Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”
Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in sports –
Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Winnipeg Goldeyes, Toronto Raptors, all curlers from Manitoba, and all Canadian athletes competing on the international stage.
I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula. I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned.
BREAKING NEWS:
#Bombers running back Andrew Harris has tested positive for Metandienone, a banned substance under the drug policy of the CFL and the CFLPA. He will miss two games — the Labour Day Classic and Banjo Bowl. To be clear, Harris is adamant he didn’t knowingly taking the drug. #wfp
— Jeff Hamilton (@jeffkhamilton) August 26, 2019
I want to believe Andrew Harris’s explanation and for the most part, I do but I know damn well if he was on any other team I’d be calling bullshit. That’s the world we now live in.
1. Jets: I’m surprised how many Jets fans want Patrik Laine traded. All it seems to take is a bit of an ambiguous comment and this fan-base is ready to pounce. C’mon man. There is NO way I’m trading a 20-year-old superstar in waiting. Did Laine frustrate me at times? YES. Did he piss me off at times? YES. Just keep in mind this is a kid and he played a good chunk of last season with a bad back. I will never never never give up the best player in a trade.
2. Blue Bombers: Winnipeg 34 at Edmonton 28 … To use a golf analogy, it’s a good thing there are no pictures on the scorecard because this was kind of an ugly, strange, but yet a very workmanlike win. The key thing is Winnipeg swept the season series and that could be very important in a tie-breaker situation.
The Good:
- Chris Streveler’s 95 yards rushing.
- Willie Jefferson … he was a one-man wrecking crew and the best player on the field.
- Richie Hall’s bend but don’t break defence was pretty darn good.
- I thought Paul LaPolice put together a game-plan that put Chris Streveler in a position to succeed. It wasn’t pretty but it was decently effective.
- Justin Medlock has been money all season.
The Bad:
- Chris Streveler’s 89 yards passing.
- The o-line continues to struggle with pass protection but in fairness, they were dealing with an elite Edmonton front-four.
The Ugly:
- The Blue Bombers secondary had some good moments in this game but they’re still this team’s weakest link. Trevor Harris managed to torch this group for 430 yards.
3. PGA: I will say that the new scoring format sure made the FedEx Cup a lot easier and a lot more fun to follow. The PGA might have something here. By the way, Rory McIlroy won the FedEx Cup and pocketed a cool $15,000,000.
4. Blue Jays: Based on the play of catchers Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire it looks like Luke Maile could be the odd-man out and I’m okay with that.
5. Blue Bombers: Andrew Harris just continues to churn out tough yards. Harris ran for 89 yards on 13 carries and hit the endzone for a touchdown.
6. LPGA: Brooke Henderson gave it a solid effort in trying to defend her Canadian Open Championship but the winner, world #1, Jin Young Ko was flawless in her four rounds, not recording one bogie. Henderson put herself in a position to challenge with a brilliant 65 in the third round but she couldn’t find the magic playing in the final group on Sunday and ultimately finish a solid third. Ko was full value for her win.
7. MLB: I can’t put into words how much I hated those uniforms all the clubs were wearing this past weekend. Who comes up with this crap? The guy that came up with this idea should be repeatedly kicked in the nuts.
8. Blue Bombers: I’m hoping with another week of preparation that Chris Sreveler will be a little better in the passing game. I’m not sure he can continue to abuse his body as he did in Edmonton Friday night.
9. Blue Bombers: I think Jonathan Kongbo could turn out to be the steal of the 2019 CFL Draft. The 6’5 defensive end looks like a keeper.
10. NFL: The news of Andrew Luck’s retirement shocked a lot of football fans BUT if you take some time and look at his injury timeline it makes it easier to understand. The timing wasn’t very good if you’re a Colts fan but when your body says it has had enough it’s had enough. Being 29-years-old has nothing to do with it if your body feels like it is 50.
11. Important Dates:
Sept. 1: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan for the Labour Day Classic.
Sept. 16: Winnipeg Jets pre-season opener at Edmonton.
Sept. 18: Winnipeg Jets pre-season home opener vs Minnesota.
Oct. 3: Winnipeg Jets regular-season opener at the New York Rangers.
Oct. 10: Winnipeg Jets regular-season home opener vs the Minnesota Wild.
If you have any questions for Darryl or myself (Mitch) please give us a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.
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Thanks, Mitch
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