Three months seems like an eternity ago

Mere hours before the Saskatchewan Roughriders were scheduled to open training camp, we are reminded that “two-a-days” has an alternate meaning.

Justin Trudeau in the morning. Scott Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab in the afternoon.

Twice-daily COVID -19 briefings have become part of our new ritual.

What was once a rite of spring — the Roughriders’ initial workouts — will be delayed until well into the summer.

That is the best-case scenario. It makes you long for the good ol’ days like, you know, February.

Only three months ago, one of the biggest issues in the whole wide world seemed to be the Roughriders’ perceived lack of depth along the offensive line.

Anticipation surrounding the 2020 CFL season was such that the calibre of the backups was a hot-button issue in Rider Nation. It was, after all, difficult to poke holes in the projected starting lineup.

With franchise player Cody Fajardo entrenched as the starting quarterback, fans and commentators were left to debate whether James Franklin should have been signed as an insurance policy, considering the poise and promise Isaac Harker demonstrated as a rookie.

And now ... who knows?

The best anyone can hope for is a truncated regular season that would begin in September.

Even that may prove to be a reach.

Just last week, remember, commissioner Randy Ambrosie told a parliamentary committee on finance that the most likely scenario called for the cancellation of the 2020 campaign.

Ambrosie, it should be noted, is typically a paragon of positivity. So when he sounds pessimistic, the time to padlock the stadiums might very well be nigh.

Sure, there are some signs of

optimism, such as those emanating from Manitoba.

“I get up every day, and I know our colleagues across the country and in our league office get up every day, trying to figure out a way to get it done,” Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller told Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun.

“So we’re going to find a way to play. And I can assure you we’re going to work together and we’re going to all need to make some compromises. But we’ll not compromise the health and safety of our players, coaches, staff and, most importantly, our fans.”

The resolve of the league, its nine member teams and the CFL Players’ Association was exemplified by a tweet from TSN’S Farhan Lalji, who reported that there has been discussion about possibly having two hub cities — in the east and west — serve as sites for games.

“In my mind, there has been no discussion at all,” Regina Mayor Michael Fougere told the Regina Leader-post’s Murray Mccormick on Thursday. “There has been no structured conversation at all. I spoke to a couple of people and I’ve heard there has been the idea of that. There is so much that has to be done to make it even feasible.”

But if the logistics could somehow work, Fougere feels Mosaic Stadium would be an ideal western base.

“It would be because of our location geographically and generally just the interest,” he said, adding, “There hasn’t been any approach from the CFL at all. It has been more of a notion than a proposal.”

Something to kick around, in the absence of an imminent kickoff.