THURSDAY COMMENTARY: AN E.S.B.G.
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
This week’s Rider game is one that would have John Lynch in a frenzy.
Well, every Rider game does, but this one moreso.
The Hall of Fame Roughriders broadcaster from 1972-82 is of course still around, but neither of us is covering the Riders on a full-time basis anymore.
But this Saturday’s date with the Calgary Stampeders is one Lynch would call an “E.S.B.G.”. An “Early Season Big Game”.
Frenzy’s big on acronyms.
This commentary was originally intended to be more about this week’s game than John Frenzy, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to talk about him.
The Don Cherry of Football.
It’s amazing the impact the Rouleau, Sask product had on the Rider Nation given his time in the booth being just a scant decade, almost 50 years ago. Of course he spent years after that hosting The Last Word on CKCK but by the mid-90’s, he’d been turned out to pasture.
To use Lynch’s phrase, I rescued him “from the scrap heap” in 1999 when I became Voice of the Riders. As a hockey guy, I didn’t know much about football and needed a veteran beside me on the talkshows.
Lynch’s voice was the soundtrack of my childhood.
So a formidable duo we became for a long time and frankly, I relished his acronyms. I’m sure he’d hang the “G.W.H.” tag on current Rider quarterback Trevor Harris: Great When Healthy.
Frenzy’s got a million of ‘em! Perhaps my favourite is the “ATANA Club”.
All Talk And No Action.
Don’t get me started on that group in the CFL. We’d be here for days.
This winter I thought Covid was going to take Lynch. He was hospitalized but he fought back to make a full recovery. Now I visit him just about every time I’m back in the Queen City.
And he serves as an inspiration as well. If math serves, he was 62 years old when I put him back on the air and we went to new heights.
I just turned 50 and feel like Lynch!
Just getting started.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
You made John Lychn basically the mid 90s version of former NWA champ when he was 52 and headed to ECW. He became the hardcore champion and immortal. Similar to what Rick Ruben did with Johhny Cash and his American recordings sessions. Gave him a guitar, put him in front of a microphone and said do your thing. I had only known Frenzy as a late 90s early 2000s blowhard salesman coasting from gig to gig. He got on “sports line” and wow The big deal came when Carm couldn’t make a summer game and he did the color with… Read more »
….and that former NWA champion headed to ECW to work for Paul Heyman was none other that Terry Funk. I didn’t mention that, but it’s a given. LYNCH was that good.
Thank you for writing about him, Rod. Respect Have a great day!
Happy retirement John.
As someone not from Sask and unfamiliar with John Lynch’s past, I enjoyed reading this backstory!