WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – THE GOOD, GREAT & UGLY (CFL’S MERRY GO-ROUND)

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

IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF THE GOOD, THE GREAT, AND THE UGLY.

FIRST, THE GOOD: DAY 1 OF THE CFL FREE AGENCY PERIOD ON TUESDAY WAS HEAD-SPINNING. IT HAD ALL THE FEELS OF A GOOD GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH BIG NAMES LANDING WITH NEW TEAMS.

TO QUOTE TSN’S VIC RAUTER: COUNT ‘EM UP! GREG ELLINGSON’S NOW A BLUE BOMBER. ANDREW HARRIS IS AN ARGONAUT. SEAN WHYTE IS A BC LION. DARNELL SANKEY IS A ROUGHRIDER. AND TREVOR HARRIS IS AN ALOUETTE. AGAIN.

THE BEST THING ABOUT IT IS, IT GOT THE CFL FRONT AND CENTRE IN THE NEWS CYCLE. BUT WE’RE NOT DONE WITH THAT JUST YET.

NEXT, THE GREAT: AND IT HAS TO BE SUPER BOWL 56 HERE IN LOS ANGELES. THE AFC CHAMPION CINCINNATI BENGALS LANDED IN TINSELTOWN ON TUESDAY AND WILL BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR SUNDAY’S NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST THE HOMETOWN RAMS.

I CAN SEE WHY I’VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT YOU’D HAVE TO BE HERE TO BELIEVE IT! THEY SAY IF THE SUPER BOWL COULD EVER GET LOST IN A CITY, IT’S LOS ANGELES BUT I TRULY CAN’T SEE HOW.

THERE ARE BANNERS AND PAVILIONS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE AND EVERYBODY’S IN THE SUPER BOWL MOOD.

THIS IS MORE THAN A BUCKET LIST ITEM. I CAN SEE MYSELF ATTENDING SUPER BOWL EVERY YEAR FROM NOW ON.

AND LASTLY, THE UGLY: FOR THIS, WE CIRCLE BACK TO THE CFL.

VIEWERS TO THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW WANTED ON-THE-SPOT ANALYSIS OF TUESDAY’S GOINGS-ON BUT IT WAS NEXT-TO-IMPOSSIBLE.

IT’S AKIN TO STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE I-5 FREEWAY IN L.A., TRYING TO WRITE DOWN LICENSE PLATES. WITH THAT, I HAVE NO PROBLEM.

BUT EVEN THE CASUAL OBSERVER CAN SEE THAT THIS YEARLY MERRYVGO-ROUND IS NOT A GOOD THING FOR THE CFL. TEAMS WANT THEIR FANS TO GET ATTACHED TO THE PLAYERS BUT WHEN THEY’RE ONLY THERE FOR ONE SEASON, IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

IT STRUCK ME WHEN WATCHING GAMES ON TSN LAST SEASON – WHEN THEY PREVIEWED UPCOMING GAMES WITH IMAGES OF CURRENT CFL PLAYERS – I HAD NO IDEA WHO THEY WERE.

CHRIS JONES SAID THE DAYS OF PLAYERS STAYING IN ONE PLACE FOR YEARS ON END ARE GONE – A LA WESTON DRESSLER, CHRIS GETZLAF, DARIAN DURANT AND FOR SURE ROGER ALDAG, BOB POLEY AND DON NARCISSE.

I CAN COME TO TERMS WITH THAT.

BUT THIS IS A LITTLE RIDICULOUS.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV Network 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)