Random Thoughts From Motown Mitch: Sept. 2

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.

1. Jets: The Winnipeg Jets announced their roster and schedule for the Ottawa Senators Rookie Showcase.

Rookie Showcase
Belleville, Ont. – September 6-9, 2019

Game 1
Ottawa vs. Winnipeg
Sept. 6
6:00 pm

Game 2
Montreal vs. Ottawa
Sept. 7
6:00 pm

Game 3
Montreal vs. Winnipeg
Sept. 8
6:00 pm

Game 4
Winnipeg vs. Ottawa
Sept. 9
6:00 pm

*Game dates, times and opponents subject to change
*All times Central

2. Blue Bombers: Winnipeg 17 at Saskatchewan 19 … It was a gutsy effort by the boys in blue but ultimately 17 points won’t get it done on most nights. Both teams left a few points on the field but Chris Streveler made some poor decisions. Twice in the second half, the Bombers were in field goal range and came away with ZERO points.

The Good:

Willie Jefferson and the front four tried their damnedest to keep the pressure on and keep the ball from getting downfield.
Johnny Augustin was a nice surprise in his first CFL start. He was more than an adequate replacement for Andrew Harris in this game.
Chris Streveler’s passing game was much better than his first start in Edmonton.

The Bad:

John Ryan out-punted Justin Medlock by a country mile. Medlock was really off this game.
The o-line continues to struggle with pass protection.
I wasn’t thrilled with the officiating in this game although I wouldn’t say it was awful.

The Ugly:

It’s the same song every week. The Blue Bombers secondary plays too soft and makes every opposing QB a 300-yard passer. BTW, Cody Fajardo had 300 yards passing.
After playing a solid game and giving the team a chance to win it is amazing how this defence crumbles during crunch time.

3. NFL: I had to laugh when Rob Gronkowski told the world last week how NFL players put their bodies at risk on Sundays for our entertainment. Really Gronk? It has nothing to do with the money and lifestyle of being an NFL player.

4. U.S. Open Tennis: Bianca Andreescu continues to impress the tennis world with her hard-working, grinding style of play. Andreescu plays her fourth-round match on Monday afternoon.

5. Blue Bombers: The Bombers can spin the Chris Mathews release any way they want but the truth is he was under-performing and his contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season on Sept. 1. I think he was toast even if Darvin Adams wasn’t ready to come off the IR this week. Sometimes it’s just about the money.

6. Jets: Remember when Chevy would feast on the waiver wire? Now he is feasting on UFA fringe fourth-liners that will probably end up in the AHL. I don’t know which is worse?

7. NFL: Thirty-seven-year-old Carli Lloyd has about as much chance of becoming an NFL kicker as I do becoming one of Gladys Knight’s pips.

8. Pet Peeve: I don’t know what goes on in other livingrooms or rec rooms across North America but I am seeing a lot of commercials with groups of sports fans jumping out of their seats with popcorn and chips flying all over the place. I guess this is why I don’t invite people over for big games.

9. Blue Jays: Does it matter if you’re batting .206 if your OBP is .340? Asking for Cavan Biggio? Another example of a low batting average but a good on-base percentage is Justin Smoak.

10. MLB: It doesn’t matter if you throw 88 mph or 100 mph, if you have no command of your pitches, you will have a hard time sticking in the big-leagues.

11. Blue Jays: Derek Fisher, the key player involved in the Aaron Sanchez trade with the Astros has been very underwhelming although you can see there is something there. Sometimes prospects never get past the prospect stage.

12. Blue Jays: Nice no-hitter thrown by Justin Verlander on Sunday vs the Toronto Blue Jays. He had command of the strike zone with all his pitches and was never threatened. (see #10)

13: TSN: On Sept. 1, 1984, TSN was born and it changed the lives of men all across this country and probably started the invention of the man-cave. THANK-YOU TSN.

14. Raptors: This might be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. Former Raptor Jonas Valanciunas is hopeful he’ll get an NBA Championship ring. What? …. read >>> HERE

15. LPGA: World #1, Jin Young Ko’s incredible string of holes without a bogey ended this weekend at 114. Can you imagine?

16. Important Dates:

Sept. 7: Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Saskatchewan in the Banjo Bowl.

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