TUESDAY COMMENTARY – RENT YOUR DUGOUT BY THE HOUR

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

DON’T EXPECT ANY OF IT TO MAKE SENSE. MAYBE, EVER.

I’LL ADMIT THAT AS LATE AS LAST WEEK, I WAS HOPING FOR WELL-BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES SO THAT WE COULD LACE ‘EM UP AND GET OUT ON THE OUTDOOR ICE.

IT WAS DEFINITELY THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE THAT I COULDN’T WAIT FOR MINUS-20 OR COLDER.

I GOT WORD FROM MY ALBERTA FRIENDS THAT OUTDOOR RINKS IN CALGARY AND EDMONTON WEREN’T EVEN BEING MAINTAINED BUT I LAUGHED INSIDE, THINKING “THEY’LL NEVER DO THAT IN SASKATCHEWAN.”

THEN, LO AND BEHOLD, I GOT A MESSAGE MONDAY NIGHT FROM A SASKATOON OUTDOOR RINK MANAGER THAT HE’D BEEN INSTRUCTED TO PUT THE NETS AWAY. IF HE DIDN’T, THOSE NETS WOULD BE CHAINED TOGETHER BY THE CITY.

WHAT. THE. HELL. IS. GOING. ON?

I ACTUALLY ASKED HIM JUST THAT, AND HE SAID THE GUY WAS JUST DELIVERING THE MESSAGE. IT COULD BE THAT THE CITY OF SASKATOON IS WORRIED ABOUT A POTENTIAL LAWSUIT IF SOMEONE CONTRACTS CORONAVIRUS WHILE OUTDOOR SKATING, AND DIES.

AS THE SAYING GOES, “YOU CAN’T FIGHT CITY HALL”. OR, APPARENTLY, YOU CAN’T FIGHT THE LEGISLATURE, OR PARLIAMENT.

GOT A DUGOUT? THAT’S WHERE I LEARNED TO SKATE, AND YOU LIKELY DID TOO.

YOU CAN PROBABLY EARN SOME PRETTY GOOD BANK BY RENTING YOURS OUT TO CITY PEOPLE WHOM ARE EAGER TO SKATE OFF THEIR ANXIETY.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WAIVER PREPARED FOR THEM BEFORE THEY HIT THE ICE.

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