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Friday, November 27, 2009

Closer and Closer to Kickoff

Friday is here! Many Rider fans have already arrived in Calgary, and many more are on their way. I'm sure Riderville is already established as the place to be again. I'm sure that 90 percent if not more of the Rider Nation that will come back to Saskatchewan on Monday will be infected with the H1 We Won Flu. I gotta give credit for that line to my good buddy Tom (Mongo) Pura in Grande Prairie. He is a huge Rider fan and has been ever since I first got to know him when I was in Peace River.
Knowing what a huge Rider fan he was, I phoned him from the Rogers Centre turf in 2007 after it was all over. I knew he was going through every emotion I was. It was something that had to be done. Mongo, let it be known right now that you and I are convening in Riderville at Grey Cup 2010 in Edmonton. Its been way too long since we had a cold one or two.
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While many people are arriving in Calgary, one person is leaving and I don't really understand it. That person would be another good friend of mine---the one and only Rod Pedersen. With the Pats on the West Coast trip, Rod is leaving to do games tonight and tomorrow before flying back into Calgary Sunday morning to do the first half of the football game. I don't know the rhyme, the reason or the rationale for this, but certainly Dan Plaster could have done the weekend games thus allowing RP to get ready for calling what I am guessing is the 2nd biggest game of his life. I'm also a little confused with the radio broadcast for Sunday's game. RP will bring the nation the first half of the game with Carm on radio stations across Canada with Rick Moffat (the Alouettes p x p guy) doing the 2nd half. This is dumb! Nothing against Rod or Rick, but the play-by-play guy should be given the opportunity to do the whole game to his home audience. There are Rider fans out there that have the last call of the 2007 Cup from RP. That's a piece of history right there. If the Riders win on Sunday, I don't want Rick Moffat telling me that. Nothing against Rick, but it would be the same if it was Rick Ball in Vancouver, Mark Stephen in Calgary or the legendary voices of Bryan Hall in Edmonton or Bob Irving in Winnipeg. I would want Rod. On the flip side, do you think Alouette fans want to hear Rod Pedersen telling the country that the Alouettes have won? Stupid idea! On Rod's blog this morning, I told him if the Riders are winning and there are three minutes left to yank the national feed and do the rest of the game from somewhere on his cellphone. He deserves his moment. If I'm ruffling some feathers with these statements, well sorry, but that is how I feel. Its tough enough for Rod to get yanked and pulled every which way from the time Pats training camp starts until Rider season ends and this situation doesn't make it any easier. By the way, Rod knows how I feel on the topic because I have told him several times and vice-versa.
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Jamie Nye had David Braley on "Sportsnight" last night. I would have liked his chances at getting Elisha Cuthbert on better than having Braley on. Good work son! I haven't heard the phrase "Someone shoot me now" uttered yet on the show like it was in 2007. That's a story I'm not even going to get started with.
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It was NFL football on a Thursday, but the games were a major league disappointment. Yes, I shouldn't have been expecting exciting football with the likes of the Lions and Raiders playing, but CMON MAN! Even the Giants-Denver game was disappointing. What has happened to the Giants anyways? The best game of the day was the college game between Texas and Texas A and M.
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I think its great that another big time curling event is coming to Regina. We have shown we can host things like the Scotties and the Brier. Those events are I think bigger than a Worlds Men Championship because of the atmosphere that surrounds both events---especially the Brier, but having a Worlds here is impressive. Regina will do a great job in hosting this event. If anyone on the organizing committee is reading this, I am more than willing to help in anyway possible. It would be outstanding if Saskatchewan could end its Brier jinx in 2011 wouldn't it.
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If you are going to Calgary, have a great time win or lose. The Grey Cup is a special event because it does bring people together from across this great country of ours. Its even more special when the Riders are involved. I don't have to tell many of you what 2007 was like in Toronto. Get there safe and get back home safe as there are many stories that will be told. Hopefully one of them is saying you were in McMahon when the Riders won the Cup. Yes, Montreal is a very strong team and they have this mindset to kick our ass after what happened last year, but this is also a team that told me there was no way on earth that Calgary was coming into their stadium to beat them in the big game.
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One last thing. Congratulations to John Chick! I laughed yesterday when Henry Burris told Michael Landsberg that Chick was the biggest trash talker on the team. He wouldn't have been in my top 5. Having said that, if you go back to the Western final if you have it on tape, I think its in the first quarter, Burris makes a throw to Nik Lewis just before he gets pushed to the turf by Chick. On the endzone replay, you can see Chick standing over Burris just chirping at him.
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Just one thought. Who are they cheering for in Gravelbourg this weekend?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said on Rod! I would have no problems if he "interrupted" the broadcast Sunday to deliver us the final moments of a Rider victory.

Kevin

Anonymous said...

"Someone Shoot me now"....how was he not fired after that. Also how was he never fired for basically coming right out with his disdain for the CFL. I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

What kind of a bush league organization (yes, I'm looking at you CKRM and/or Pats) would allow a CFL play by play broadcaster to get pulled away during the Grey Cup to do junior hockey?

Can you imagine that happening to any of the other CFL broadcasters you mentioned? Bush.

Anonymous said...

If I'm not mistaken, Rick Moffat is the p x p guy for the Canadiens. I'm guessing the Habs/CJAD is not making him stay for that game before flying to Calgary. CKRM/Parker should be ashamed of this action. Its another example of CKRM having Pedersen do things that I'm sure are against the Labour Code and another example as to Parker's ignorance regarding the football team. Both groups should be embarrased. The only one they are hurting is the one guy that does so much for both and that is Rod.

Anonymous said...

And yet despite his plea, sadly nobody has stepped up to grant Remenda his request.

As for Rod, good for him for his 'grin and bear it' demeanor. I'm guessing he's seething on the inside, and I sure hope he doesn't run into mechanical delays on his trip on Sunday morning. I'm gonna go ahead and make another guess that Parker is the reason for this...if so it's just another reason he's gotta go. Go Riders.

KC

Anonymous said...

Well is it Parker that insists on this? What difference does it make if Rod calls the game or Dan Plaster?

When the Riders were a sad sack, and nobody paid attention Rod was still doing the back and forth between two teams. Now the Riders are an elite organization yet their all star play by play guy is having to go back and forth with two teams. Bryan Hall didn't have to do this. Labour Code is right. Yes there are split shifts etc., but I can't imagine how anyone expects him to do this. They treat him like a slave.

mongo said...

hey buddy...meeting up in edmonton sounds good...it has been too long...but i can't take credit for the H1WeWon comment...i saw that on Twitter...enjoy the game and GO RIDERS GO /=S=/

p.s. my number hasn't changed lol

Mike from Vita said...

If Rod's plane is late, the radio people might have to switch it around and let Moffat do the first half.