TUESDAY COMMENTARY – KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
LEAVE IT TO MARC TRESTMAN.
THE 3-TIME GREY CUP CHAMPION COACH AND HALL OF FAMER-IN-WAITING SAID IN 140 CHARACTERS ON TWITTER MONDAY WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING FOR MONTHS; CFL COMMISSIONER RANDY AMBROSIE IS WORRIED ABOUT ALL THE WRONG THINGS. THE CFL GAME IS FINE. WHAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IS THE LEAGUE’S DWINDLING FAN ENGAGEMENT.
TRESTMAN EVEN WENT SO FAR AS TO CALL AMBROSIE “RECKLESS”. THERE’S MORE TO THIS BLOSSOMING FEUD BUT THAT’S MARC’S STORY TO TELL, NOT MINE.
WHY MARC TAGGED ME ON TWITTER I’LL NEVER KNOW, BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY HE AND I’VE ENJOYED A SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP SINCE WE FIRST MET IN 2008.
AND HE’S RIGHT. I HEAR IT MORE AND MORE FROM CFL PEOPLE IN THE LEAGU’E BIGGEST MARKETS; THEY SAY THE IDEA OF GETTING BACK TO THE GOOD OL’ DAYS IN THE CFL IS “HOPELESS”. THE SMALL MARKET PEOPLE HAVE SAID IT TOO.
IT REMINDS ME OF WHEN GARY DRUMMOND FLEW ME TO PHOENIX YEARS AGO TO MEET WITH HIS COYOTES STAFF TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY RELATIONS, MEDIA RELATIONS, MARKETING AND THE LIKE. THEY TOLD ME THEIR SITUATION IN THE VALLEY IS “HOPELESS”. I TOLD THEM WITH AN ATTITUDE LIKE THAT, IT SURE THE HELL IS.
WHEN I GOT BACK TO REGINA I TOLD GARY HE NEEDS TO FIRE THEM ALL. HE SIMPLY SOLD THE TEAM INSTEAD.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS OWNER BILL FOLEY HAD A VISION FOR HIS FRANCHISE. IMAGINE IF HIS STAFF SAID VEGAS AS A HOCKEY TOWN WAS HOPELESS BECAUSE “THERE’S TOO MUCH ELSE GOING ON.”
INSTEAD THEY SELL OUT EVERY GAME AND HAVE MADE THE PLAYOFFS EVERY YEAR.
LIKE, I. JUST. CAN’T.
I DON’T FOCUS MY ENERGY ON THE CFL ANYMORE. NOW IT’S THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW AND SOME OF OUR BIGGEST GAINS ARE IN VANCOUVER AND TORONTO. WE HAVE THE DATA.
THIS DEAL AT GREY EAGLE RESORT IN CALGARY WAS BORN OUT OF US ATTENDING THE CODY SNYDER BULL BUSTIN’ EVENT HERE LAST FALL, AND MEETING THE TOP CASINO PEOPLE.
NOW IT’S MUSHROOMED INTO NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER HOTELS AND CASINOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. YOU JUST WAIT AND SEE. THIS SHOW STARTED FROM AN IDEA.
WITH JUST A FEW WEEKS TO GO BEFORE CFL TRAINING CAMPS, I HAVE TO ASK “WHERE’S THE OUTREACH?”
ALL I SEE ARE PEOPLE SNIPING AT EACH OTHER (FAJARDO VS JONES, CANADIANS VS AMERICANS, AMBROSIE VS YOU-NAME-IT, ETC.) AND USELESS BUNK ABOUT FOUR DOWNS, THE RATIO, EXPANSION, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER THINGS THAT’LL NEVER HAPPEN.
FRANKLY IT MAKES ME NAUSEUS. PEOPLE TELL ME I CARE TOO MUCH (AS IF THAT’S SOME SORT OF CRITICISM). BUT THAT’S THE WAY I’VE ALWAYS BEEN. BECAUSE WHEN YOU STOP CARING, IT’S OVER.
AND THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL TURN OUT THE LIGHTS FOR GOOD.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
“If you want to complain about the Riders/CFL buy a ticket.” – Roy Shivers.
hahahahahaha.
lol, after he got fired. “Roy who should run the team?” Roy, “Oh Mitchell Blair”.
Classic:)
It’s tough to be a CFL fan and a local fan too. CFL does nothing to excite me and rev me up for the season each year. And locally, the team has spent the last 2 years bugging me for money for this raffle, or this event, etc. None of it is increasing my experience at the venue and the product on the field. The luster of the new stadium can only take it so far. Grey Cup will be a fun time, again, but I’ll likely dump one of my 2 sets of season tickets after this year because… Read more »
2006 they were selling merchandise off the side of the building. They had 2 accounting systems. They had people doing all kinds of graft. Jim Hopson came in. He gave fair warning. He asked their Finance guy a question. He gets cutoff “cant do that” Hoppy sent him and the rest packing. That dummy runs Hockey Regina now. Jim Hopson made it clear. You get onboard, same as Maz the pride better be there; “counselled out of the organization” Trestman is correct. It ain’t the game. These franchises run like mom and pop entities and my only guess is MLSE… Read more »
Mr. Roy Shivers/Mr. Chris Jones/ Mr. Kent Austin, the best that ever ran the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club. They brought a true top tier professional sports reality to a little hamlet on the prairies. Roughriders now back to less than minor league status and that’s the problem with the Canadian Football League.
I have been a CFL fan for 42 years. I have seen worse. I just don’t like Mr. Ambrosie. Iam a die-hard Argonauts fan and I have seen worse. The better days were in 1991 when John Candy was around. It was Gretzky and McNall who ruined that team. ThevCFL is just fine. Leave it at 3 downs. If you want to talk expansion, there is Quebec City, period. Atlantic Canada is too small a market. For Vancouver and Toronto markets those owners need to step it up, not have their hats out in their hands looking for league revenue.
I’m with you. I just dont like Ambrosie either. He was a 2nd rate Olineman that happened to be on a good team. He concentrates on the wrong things, like he has a clue how to make this league successful. How has his global initiative worked?? Thats a joke, not even a funny one. He should concentrate on getting fans in the seats and advertising the league. How much media has anyone heard about the cfl draft or the start of the season……..the answer is NONE!!! Its all negative garbage about how the rules need to be changed. Fire Ambrosie… Read more »
Here is an example how the Riders are missing the boat. For years I have purchased Rider gear, clothing, etc. Why, because I love the Riders and it was easy to get to the store in Saskatoon. One was in Lawson Mall and one was in Circle Center mall. They canned both those stores and opened one in the “Old Midtown Plaza” whatever it is called now. Since then, have not been to that store, it is too hard to get in there and people just dont shop there on a regular basis. It has pay parking and people just… Read more »
That’s what happens when you put an accountant in charge.
The league needs multiple doses of positivity. Victor Cui gets it. My guess is that Ambrosie’s staff was decimated during covid and any people with CFL passion (i.e. Brody Lawson, etc) have been replaced with younger, cheaper staff who don’t get it. A passionate staffer who knows social media can turn around this season’s buzz quickly. Get the rag out, Randy. It’s not that hard and if done right, not that pricey either.