The first week of December is a transitional period into the heart of winter and is also a transition into one of the best sports months on the calendar. From college football to tight NFL regular season games with playoff implications leading into the Canadian staple of the holidays that is the World Juniors, it is a good time to be a sports fan once the weather gets cold. Which might just be a good thing when it takes a rescue team to get out of your driveway.
With December finally here and Christmas on its way very soon I decided to give my readers an early Christmas present with some Rapid Fire rants to kick in the holidays.
I didn't get a chance to talk about the NHL's new television deal with Rogers in last week's post Grey Cup hoopla, so let me give my two cents on the whole thing a week late.
First of all for all of those calling for the death of CBC, I think it is pretty clear Rogers is already aware they are treading in holy water by merely getting rid of TSN after Canada's flagship sports station worked so hard to get NHL rights back in the first place. For the forseeable future, expect Hockey Night In Canada to remain 95 per cent the same as it was before Gary Bettman handed over the NHL's rights to the company that makes blood money on $80 unlimited LTE data plans.
Secondly this doesn't mean hockey will be disappearing from the three letter network anytime soon. They still have regional rights to Montreal and Winnipeg in addition to the crown jewel of holiday sports in the World Juniors. Some talent might jump ship and some may take a pay cut, but life will go on and Canada will still be as crazy about the NHL as ever. Other sports I want to watch instead of regular season hockey will also continue to be ignored by 80 per cent of Canadians and off the airwaves. What I am saying is, it isn't as big of a deal as you think.
Speaking of the World Juniors, congrats to Melville's Damon Severson who was named to the Team Canada selection camp. Severson was one of my first "big name" interviews when he was heading into the NHL Draft where he was selected by the Devils not too long ago. Melville might soon have an answer to Yorkton's Jarret Stoll when it comes to local talent bragging rights in the Highway 10 rivalry.
While on the topic of Saskatchewan related headlines, Kory Sheets' weekend blew up twitter as the Grey Cup champion and star running back took to social media to find a ride back to Regina from Saskatoon. I can't laugh at Kory too much because who hasn't needed to hitch a ride back from Saskatoon or Regina home after a wild night on the town.
In American sporting news, Saturday's college football slate showed once again why so many down south are so passionate about the NCAA. From the Michigan upset bid that started at 11 a.m. that transitioned into the Alabama Iron Bowl game between Auburn and Alabama where the #4 War Eagles upset their #1 ranked and undefeated in-state rivals on a 115 yard missed FG return. Apparently they don't get the CFL in Alabama, any fan of the Canadian game could tell you that a short field goal can be turned into a touchdown in a hurry.
Lastly is there a better way to kick in the holidays than with the NFL's American Thanksgiving tradition? While I would never trade in my turkey in October, there is no denying our neighbours down south do their Thanksgiving just a little bit more seriously than we do. Ten plus hours of NFL coverage not only let me sit on my couch during the week, but is one of the best sports days of the year that kicks off quite the month.
We have a stretch of sports that gives us college football bowl games, the World Juniors, NFL playoffs, the Super Bowl and then the Olympics. It is going to be an alright winter for staying away from the cold. Two more rants until Christmas, Happy Holidays.
