THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. MLSE CONTROL OF CFL: Rod set off a firestorm of reaction over the weekend with his report of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment funding and, to some extent, running the Canadian Football League. When I presented the scenario of MLSE buying the CFL, lock-stock-and-barrel, my father-in-law replied with “Why would they want it?” It’s a legitimate question and I’m not sure any of us know the answer other than to suggest it would be Rogers Communications’ way of controlling a piece of every major sports property in Canada. (They, along with Bell Media each own 37.5% of MLSE with Larry Tanenbaum controlling the remaining 25%). It’s an interesting thought but I can’t see that corporation wanting to own the league outright, nor would they be good owners of the league on their own, either. The NFL could have bought the CFL in 1997 if it really wanted to but preferred to just float it some cash to keep it going and not have the headache of running the joint. The same scenario applies here. Individual franchises are run much more effectively when operated independently of each other. It’ll be a cold day in you-know-what before I pour money into a Rider organization controlled by some Toronto corporation that, to date, has shown very little interest in giving much back to Saskatchewan. And where Rod and I agree to disagree, is that while MLSE is a competent organization, they’re a long way from being any kind of innovative trend-setter.
2. NO FOOTBALL SEASON COULD LENGTHEN CAREERS: We’ve come this far without anyone suiting up. Would it be the worst thing in the world to give everyone a full year to let their bodies heal and rest up for 2021? There’s no shortage of sports on TV these days and going an entire season without 3-down football will just make us crave and appreciate it that much more when we get it back. I’m just sayin.
3. CFL NEEDS GRANT, NOT A LOAN: I don’t think they need a big loan that they’ll be digging themselves out of for years to come. A small government grant to say thank you for keeping some staff employed and stadium rent to municipalities covered would be plenty good enough. Do these franchises really need more than $20 million dollars to pay their staff to do little to no work these days? Seriously.
4. MOST BROKEN PART OF CFL MODEL: The problem with the CFL business model has nothing to do with the fact that sugar daddies like MLSE, Crawford Steel and David Braley are absorbing the millions of dollars in losses the league suffers annually through the Argos, Alouettes and BC Lions. The broken part of the model is where teams like Saskatchewan hire double-digit coaching staffs and high 6-figure salaries to head coaches and General Managers. In the good old days as recently as the 2000’s, it was common to have a head coach and 6 assistants, 3 on each side of the ball with a linebackers coach doubling up on special teams, too. The on-field product was terrific and the entertainment was no less back then, than it is today. Trim the fat with these coaching staffs, plain and simple. And lesser salaries means we won’t get these overhyped, useless, washed-up NFL/U.S. college coaches but rather young and hungry Americans and Canadians who dream of being a pro football coach and actually put their hearts into it. That’s where the magic is created.
5. REVIVING SPORTSLINE: I just love the work being done at IKS Media these days and it starts with The Rod Pedersen Show, of course. I cannot help but wonder when the day will come that we get Sportsline back. I’m not talking about the cuts Global Television did in the late 2000s by axing its Sportsline programming to try and save garbage programming like Entertainment Tonight. I’m talking about the local personality-driven nightly 11 pm half-hour shows of Wray Morrison, Warren Woods, Ron Rimer, Craig Adam, Bob Krawchuk and Dan Plaster that rocked the STV airwaves for a generation. Just the other day, I tracked down Rimer, who is doing radio in Edson, Alberta these days and asked him if he ever dreams about reuniting with Woodsy for another run at Sportsline. His response: “All the time, Brendan!”
6. HANK AND KJ COACHING NFL: Nice to see Henry Burris get his apprenticeship with the Chicago Bears and Kerry Joseph with the Seattle Seahawks. Speaking of leagues needing young and hungry talented coaches who will put their heart and soul into it, I’ll bet the NFL will get better mileage out of these guys than the Las Vegas Raiders ever will out of their $100-million-dollar man, Jon Gruden. And I like “Chuckie”. But NFL coaches are way overpaid. The CFL has that problem but the NFL has it a lot worse.
7. NHL SET DESIGN SUCKS: Great to see Chris Cuthbert back on the broadcast and just hearing his golden tones makes me consider becoming a fan again. However, he and I will have to agree to disagree about his suggestion the producers should win an award for set design. Seeing hockey played in front of tarps over empty seats is hardly an inspiring look for the 21st century. The NBA, with fans appearing on screens digitally from seats in the crowd on the other hand is pretty damn cool! That look should win the award, not the NHL’s.
8. TEEPEES IN THE PARK: Looks artsy to me and they aren’t bothering anyone. If this occupying the park in Wascana is the biggest problem in your world these days, then you’ve got it made in the shade. Period.
9. THE ROCK NEEDS TO FORGIVE WALLY BUONO: Dwayne Johnson is clearly holding a grudge toward Wally for cutting him from Calgary Stampeders camp back in 1995. He’s commented on it through social media a few times and rebuffed Wally’s overtures to appear at Buono’s last game at the end of the 2018 season. Now “The Rock” is taking it to another level. He and his idiot business partners are about to waste a crapload of cash that could be better spent on, oh I dunno, maybe relief during the pandemic. Or maybe buying a CFL franchise that he could live through vicariously without flushing so much coin down the toilet. This is a train-wreck about to barrel off the rails. Dwayne might’ve suffered a few one too many bumps to the head during his wrestling career.
10. GREAT YOUTUBE MOVIE: Red Penguins is filmmaker Gabe Polsky’s deep dive into the Pittsburgh Penguins purchase of half of legendary Russian pro hockey team “Central Red Army” in the early 1990s in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse and Russia’s mafia-infested transition from communism to capitalism. You’ll pay a few bucks to rent this one and a few more to buy it. But you’ll be glad you did.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
