20 WEEKEND RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR UNIVERSAL COLLISION CENTRE

1 – CFL 3.0 got a turbo boost on Friday when it was announced Chris Cuthbert is leaving TSN for Sportsnet effective immediately. CFL 3.0 is the term for what the “new” CFL will look like once we emerge from the pandemic, and the league experiences a makeover. Cuthbert’s mark as the league’s #1 play-by-play man is indelible, and his football broadcasting legacy will forever be unmatched. Hats off Chris, and thanks for being one of the good guys.

2 – The CFL could use some good news. Cuthbert’s exit has drawn comparisons to other league mainstays who’ve moved on in 2020 including Travis Lulay, Marcel Bellefeuille and a host of others. What would any good news look like? We breathlessly await. A big cheque from Justin Trudeau would be nice, or a flipflop by health officials. Neither seems imminent.

3 – We’re not sure what’s happening behind-the-scenes regarding the CFL’s proposal for Federal aid and plans for a Return To Play. Rest assured the activity is furious at CFL headquarters, but we haven’t had an update in awhile. In my circles, CFL stakeholders are burning up the phone lines planning a gigantic fundraiser – think of a CFL Live Aid around the globe – but not much can be planned without some concrete news on the 2020 season. What’s encouraging is that many current and past players are eager to pitch in.

4 – Whether the CFL gets government assistance to cover their massive losses remains anyone’s guess. CFL types I’ve talked to seem to think it’s a slam dunk but it’s a very slippery slope for the Trudeau government. Every other league I’ve talked to, including baseball, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and hockey, is observing the situation like a hawk and will be next in line for a handout if the CFL gets theirs. Given the Liberals propensity for all things being “fair” they could prop up everybody … or nobody.

5 – The NLL’s tough decision to scrap their 2020 playoffs is disturbing on a lot of levels. It’s a shame that the Saskatchewan Rush’s 7-3 campaign has been wiped out and they won’t get the chance to reclaim their crown. But a closer look makes you wonder if the NLL couldn’t fashion a year-end tournament in a Quarantine City with 20-player rosters, how could the CFL do it with rosters twice that size and a weeks-long competition? Granted their business models are different – the NLL doesn’t have a TV deal to cover all their salaries – but they’re not that different. There’s a way for the CFL to do this, but they’re going to require lots of cash. It will need to be raised by increased, creative sponsorships.

6 – The power of the media! Roughriders icon Darian Durant let it be known on The RP Show this week that he’d be interested in a personnel or executive position in the not-too-distant future. On cue, a CFL team reached out over the weekend and asked for Darian’s phone number. Stay tuned!

7 – I appreciate readers not eviscerating me for last week’s column where I said I’ve never encountered racism in my time in the CFL (dating back to 1991). Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio was flamed this week for saying the same thing about the NFL. I realize I’m a little bit sheltered and a lot “country” but I’d still point to Pinball Clemons, Ed Hervey, Orlondo Steinauer and Khari Jones as minorities in key CFL roles. I’d rather be naive and optimistic than negative and jaded.

8 – Having said that, I’m skeptical that race relations will improve by leaps and bounds even with the events of the past few weeks. Telling others how to act is akin to “pissing into the wind” (to use my Mom’s term). It starts with YOU and ME, but hopefully the outpouring from the black community has caused everyone to take a look in the mirror. That’s where change will start.

9 – The 2020 CFL season was supposed to start on Thursday with BC at Edmonton. After a Week 1 bye, Saskatchewan’s season was to begin Friday, June 19 with Montreal in town. We’ll be running computer simulations of the games with Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football video game and fans really seem to be eating them up so far, particularly young fans. Maybe THIS will be a key step in turning Generation Z onto the CFL. They’re digging it and besides, what else do we have?

10 – Eager for live sports to consume, the UFC, NASCAR, Korean Baseball and even the NBA 2K League have scratched my itch. But I’ve GOT to draw the line at bowling. The PBA staged an event at South Pointe in Las Vegas Saturday featuring a competitor who looked like Big Ern’s illegitimate son. Can’t do it. Click.

PS: Want to watch Canadians in sports? Oakville’s James Hinchcliffe finished 18th in the IndyCar season opener Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. And Montreal’s Felicia Spencer dropped a unanimous decision to Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 250 at the same time.

11 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced a $3.5-million profit in 2019 while the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced a $200,000+ loss. What that tells me is that the Blue Bombers have got it going on. Could they become the CFL’s marquee franchise? They’re on their way.

12 – To hockey. Former NHL giant John Scott’s insider report this spring that training camps were to begin June 1 turned out to be Fake News. Scott hosts a podcast entitled Dropping The Gloves but he’s learned in a hurry that the insider role is tough slugging. It’s best left to the heavyweights like Darren Dreger, Bob McKenzie, Pierre Lebrun and Elliotte Friedman.

13 – It appears the Stanley Cup Playoffs will indeed be held which means inevitably some top seeds will fall in Round 1. My picks are Dallas and Philadelphia. Don’t forget last season when #1 seeds Calgary and Tampa Bay were ousted in the opening round.

14 – Does SJHL stand for the Saskatoon Junior Hockey League? Of the 69 players selected in Friday’s 2020 SJHL Draft, a full 22 call Saskatoon home! Perhaps it’s the Southwest Junior Hockey League since a record number of players from Saskatchewan’s southwest region were taken. In all 34 Sask communities had a player chosen and that doesn’t even include all SJHL centres where players are automatically protected by the SJ’s vaunted “Auto Protect” rule. Hockey is alive and well in the Wheat Province!

15 – For those asking, I’m exceptionally happy with my life at this time. Working in the industries of New Media and Recovery – interacting with people from all sports at all levels – feels very good. I see no reason for that to change. When you’re in the “fixing people” business, you’ll never run out of work. There are a lot of people hurting, and I know the road out.

16 – Just when we thought we were running out of Netflix programs after exhausting Mad Men, Waco, Tiger King, The Last Dance and the like, we discovered a further treasure chest this weekend including Selling Sunset (think Love It Or List It meets Mean Girls), Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill, Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On and the documentary series on R. Kelly. And I continue to watch the 30 For 30 on Lance Armstrong over and over.

17 – Hopefully when we emerge from the pandemic, TSN opts for more live Canadian sports coverage like the NLL, Junior Hockey and the AHL. There has to be more viewers for that than European soccer.

18 – I know enough about politics to know that I don’t want to go anywhere near it on this blog or the RP Show.

19 – Will NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s admission that they were wrong on Colin Kaepernick mean anything if no team signs the controversial quarterback? Just wondering.

20 – That’s all I got! It’s getting to be slim pickins. Sunday marks Day 87 of the pandemic.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen

(Photo: Jenny Hagan)