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 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: Alert the press! The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with JC Lipon. I’m not going to get too excited about signing a guy who has ZERO chance of making the big club. NEXT! (said in the “Soup Nazi” voice)
BREAKING NEWS: (confirmed)
Sounds like a big signing about to be announced in Wpg. Blake Wheeler agrees to 5yr, $41.25 mil extension. AAV $8.25 million.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 4, 2018
2. CFL: Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23 – Saskatchewan Roughriders 31 … Wash, rinse, and repeat. It’s the same story line every week. The Blue Bomber defence plays pretty well in the first half and the good guys have the lead at half-time BUT the defence gets torched in the second half AND the offence sputters when it counts.
There were many plays that hurt the Blue Bombers in this game but these were the four plays that really hurt.
- A Matt Nichols interception on the Bombers first drive. The pick-off was bad enough but getting it returned to their own one yard line was brutal.
- Brutal special team coverage on a Saskatchewan punt return that resulted in a touchdown. This team can’t tackle.
- Letting a Saskatchewan lineman come right up the gut and blocking a Justin Medlock field goal. Please don’t tell me the kick was low because they all look low when the guy blocking it is only a few feet away.
- A Kienan LaFrance fumble in Roughrider territory.
The sad part is the Blue Bombers wasted a magnificent effort from running back Andrew Harris. This is getting harder and harder to watch when you can predict the outcome every time. Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans deserve better.
3. NCAA: With all due respect to Jacob Trouba and Andrew Copp ~ Suck it Michigan! Notre Dame – 24 Michigan – 17. YES.
4. Blue Bombers: I know it’s easier to run forward than backwards but the amount of cushion the Bomber defensive backs give at the line of scrimmage is ridiculous. If you need to play receivers that soft, it’s quite obvious you can’t cover and probably shouldn’t be starting. There is no doubt that part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive problems are with their scheme but they also have poor personnel in their secondary.
5. Blue Bombers: Congrats to Bob Irving on 45 years behind the mic calling Winnipeg Blue Bomber games. That means I’ve been listening to him since I was 18-years-old and to be honest I can’t remember who preceded him. I think it was Jack Wells. Jack Wells was part of the Bomber coverage for years but did he do the play-by-play before Bob Irving? Can anybody confirm or deny?
6. MLB: Is it really necessary to take every ball out of play that gets slightly grazed by the dirt?
7. Blue Jays: Enough already with showering the head of a guy with sunflower seeds in the dugout after he has just hit a homer. This is beyond stupid.
8. NHL: It’s funny how the Toronto Maple Leafs have now become instant Stanley Cup contenders with the signing of John Tavares. Granted, it was a huge acquisition BUT weren’t all Leafs fans and media lamenting the play of their defencemen? Can their offence outscore their defensive deficiencies? Only time will tell.
9. Jets: The Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets will play two games against each other in a revamped format of the Young Stars Classic. The two games will be played at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, BC on Friday, September 7th and Sunday, September 9th.
10. Blue Jays: This is just wrong. I know it’s for the greater good but it’s still wrong.
11. Blue Bombers: Actually, Bob Irving should get an award for not jumping out of the booth having to cover this team. How he keeps it together during a broadcast is truly remarkable. (see #5)
12 Blue Jays: Another week goes by and Billy McKinney is still hitting and looking like a solid major-leaguer. I’ve been very impressed with him. He is the type of player the Jays really need at the top of their order.
13. Jets: Question for Kevin Cheveldayoff: I usually have a question for Chevy but he must still be out fishing because he isn’t answering me so I’ll pass this week.
14. Blue Bombers: I’ve never been big on firing coaches, well maybe in a temporary fit of rage, but for the most part I get it. BUT if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lose the Banjo Bowl this weekend, I think it’s time to clean house and I mean right from Wade Miller down. The problem is when you have a penny-pinching community run team it’s hard to do. I would love to see a rich, knowledgeable, no-nonsense owner run this franchise because the current model is just not working.
15: Key dates:
- Sept. 7-9: Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC.
- Sept. 8: Banjo Bowl – Saturday at 3 pm in Winnipeg – Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-6) vs Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4).
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Thanks, Mitch
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