THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. McADOO PLAY-CALLING: Nickle and diming offences barely work in the NFL anymore. So, we can all just imagine how irrelevant dink and dunking has become in the Canadian Football League. Crossing patterns and sideline slants into first down territory balanced with a decent run game is the money maker in this country. Stephen McAdoo’s short-passing plays reminds me of the Ottawa Renegades who didn’t make the playoffs once. Ground and pound offences sometimes work in the NFL but not since the Baltimore Stallions won Grey Cup ‘95 in Regina has it happened here.

And Zach Collaros isn’t Tracy Ham just like William Powell ain’t no Mike Pringle either. Plus, the Riders don’t get to run behind an All-American offensive line or dress all imports on special teams like the ’95 Stallions did.

McAdoo might not get fired during the season like so many are predicting. But don’t expect the Riders to win anything with this offense, either.

2. FAJARDO NOT GOOD ENOUGH: Couldn’t beat out Jonathon Jennings or Zach Collaros for the starting job. Nuff said.

3. PRESEASON GAMES: Coaches whine that they don’t have enough time to evaluate everyone or get everybody ready in just 2 games before promptly sitting half their roster. What gives?

4. VIC SQUARE MALL: Nice to see the University of Regina pick up the slack to give us east enders and out of towners somewhere to bus from now that the Victoria Square Mall pulled out. Mitchell Blair blasted the Vic Square for this backwards move in his latest column Friday and I couldn’t agree more. Walking through that mall these days is one of the most quiet, depressing experiences of living in east Regina. Not once did I ever see the mall or its merchants do anything to capitalize on the massive crowds waiting for a bus all last season or the year before.

Thanks a lot, Victoria Square Mall. Thanks for nothing.

5. ALOUETTES OWNERSHIP: More than 20 billionaires in Montreal and hundreds upon hundreds of millionaires in that town, too. You mean to tell me that not one of them likes football? None of them would like to own a professional sports team? This is a failure on the part of the league to woo a decent owner. Along with the failure to come up with an outreach strategy for immigrants, though the ‘Diversity Is Strength’ t-shirts were fantastic, this one is on Randy Ambrosie and the league governors.

6. REGINA RED SOX PITCHING FIRING BULLETS: Sox hurlers have held batters to just 13 runs through Regina’s opening 5 games. That 4-1 start includes victories over all 3 teams they’ve faced. But the best part is Sam De La Cruz is back and his older brother, Adam (Mr. August) De La Cruz, is expected back by the weekend. Might be a long season for the Riders but at least we have other options this summer.

7. MARC HABSCHEID: Nothing against Dave Tippett or anything but how is Marc Habscheid not getting more looks from the NHL? Guy has won WHL crowns with 2 different teams and his work with the Prince Albert Raiders has to be his best work, yet. For the better part of a decade, I helped Raider broadcaster Drew Wilson with the games in Regina and that organization truly was a sad sack. The Mudville of the WHL found instant credibility the moment it got Habscheid. Enough with recycling these old geezers in the NHL, already.

8. ROD PEDERSEN SHOW: Set looks fantastic. The graphics and voice-over are terrific and the on-air talent is as good there is in western Canada. The concept is brilliant. Local sports talk with original personality. The best part is, it gives hope to broadcasters everywhere that you can be a start-up enterprise in this industry and should never be held hostage to some corporate shill whose inherited a broadcast license from the CRTC or some out-of-province executive who doesn’t care about or appreciate what it takes to build a quality broadcast. Just like the Swift Current Broncos moving their broadcasts completely online, this is long overdue.

9. RAPTOR BROADCASTS: Disappointed we can’t see how the ESPN broadcasts of the NBA finals are critiquing Toronto like we can when the Blue Jays are in the playoffs but I totally get it. TSN and Sportsnet are doing their own production to show off their assets as best they can and I do appreciate the sideline interview with Argos S.J. Green and James Wilder Jr.

But if we could please do something about Matt Devlin, Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins being such obvious homers, that would be the best part.

10. WEEKLY WISDOM: You know what assume stands for, right? Don’t assume.