THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. COVID BRINGS OUT WORST OF THE CFLPA: It’s okay to be frustrated, but some of the name-calling and attacks on Randy Ambrosie have been downright disgusting. Blaming the Commissioner for a world-wide pandemic is about as intelligent as blaming the weatherman for no rain. He’s become a lightning rod in a way he never expected or deserved.

2. PRO SPORTS RETURNING TO PLAY: In the grand scheme of things, who honestly cares? With all that is happening in the world today, is this really that important? Does this matter so much that we’re willing to risk players and staff long-term health over? We know so little about this virus and some patients are taking months to recover with some at risk of never being the same again. The bickering about games needing to play is far more unsettling than the work stoppage itself. Greed on the part of the owners, some players and unbelievable selfishness from the fans, too. This has train-wreck written all over it.

3. CFL NOT IN JEOPARDY: In the midst of his 1980’s rescue of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the great Bill Baker once said he believed that had the Riders gone bankrupt and actually folded, another version of the Riders would inevitably have been reborn. The same is true today. If we miss a season or 2, teams can suspend operations if they have to. But it doesn’t mean it can’t all be restarted after the fact, anyway. The new stadiums built around the country will have to be used for something. Don’t believe the rhetoric around the CFL folding permanently. It just isn’t true.

4. JOHN BOWMAN COMMENTS IRRELEVANT: Players like to run their mouths and that’s fine because without them, we have nothing. But CFLPA Vice-President John Bowman’s comments to the Montreal Gazette about the league not growing have zero to do with the CFL running a deficit. He’s insulting the league for losing money over the years. The same league which has kept him employed as a professional athlete in a great city, earning a decent living for 14 years, largely because of their willingness to lose money. The CFL Players Association isn’t painting themselves in glory in the way they’ve reacted to this pandemic.  

5. CFL SHOULD ADD HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS: So, the XFL’s Director of Player Personnel thinks the 5-0 Houston Roughnecks could beat any team in the CFL, does he? Well here’s a crazy thought: Invite the Roughnecks to play in the next CFL season. It’s a pie-in-the-sky idea, but hear me out on this one. There are plenty of idiots in Texas who have deep pockets and love football. Find one, or group of them, to pony up 9 million dollars Canadian (That’s about $6.66 million U.S. these days) to prop up the rest of the league and allow Houston entry for a season or longer if they really want. Then we can see who the better teams are. I’m pretty confident just about any CFL quarterback is better than anything the XFL has to offer so let Vince McMahon and his buddies put their money where their mouths are.

6. THE LAST DANCE: It was okay but does it really deserve all this praise? Did we really learn all that much new about Michael Jordan and the Bulls? Other than understanding why Phil Jackson was such a successful coach by making it more about the team than about Michael, it really didn’t grab me all that much.

7. NASCAR: I was raised by a mechanic/farmer/race car enthusiast but never could get into it. Good on them for removing that stupid, ugly confederate flag and supporting that poor driver taking all the heat and abuse. I feel like we’re teetering on the edge of a place where it’s becoming less and less acceptable to say “I’m not getting involved” and white athletes are having to step up and support minorities when they are under attack. I think this is a good change. It will be interesting to see the reaction the next time Sidney Crosby wins a Stanley Cup and chooses to visit the White House, even if whatshisname is still in there.

8. MINNESOTA TWINS OWNER STATUE REMOVAL: It’s great that team founder Calvin Griffiths was nice to Rod Carew but that doesn’t excuse what he said about moving the Washington Senators to Minnesota because “they only had 15,000 black people” in 1978. People shouldn’t be outraged about the statue being removed. Why was it put there when the ballpark was built 11 years ago in the first place? Why is he in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame? These are great questions we don’t ask nearly enough.

9. TO MY AMERICAN FRIENDS: I know Joe Biden is a klutz but is he really so awful that you would honestly rather have another 4 years of Donald Trump?

10. FILM OF THE WEEK: Search Lonnie Smith, Jon Bois on YouTube. It’s a jaw-dropping story about the former Atlanta Braves utility man from the ’92 World Series against the Blue Jays and his almost fatal feud with his General Manager, John Schuerholz. Former Rosetown Mayor Adam Krieser sent it my way and it did not disappoint. 

(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)