THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. CFL SNUB SHOWS FEDERAL LIBERALS DON’T CARE ABOUT THE WEST: The Canadian Football League matters everywhere in Canada where a franchise exists, other than Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Those are key priorities for the Liberal Party of Canada each time they enter an election. They focus on the big three and sometimes even toss a few bones to the Maritimes in an effort to shore up a few extra seats. The CFL matters largely to the west. That’s not a priority for the Liberals and never has been. Don’t believe me? The lack of support to get a 2020 season off the ground just proved it.
2. WAUGH’S CRITICISM OF CFL BUSINESS MODEL IS EMBARRASSING: Liberals aren’t alone in snubbing their nose at the CFL. Saskatchewan Conservative MP Kevin Waugh was especially critical of the league office and its “failed business model”. I like Kevin very much, for not only his great work on sports anchoring for CTV Saskatoon all those years, but also for the outstanding assistance he gave me in piecing together a radio documentary about Bill Hunter’s pursuit of the St. Louis Blues for Saskatoon in the early 1980’s. But criticizing CFL owners for willing to lose money is just way offside. These owners don’t lose money because they want to. They do it because they are decent people who appreciate the need for these players to earn a decent paycheque for what they do. Now you could argue that coaches and General Managers don’t need to be making in excess of $500,000/year or even some of the quarterbacks. But the league office has taken steps to address that. The CFL owners aren’t perfect. But they aren’t the enemy, either.
3. AMBROSIE BASHING COULD HAVE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES: If you’re still wondering why the CFL struggles to keep a decent Commissioner for any meaningful length of time, just take a look at how Randy Ambrosie is being treated by the players and online commentators right now. The guy is dealing with a situation never seen in our lifetime. Again, don’t forget it’s the virus that is the enemy, not the Commissioner.
4. NEXT SEASON HARDLY A GIVEN, EITHER: We expect a vaccine by the spring, but how long will it take for corporate Canada to recover from all of this? I’m confident a 2021 season will happen but let’s not take that for granted, either. The world is a different place these days and we’re just going to have to bite the bullet and tough this out, just like our great ancestors did before us. If having no CFL for a year or two is the worst thing to happen to us all, then we’ve lived a privileged existence.
5. BASEBALL SEASON: No one is to blame for the COVID outbreak amongst some of the players. Everyone is doing their best. The players opting out are doing it for the right reasons and creating opportunities for others. The players hanging in are doing it for the right reasons so that they can take a few dollars home and give the rest of us some joy in our day-to-day lives. Let’s appreciate them all. And no asterisk for the World Series winner. They will have been through more to get there than probably any other champion from the past.
6. STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: Nice to see Chris Cuthbert back on national TV broadcasts. Hopefully one day the CFL will push a few of their broadcasts to Sportsnet and/or CBC too. As for the games, they aren’t giving me the excitement of the playoffs. They just aren’t.
7. NBA SEASON: Love the animation they’ve added with fans in the background. It’s the best setup I’ve seen so far. And the Raptors are the most exciting thing on TV this summer. The story of the 1994 Montreal Expos and their fans being robbed something great by not finishing the season is a cautionary tale for all of us. Any season started should be finished, if at all possible.
8. SJHL COULD PLAY: Nice to see the chatter surrounding the SJHL playing in the fall. If the billets can step up without being paid, the players can step up without being paid and the coaches can step up without being paid, why can’t there be an SJHL season in 2020-21? SJHL TV broadcasts would be a great way for local businesses to connect with their customers. And it’s not like we don’t have the technology to pull this off, either.
9. THE ROCK BUYING XFL: Loving how a Calgary Stampeder reject is living vicariously through the XFL and I love the opportunity it presents for so many athletes. However, wouldn’t “The Rock” or Vince McMahon get better bang for their buck just buying a CFL team and showcasing it their way? Randy Ambrosie needs to call these people as soon as the XFL fails again.
10. GREAT YOUTUBE VIDEO: As a young farm kid in the early 90’s, I remember being so excited to get a VHS copy of “Share The Pride” – The Incredible Story of the 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders narrated by Dale Isaac. Glad to see it’s finally made its way onto YouTube and a great watch for anyone, like me, feeling the blues about no CFL to follow this time of year.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
