THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. HUNKER DOWN FOR ANOTHER LOST SEASON: We’ve known since March that 2020 was probably a write-off and 2021 would be absolute wild-card. That has not changed in nine months. Instead of struggling to try and stage a CFL season, an SJHL season or a WHL season, let’s just focus on surviving this the best we can. Our grandparents and great grandparents would have loved to have it as good as we do, even with this awful nightmare. Enough with the finger-pointing already and use this opportunity to recharge as fans, athletes, coaches and commentators. Just think about how great it will feel when we get it back.
2. CFL PLAYERS SHOULD STOP COMPROMISING: It’s admirable to hear members of the CFL Players Association offer to take pay cuts just to get a season off the ground. But the athletes are badly underpaid in a normal world. Everybody likes to rant and rave about the CFL’s business model being broken but the reality is this situation has nothing to do with the CFL having the right business model or not.
3. FRED SASAKAMOOSE: Never met him and never saw him play in the NHL. But even if I had, I would still argue that his greatest contribution to our world came in his post-playing career. He served as chief of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation and worked tirelessly in trying to build a better life for Indigenous people. He once said something to the effect of, and I’m paraphrasing here, “That great life is there for us but we’ve been somehow convinced that it’s not meant for us.” His loss is another reminder about COVID-19 being real and not some kind of FAKE NEWS.
4. RUNNING BACKS COULD LAST LONGER DUE TO COVID: I think an awful lot about athletes and their longevity. Running backs typically don’t last much past 30 but I’m starting to wonder if that could change with a one or even two-year hiatus for the CFL. Running back William Powell, who last played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, is now 32 and might be 34 the next time he takes the field. Will be fascinating to see how many older players can’t recover from the layoff and how many are actually helped by it.
5. CABLE TV STILL RELEVANT: Like many of you, I’ve battled addiction to my cellphone and watching old YouTube videos. And most of it is garbage. Seeing my Canucks punch their ticket to the ’94 Stanley Cup finals on TSN this week was far more exciting than anything I’ve seen on my cellphone in a long time. Again, I’m searching for the little things to enjoy during all of this.
6. WILLIE O’REE PIECE: Speaking of Freddy Sasakamoose being one of the first Indigenous players to make it in the NHL, TSN has a great piece on Willie O’Ree being the first black NHL player in the 1950s. It’s a good reminder of all the nonsense Willie had to put up with and also how far we’ve come with the game of hockey. Sadly, also a reminder of slow that progress has been for visible minorities in the sport.
7. TIPPING: I do it everywhere now. Even for cashiers sometimes. If you’ve haven’t been hurt financially by all of this, maybe you should think about doing it, too.
8. BEST SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDER TODAY: Ed Gainey. The Rider defence wouldn’t be the same without him and the whole thing just doesn’t work without the remnants of that Chris Jones-built unit.
9. NFL SEASON: Am I the only finding it hard to even care with everything else happening in the world? Kind of odd given the fact we don’t really have much else for live action to keep us entertained these days.
10. HELPING AMATEUR SPORT: If you want to do your part to shop local with Christmas shopping for sports merchandise, you could buy from a local retailer but I’ve got an even better idea. Stock up on Regina Red Sox gear online. You can find it all at www.reginaredsox.com.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
