WEDNESDAY RUNDOWN: BIZ NASTY JOINS!

It was the day-after on Episode #394 of The Rod Pedersen Show – Canada’s Daytime Sports Talkshow – with one of our biggest guests yet! Here’s the rundown:

• Rod and Dupes kicked it off with The Warmup for the Four Seasons Sports Palace covering these Quick Six show topics: 1) USA tops Canada 2-0 in the World Junior final, 2) Team USA’s “Barrel” in the team photo (RP feels whether it was an intentional insult or not, it just proves you can do whatever you want if you win), 3) How much will the Cleveland Browns miss head coach Kevin Stefanski in Sunday’s playoff game at Pittsburgh?, 4) Saturday’s Wildcard NFL schedule is Colts/Bills, Rams/Seahawks and Buccaneers/Washington FT, 5) Sunday’s Wildcard NFL sked is Ravens/Titans, Bears/Saints and Browns/Steelers, and 6) Saskatchewan Hockey Association Tweets that the rumour of Hockey Canada shutting down all hockey this season is false.
• It was a busy Hour 1. We were joined by DraftKings Director of Gaming & Sports Johnny Avello for a preview of the NHL season and betting odds (Avalanche, Golden Knights and Lightning are the Top 3 favoured). Johnny explained how the divisional alignment affected their odds projections. The 35-year gaming vet said there’s a team of over 100 working on their oddsmaking. Avello also previewed this weekend’s NFL games plus the CFP championship and how point-spreads were set.
• Former Blue Jays First Base Coach Tim Leiper (2014-2018) joined the show from Muskoka, ON. He’s a recent follower of the RP Show and explained why he’s stayed in Canada since 2003 (he’s a part of Baseball Canada staff). The California product told us he’s extremely proud of being part of the 2015 & 2016 division banners, and being on the field during the infamous Bautista Bat Flip. He laughed that he was trying to shout over the crowd to Jose, “Start running!” Leiper answered several Blue Jays-related questions from viewers.
• Hour 2 was simulcast on Game+ TV and Facebook Live and after re-upping the Quick Six, we were joined by Arizona Coyotes broadcaster and Spittin’ Chiclets co-host Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette. It was a wide-ranging chat covering Canada’s loss to the USA, Paul and Rod’s chance meeting in the Coyotes press box elevator a few years ago, and the outlook for the Coyotes. Bissonnette took several questions from viewers including if Scottsdale’s Auston Matthews will ever suit up for the Coyotes? Biz said he doesn’t want to get the Yotes fined for tampering, so he declined answering. It was a raucous chat and Paul invited the RP Show down to Glendale to take in some Coyotes games.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: Was Team USA’s “Barrel-Gate” an insult to Team Canada? At press time, over 70% of respondents said no.
• Biz Nasty was named the Rockstar of the Day for RoxDar Supply Chain Solutions by acclimation.
• Wednesday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page, you can catch the replay at 4:00 pm ET on Game+, listen to the podcast by clicking on the CONTENT tab at the top of this page, or listen anytime to our 24-hour live audio feed at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive.
• Be sure to join us at 10 am CT Thursday on Facebook Live and 12 pm ET on Game+. Our guestlist includes Winnipeg Jets colour commentator Jamie Thomas and New York Islanders great Clark Gillies!