THURSDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 AM and 5:20 PM)

AFTER AN UPBEAT START TO THE WEEK, WEDNESDAY WAS A SLAP IN THE FACE.

JUST WHEN IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE TURNING THE CORNER IN SPORTS AND GETTING CLOSER TO A RETURN TO THE FIELD AND ICE, MORE BAD NEWS HIT US LIKE A SHOVEL TO THE FACE.

WEDNESDAY EVENING THE WESTERN CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE – HOME TO THE MOOSE JAW MILLER EXPRESS, WEYBURN BEAVERS AND REGINA RED SOX – ANNOUNCED THEIR GOVERNORS HAVE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO CANCEL THE 2020 SEASON.

IT’S NOT A SHOCK CONSIDERING A LARGE NUMBER OF THEIR PLAYERS ARE FROM THE STATES AND WITH THE BORDER STILL CLOSED UNTIL WELL INTO JUNE, THIS WAS A NON-STARTER. STILL, IT FELT LIKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME OUT OF THE BLUE.

EARLIER IN THE DAY HOCKEY CANADA ANNOUNCED IT’S CANCELLING ALL OF ITS SUMMER PROGRAMS, WHICH INCLUDES THE I-D CAMP FOR OUR WORLD JUNIOR TEAM WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO GO IN JULY.

AND WE GOT SOME RATHER CONFUSING NEWS THAT THE CFL HAS PERMITTED TEAMS TO OPEN THEIR FACILITIES TO PLAYERS AND SOME PROVINCES HAVE GIVEN THE GO-AHEAD TO RESUME PRACTICING.

THAT CAUSED MY PHONE TO LIGHT UP WITH MESSAGES FROM JUBILANT FANS WHO TOOK IT TO MEAN TRAINING CAMPS ARE BACK ON.

UHHH, NOPE. COMMISSIONER RANDY AMBROSIE’S EDICT REMAINS THAT FOOTBALL WON’T START UNTIL SEPTEMBER AT THE EARLIEST. SO THAT MEANS CFL TEAMS AREN’T GOING TO OPEN TRAINING CAMP WHEN THERE ARE NO GAMES TO PLAY.

SO ARE THINGS LOOKING UP … OR DOWN? ALL I KNOW IS THAT TODAY IS DAY 77 OF THE PANDEMIC, WITH NO END IN SIGHT.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.