20 WEEKEND RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR UNIVERSAL COLLISION CENTRE

1 – I’ve never understood racism. The worst people I know are white, and straight. To hate someone because of the way they look or the way they were born never made sense to me. Again, I just don’t understand it.

2 – Some black American CFL players – including James Wilder Jr. and Adrian Tracy – are calling out the CFL for not making an official statement regarding the race riots going on in the U.S. this weekend. My guess? The CFL doesn’t know what to say at this time, and that’s not a criticism. I truly believe racial intolerance has never been an issue in the CFL. At least not in my time, or not that I’ve seen. Of all the issues players have come to me with over the years, racism has never been one of them.

*UPDATE* At 10:30 am MT on Sunday the CFL released a statement condemning racism.  You can find it on their Twitter account.

3 – In a computer simulation done by Nelson Hackewich on Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football video game, Calgary beat Saskatchewan 27-23 Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium in CFL preseason action. Calgary led 7-3 after the first quarter, 13-10 at halftime and 20-17 going into the fourth. The game had drama! Stampeders rookie Dorian Baker scored the winning TD late in the fourth quarter and a subsequent Rider rally was snuffed out. Rookie Rider QB Justice Hansen hit German sophomore WR Max Zimmerman for a 48-yard reception but he was tackled on the Calgary 3-yard line as time ran out.

4 – The Riders used four QBs in this exhibition tilt. Cody Fajardo got the first quarter, going 4/10 with an interception. James Franklin played the second, going 10/15 for 131 yards and threw a TD pass to sophomore Brayden Lenius. In the third quarter QB Isaac Harker was 8/12 for 139 yards, rushed for 17 yards and fumbled once. Rookie pivot Justice Hansen was 6/15 for 126 yards, 2 INT, and hooked up with Zimmerman for 37 and 48 yard gains!

5 – Yes, Calgary knocked some rust off of Bo Levi Mitchell, giving him the start. The 30-year old went 7/13 for 77 yards and a touchdown! Saskatchewan is scheduled to host the defending Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday evening at Mosaic Stadium and we have some exciting things cooked up for it, simulation-wise.

6 – Back to reality. Sunday should’ve marked Day 15 of CFL training camps but instead, it’s Day 15 of the postponement. The mood this week of CFL people seemed generally optimistic that we’ll see games in 2020, but that might be a longshot given Arash Madani’s report that at least two teams are reluctant to play a shortened season. So we continue to wait, and time is of the essence.

7 – Football business continues to be done. Argos GM Mike “Pinball” Clemons broke the news on Friday’s RP Show that the CFLPA has vetoed the contract of Canadian “rookie” T.J. Jones who’d signed a six-figure deal with the Argonauts in the off-season. The Winnipeg product spent the past six NFL seasons with the Lions and Giants, but it’s been ruled he’s subject to the CFL’s Canadian rookie salary cap of $85,000. Jones’ representatives confirmed the news this weekend and told me, “We’ll never see him in the CFL if that remains the case”. Please debate.

8 – Leftovers from our interview with 8-year veteran punter Josh Bartel: The Australian had planned to take 2020 off and spend it in his hometown of Wodonga with his wife and newborn son Hugo Jack. The pandemic has only confirmed that was the correct decision.

9 – Speaking of newborns, Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Luke Schenn of Saskatoon is cooling his heels in Kelowna with his wife and newest son Weston, who was born on April 21. Being a Rider fan, we can only assume Luke named his boy after Roughriders icon Weston Dressler.

10 – Along those lines, former Regina Pats captain Rhett Gordon was named after Roughriders Hall of Famer Rhett Dawson. Another Pats great, Garth Murray, was named after Garth Butcher. Both were Pats captains. And RP Show producer Clark Munroe was named after Pats legend and Islanders Hall of Famer Clark Gillies.

11 – Interesting that the NHL is ruling that in the 24-team playoff format, the eight teams in the Play-In round will have to WIN their opening Best-of-5 series in order to say they qualified for the playoffs in 2020. That means the 8-year drought for the Arizona Coyotes hangs in the balance.

12 – Hockey people feel Les Jackson won’t be looking for work long. This week Jackson learned his contract won’t be renewed by the Dallas Stars after over 30 years with the team, filling various key roles. He was my Dad’s boss for 26 years and at the Old Guy’s 70th birthday party in Milestone, SK, Les asserted “Jimmy will have a job with us as long as he wants!” I asked how one goes about getting one of those jobs, but don’t recall getting an answer!

13 – As it stands now, these Stanley Cup Playoffs are an absolute boon for Canadian television. Six Canadian teams are “in” the playoffs. When’s the last time that happened?

14 – My kingdom for a container of Wet Ones Anti-Bacterial Wipes! They’re sold out everywhere, and have been for weeks.

15 – Friday was Canadian Running Back night on TSN’s series of CFL encore broadcasts. Jon Cornish and Andrew Harris were honoured, and the 2019 Grey Cup re-broadcast triggered an avalanche of Twitter scorn for Harris’s positive PED test last season. Question: Will CFL fans (particularly Rider fans) ever let Harris off the hook for that? I’m ready to.

16 – TSN’s 30 for 30 documentary on cycling icon Lance Armstrong entitled Lance is a must-watch. It was interesting to learn that when he started doping in the 90’s, everybody was doing it and it wasn’t illegal. By the time it was, Armstrong kept with the flow and continued to do it. The lesson to be learned was that he should’ve just admitted it in the first place because his competitors and some media members weren’t going to rest until they brought him down with proof. It’s a fascinating tale and, so far, I still can’t decide if I’m a fan of Armstrong’s or not.

17 – Movies I ALWAYS watch to conclusion when I come across them on cable television: Jerry McGuire, Beverly Hills Cop and Fletch.

18 – Pinball Clemons was very forthright on our show regarding the challenge the Argonauts face in becoming relevant again in Toronto. “It’s not easy to be an Argos fan in many instances,” Pinball said. My mind flashed back to the 1990s in this province when you were mocked for wearing Rider gear. (The Riders were generally that bad during that period). You saw more Packers and Bulls gear on the streets than Riders merchandise. Point is, anything can be created. You just have to start somewhere.

19 – Fingers crossed that the junior hockey season starts on time this fall. The teams have season tickets on sale and the Commissioners are steadfast that it’ll happen. P.A. Raiders Business Manager Mike Scissons told paNOW.com, “My personal confidence level is there will be a hockey season this year. We’ll follow the protocol by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the City of Prince Albert to make sure everyone’s safe. When that time comes, we’ll drop the puck.”

20 – Tweet of the Week and I can’t remember who it’s from: “Can’t believe COVID blew a 28-3 lead to racism!”

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen