I’ve made a personal decision to get the vaccine when it’s my turn, but ONLY if I see evidence of a normal life being restored. So far, there is none of that in Canada (different story in the US) so I’ll be on the sidelines and wait for the signal that fans will be allowed to attend sporting events, concerts, etc. but only if they are vaccinated. Once that happens, I’ll get in line with plenty of enthusiasm. Presently, I’m puzzled as to why there has been no change in the lives of people at Long Term Care Homes who are vaccinated. Why can’t other vaccinated people come see them? Also, an unvaccinated visitor should be allowed to assume personal risk. These weird non-changes for vaccinated people give me some pause.

10 – FURTHERMORE: I also think enough people have been vaccinated in society that certain basic freedoms should be restored to those folks, especially, if they are interacting with others who have gotten their shot. If your argument is that we can’t do anything until BOTH shots are received, well then we are a long, long ways from that and I will continue to wait it out. I’m not the only person taking this approach and I know the counter argument is that if too many of us do it, we aren’t ever getting a form of normal back. You aren’t wrong for having that opinion but I’ve been duped by politicians for over a year on this virus so this is the avenue I’m going. Once I see there is a benefit for me to do it, I’ll do it. My biggest worry is nothing changes and we get to June or July and find out that all the people vaccinated to date are going to need a booster and all the people that aren’t vaccinated at all are going to need 2, 3, 4 shots before we can get back to normal, which means it ain’t ever happening and therefore I’m out. Hope and optimism doesn’t cut it anymore. Show the unvaccinated what they have to look forward to if they get the shot and you will see mass numbers of people get in line as if it was a Boxing Day special at your local video game store.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)