This and That

Welcome to Friday.  Here are the usual weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind. As always, they come in no particular order.

--From a best of 7 to a best of 3.  The Pats-Broncos series shouldn't be surprising anyone for the way it has gone. Is it safe to say that whoever gets the first goal in Game 5 will be the winner with the same story playing itself out in 6 and perhaps 7? The other question going into the 5th game is have the Pats once again gotten into Stuart Skinner's head. The Swift Current goalie couldn't beat the Pats as a member of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the last two years come playoff time including last year's Eastern Conference championship  It seemed as if the magic Skinner had been performing in the first 3 and a bit games vanished when he whiffed on Jared Legien's shot in the 2nd period of Game 4.  Let's see what tonight brings.


--Will the day ever come that those going to an event at the Brandt Centre get out in a timely fashion. As you know, I usually leave Pats games midway through the third to avoid the stupidity that is getting out of the lot.  After Game 4, I stuck around after the game and it was a good 20-25 minutes after the final buzzer that I left.  As I stepped outside, it was once again a traffic shmozz in both directions. Why?

Part of the blame goes on those at the game. The notion of an easy merge is just something that is as lost on people as it is using their turn signal.  They refuse to do it and let anyone in once they have gotten in that path.  Again...why? It would be a lot easier if people were co-operative and courteous with one another, but that doesn't happen.

 The idea was floated out on the Sportscage this week about having transit do for Pats games what they do for Rider games.  I think that's a tremendous idea. You wouldn't need as many buses since you're not dealing with as many people as you are at a Rider game, but the plan would be the same. It is something that really should be investigated for the Memorial Cup.  There was transit service to hotels at the Brier. It can be done! 

--It looks like the PA Raiders will soon be packing up and going home for the summer. The Warriors have a 3-1 lead in their best of seven which isn't surprising, but one has to think the Raiders feel like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away from him.  After winning Game 1, they lose Game 2 in overtime. They have a two goal lead with two minutes to play in Game 3 and forget about the final 120 seconds allowing Moose Jaw to tie it and then win it in overtime before getting blanked in Game 4. It could easily be the Raiders on the verge of a mammoth first round upset.  They will have that to chew on all summer if they can't win the next three against the Warriors.  It could happen, but I don't see that coming to fruition as well as PA has played. 



--Who gets CFL Week in 2019?  Several cities want it and Regina is one of them. Sorry Riders, you have to learn to share.  The event deserves to be in other places before it comes back here.  The Eskimos want it, but they have the Grey Cup so no to Edmonton.  How about Ottawa? How about Halifax?  If the league grants a conditional franchise to Anthony Leblanc and company, what better way to showcase the league to football-crazed fans in the Maritimes.  Someone said this week Maritime football fans are no different than Rider Nation except they are surrounded by water. I think Halifax and the Maritimes would be a tremendous host IF they get their conditional franchise.

--It was great to have baseball back on Thursday with opening day. Why isn't opening day a national holiday? Do I talk to Premier Moe or Prime Minister Trudeau about that.  If it's the latter, I'll get a message through to Ralph Goodale.  Safe to say if the first game is any indication that Giancarlo Stanton won't have any problems adapting to American League pitching.  As for a prediction, let's just say I see the NLCS being contested between the Dodgers and the Cubs with the Yankees  and Indians meeting in the ALCS.  I think you can take it from there. 


--Lebron James said he would vote himself as the NBA MVP this week. Would you ever hear Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Evgeni Malkin or any other Hart Trophy candidate utter something like that? Nope!

--Carey Price says he won't play for Canada at the World Hockey Championship in Denmark. That's OK. There are more than enough candidates to fill his skates. I have more interest in the Worlds than I do the Olympics because the NHL's involvement will be front and center.  The Canadian team could be stacked.  Connor McDavid has said he will be playing.  Others on non-playoff teams who could suit up include John Tavares, Jordan Eberle, Jonathan Toews, Mike Hoffman, Aaron Ekblad and Tyler Seguin.  The American team would look pretty good as well with the likes of Jack Eichel, Ben Bishop, Patrick Kane and Kevin Shattenkirk to name a few. I'll be watching!

--Genie Bouchard is taking heat for putting soy sauce on pizza.  Why not?  We ruin enough pizzas as it is putting things like pineapple and mushrooms on it so why not soy sauce!  I'd rather do that than pineapple and mushrooms!

--Vote for Lafleche to be the winner of the Kraft Hockeyville Contest. You can do so from 10 o'clock Friday morning until 4:30 Saturday afternoon.  Go to krafthockeyville.ca and cast your vote.  How is it Saskatchewan has not won this thing in the 11 years of existence. When you think Saskatchewan, you think hockey.  Cmon people, do the right thing and spend 10 minutes on your computer or more voting for Lafleche.

--Snagged some tickets to Letterkenny Live at Casino Regina on Thursday night.  Thanks to RP for getting that done.  While the three title characters did their thing (Wayne, Daryl and Dan),  Reilly, Jonesy and Katy were missing which was too bad as they are just as important to that show as the others.  The show also had some comedians who had some bits that made me howl----especially when it came to cutting down Winnipeg.  Its funny because its true.  What wasn't funny because it's true is that spring seemingly has forgotten about Saskatchewan or else we had it earlier this week.  There shouldn't be any hockey playoffs after the long weekend in May and the snow should just about be gone or gone by April 1. SIGHHH!!!

--That's all I got.  Have a great long weekend! Happy Easter!!