STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – MISS SPORTS – I’ve taken my time watching “The Last Dance” Michael Jordan documentary series on Netflix and as enjoyable as it is to watch, I find myself missing the thrill of live sports more with each passing day.  I thought I’d just get used to it, but I miss it more today than I did a week ago.  To help fill the void, I’ve been watching repeats of various Triple Crown horse races on YouTube.  As a broadcaster, I am drawn to the play by play and I think Dave Johnson may be the best ever in any sport.  Calling a horse race is on my bucket list but I am not at all confident I’d be good at it.  It has to be the hardest sport to do.  My suggestion for any sports fan would be to watch the 1997 Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont.  The play by play is nothing short of spectacular.  There were four horses (Silver Charm, Free House, Touch Gold, and Captain Bodgit) that were all very evenly matched and it provides for some great drama if you don’t know or remember how each race finished.  Captain Bodgit actually ended up on a farm in Okotoks upon retiring and I think he’s still there according to the last information I could find.

2- NHL INJURIES – I’m still skeptical on the NHL getting off the ground, but let’s assume that it does.  The majority of the players on the injured list back in March when the league shut down due to the China-started coronavirus should be healthy.  My favorite team, the Winnipeg Jets, may have centremen Bryan Little and Mark Letestu ready to go.  That’s a fairly big game changer for them as it pushes Cody Eakin down the lineup and moves Andrew Copp and Blake Wheeler to the wing.  I guess Wheeler was already back at right wing after the Eakin acquisition, but it ensures he will stay there.  The Jets are lined up to play Calgary and the Flames should have both Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin back to help their D.  Carolina has Dougie Hamilton out with a broken leg since January.  Mikko Rantanen, Steven Stamkos, Seth Jones, Chris Kreider, James Van Riemsdyk, Philippe Myers, Jake Guentzel, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jake Muzzin, and Mark Stone are other players I’d expect to see playing come the end of July.  There is potential to witness some great hockey with everyone starting with a healthy line-up.

3 – OTHER INJURIES – There are a few players, who’s status will remain unchanged.  Marian Hossa, who is allergic to his equipment, is one of them.  Don’t look for Chicago to use Brent Seabrook either.  Ryan Kesler is, essentially, retired because of a hip problem and somebody somewhere is still paying Johan Franzen.  I wonder what the rule would be regarding Dustin Byfuglien.  Is he free to sign with a club and restart his career as we ‘begin’ the playoffs?

4 – NHL SCHEDULE – Believe it or not, there is some chatter behind closed doors with the NHL possibly looking at starting the 2021 season (and beyond) in December or January.  Both the NHL and NBA are said to be toying with a Christmas Day season opener, which assures them of a big television audience.  I think this makes more sense for the NBA, which usually puts a game or two on at Christmas as it is.  The NHL season would stretch into late August, thus avoiding competition with the NFL as most hockey fans also watch American football.  Data indicates NHL viewership is low from October to Christmas anyway.  Would Canadian hockey fans watch when it’s 30 degrees outside?  Saskatchewan folks aren’t likely to pick NHL playoffs over the CFL regular season, but I don’t think that matters much to the NHL.  It’s never cold in Florida, Texas, and Arizona and those are the markets the NHL wants to cater to.  They assume Canadians and Americans who live in solid hockey cities will watch unconditionally.  They are, probably, right on that.  One thing with this pandemic is that it’s forced sports leagues to put all ideas on the table and it’s created some innovation.

5 – MLS RETURNS – Major League Soccer is back July 8th with a World Cup style tournament at Orlando.  Where Major League Baseball has failed badly, MLS has a chance to be the only team sport in North America on television for three weeks.  That’s their opportunity to capture some new fans and I think they’ll do it.  The round of sixteen will go on July 25th and the entire league will finish August 11th so that it’s not competing with hockey and basketball for eyeballs.  Smart.

6 – IDEA FOR BASEBALL – Maybe this is stupid, but one of the things I’ve always despised about Major League Baseball playoffs is the fact that playoff baseball doesn’t resemble regular season baseball in so much that there are too many off days and it allows managers to use their pitching staffs a lot differently than what they would during the regular season.  How about doing what the NFL does and move the league final to a neutral site and play 7 games in 8 days?  Make it an event.  Rejuvenate the travel and tourism industry that is decimated with this pandemic overreaction.  You could also tinker with the regular season schedule a bit too and start May 1st instead of April 1st and then wrap it up near the end of November. 

7 – TWITTER VOICE – Say what you want about social media being an echo chamber or all the criticisms that come along with it, but there is still something rewarding about being able to make a statement and have people who you’d never be able to talk to otherwise end up seeing that statement and getting their opinions on it.  Last week, I tweeted about the Major League Baseball labour situation and San Francisco third baseman Evan Longoria retweeted it.  I don’t get awestruck with celebrities, but before Twitter what would be the avenue for some blowhard in Saskatchewan to get a thought out to Major League Baseball players and owners that would be paid attention to and also endorsed or criticized?  Perhaps my all-time favorite celebrity interaction came a few years back when Rosie O’Donnell threatened me and I had to block her.

8 – NBA MAY NOT PLAY – There is growing momentum amongst NBA players to not come back and play as scheduled on July 31.  There was a conference call over the weekend and the thought process is that a significant number of them aren’t interested in playing and want to take a stand for social justice reform.  What that means as far as what they hope to accomplish is unclear but Dwight Howard did make mention that if they play the focus will turn away from the issues the United States is facing.  Also of interest to me is that the subject of the 2021 season came up during the conference call and the players fully expect the banning of fans to attend games will continue until 2022.  Frankly, I don’t think fans will ever be allowed to attend until there is a vaccine.  We’ve been waiting 35 years for an AIDS one, so you decide if you will die of old age before you get to go to a sports game again.

9 – AIRPORTS – As much as I find this pandemic to be an overreaction, the reality for me is that I feel the virus is most easily transmitted through airports or air travel.  If the CFL intends on playing, that needs to be addressed.  Any league that tries to have a season without doing it in a hub is at greater risk of being unable to complete it.  I’m not sold on a second wave of the virus unless we decide to try and go back to ‘normal’ on air travel and then you can almost, assuredly, take it to the bank.  

10 – FALSE START? – With some around the NHL panicking over 2 positives cases for the coronavirus (neither individual is sick), mounting support amongst NBA players to not play, and MLB in a labour war, it’s still fairly clear to me that professional team sports may still be a long way from happening in North America anyway and if they are going to rely on vaccines or the complete abstract eradication of racism against certain cultures in order to return to play….it’s all done.  Forget about sports.  If you don’t believe me when it comes to Covid-19, spend $5 on Amazon and read Alex Berenson’s booklet called Unreported Truths About Covid-19.  By all means, though, stay safe out there.

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