It’s my Parting Shot for my reactions to the headlines in today’s Star-Phoenix Sports Section…..

First headline…Rattlers looking to sink their fangs into a big C-E-B-L win on home court, Another chance when hoopsters host Scarborough on Friday night. My reaction…not just any Friday, but a Friday the 13th! That should be enough to turn the tables in their favour!! Having said that, Saskatchewan’s professional basketball squad has been slow out of the gate as they get their group together. Of course, all nine other teams can say that, but the Snakes don’t have far to slither to be in playoff contention in the Western Conference. A win on Friday gets them into a tie for third place, which gets you into the post-season!

Next headline…The Big Question: How do Riders get healthier? Reaction…not play anymore would be the easy answer – but seriously, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are going to a third straight season with the number of names on their injury report being consistently in double digits! And, not just 10 or 11 guys – but 15 was the number yesterday for Day 1 of preparation for Saturday’s game in Hamilton – with three of those being offensive lineman. That doesn’t include Sean McEwen and Phillippe Gagnon who were primo off-season free agent signings designed to improve the O-Line! It’s Peter Godber and Jermarcus Hardrick from last year all over again!! WHY??!!

Last headline…Big attendance issues? Passing yards problem? Crowd for home opener part of ongoing concern, bend-don’t-break defence O-K. My reaction…let’s deal with giving up 413 yards of passing to Ottawa to start. The Green and White defence did a phenomenal job of stopping the RedBlacks’ running game and getting out to a big lead early. That means on defence, you are playing zone coverage so as not to let receivers in behind on man-to-man coverage for big plays. Very few Ottawa plays were 30 yards and over. The Rider defence made the stands when they needed them – nothing to worry about! As for attendance, the optics of far less than the 25-thousand, 973 tickets sold isn’t good. But, it was a Thursday! Plus, the Roughriders last won a Grey Cup in 2013 and haven’t been to the big game since then. As weak of a reason as I think it is, most people believe that when it comes to spending their dwindling disposable income on sports, entertainment is spelled W-I-N!!

That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!