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.

--Round 2 of the WHL playoffs begins tonight and there is a tremendous argument brewing about the playoff structure.  You have two of the top five teams in Canada playing in one East semi when Swift Current takes on Moose Jaw and you have two teams who traded away players at the deadline as Lethbridge meets Brandon.  One of those teams will be in the league's final four while a good hockey team in either the Broncos or Warriors will be done.  Oh well! That's the way the cookie crumbles.  I'm not a fan of it either and the WHL followed the NHL as they always do, but that's the rule and while it is heavily slanted in favour of the East this year, one knows it won't stay that way.   It happens! Deal with it!

--John Paddock doesn't like what happened, and now he has to deal with it as do his players-----for a long time  Yes, we are six weeks away from the start of the Memorial Cup and that means the Pats have 42 days before they play a game.  That is another argument for another time when it comes to the Memorial Cup format, but it is one staring the Pats right in the face.  If Paddock is as surly with the players as he was with the assembled horde at a media gathering on Wednesday, one can assume the players will be put through the paces by Paddock who knows exactly what he is doing.

--Henrik and Daniel Sedin will see their NHL careers come to an end tomorrow night in Edmonton as the season ends for both.  One can not deny what impact the two had on the Vancouver Canucks and the NHL.  Are they the best Canucks to ever wear the uniform. I don't know how you can't put Pavel Bure in that position and I wasn't even a Bure fan.  Yes, that stems from his days being in the same division as the Oilers.   The question now will be are they Hall-of-Famers and if so, will they go in together?. One would think they should.  If success is measured by post-season glory though, will they get in?  Neither did win a Stanley Cup.  Henrik was named the league's best in 2010 so maybe he gets an advantage over Daniel. Who knows?  It's a great debate to have though isn't it?

--I keep thinking the Philadelphia Flyers could make a playoff run. Then I am reminded Brian Elliott is their goalie

--Another great debate surfaced in the opening week of baseball.  Baltimore Orioles rookie catcher Chance Sisco in the 9th inning of a 7-0 game bunted for a single against the Minnesota Twins who had the shift on.  The Twins didn't like it because pitcher Jose Berrios was twirling a one-hitter. Would the Twins have done the same thing?  If they are down by seven in the 9th, are they just going to roll over and play dead as they are suggesting Baltimore do.  I think we all know the answer to that.  The Twins should also answer why they are in the shift if the game is supposedly over.   I like the Twins, but they are sooooooo far off base on this one it isn't even funny.

--Many of us are watching golf this weekend as the Masters is on.  The layout at Augusta National is iconic as is the event itself.  If you're watching, are you watching because its the Masters or are you watching because Tiger Woods is playing?   Tiger has certainly got his fans talking again and for good reason, but the game's young guns have taken over.  I will be watching to see how Tiger fares, but I'll also be watching to see how guys like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and others perform. That is if the chance allows.  Once again, a lot of golf was missed because we had to see Tiger do this or do that.  When Tiger deserves the airtime then give it to him. When he doesn't, he doesn't.  It is as simple as that.

--Good on the Riders for heading back to Saskatoon for training camp.  I thought the days of heading up Highway 11 for camp might be done seeing the amenities of Mosaic Stadium.  It isn't like that dressing room couldn't hold all the players at camp.  I don't know how much longer Saskatoon will be the home of training camp, but it is good to see the Riders connect with their Saskatoon and area fanbase.

--What has happened to the CFL? It seems like the league has taken a vacation since CFL week ended.  Is now the time to go silent?  When is the 2019 Grey Cup announcement being made?  When is an announcement on a conditional franchise for Halifax coming? Will Montreal trade the 1st overall pick? We haven't even had a mock post-combine draft have we?

--Can someone please tell me what Conor McGregor was trying to accomplish?

--I am trying to get caught up in the Raptors hype, but I can't.  As good as they are, I just can't see them getting past Lebron and company.

--An Olive Garden in Harbour Landing? Yeah, that won't create any traffic problems.

--That's all I got. Enjoy the weekend!