STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – BC LIONS MARKETING – The BC Lions are admitting fans aged 17 and under into their home opener for free and will be having future games where admission is going to be $10. The idea is incredibly popular but I have issues with it. I get the notion of wanting to put bums in any seats that are not sold, but fans aren’t stupid (well some are, but I digress).  If people know you are willing to give your product away for nothing (or very cheap), why would anyone at all want to spend a premium dollar on it?

2 – LIVE SPORTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – I don’t see as many young people wanting to attend live professional (or even non professional) sports like I used to.  Heck, when I was in high school I can remember it being a big deal to have four of us organize a car trip to go to Moncton and watch the back end of a home and home between the AHL’s Fredericton Canadiens and Moncton Hawks.  Do teens do this for the Pats and Warriors? Maybe they do and I just don’t hear of it. I think as we move forward into the future, drawing young fans to an arena or stadium is going to be harder and harder, especially as prices continue to escalate.  I don’t remember the cost of that Canadiens-Hawks ticket but it wasn’t imperative even for a teen who only had an early morning paper route as income.

3 – DALTON TO NEW ENGLAND – Apparently the New England Patriots are taking a hard look at Andy Dalton to replace Tom Brady in the event that the GOAT heads to another franchise.  I would laugh myself to death, perhaps literally, if Dalton ended up on the Pats and led them to a Super Bowl after playing for the Bengals for so many years and where, at times, it seemed as though he was the one holding the team back from achieving success.

4 – COACHING – When it comes to professional sports, I wonder about the actual, real impact of a head coach.  We saw how the Toronto Maple Leafs played for Mike Babcock toward the end of his tenure. They basically refused to perform.  When it comes to millionaires, I am of the mindset they will play hard when they want to and I’m not sure a coach has much impact.  Would most teams play just as well if they had a couple of team leaders, who are also players, fill out the line-up every night? Sure, there are exceptions (Barry Trotz comes immediately to mind), but I’m not sure a coach is all that impactful.  I’m willing to bet you could get away with it in baseball for sure. Football and basketball not so much. Football would be impossible. That is the one sport where coaching matters almost as much as your quarterback and, in some cases, more.

5 – STILL A CHEAP SHOT – I’m watching the Flyers and Capitals as I type this article and at the end of the second period, Tom Wilson takes a long run at Claude Giroux from across the ice and all he can see are the numbers on Giroux’s back.  At the very last moment, Giroux side steps and Wilson barely clips him. Should he be suspended? Should you go to jail for firing a gun at someone that you don’t know is empty? I’m willing to bet the Wilson run doesn’t even make the highlight shows.

6 – OTTAWA GONG SHOW – The Ottawa Senators fired CEO Jim Little this week for a philosophy that was ‘inconsistent with the core values’ of the team.  Little released a statement and belives the ‘core values’ with which are alluded to would be a phone call with the team owner where Little and Eugene Melnyk had a disagreement and Little used swear words….What a time to be alive.

7 – SJHL PLAYOFFS – The end of the regular season was terrific and there was some jostling in the standings with Nipawin dropping all the way to 8th, much to my surprise.  If there is a darkhorse to watch, I will say it’s Estevan. The Yorkton-La Ronge series is a toss up. I can tell you that if we get two of Battlefords, Yorkton, or Flin Flon in the league final, it will be the fastest (pace-wise) final, maybe, in league history.  It’s going to be a fun 5 weeks.

8 – SPORTS RADIO – For the first time ever, Toronto’s Fan 590 has lost a ratings battle to a competing station.  TSN 1050 defeated them in every single day part, including the coveted morning slot and afternoon drive show.  Here’s what I can tell you from afar and from having experience in radio broadcasting: Rogers is bleeding money in their broadcasting division because of the stupid NHL TV deal they signed a few years ago.  They have been cutting talent ever since and it’s to the point where their television and radio outlets are not worth five minutes of your time unless you are watching an NHL game that features your favorite team.  It’s that bad. I used to be a fairly loyal listener to Bob McCown’s show but I started tuning out shortly after the NHL deal with Rogers took effect because McCown seemed neutered as far as his NHL criticisms are concerned and now that he’s completely off the air, I have no desire to turn it on.

9 – TSN RADIO – I don’t listen to the morning show, but the reviews on Michael Landsberg have been positive and I’m not surprised.  I didn’t like Landsberg’s Off The Record and I felt his own personality came off poorly on that show. However, I’ve never seen a sports anchor handle a highlight show the way Landsberg did when he was on SportsDesk.  For me, he’s the best ever. The afternoon Overdrive Show is a must listen/watch. Bryan Hayes is very good at what he does and former NHLers Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLennan are extremely entertaining. O’Neill, in particular, is what draws me in.  He’s sensational.

10 – LESLYN LEWIS – I find myself, quickly, becoming agnostic to political party.  There are things about the SaskParty that really turn me off despite, admittedly, being a supporter of them.  Toying with breaking their own rule of fixed election dates, for example. There are things about the NDP that I don’t mind, even though I don’t endorse their overall platform.  Federally, it’s no secret how I feel about our mascot that runs the country. As far as the Conservative leadership race is concerned, I’m rather unenthused about the leading candidates and it’s caused me to really look into some of the lesser knowns.  If you are finding yourself in a similar situation, try Leslyn Lewis. She’s a Toronto lawyer and she does not have a seat in the House of Commons (Jagmeet Singh didn’t either for the longest time), but I am finding myself drawn to some of her philosophies and ideas.

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