STACKHOUSE’S 10 WEEKEND THOUGHTS

1 – RIDERS – As the Saskatchewan Roughriders endure a second half nosedive for the second straight season, it only stands to reason people will speculate on how many heads will roll once a forensic audit of the organization is conducted when the year is over. If those in charge are paying any attention at all, they will take notice of the fact that major changes should be in the offing if they want to win back the loyalty and support of a once rabid fan base. I feel bad for Craig Dickenson as he has been a lame duck coach all season but he’s clearly in his final days as the team implodes under him. I think it’s a foregone conclusion there will be a new coach. Will that be enough to satisfy the fan base? I don’t believe it will be but I’m not sure how concerned those at the top are about that and that may be the single biggest issue facing the Riders. Needless to say, for me, this season can’t end soon enough and the most important offseason in recent memory will be upon us. Whatever is decided, remembering that the fans are more than just a source of revenue should be paramount.

2 – RIDER QUARTERBACK – I’ve lived in Saskatchewan since 2001 and I’ve never seen a Roughrider starting QB elude widespread public criticism no matter how good or bad the team is doing. Yet, Jake Dolegala appears to have strong support and the school of thought is that amongst the changes that need to be made, quarterback isn’t one of them. I’m of the mindset that while Dolegala has been pretty good considering his lack of experience, the best chance this team has to win would be for Trevor Harris to come back next year and for him to play at a level that he was at prior to suffering his leg injury.

3 – CONSTANTINE – On the heels of Mike Babcock being removed as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets for taking too keen an interest in his players’ personal lives comes word the WHL has suspended Wenatchee Wild head coach Kevin Constantine while an investigation is conducted concerning his conduct.  Constantine is definitely an old-school coach and so even if he didn’t do anything ‘wrong’, the outcome of this investigation isn’t likely to go his way. The accusation against Constantine hasn’t been made public but if it’s what is being insinuated, he’s unlikely to coach ever again. Nor should he, if what’s rumored happens to be the truth. Bill Peters, who’s also being watched closely, has his Lethbridge Hurricanes off to a 3-0 start.

4 – COACHES HAVE TO ADAPT – I can remember 15 or so years ago there was a common phrase used by adults that was along the lines of ‘wait until these young people get a taste of the real world’ and I would say, ‘No, wait until the real world gets a taste of these young people and are forced to adapt’. It turns out I was right on that. As far as hockey goes, I’ve never actually been a fan of the hardline approach where the coach runs his team military style without showing appreciation or love for his players. I much more preferred the coach who could install a solid work ethic and demand respect from his players by being tough but also mix in the ability to show care, compassion, and is approachable. Many years ago, the pendulum swung too far and coaches abused their power. What I see now is the pendulum swinging back hard the other way and the players are now the ones in charge of who will be behind the bench and how hard they will accept being pushed. In the weeks ahead, I will have more to say on coaching young people and what I see as a successful approach.

5 – BASEBALL PITCHERS – The San Diego Padres were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week when reliever Robert Suarez gave up two runs with two out in the 8th inning of a game that the team ended up losing. Padres Manager Bob Melvin wanted to go to closer Josh Hader to get the final out of the 8th and then three more outs in the 9th but Hader refused to take the mound saying that he’s a 1-inning pitcher only and it doesn’t matter what’s at stake. This is what’s happened to baseball in recent years. If you are a frequent reader of this column, you know about George Kirby not wanting to pitch after 6 innings and 90 pitches. It’s hard to blame the pitchers when teams are still lining up to pay them record amounts of money in a time where their value has never been less as far as contributing to team success. Not to be outdone, Atlanta’s Spencer Strider wants to go back to Covid times. “Absolutely there should be no fans. Get rid of the fans. It’s too loud. It’s too loud. Everybody be quiet. We don’t need the cheering. We know you’re watching.”  Strider, who averages less than 6 innings a start, is considered one of the best in MLB.

