THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. CFL WON’T FOLD: The Federal government should partner with the Canadian Football League to ensure the league sails through 2020 and even into 2021 if this public health crisis carries on for that long. But don’t kid yourself, the league will NOT fold. Municipal and provincial governments have sunk a fortune into building proper stadiums for BC, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Ottawa in recent years. That doesn’t include the deep-pocketed ownership in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto. The league needs help and should get it from Parliament. But don’t think the league is about to go under. There are too many, including Bell Media, with too much invested to let that happen. And even if it did, someone would step up and revive it the moment this nightmare is over, by 2022 at the latest.

2. VINCE McMAHON NOT THE ANSWER: Justin Dunk of 3 Down Nation has suggested approaching the WWE czar for financial help in all of this. Vince Mahon is interested in building something big south of the border. That’s not what CFL is, or ever will be. Vince would want far too much control to ever be a good fit for our league.

3. CFL RETURN MORE COMPLICATED THAN BAUER OR COHON REALIZE: Former CFL commissioner Mark Cohon and ex-Winnipeg Blue Bomber and later Calgary Stampeder president Lyle Bauer have both suggested the league could play under the current circumstances. This is wishful thinking but I seriously question if these two would be talking this way if they were still involved with the league. It’s pretty easy to sit back and be armchair quarterback from a thousand miles away, but until you offer specific solutions, you’re not really offering anything at all.  

4. ELITE ATHLETES CANNOT WORK TWO JOBS: It’s easier for some to criticize CFL players who don’t work two jobs. Most of us don’t have to train year-round to be a professional athlete. It is NOT a seasonal part-time job. Some Canadian players who are protected by the import ratio can get away with it. But the American stars who really make this league what it is, don’t have that luxury. More U.S. players should push for endorsements and try to parlay their playing careers into a lucrative life-after-football. But criticizing American players for not working a 2^nd job during their playing days is naïve and very short-sighted.

5. LeBLANC LEAVING SCHOONERS IS TROUBLING: Not because the CFL-to-Halifax movement needs him all that much, really. He did, after all, talk a good game about building a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes and that never materialized, either. The troubling part is that Anthony LeBlanc viewed working for Eugene Melnyk as a promotion over returning the CFL to Halifax. Working for Eugene Melnyk is hardly an honor anymore, even if it does involve working in the NHL. The behavior and track record of Eugene Melnyk has been horrendous of late and if Anthony LeBlanc is willing to ditch this amazing project for Eugene, then good riddance.

6. DeSHONE KIZER TO ARGOS: The former Cleveland Brown quarterback is a younger version of ex-Dolphin QB Cleo Lemon. Lemon’s time with the Argos did nothing for the CFL and its marketability in Toronto. Neither will DeShone Kizer, if the Argos go that route. Somehow, I think the boatmen should just keep looking.

7. HOLES THAT COVID HAS EXPOSED IN CFL BUSINESS MODEL: The coaches get paid too much and get paid year-round no matter what, making it impossible for CFL teams to tread water in this shut-down. I’m all for coaches being paid well and being treated with respect. But facts are, coaches have seen massive salary increases since the turn of the millennium and it has not generated a better product on the field. It has also denied the players from seeing any meaningful gains. Football coaches are paid far too much. Especially in the CFL.

8. AMERICAN PLAYERS WHO DESERVE FEDERAL AID: Starting players who are under contract for the coming season deserve some compensation for training their entire offseason to prepare to perform in 2020. Unlike many of their Canadian counterparts, these players need to focus on their training year-round as they are not protected by the import ratio. Those players receiving Canadian federal government aid, even if they are living in the states, wouldn’t bother me one bit.

9. MLB RETURN PROPOSAL: Like many of you, I first saw this as a home-run and was quick to criticize the players union for not showing more flexibility in accepting a salary reduction for a COVID-shortened season. However, consider this: If you’re 27 years old like Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Snell and you’ve waited your entire career for a payday that you’ve earned for this season and all of a sudden, the rest of the world tells you to give most of it up, would you do it with a smile on your face? Somehow, I doubt it. You, like Snell, might prefer to save your arm for another year or two for when the world is right and you can be appropriately compensated. This issue is far more complicated than it would appear on the surface. Players who want to play now, should be able to do so if they are willing to take a cut in salary. Just as players who prefer to sit out and defer their contract to a later season, should be able to do that, too.  

10. BOOK OF THE WEEK: Always Remembered: New Revelations and old tales about those fabulous Expos is yet another memoir on the unforgettable Montreal Expos. After riding the bus with Regina Pats as a beat writer from 1985-1988 for the Leader Post, author Danny Gallagher left to cover Les Expos for the Montreal Daily news. A great read that takes a backseat to none of the other baseball books you will ever find. You can order online or get your signed copy, like I did, by emailing exposbook2020@yahoo.com.

(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)