FAJARDO VINDICATED - I have to admit I’ve gone from thinking Cody Fajardo was going to be an all-time great to wondering if he even belonged in the league to coming around to believing that he was very serviceable but possibly not a player that can put a team on his shoulders and win a Grey Cup. Well, Fajardo proved all of his doubters wrong on Sunday as he threw three touchdowns for 290 yards and was clutch in the fourth quarter in leading the Montreal Alouettes to a come from behind 28-24 win over Winnipeg and he was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player to boot. Maybe it was common knowledge, but I was unaware that Fajardo contemplated retirement after enduring the nightmare end of his tenure as quarterback of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I felt Fajardo was put in a position to fail when he was in Regina, but he didn’t do himself any favors with some of his comments that came off as selfish and mentally soft. Having said that, now that we’ve had a full year of further information on both Fajardo and the Riders I think it’s safe to say Fajardo is better off without Saskatchewan.
O’DAY EXTENSION - Saskatchewan Roughriders President Craig Reynolds decided as soon as the season was over, he’d reward Jeremy O’Day with a new three year contract to be the General Manager despite back to back seasons where the team cratered in the second half of the schedule. Instead, the blame fell on the coaching staff. In 2022, it was Jason Maas who was shown the door as Offensive Coordinator and in 2023, it was Head Coach Craig Dickenson. Maas was hired to be the head coach in Montreal and he took the embattled Fajardo with him to be his quarterback and now that the Grey Cup has been won by the Als, it makes the three year deal given to O’Day (which prior to today was already subject to criticism) appear insane. It is the responsibility of O’Day to put the proper coaches and players on the field. It appears as though he did that, but for whatever reason nobody can thrive under this current structure. Let’s not forget, Zach Collaros was tossed aside by O’Day in favor of Fajardo back in 2019 and here we are four years later and the two face off in the Grey Cup and both have nothing but bad memories from their time in Saskatchewan. Sure, Collaros lost the title game, but he’s been in the Grey Cup each of the last four seasons. And, he’s not the only one on Winnipeg with a tie to Saskatchewan. Just skew the roster and coaches. It’s littered with recent Riders. It’s embarrassing for the Rider organization. Or, it should be.
RIDER ATMOSPHERE - For the most part, Fajardo has taken the high road when it comes to criticizing what went on during the last year of his time in Saskatchewan but in the midst of the media hype this past week as well as in post game interviews, both Fajardo and linebacker Darnell Sankey made references to the Rider organization that were less than flattering. Remember, Sankey turned down a pretty good contract to stay in Saskatchewan so money isn’t everything. I think in light of how many former Riders were involved in this game, it would be well worth hearing more from some people who used to be a part of the club and no longer are.
GREEN DAY - I’m going to go out on a limb and say the best chance the Riders have of filling Mosaic Stadium next year would be to forget about football and try to get Green Day to fit Regina into their tour. The halftime show on Sunday night was nothing short of fantastic. I’m biased because I like uptempo rock music, even if Green Day is a shade on the punk rock side of things. However, football is meant to be a sport that’s full of energy and up tempo. The Grey Cup should be a party atmosphere. Green Day delivered on all of those fronts and the fact that 51-year-old Billie Joe Armstrong did it without lip syncing made it all the better. Also, for what it’s worth, Armstrong doesn’t look a day over age 31. Mosaic Stadium has always been built with the intent of it serving as a multi-purpose venue so it’s time for a big musical act to make their way here anyway.
NECK GUARDS - Did it take a player to die for people to realize that we needed to make neck guards mandatory for all players of all ages at all levels? What happened to Adam Johnson was tragic. I’m not sure a neck guard saves him but perhaps it does. Adam was also 29-years-old and played hockey his entire life. If he didn’t understand the risks then nobody does. I just find this to be a little bit like installing the home alarm system after the break-in. I keep hearing how we need to make the game more safe. Well, this may be hard for some of you to digest but there are inherent risks to playing contact sports. If you aren’t willing to assume those risks, nobody is forcing anyone to play. And, if that’s not good enough, maybe we just need to end sports. The absolute best way to ensure everyone stays safe is to quit playing entirely.
CHARGES - On the subject of Adam Johnson, police in England have laid a suspicion of manslaughter charge in relation to his death. The name of the person arrested hasn’t been made public, but it was Matt Petgrave’s skate that tragically clipped Johnson. The video clip of the incident does raise some questions as it, to me anyway, looks very much like a kick. Further to that, another video has circulated on social media that shows Petgrave as a junior player in the OHL colliding with another player and making a very similar motion with his leg. It should be acknowledged that professional hockey happens at a very fast pace and being off-balance on skates could also look like a kick when trying to stay upright. Petgrave was suspended indefinitely from the East Coast Hockey League in 2018 and former NHLer Sean Avery has suggested he feels the clip was ‘intentional’. Petgrave’s GM in the ECHL has come to his defense and says he was a responsible player while with his team. Petgrave is, reportedly, ‘distraught’ over what happened and another commenter on social media remarked that when Petgrave played in Owen Sound, he was an outstanding contributor on and off the ice.
CORRUPTION STORY - It’s hard to keep up with all the corruption in the federal government and I’m not about to go over everything that has cropped up in recent weeks, but here’s one that may not be getting its due attention in mainstream media: The Chair of Sustainable Development Technology Canada has resigned after an ethics investigation was launched into her funnelling money to the tune of $200,000 into companies the same lady happens to run. Last year, the federal government gave this rich woman $170-million through the Canada Infrastructure Bank so her company could build a green battery energy storage facility on a First Nations reserve that didn’t have clean drinking water.
FROZEN BANK ACCOUNTS - Earlier this week, pro-Palestine protesters blocked the largest commuter bridge in Montreal. The precedent was set with the trucker convoy that people who undertake such measures are subject to frozen bank accounts and are declared criminals but we are now a country where that kind of consistency isn’t real life. Frozen bank accounts and prosecutions are reserved for people who are political opponents of the government. To be clear, I don’t think the bank accounts of the pro-Palestinian protesters should be frozen…but neither should have the truckers.
PET STAFF - Here’s a feel good story that I hope has a domino effect: the luxurious Fairmont Hotel MacDonald in Edmonton has ‘hired’ canine ambassador Hendricks to greet guests in the lobby and provide them with a warm greeting and a sense of comfort as they check-in. Hendricks went through the training process to be a guide dog but didn’t complete it. Nevertheless, he’s qualified for a profession in socializing with people. The yellow lab works 9-5 weekdays and has a home with a loving family when he’s not on the job. In my hometown of Yorkton, Sharp’s Automotive has always had a couple of friendly German Shepherd dogs and now have added a happy feline to the staff. The cat stays at the shop 24-7 while the dogs go home with the owners at the end of each work day. It’s a great way to find more places for pets to call home and it’s great for the customer too as most of us enjoy animals.
WRITING FREQUENCY - I’m not sure how often I will write. I appreciate any feedback you wish to provide. Should I write once a week or whenever the mood hits me and I have enough to write? Do you want me to stick to sports? Do you want any sports? Do you prefer my worldly takes? It all helps me decide what to write and when to write. The little bit of feedback I have is that readers like my non-sports opinions but also my sports opinions that have the human element added into them as well as maybe an alternative thought that isn’t being considered by those in the mainstream.
Thanks for the article, always enjoy your stuff. Sports related or not
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