Some random thoughts as we head into the weekend:
- The farmers have come to town, and thank God I’m leaving. WOW are they some-kind-of-drivers! No offense to the rural folk (and I’m likely related to a lot of them) but if I get stuck behind one more combine on Lewvan Drive or cut off by a 1988 Ford F150 with no turn signals, I will be displaying some road rage! Welcome farmers to the 2010 Western Canada Farm Progress Show at Evraz Place. Take the premises … they’re yours. I’m off to Calgary tonight.
- The Roughriders conclude the 2010 preseason at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday at 1:00 on the 620 CKRM Rider Radio Network. It’s the biggest broadcast of the year for Carm and I (no television broadcast) so I’m headed into southern Alberta early to prepare. I’ve been told the Stamps are projecting a crowd of over 30,000 for the contest. It’s going to be intense.
- Speaking of our neighbours to the west, three former Regina Pats trainers are now a part of the NHL’s Battle of Alberta. Schad Richea and Corey Osmak (Calgary Flames) and Brad Harrison (Edmonton Oilers) have all hit the big time and will work for the NHL teams in Wild Rose Country this upcoming NHL season. Congratulations men.
- It’s really, really weird when I flip on the TV to TSN or Sportsnet and hear them say “The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the team to beat in 2010.” It’s taken soooooo long to get here. Here’s a text messsage I received from a Toronto broadcaster regarding the /=S=/:
“Same team except the DEs. Cates should be better. OL better. Dressler and Fantuz healthy and Prechae. If DD is as good, Ssk is the team to beat.”
I liked it better when the Riders were picked to be last every year.
- The Roughriders’ Jason Clermont is the self-proclaimed “Worst interview in the CFL”. In fact, he seems to take pride in that.
- Meanwhile Bengals’ receiver Chad Ocho Cinco might be the best interview in the NFL. Did you see his interview this week from Cincinnati’s OTA’s? “I’m like birth control,” said #85. “I’m there for you 99.9% of the time.”
- There’s been lots of talk about memorable lines by broadcasters in championship games. A guy ripped me on the Monday Morning Goalie for ‘borrowing’ the line “GO CRAZY SASKATCHEWAN, GO CRAZY” from Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck in 1985. Did you hear ABC’s Mike Breen last night when the Lakers took Game 7 of the NBA Finals?
“The Lakers repeat!” Breen yelled. “The L.A. Lakers are 2010 NBA champions!”
It hardly sent chills down my spine. But now every broadcaster is expected to come up with something memorable, like Chris Cuthbert after the Olympic gold medal goal by Sidney Crosby, or Jim Hughson calling the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory over Philadelphia.
It’s pretty evident the guys have something written down and when the game is over, they’re scrambling to find it. Chicago’s John Weideman had a good one after Patrick Kane’s cup-clinching goal last week when he said “Lord Stanley’s new address reads Sweet Home Chicago!”
But the frenzied circumstances around how that goal was scored took a bit of the climax of the broadcast away.
What are your memorable (or not so memorable) calls by broadcasters?
- Here’s a topic I meant to get to in the Sports Cage this week; if you were a Stanley Cup champion and had the Cup for two days, what would you do with it? I would take the Cup to Milestone, Sask and invite everyone in southeastern Saskatchewan to our rink to have their picture taken with the Cup for $5 with all proceeds going to the operating fund of the arena. That night I would take the Cup on a pub crawl through Regina and on the second day, I would recover.
- I’d like to “thank” the knob who sent me the anonymous tip during Sunday’s Rider broadcast about the Ticats cutting Quinton Porter and signing Belton Johnson (which they DIDN’T do). The text was signed “Darren Allemang, HTC Scouting”. The Ticats called me this week and said no one by that name works for them in scouting. Why would someone send in a bum tip like that?
- If you’re going to send me a resume to work in CKRM Sports, SPELL MY NAME RIGHT on the cover letter! That application went straight to the trash.
- And if you’re going to drive around town on a sunny day with the top down, make sure your car is WASHED! Sheesh.
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Who’s watching the FIFA 2010 World Cup? If not, why not? Who’s your team and how are they doing?? My clubs are Greece and Denmark and so far they’re not threatening to win it all but they’ve been fun to watch. What do you think about World Cup and the vuvuzuelas?
The top five most-watched sports broadcasts in Canada over the past week were all World Cup, led by the U.S.-England match which drew 2.27-million viewers on CBC.
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The Four Seasons UFC Report debuted on The Sports Cage on Thursday, and it featured Showdown Joe Ferraro of Rogers Sportsnet. He was reporting on UFC 115 in Vancouver last week, which was the fastest-selling UFC event ever. Interestingly, UFC Canada head Tom Wright said if we get a new stadium in Regina, the UFC will bring an event here! Showdown Joe said he’d love to come to Regina, as he has never been.
It’s Four Seasons Football Friday in the Cage and today and we’ll be joined by CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon, former Rider Scott Schultz and more. We’ll also discuss the Waterloo steroids scandal.
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A homerun and 5 RBI’s from David Fox helped the Regina Red Sox outscore the Weyburn Beavers 14-9 last night at Currie Field. Tonight the Red Sox will host a doubleheader against Melville at Currie, weather-permitting.
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Finally, how do you make Lady Gaga mad?
Poker Face.
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HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
RP
