STACKHOUSE’S 10 MONDAY THOUGHTS

1 – RIDERS ALMOST WRITE ANOTHER LOSS CHAPTER – When most teams open up a 31-0 lead in the first half, you can shut the television off and go find something else to do but these are the Saskatchewan Roughriders and not even Covid can erase the gut wrenching ways this team has lost football games over the years so I made sure I stayed tuned in and was rewarded for it as a one winged Michael Reilly almost led the BC Lions all the way back before bowing out late and the Riders hung on for a 33-29 victory.

2 – RIDERS REVIEW – Cody Fajardo looked amazing early and then got too casual.  When Fajardo stepped it up again in the fourth, his receivers let him down with a couple of, potentially, big drops.  The Riders defense left a lot to be desired for me.  Especially the secondary with Reilly throwing those wobbly balls in the third quarter; they were unable to pick him off or even knock them down.  Special teams were excellent, especially punter Jon Ryan.  This game is Exhibit A as to why you should never worry about sportsmanship when it comes to the score.  Who cares about a pro athlete’s self esteem when getting blown out? He can find a safe space after the game.  Beat them 70-0 if you have to.  You don’t want to risk a comeback and that was almost embarrassing.

3 – MICHAEL REILLY – I absolutely loved that he played the second half on Friday night against the Riders.  Professional sports is long past the days of having athletes soldier through injuries and act selfless for the betterment of the team.  Reilly offered as much as he could and then was honest enough with himself and his team to take himself out in the final minutes of the fourth when he just didn’t have anything left in his throwing arm.  People will say it’s shortsighted and too risky for his future to play but to that I say ‘just win baby’ and there is probably no future if you throw away the present.  After all, what good is saving Reilly until week four if the Lions are 0-and-3?  Pointless.  He almost pulled it off too. 

4 – ZACH COLLAROS – With there being no CFL season in 2020, I wonder how much that will actually benefit Winnipeg quarterback Zac Collaros, who has had a number of concussions throughout his career.  A full year off can’t hurt someone who has been susceptible to head injuries.  I’m rooting for the guy and he looked good in week one.

5 – RATTLERS SUNDAY – I don’t think they could have played any better in the 85-79 loss to the Fraser Valley Bandits.  The Rattlers fell behind by eleven early and could have folded the tent but didn’t.  They were behind by as much as fifteen going into Elam time and provided the fans with some excitement as they narrowed the margin to four before the winning basket.

6 – RATTLERS PROBLEMS – The team has a decent base of about 1200 fans as there really was no reason to attend the game on Sunday.  This team is going to be a last place finisher and miss the playoffs so I think it’s imperative the organization take the necessary steps to improve the team for next year.  Here’s the hard truth:  they are 2-and-17 since winning the 2019 championship.  Unacceptable.

7 – RATTLERS FIX – If I can hammer on the Riders and the rest of the teams I write about, then I can hammer on the Rattlers.  Honeymoon is over.  This team is too small and the couple of players they do have that offer size simply aren’t good enough.  I don’t know if JaKeenan Gant is hurt, but they miss him.  The few times I’ve seen him, he’s the one guy who is big, plays big, good on defense, and can score.  Devonte Bandoo has had a great rookie season.  He brought fans out of their seats in Elam time on Sunday in almost single handedly leading a miraculous comeback.  But the reality is that he can’t do it alone.  Nevertheless, he’s a keeper.  They need to find a way to bring him back.  Travis Daniels I don’t mind either but then everybody else is too inconsistent for me, and I’ll even include Daniels in that.  Demarcus Holland has flashes but size is an issue.  Kemy Osse-same thing.  Nervens Demosthene-again, size is holding him back.  D’Andre Bernard-tantalizing with his size and blocking skills, but vanishes through long stretches.  And the roster is full of guys like this.  On Sunday, Osse and Holland gave it all they had and as a fan I appreciated it.  But if you want to win, the roster has to be better.  The smaller guys need to be more efficient with their shooting and they need more big guys who can rebound and block shots.  They need a Jordan Baker type who is a threat to triple-double any given night.  On Sunday, 7’ Fraser Valley center Brandon Gilbeck did whatever he wanted and was his own worst enemy picking up five needless fouls.

8 – MATT BARNES – Even though he tested negative for Covid, the Boston Red Sox still placed relief pitcher Matt Barnes on the Covid-19 injured list because he was dealing with a non-Covid related illness.  Is this the same as putting someone in concussion protocol after suffering a torn ACL?  This is why there are so many skeptics out there.  If it’s Covid, fine.  If it’s not, move on.  He only lasted on the Covid list with his non-Covid illness for a few days.  He came back in time to pitch three games in a row on the weekend and take the loss against the Blue Jays in two of them.

9 – FURTHER ON RED SOX – Nick Pivetta threw six innings and 76 pitches on Saturday and the score was 0-0.  I mean clearly he’s on borrowed time right?  If he pitches the seventh, it’s Tommy John Surgery for sure.  Or maybe you just can’t risk hitters getting another look at him.  So let’s bring in Barnes, let him serve up a homer on the first pitch to the first batter he faces and lose the game.  But, Pivetta is preserved for the future and he will still trick hitters next time out because he was spared from an extra turn through the order.  Baseball is completely broken. 

10 – OLYMPICS VIEWING – I know the women’s soccer gold medal for Canada created quite a buzz on Friday and that’s great as it was one of the few times I’ve seen these Olympics bring the focus to an actual competitive accomplishment as opposed to social initiatives.  A recent survey by Outkick suggests these Olympics are the least watched ever by a wide margin and 40% say it’s because of the ‘wokeness’.

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