THURSDAY RUNDOWN: MORREALE, BOURNE & MORE!
We got into the good stuff with more long-time friends on Episode #508 of The RP Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talk Show – on Thursday! Here’s the rundown:
- RP and Moose Dupont got it going with The Warmup for EECOL Electric covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) Montreal beats Vegas 3-2 to tie up that series 1-1, 2) Tampa Bay visits the NY Islanders tonight with that series tied 1-1, 3) Jays pitcher Ross Stripling goes off on teammate Joe Panik but apologized after the game, 4) The Riders & Bombers are discussing joint practices in mid- to late-July (Rod said he hopes they do), 5) NBA Playoff stuff, and 6) Soccer results.
- Canadian Elite Basketball League Commissioner and CFL great Mike Morreale joined the show to discuss the league’s tip off on June 24 and all that needs to be done beforehand (announcements are forthcoming on fan attendance). Mike discussed the league’s Return To Play in 2020 with the Summer Series and how things are different this year. He also explained why the league’s been able to grow during the pandemic and one reason is a strong relationship with Basketball Canada and the popularity of the sport. He divulged that the league has a 70% Canadian ratio but most teams play above 80%. Morreale also divulged some league expansion details and answered plenty of questions from viewers.
- The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Who will finish first in the CFL East? At press time Hamilton was leading with 67% of the vote.
In the Hour 2 Second Half Kickoff for Four Seasons Sports Palace we got into it with viewers about CFL joint practices, some of the hurdles the CFL still faces including getting players vaccinated, and lots of Canadiens/Golden Knights talk.- Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne – son of Islanders & Blades great Bob Bourne – joined the show from Toronto to discuss Game 2 between Montreal and Vegas and feels an upset is certainly possible. Justin was born on Long Island and said the Isles’ runs the past two years have stoked the fire in New York however he’s not old enough to remember the 1980s dynasty. He feels home ice advantage will be huge in tonight’s Game 3. Bournie also talked glowingly about the family summer trips to Netherhill/Kindersley, SK where his family still has a farm! He also deferred comments on officiating in Game 3 of Lightning/Islanders saying “refs have a tough job”.
- The final two segments were devoted to Viewer Takeover and we answered questions from viewers regarding the CFL, Stanley Cup Playoffs and Carey Price. Rod mentioned that there’s been plenty of hate mail from viewers regarding the fact the show has been pre-empted all week on Game+ due to a gaming tournament and it’s 100% from hockey people!
- Thursday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook/YouTube pages, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
- Join us Friday at 12 pm ET/10 am MT for a Flame Tech Football Friday. Our guest list includes Toronto Argonauts GM Pinball Clemons!
The Elks & Stamps have also discussed joint scrimmages, one in each city. I believe it has to be approved by the CFLPA. The problem is if 4 of the Western clubs are looking at it, where does that leave BC? Probably at a disadvantage. So there may have to be some way of getting them involved should they want to do the same thing. Maybe a BC-Cal, Cal-Edm, Edm-BC scrimmage to keep everyone happy. We’ll see.