It’s my Parting Shot for my Monday Musings…..

Throwback Sunday in the N-F-L was fun to watch yesterday – especially between 10 and 11 in the morning when C-B-S brought back 86-year-old Brent Musburger to guest host on the 50th anniversary of The N-F-L Today. I loved the memory lane videos that they showed – it took me back to being 16 years old, watching the old 25-inch colour T-V downstairs in the rec room of my family’s Winnipeg home and making up varying excuses for not being able to go with the rest of the family to church! I ate up everything that Musburger and Irv Cross put out there. Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder rarely seemed to wrong with his handicapping of games and I hate a crush on Phyllis George – like most red-blooded male football fans in 1975 did! I’ll freely admit that watching The N-F-L Today helped ease the grief that 16-year-old me felt after losing my mother to cancer a few months earlier! Just another example of why having sports in my life allows me to take a break from the lunacy that everyday life throws at you!!

Is the blocked field goal going to be the new, big thing in the N-F-L this season? I saw at least four of them as part of the third Sunday of regular season play – which has to be approaching a record of some kind, right?!

It was great to get back to work with my winter passion, calling the play of the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League! Already, I’ve got a “Winner, winner chicken dinner” call under my belt – much to the chagrin of the keyboard warriors who are Prince Albert Raiders’ fans on the chat sites! Make me chuckle!!

And, it’s the final week of baseball’s regular-season. The Blue Jays may have clinched a playoff spot, but will they win the A-L East Division and get the all-important bye into the A-L-D-S and avoid the dreaded wild-card round? It says here that Toronto needs to win at least four of their final six games to ward off the Yankees. Fortunately for the Jays, they hold the tie-breaker over the Yanks. However, while Toronto plays host to Boston over the next three days, the Yankees are home to the ChiSox! Oops, that’s unfortunate scheduling if you’re a Toronto fan!!

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