It’s my Parting Shot to just giggle at the latest bit of gamesmanship or “forgetfulness” involving the Saskatoon Hilltops and their rivals in the Prairie Football Conference…..

I thought it was funny, and I still do, that the P-F-C Championship trophy wasn’t on hand on Sunday for the Regina Thunder to raise in celebration after they waffled the Toppers 44-19 in the final. I actually laughed out loud when I read the “apology” from the Saskatoon Hilltops’ organization to the Thunder for “forgetting” to bring said trophy to the game with them!

First of all, and I don’t care how long this practice has been going on, but why is it the responsibility of the defending champs to remember to bring the trophy to the title game? Are the Saskatchewan Roughriders tasked with making sure the Grey Cup is in Calgary for the C-F-L game on November 15? Do the Seattle Seahawks have to make sure the Vince Lombardi Trophy is on location for the next Super Bowl? Will the Carolina Hurricanes be made to have the Stanley Cup ready at centre ice next June when the N-H-L champion is crowned?!

Of course not!! Those leagues look after that and that’s what should happen with the P-F-C, no matter if their league executives are all volunteers! Don’t trust teams that have a long-standing tradition of being embittered with each other that they can barely be in the same room together – at least until the first bottle of beer or spirits is cracked open!!

Don’t trust a league with teams that wait until you’re set-up to do a radio broadcast under the cover of a booth, then told to scramble 15 minutes before going to air that you’re doing the game in the stands, with rain coming down! Don’t trust a league with teams that refuse to give broadcasters line-ups and depth charts with which to work with until mere minutes before kick-off time!

I could go on and on!

And, the Hilltops aren’t exactly angels in this respect, either! The pettiness among the six teams is legendary and would make for a fabulously funny and vaudevillian documentary…all in the name of, “Oh yeah, how do you like these apples?!”

“Forgetting” to bring the championship trophy to the championship game? Nothing serious, just another hilarious chapter or footnote in the somewhat embarrassing history of the Prairie Football Conference!

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