THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. THE SCOTTIES: Glad to see that Manitoba rink of Kerri Einarson finally win but even more glad to see Ontario lose. Representing your province should be for athletes who live and train in that province. I saw an Ontario skip, who lives in Alberta, wimp out on a shot at a game changing triple-knockout in the 9^th end on the advice of her coach, who also lives in Alberta. It was a great comeback but playing it safe might’ve cost Rachel Homan and her rink the championship. Maybe it’s just a sore spot with me because watching people move to Alberta all my life and then tell us how smart they are and how dumb we are, has always struck a nerve. I haven’t followed curling much since Sandra Schmirler died, but dropped my phone and paid full attention to the final match Sunday night and remembered what a fine game of strategy curling really is. I totally get why so many, especially old people who are smart, like it so much.

2. RUSS HOWARD LIVING IN REGINA: Great write-up in the Regina Leader Post by curling maven Murray McCormick last week about TSN analyst Russ Howard living in Regina. Sounds like Howard loves the fieldhouse, the Roughriders, being only a few minutes away from the airport and has realized what some of us always knew: Regina is Canada’s best kept secret. With the sports teams, different seasons and amenities we have in a town so easy to get around in, our quality of life is better than just about anyone in North America. Regina gets a bad rap because of North Central but only from people who don’t bother to get to know our city at all.

3. ROOSEVELT LEAVING RIDERS WILL TEST O’DAY: Most of you won’t put this one in the same category as the day John Chick and Weston Dressler left Saskatchewan, but I do. Aside from being my wife’s favorite player, Namaan Roosevelt has been the glue of the Rider receiving corps over the past 5 seasons from the disaster of Cory Chamblin’s last year on the sideline through the Chris Jones rebuild and into the team that finished in first place less than 4 months ago. Seeing him wear another team’s jersey bites. It is here where we begin to see just how strong this front office led by Jeremy O’Day is in the ability, or inability, to replace the assembly built by Chris Jones as it gradually filters its way out of town in the coming months and years ahead. 

4. CHRIS JONES MOVING FROM SIDELINE: So, the Cleveland Browns new coach doesn’t want Chris Jones so badly, after all. We were all told one thing, then reality proved to be another. Big surprise! Chris Jones moving to some meaningless front office role, akin to selling tickets, can only mean one thing: The Browns owe Jones for one more year and hope to make life just miserable enough for him that maybe he’ll bolt to Canada and let Cleveland off the hook for the final year of his contract. Don’t be surprised if he magically ends up working in the CFL again before training camp.

5. XFL EXODUS: So what if Derek Dennis, SJ Green and Armanti Edwards all bolted to the XFL? They’re all over-the-hill players who our league won’t overpay. The XFL can have our castoffs and hopefully our scouts can find some talent down there who can help the Riders and some other teams up here. They can be our feeder system, too. Not just the NFL’s.  

6. CANADIAN QUARTERBACKS: The Canadian quarterback counting in the import ratio was a nice first-step but we’re still not seeing the gains we need to see. Give this system another 2 years of status quo and if nothing happens, move to plan B: Mandate that every team has 1 of 3 quarterbacks as someone with a Canadian birth certificate. This will get Canadian QB’s in meetings, on the roster and taking practice reps. By hook, some of them will see the field, and by crook, at least one of them will find success. Nobody likes affirmative action, but in this scenario, it’s just got to happen.

7. CFL EXPANSION: Why isn’t anybody talking about Quebec City? Does anyone really think the NHL is going back there anytime soon? Can anyone come up with a good reason why the league shouldn’t be all over this? Would there be any better way to integrate and unite Quebec with the rest of Canada?

8. THAT 42-YEAR-OLD GOALIE: NHL goaltenders have been interchangeable for years. Don’t believe me? Toronto Marlies zamboni driver David Ayres proved it Saturday night. And this is an embarrassment for the NHL. Think about it. Could you imagine the janitor joining an NBA game and helping his team win? Of course not. Goaltenders haven’t been required to make saves for a generation. It’s all about positioning and letting the puck hit you. If this doesn’t scream the need for change in the NHL to increase scoring, nothing ever will.  

9. OTHER THAN SASK, WHO TO CHEER FOR AT THE BRIER: Quebec. They never win anything at the Brier and their skip, Guy Hemmings, used to throw chocolate bars into the crowd. They deserve one.  

10. I’M IN THE HALL OF FAME: Sort of. Thanks to legends Murray McCormick, Lorne Harasen and Jane Shury for steering me onto the selection committee of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in North Battleford. I’m humbled and flattered to even have a say over who gets in and who doesn’t. I hope to learn many great tales of baseball heroes in our own back yard that we’ll get to share with all of you.

(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmac)