GUTSY RUN WAS A BLAST FROM THE PAST
Heinicke's effort against Tampa Bay brings back thoughts of Fajardo's trot
Robservations ...
When Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke dove for the left front pylon and scored on a nine-yard run in Saturday's NFL playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the reflexive reaction here was to flash back to Aug. 1, 2019. That evening at Mosaic Stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders' Cody Fajardo scored in comparable fashion from five yards out with 24 seconds remaining to give his team a 24-19 CFL victory over the Hamilton Tiger-cats. Although Washington lost 31-23, the performance of Heinicke — making his second NFL start — was all the buzz on Twitter. Video of his touchdown run went viral. Fajardo's game-winning score remains his signature play.
While extending himself to touch the pylon, Heinicke separated a joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, but stayed in the game. Fajardo, remember, was injured earlier in the Hamilton game, to the extent that he initially feared that he had broken an ankle. Nonetheless, with the game on the line, he delivered ... at age 27 ... the same age at which Heinicke enjoyed his breakout moment.
One recent addition to the Roughriders is defensive back D.Q. Thomas, who would seem to be a natural for football in light of the sport's time-honoured
“any given sundae” mentality. If he makes the team, a blizzard of Dairy Queen endorsement offers would be automatic. And what if he were to “Skor” a touchdown?
The Roughriders, like virtually everyone else, are facing financial challenges due to COVID-19. It is worth remembering, though, that there were signs of slippage before the pandemic hit. Even though the 2019 edition of the Green and White finished first in the West Division's regular-season standings while showcasing the talents of the charismatic Fajardo, only one regular-season game — the Labour Day Classic — was a sellout. Saskatchewan clinched top spot on Nov. 2, 2019, by defeating Edmonton 23-13 on home turf in the regular-season finale but, even with so much at stake, the attendance was 29,156 — 4,194 short of capacity.
FOOTBALL FOLLIES
The following NFL predictions are thoughtfully provided here with every expectation that they will be roundly mocked. I am, after all, the visionary who once lost to his Scottish terrier in a head-to-head prognosticative battle. Nonetheless, in loving memory of Oscar (1991-2001), here is how next weekend's conference semifinals will (not) turn out.
In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs will light up the Cleveland Browns 42-24 on the strength of five touchdown passes by Patrick Mahomes, and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will rush for at least 100 yards in a 31-28 conquest of the Buffalo Bills.
Nfc-wise, the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers will find a way to down the favoured New Orleans side 32-29 — Saints head coach Sean Payton will outsmart himself once again — and the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers will continue to perform at an MVP level in a 34-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
NFL playoff telecasts, I have concluded, are merely filler between ads for The Masked Dancer.
HOCKEY TALK
The WHL announced Fri■ day that it has committed to an abbreviated regular season, which would consist of 24 games per team. In the fall, league operatives had targeted a season of roughly 50 games, with a Jan. 8 opening faceoff. “This is no longer a tentative start date,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison told the Regina Leader-post's Greg Harder in mid- October. “This is an actual date in which we're going to get started.” It just goes to show — as if we needed another reminder — that COVID-19 dictates the agenda. But here's to the return of junior hockey!
Although the aforementioned media release from WHL headquarters was short of specifics, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek (@ Jeffmarek) delivered the goods Saturday via Twitter. “This will take an incredible amount of work to pull off,” Marek tweeted. “It is ambitious.” He noted that the league is eyeing a late-february start, with games on weekends only. Some teams, he added, will share rinks. Hubs have been discussed. One more nugget from Marek: “Some U.s.-based teams may move to Canada for the season.”
FAREWELL, TOMMY
The sad news of former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's death at age 93 offered another reminder of how the walking, talking computer chips who work for Major League Baseball have extracted flavour from the grand ol' game in recent years. A skipper of Lasorda's ilk would never be hired nowadays. Instead of characters, we end up with walking computer chips calling the shots. Mind-numbing analytics are all the rage. Anyone who dares to emulate Lasorda, Sparky Anderson, Billy Martin or Earl Weaver need not apply.
“Always give an autograph when somebody asks you,” Lasorda once said. I wrote to him in 1982, requesting a signature.
He responded in barely a week, adding a personal inscription. The Dodgers, in general, were a collector-friendly team during the Lasorda era.
The Montreal Expos were also a great gift to autograph seekers everywhere, with stars such as Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and Steve Rogers setting the tone for amicable relations with fans.
TRUMP DUMPED
Lately, Donald Trump has not experienced the thrill of victory but, rather, the agony of de-tweet.
The PGA of America announced Sunday that it will no longer stage the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club. The decision was made four days after Trumpian zealots, incited by the outgoing president of the United States, stormed the U.S. Capitol. The irksome part is this: Considering Trump's repeatedly reprehensible behaviour as the chief executive, why was the tournament earmarked for his club — based in Bedminster, N.J. — in the first place?
WE HAVE STATS!
Last call for 2019-20 NHL team-by-team statistics! If you are preparing for a hockey pool and require stats that are available in a reader-friendly format, email me at the address below and I will reply by sending two PDF files.
ROLL CREDITS ...
Nice people who deserve a plug: Warren Woods, Nicole Woods, Chris Woods, Debra Duncan, Tim Rogers, Steve Rogers, Craig Adam, Stacey Cattell, Chris Best, Ray Elgaard, Sam Maciag, Sarah Mills, Carm Carteri, Ron Rimer, Dr. Tom Robinson, Joey Walters, Greg Fieger, Ashley Shumate, Carmelle Ottenbreit, Mike Brock, John Lagimodiere, Troy Casper, Michael Vanderhooft, Andrew Vanderhooft and Rachel Vanderhooft.