Photo credit: Facebook Saskatchewan Roughriders
It’s my Parting Shot for my reactions to the headlines in today’s Star-Phoenix Sports Section…..
First headline…Resting veteran Q-B Harris makes sense before playoffs, Roughriders face a tough road to repeat as champs and their on-field leader looks tired. My reaction…I said on Monday that I felt the way to go to, potentially, win a playoff game this year is for Saskatchewan to finish fourth in the West and crossover to play Toronto in the East Division semi-final on Halloween. Repeating as Grey Cup champions is possible, still, just by qualifying for the post-season. But, watching the Green and White over the second half of the season shouldn’t fill Rider Nation with confidence at winning the big prize again! Hence, rest Trevor Harris this week – take your lumps against Edmonton – then regroup with as healthy a team as the Roughriders can put out on the field for the East semi against the Argos!!
Next headline…not the one about the P-F-C and the trophy, I’m done with that, but A Beastly task, Raps in tough in a stacked conference. Reaction…Yes, I’m talking basketball and the N-B-A – which started their newest regular-season yesterday and gets the lone Canadian-based team involved tonight! There’s a lot of chatter about the Toronto Raptors being a legitimate contender this season with the re-acquisition of Kawhi Leonard – the guy who, along with Kyle Lowry and others, led the Raps to the Larry O’Brien Trophy – oops, there’s that trophy word again – back in 2019! But, as the headline suggests, the N-B-A’s Eastern Conference is stacked with the defending champion New York Knicks, the always competitive Boston Celtics, the LeBron James-added Philadelphia 76ers and others. The Toronto Raptors will be in the playoffs – maybe even win a round – but don’t get too excited just yet about something resembling 2019!!
Last headline…N-B-A orders sportsbooks to prohibit “problematic bet types.” My reaction…If there’s one professional sports league that needs to clean up its act when it comes to iffy sports betting behaviour and “rigging” things, it’s the N-B-A. Players in N-B-A seem to have larger “entourages” than players in the N-F-L or N-H-L or Major League Baseball. It’s the hangers-on who feel as though they should benefit from their buddy that they hang with – and that athlete feels compelled to help them out! What better way to do it – than find a way to make a wager go their way that pays big! Dirty, illegal and very doable – so the N-B-A is doing the right thing here!!
That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!