6 – RESPECT THE LOGO – I have known for quite some time that, more or less, I’ve been left behind as times are changing and I’ve been a lot slower to adapt than most.  That’s not a complaint at all, but rather just a simple acknowledgement. Every once in awhile I’m hit with just how out of touch I am with people of today and that instance came late this week when I saw a sports reporter tweet about stepping on a logo mat in an NHL dressing room. He made fun of the fact that any player would take offense to a reporter walking on it and then standing on it to conduct an interview. I opened the tweet expecting this reporter to be heavily ratioed for bragging about his disrespect. Instead, what I saw was widespread support and people laughing that a player or coach would expect a mat to not be used in the way mats are supposed to be used. I come from a time where you respect the crest. Whether that means not allowing your jersey to be crumpled up on the floor or having a mat in the middle of the dressing room that people purposely avoid stepping on.  Clearly that time went away a long time ago and I was totally unaware of it.

7 – STONE HIT – Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone made some news this week when he said he’d never be on the ice with LA Kings forward Hayden Hodgson ever again after Hodgson hit him hard against the boards during a preseason game.  I think the quote was taken a bit out of context in that Stone was saying Hodgson isn’t good enough to play in the NHL during the regular season; but it was spun as Stone won’t play in any game that Hodgson dresses in. I admit to being completely lost as to what constitutes a good hit, bad hit, dirty hit, etc during an NHL game. I think we are headed towards all hits being removed and while some of us will complain the reality is that you are already seeing penalties being called for hits that are excessively hard but would otherwise be considered legal. Aggressive physical play in hockey and football is heavily criticized because ‘it’s not really part of the game’ and that’s why it’s okay for a UFC fighter to punch an unconscious opponent in the face two or three times after he’s already knocked out because ‘the fighters know what can happen’. I guess when people sign up for hockey and football, they have never watched a game before so when there is a hard hit, we are outraged and need to make rule changes.

8 – HIT FROM BEHIND – One type of hit I think we can all agree on that needs to be penalized with a heavy hammer is the one from behind where a player is hit in the numbers and is launched into the boards.  To that end, the WHL suspended Victoria’s Alex Edwards for 25-games for such a hit on Everett’s Dexter Whittle during a game September 23rd. Edwards was suspended twice last year so this, really, should be strike three and you are out. As in, for the year. Whittle spent a couple of days in hospital and there is no timetable for his return to hockey.

9 – ANALYTICS – It’s no secret analytics have taken over sports.  Baseball has been completely destroyed by analytics. Hockey has full-time writers who I’m convinced don’t actually watch games but write about who is and who isn’t good based on ‘expected’ goals and ‘expected’ saves or ‘zone starts’. In football, it seems every week I watch CFL and NFL coaches make decisions that would get them fired instantly thirty years ago. The Bears, in a 28-28 game with Denver on Sunday, went for it on 4th down when a short field goal would have given them the lead with just over a minute remaining. Instead, the Broncos took over on downs and ended up kicking their own field goal and winning the game after being down 28-7. Analytics are a wonderful invention but what’s happened is that they are the crutch for all decisions made in-game. It’s, basically, a coach’s way of skirting responsibility. Analytics should be a tool utilized when coming up with strategies and game plans but analytics should not be the be-all, end-all. A bad decision 30 years ago is still a bad decision today. A good player 30 years ago is still a good player today. A .196 batting average and striking out well over 200 times in baseball was embarrassing 30 years ago and it isn’t today…but should be. Sports haven’t changed that much.

10 – XFL/USFL AMALGAMATING – The XFL and USFL are amalgamating. CFL media and fans are already tee-heeing at the lack of ability for the US spring leagues to survive but this only stands to make one of them even stronger. The USFL’s hub model was never a sustainable one but there are markets in both the USFL and XFL that are clearly behind this. My guess is that this will be more XFL than USFL in look and marketability.  I think you will also see more teams than what the XFL had last year. American TV networks are committed and so is Dwayne Johnson.  Laugh if you will, but that’s more money than what the CFL has at its disposal.

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