THURSDAY COMMENTARY – THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

IT ALL STARTED WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH A NOTIFICATION FROM THE SCORE APP.

THE WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS WERE GOING TO BE WITHOUT REIGNING GREY CUP MVP AND TOP CANADIAN ANDREW HARRIS FOR THURSDAY’S SEASON-OPENING GAME WITH A CALF INJURY.

THE DEFENDING GREY CUP CHAMPS ARE ALSO TO BE MISSING TOP RECEIVER DARVIN ADAMS WITH A SHOULDER PROBLEM. BOTH WERE PLACED ON THE 1-GAME INJURED LIST.

THEN NEWS CAME DOWN THAT THE BOMBERS’ OPPONENTS – THE HAMILTON TIGER-CATS – WERE GOING TO BE MISSING A HOST OF HOUSEHOLD NAMES TOO, SUCH AS DEVIER POSEY, BRALON ADDISON, TED LAURENT AND MORE.

ALL THIS INFO WOULD SHIFT THE BETTING LINE MIGHTILY, IF THERE WAS ONE. (I’M SORRY BUT MY GO-TO – THE SCORE APP – STILL HASN’T POSTED THE SPREAD AT THE TIME OF THIS COMMENTARY).

ANYWAY THE INJURIES SEEM TO COME OUT ALMOST EVEN, SO I’LL STICK WITH MY PREDICTION OF A BOMBER WIN.

THE POINT BEING, WE ARE IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF INJURY-RELATED INFO WHEN IT COMES TO THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AND I’M HERE FOR IT. SURE, INJURY NEWS HAS BROKEN THE DAY BEFORE GAMES IN THE PAST, BUT MOST TIMES COACHES WOULD KEEP A GUY LIKE HARRIS ON THE ACTIVE ROSTER AND SCRATCH HIM AN HOUR BEFORE KICKOFF JUST TO PLAY MIND GAMES.

BUT APPARENTLY YOU CAN’T DO THAT ANYMORE.

NOW I’M ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT AWAITING THE ROSTERS FOR FRIDAY’S LIONS/RIDERS GAME, HOWEVER I’M STILL GOING TO GO WITH SASKATCHEWAN WINNING A TIGHT ONE.

SOME OF YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT THE BIG DEAL IS?

WELL I WAS ON A PODCAST IN INDIANAPOLIS LAST NIGHT AND THE HOST WONDERED THE SAME THING. HOW COULD THE CFL HAVE GONE SO LONG WITHOUT THIS TYPE OF INJURY REPORTING, HE ASKED?

I’LL BE HONEST, I DON’T KNOW. HOWEVER I RELATED THE STORY THAT THERE’S BEEN MANY TIMES CALLING RIDER GAMES OVER THE YEARS THAT I DIDN’T KNOW WHO THE STARTING QUARTERBACK WOULD BE TILL THE FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME. (THE 2018 WEST SEMIFINAL COMES TO MIND).

IN THE END I KNEW THAT IF THIS SINGLE GAME BETTING BILL PASSED, WE’D BE HEADED TO THIS TYPE OF INFO SHARING. THE COACHES FOUGHT IT FOR YEARS AND GOT AWAY WITH IT, BUT WHEN THE BUSINESS GUYS GET INVOLVED AND SEE DOLLAR SIGNS, THEY ALWAYS WIN.

AND THE WINNERS, FINALLY, ARE THE FANS, THE BETTORS AND THE MEDIA.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(Photo: BC Lions)