10 MIDWEEK THINGS

1 - CAMPING: It was great to spend some time at 2019 Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp in Saskatoon this week. From the players and staff I spoke with, the mood is much more "relaxed" under new head coach Craig Dickenson. That's to be expected, because Dickenson is a very relaxed guy. If a team takes on the personality of its coach - which it does - the Riders are in great shape.

2 - MORE ON THAT: So it begs the question, what was the team's personality under Chris Jones? He was intimidating and edgy, and so too was his team. This squad can be intimidating too but if they're not playing "uptight" (i.e. so many pre-snap penalties), that'll be a great thing. It's going to be incredibly interesting to see how this group unfolds under Dickenson's tutelage. Read on ...

3 - OBSERVATIONS 1: It's tough to get a true grasp on what's going on in just one day. There's been plenty of media hype over rookie German receiver Mac Zimmermann but, to me, he didn't really stand out. He's certainly not physically imposing but his work ethic is tough to ignore. He wouldn't stand a chance to make a Chris Jones team, but perhaps Dickenson isn't as big on skyscraper-types. That would be an interesting conversation to have. However if the team is holding a global player spot under the new CBA, then Zimmermann can start checking Kijiji for a rental.

4 - OBSERVATIONS 2: The running game will go through William Powell, and he's up to the challenge. Marcus Thigpen showed his usual "pop" and remains a threat to score each time he touches the ball. Impossible to ignore was WR #84 Emmanual Arceneaux. He's got an all-pro presence, but isn't going at full speed yet. One receiver which caught my eye repeatedly was #13 Austin Ellison.

5 - QBS: Much was made of Zach Collaros's 1/10 outing in Saturday's Green & White Game but we all know that doesn't matter. All that matters is that he's ready to go for Week 1 at Hamilton. If it's truly a 3-horse race between Cody Fajardo, David Watford and Isaac Harker for #2, then they should all split time in Friday's preseason game at Calgary. Collaros needn't play at all.

6 - LOVE POTION #9: We've received word that Jon Ryan's #9 is the top-selling jersey in the Rider Store by a country mile. In other news, the sky is blue and grass is green. What else should we expect?

7 - CFL BUZZ: One question that came up among CFL-types on coffee row this week was this: If the Montreal Alouettes are up for sale and the Halifax expansion bid is stalled, why doesn't the Gary Drummond Group just buy the Als? Good question. There must be a good reason why this hasn't happened.

8 - RAPTORS-MANIA: The euphoria around here over the Toronto Raptors run to the NBA Finals causes a bit of an eyeroll. How many Reginans planned a viewing party for Game 6 against Milwaukee only to find they had no Raptors gear in their closet? If you recall, we used to run an NBA Report on the SportsCage but we turfed it because we were getting complaints that no one cared. Come on!

9 - DRAKE: Which leads into the national hysteria over the sideline antics of hiphop star Drake during Raptors games in these playoffs. He's been doing this ecact same thing for years, from the very same seat, and goes to as many Raptors games as his schedule allows! I know this because the girls in my house watch every single Raptors game (we're a basketball family). Having said all that, the Raptors have to be giggling over all this publicity after they made him Team Ambassador years ago. It's sports marketing ingenuity. Like the NLL's Saskatchewan Rush using the UFC's Bruce Buffer and film/screen star Kim Coates (and many others) this season. At the other end of the spectrum, tennis sensation Eugenie Bouchard took in an Argos game and got mocked. The #1 combat sports star on the planet, Brock Lesnar, has lived in Maryfield, SK for years but has never been to a Rider game! This is the new wave of sports marketing - brand ambassadors.

10 - RANDOM THOUGHTS: All these years and I just realized baloney and weiners are made out of the ecact same thing. ... It's weird watching the NBA Playoffs without Lebron. This is the first Finals in 9 years that he's missed. ... The Regina Red Soc begin the 2019 WCBL season at home Wednesday night against the Yorkton Cardinals at Currie Field. CTV Morning Live's Darrell Romuld is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. ... The St. Louis Blues - and their Saskie players - have some work to do to get back into the Stanley Cup Finals. Schenn was sensational in Game 1, Bozak was sound defensively, and Schwartz cranked it up in the third. I'll be discussing their ecploits Friday morning on NHL Radio with Scott Laughlin. Please tune in!

Y'er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen

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