Hockey? Baseball? Football? Where to start this week?
Since the snow fell, and it looks a lot more like winter, I guess the best topic to begin with is hockey. The biggest news would have to be the trade deadline in the WHL or the fact the Maple Leafs have won a few games and are on a hot streak.
Since one of those topics is ignored by most people except for hardcore Leafs' fans, I guess this week will be filled with junior hockey.
Let's start with the one trade that made national sports headlines - Brayden Schenn was traded from the Brandon Wheat Kings to his hometown Saskatoon Blades. Schenn and a third round draft pick went to Saskatoon for a first and second round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, a first round pick in the 2012 draft, a first round pick in the 2012 import draft and two 15-year-olds, Ayrton Nikkel and Tim McGauley.
It almost seems like the Blades gave up as much as Toronto did to get Phil Kessel, but this one will pay off more quickly. Not only will fans flock to watch Schenn and the Blades, he may just be the dynamic player to put them over the edge in the WHL and possibly lead them to their first Memorial Cup. Maybe I am getting a bit ahead of myself, but the Blades have to be a favourite, again, in the WHL.
One team that could give Saskatoon a run for their money is Kootenay, after they picked up Schenn's World Junior teammate Cody Eakin from Swift Current. Again, it was a WHL superstar going one way for a lot of potential. Eakin was traded for 18-year-old Christian Magnus, 17-year-olds Ryan Bloom and Jarett Zentner, 16 year-old and local product Colby Cave and 16-year-old goalie Steven Myland. Also headed to Swift Current will be a first and second round draft picks in the bantam draft this year and a third round pick in next year's draft.
Moves like this involving World Junior stars are a great thing for the WHL. As the league grabs the attention of those hockey fans who maybe don't have enough time to follow the league religiously they now have to take notice of what is going on. With the five Saskatchewan centres in the league and four holding a playoff spot there is no reason not to take notice. Another motive to get excited about the WHL is the local area kids sprinkled throughout the league. Two players from the area include the Battlefords' Jordan Fransoo, who plays defence with Brandon, and Wilkie's Andrew Herle, a forward with Prince Albert.
From the ice to diamond and, with the MLB season schedule dormant, the biggest news is the Baseball Hall of Fame inductee announcements. Roberto Alomar is headed to Copperstown and will be sporting the powder blue. Alomar is the first Blue Jay to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and rightfully so. He did it all, great defence, top notch offence and elite base running. And he was on the World Series Championship teams is 1992 and '93. I may just have to find my old Blue Jays team picture and my Alomar poster, because if the Blue Jays playoff future is still in question, there is no question about their past. It is now being recognized even if more people remember him for his spitting on an umpire instead of Gold Glove plays. He was one of the greatest second basemen to ever lace up the cleats or at least that I have watched. Besides that spitting incident happened when he was in Baltimore, we are more classy in Canada.
In football, the Roughriders, have a new coach and it may come as a surprise to no one when Greg Marshall was named the 28th head coach in franchise history. Marshall had time and time again come up short in his attempts to be a head coach in the CFL, but not this time. He takes over the reins of the high-powered offence an effective defence and the expectations of a province that wants nothing less than a Grey Cup.
To wrap up this week's column, a few comments from the NFL playoffs. I will be the first of many who have to admit I never in a million years thought the Seattle Seahawks, who never deserved to be in the playoffs, would be the team to dethrone the New Orleans Saints. Things happen, that is why you play the game. Even the Little Giants beat the Cowboys, but that was a movie, I am still a bit confused as to how all the stars aligned for Hasselbeck and the Seahawks.
The Packers and Eagles game was exciting, as expected, and I am now almost ready to put cheese on my head and hop on the Packers bandwagon. The only thing is, the commitment might not last for three more weeks.
The saying "defence wins champions" will be echoed through Baltimore as the Ravens defence and experience prevailed against the Chiefs.
The final matchup from last week can be considered somewhat of an upset, simply because Payton Manning lost and the colourful Rex Ryan's Jets won. The Jets are a good team, but there is still a question mark as to whether or not they are ready to be legitimate contenders. This weekend will be the true test.
Home field advantage was anything but a factor last week, so now we can see if the Steelers, Falcons, Bears and Patriots can put home field advantage to work after their byes last week. I don't really have an NFL team I cheer for, but this weekend I will be a Bears and Packers fan. Can you imagine if those two rivals played in the playoffs in two weeks and New England and Pittsburgh went head-to-head in the AFC Championship?
