Virus kills the buzz from Lions’ draft
Fans will have to wait who knows how long to see Williams and Rourke do their thing
Put on a collared shirt on Saturday so it was a big weekend. Now here’s something even bigger, the Monday morning musings on the world of sports.
In any other year the B.C. Lions’ work at the CFL draft would have created significant buzz for a team that could use it.
And who knows? In time, Jordan Williams and Nathan Rourke might become impact players for the Leos. The problem is, with all the uncertainty over the league’s lockdown, Lions’ fans won’t know when they’ll see Williams, the linebacker from East Carolina, and Rourke, the quarterback from Ohio, and they could use a little excitement right now.
On a night that reinforced the singular nature of the CFL draft, the Lions traded up to take Williams first overall even though he hasn’t played since 2017. A four-year starter at East Carolina, Williams failed to catch on with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 and was about to join Ottawa’s practice roster as an import last year when he informed a Redblacks’ assistant coach his mother was from Toronto.
He then sat out a year to maintain his eligibility as a national but his story didn’t end there. Williams was rated outside the first round on most boards when he arrived at the draft combine in Toronto on Thursday, March 12. He then proceeded to wow the scouts by running a 4.48 in the 40 with a 39-inch vertical jump before the combine was shut down the next day. True, he’s 25 but he projects as a Day 1 starter and ratio-changer on a defence that desperately needs to upgrade its Canadian talent.
Rourke, meanwhile, has a chance to compete for the quarterback’s job and the mere fact the Lions took him in the second round speaks to their intentions. He has the requisite size and athleticism to play the position in the CFL. He also led Ohio to a 25-14 record and three straight Bowl appearances as a threeyear starter while throwing 60 touchdown passes against 20 interceptions.
But there are bigger considerations with Rourke. We don’t have the space to recount the history of the Canadian quarterback in the CFL. Suffice to say he has the potential to change the league’s history and his development will be a national storyline.
■ A credible league source said they believe the CFL will get help from the federal government during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The league has asked for $30 million to help now and that number could rise to $150 million if the season is cancelled. You just shudder to think about the screeching that would follow if the feds commit 150 shmill to the league.
■ Seems relevant now so here are the Top 5 celebrities from Hollywood Squares, the original Zoom meeting.
1. Charlie Weaver
2. Wally Cox
3. Rich Little
4. George Gobel
5. Charo
■ We’re now into May and the NHL is facing a time crunch if it wants to salvage the 2019-20 season. On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said players returning to Canada from out of country would have to quarantine for 14 days, “at a minimum.” If they start arriving this week, that takes us to the third week in May before they’re cleared to practise. The league has also said it wants to hold a two- to three-week training camp before games are played. Now we’re into the first or second week of June.
As mentioned, that’s the best-possible case scenario.
The other big development concerns the identification of the four cities that will host play when it resumes. It’s generally conceded Edmonton and Toronto will be two of the host cities. The next question is who will play where because some GMs don’t like the idea of one team holding a home-ice advantage.
Random thoughts that pop into your head during a pandemic. Jake Virtanen’s goals and points totals have increased every year over the last three seasons. This year he was basically a 20-20 guy playing on the third line with limited power-play time, although he was starting to get more opportunities there.
Throw in his age, 23, and his size and he’s a valuable piece, irrespective of where he was drafted. I still want to see how his story turns out.
And finally, like most sports fans I’ve been transfixed by The Last Dance. The richness of the Chicago Bulls’ story and the cast of characters — Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, are you kidding? — are compelling enough. But the biggest take-away is watching Michael Jordan in his prime.
Over time, you forget how good he was, how he could take over games, how he willed lesser players to compete at a championship level. He was never the most sympathetic character and the interviews spliced into the narrative remind you of what a rhymes-with-stick he could be.
But, my lord, the man played like Superman. He remains the single greatest player I’ve ever seen in a team game. The talent, the charisma, the ego, the presence set him apart. It’s been 36 years since Jordan broke into the NBA, and he’s now 57, but to see the legend come back to life has been memorable, almost as memorable as watching it the first time around.