TUESDAY COMMENTARY – CELEBRATING WHAT IS

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

I’VE SAID IT SO MANY TIMES THIS PANDEMIC THAT I KNOW I’M SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD.

BUT I DON’T CARE, BECAUSE IT WORKS.

IN THESE TRYING TIMES, FOR YOUR OWN SANITY, TRY TO CELEBRATE WHAT IS RATHER THAN MOANING ABOUT WHAT ISN’T.

IN MY CASE IT’S THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH, AND BROADCAST, GAMES IN THE SASKATCHEWAN MALE TRIPLE-A HOCKEY LEAGUE. YOU KNOW IT AS THE OLD SASK TRIPLE-A MIDGET LEAGUE BUT IT’S BEEN RENAMED TO “UNDER-18’S”.

APPARENTLY THE OLD NAME WAS OFFENSIVE TO SMALL PEOPLE, AND TO BE HONEST, I NEVER COULD QUITE FIGURE OUT THAT NAME TO BEGIN WITH.

PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS NAME TO EVER COME OUT OF THAT LEAGUE IS WENDEL CLARK WITH THE HOUNDS.

I’VE BEEN AT THE MIC FOR TWO REGINA PAT CANADIANS GAMES – WINS OVER THE TRIPLE-A HOUNDS AND TRIPLE-A WARRIORS – AND HAVE BEEN FASCINATED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WATCHING, AND WHERE THEY’RE FROM.

ALL THE GAMES ARE BROADCAST ON EITHER YOUTUBE OR FACEBOOK LIVE AND IF YOU GET A MINUTE TO TUNE IN, YOU’LL BE ASTOUNDED BY THE SKILL LEVEL. I WAS. THE BEST TRIPLE-A TEAMS WOULD GIVE A REAL RUN TO SOME OF THE LOWER-RUNG SJHL TEAMS.

ARE THE VIEWING NUMBERS SO HIGH BECAUSE THERE’S NO OTHER SPORTS BEING BROADCAST ON WEEKEND NIGHTS? PROBABLY, BUT I DON’T KNOW AND I DON’T CARE.

IT’S ONE THING I LEARNED FROM MY DAD – HOCKEY’S HOCKEY AND IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT LEVEL IT IS. ENJOY THE GAME.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE AND RESULTS ON THE LEAGUE WEBSITE AT SMAAAHL.COM.

THERE SHOULD BE MORE NEWS COMING OUT TODAY ON BROADCAST DEALS WITH OTHER LEAGUES THAT I’M INVOLVED WITH.

THE TRUTH IS, I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER.

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