THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. RIDER WIN RE-OPENS DOOR FOR HOME PLAYOFF GAME: Without Nathan Rourke, BC is not only beatable but liable to take a nasty tumble down the CFL west division standings before season’s end. The Stampeders are only, to use a baseball term, a half game up on the Riders. Edmonton is not a threat. That leaves only Winnipeg as uncatchable for the Roughriders. Saskatchewan is back on track for Grey Cup contention in the year they host the big game at sparkling new Mosaic Stadium for the first time ever. But let’s be clear: it has more to do with what’s happened to other teams than anything the Riders have done.

2. SOBER SECOND THOUGHT: The Roughriders and their fans deserve to celebrate an uplifting win in Vancouver from Game 11. However, sometimes we do need to take a drop of water with our Pilsner and this is such an example. We cannot ignore the fact it came against BC’s 3^rd string quarterback which changed the complexion of that game, completely. And if Cody Fajardo keeps getting sacked 7 times/game like he did on Friday night, what makes anyone think he’ll even be around to finish the season in November? Great win indeed. But let’s step back and take it with a grain of salt to see it for what it is.

3. MARINO-GATE: MBC radio Rider insider Mitchell “Scruffy” Blair stirred the pot Monday by Tweeting that bad boy Garrett Marino “got into it” with some Rider staffers over the fact he wasn’t listed as a starter for that game in BC. CKRM broadcaster and head coach Craig Dickenson were quick to dump cold water on the story during their weekly interview Monday night. Coach Dickenson said Garrett simply asked why he wasn’t listed as a starter and was told it was an oversight. End of story. My take: Mitchell wasn’t wrong to report what his sources had told him. And Ballsy wasn’t wrong to give coach Dickenson the opportunity to clarify what really happened. As the coach said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Garrett knows he will always be under a microscope”. Yes he will.

4. LABOUR DAY PREDICTION: Historically, the Riders have fared pretty well on Labour Day weekend even when they’ve entered with a record inferior to that of the Blue Bombers. With Saskatchewan feeling like they have a wee bit of their mojo back and Winnipeg proving they are, in fact, beatable, I expect the Roughriders to pull it out by a whisker. Not that I like to brag or anything but at last check I was, in fact, leading the pack for 3 Down Nation head-to-head picks. Don’t ask me about point-spread though. I suck at that.

5. ALOUETTES LOSE OWNER: This is a big loss. Gary Stern has been a walking shot of adrenaline that the CFL so badly needed and still needs. A rich guy who wants to connect with ordinary people through sport. What could possibly be bad about that? I hope it all gets sorted out and he’s back in the saddle but at this point, it’s not looking good. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie hit a home run by finding Stern in the first place. Can he go back-to-back by fixing this or finding another Gary Stern? Time will tell.  

6. BABCOCK LEAVES U OF S: This didn’t deserve the headlines it got and is only getting some ink here to point out the obvious. Babs was only doing this for a short stint while he continued to be paid by the Leafs from his mega contract. I presume he will be off Leaf payroll in a year from now (He signed an 8-year-contract in 2015) and maybe he wants some down time before pursuing other NHL opportunities next summer. A good call on his part. Most successful coaches who fail late in their career do so because they don’t take a break. And let’s be honest, how excited could Mike Babcock possibly be about coaching U-Sports for another season?

7. REGINA THUNDER WEEK THREE: Another great win for the Thunder who waxed the usually pretty strong Edmonton Huskies 43-14 in the Alberta capital over the weekend. Quarterback Carter Shewchuk completed over 78% of his passes for 367 yards and 5 touchdowns to four different receivers. And that’s not all. The Saskatoon Hilltops lost in Winnipeg, putting the Thunder squarely into the driver’s seat for the Prairie Football Conference lead. Somehow, it feels like the balance of power has shifted quite dramatically in Regina’s favour.

8. SASK BASEBALL HOF INDUCTION: Big congrats to all of the inductees into the North Battleford shrine earlier this month. Especially to the MacDonald’s of Regina. Mitch goes into the player category for being the greatest Regina Red Sock of all time and maybe the best ball player to come out of Regina of all time. The whole family went in for the unbelievable enthusiasm, spirit and contribution that Leo, Jean, Geoff, Stephanie and Mitch have demonstrated to the sport in their local community of Regina. Their accomplishments are far too numerous to list here but without them, I just know our baseball community wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today.

9. THE TEN YEAR OLD SPORTS FAN: Watching the Blue Jays celebrate their 1992 World Series championship on Saturday helped me zero in on what years mean the most to me as a sports fan and I’ve confirmed the same thing with a few others. For a good many of us, it’s the years we celebrate our 9^th and 10^th birthdays. For me it was 1991 and 1992, especially the 2^nd year for me. The Jays winning the world series, Gary Carter’s swan song in Montreal, the beginning of Mike Saunders in Saskatchewan, Kent Austin becoming the 2^nd quarterback in pro football history to pass for more than 6,000 yards, the Canada 125 patch, the emergence of Pavel Bure, the electric 7th-game overtime winner by Russ Courtnall to push the Habs past those pesky Hartford Whalers and seeing magnificent Mario and the Penguins win the cup for Badger Bob (Bob Johnson, their head coach, had just died). I have so many wonderful memories from that year that will never leave me as long as I live. There’s just something magical about that age as Marshall Lerner agreed with me, “It’s a time when you were formulating an identity and affiliations”. Those were some of mine. I’d love to hear some of yours through twitter @brendanhowardmc .   

10. IN-THE-HUDDLE THIS WEEK: We are joined by CJME Rider Insider Britton Gray and argue about the Darnell Sankey hit on Michael O’Connor. Watch us on Access Now TV at 7pm Tuesday nights or on the Access Now app.

(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)