Bretzky babbles on about sports: Week of April 21st,2020

1.ESPN premiered it's  highly anticipated series chronicling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls  this week. This blogger grades the first two episodes as a resounding A +. The access Jordan and the Bulls granted was truly unprecedented as for the 1997-1998 season, it was given locker room access, special features throughout Chicago's pre-season trip to Paris among many others. A takeaway from the second episode particularly was the dynamic between it's two star players, Jordan and the ever underappreciated Scottie Pippen. Pippen was a reclusive figure throughout those days(which is ironic as in 2020 he's an outstanding contributor for ESPN's "First Take" program) but the relationship he and MJ had was complex as Jordan was laser focused on winning while ignoring Pippen's anger over what he perceived to be a lack of respect from Bulls management. Bottom line is, it was fantastic and the more behind the scenes footage we get, the better. I would love to see what went on throughout the 90's Yankees dynasty or the genuine relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, which seems inevitable for a future 30 for 30.

2.Their have been some outstanding commentators tasked to do the World Junior Hockey championships over the years. In the first volume of this blog, the week of April 7th,2020, I illustrated my appreciation for former WJHC play by play man Paul Romanuk but it was his color man throughout the years that deserves a hearty shout-out today. Gary Green,  the who had a brief stint as the Washington Capitals head coach in the 80's, was  a staple on TSN airwaves in the mid nineties/early two thousands with the World Junior Hockey Championship along with it's NHL coverage. For those of us that are old enough to remember Green, his distinct voice allowed him to stand out. Aside from the signature vocal cords, it was the natural chemistry that he and Romanuk possessed which made the broadcast very organic. He never attempted to over step his boundaries the way some current broadcasters may do to increase it's social media following but he had a way to naturally break down the play while keeping his emotions at check. As I look back, it's unfortunate that Green and TSN couldn't draw up a long term partnership as with all due respect to Pierre McGuire, any one in their late twenties or early thirties would agree that the WJHC is synonymous with Gary Green.

3.COVID-19 has began to strike the National Football League. First, it was the unheralded Rams center Brian Allen that tested positive and now news broke late last week that Von Miller, one of the most feared linebackers throughout the league, has additionally tested positive. So what exactly does this news mean for the league? I could attack this from multiple levels however the angle worth exploring is that of the increased media presence behind this story and the presumed controversy that will be attached to the NFL draft. It took one NBA player in Rudy Gobert for society to effectively shut down but with the draft scheduled for less then a week away, does a positive test on a marquee name force the NFL to reconsider re-scheduling the draft? It's been reported that behind the scenes some executives have voiced their concerns over being able to do their jobs while confined to home, the Miller news will surely just add to the fire.

4.Normally this would be the time of the year in which golfers would begin dusting off the clubs in Western Canada. Hailing from Regina, it's fun to reminisce about which tracks are worth the bang for your buck. Pertaining to inside the city for public golf courses, the Murray and Torr are decent, a bit overpriced(but what  isn't?) but are modest golf courses that cater to a variety of skill levels. A course that constantly gets crapped on, partly due to it's nine hole nature is the Katepwa Beach golf club.  Katepwa is one of the best kept secrets in Saskatchewan and when combining it's beautiful scenery along with it's pristine maintenance, you won't find a better golf course to spend a Saturday afternoon!

5.Unfortunate cutbacks were announced the other day regarding the removal of the University of Lethbridge Men's and Women's hockey programs. Sign of the times one might say as the general consensus is that the economic downfall from this pandemic is that many small businesses will be in financial jeopardy and this doesn't exclude smaller profit sporting organizations such as the Lethbridge Pronghorns. Unfortunate on a variety of levels as for the majority of kids enrolled in Major University sporting programs, it's a last kick at the can in their hockey careers. Many graduate from Major Junior/Junior A onto the university ranks capitalizing on their scholarship opportunities to play amateur sport while pursuing an education. I really don't see how this isn't just the tip of the iceberg as if Lethbridge made the financial decision to scale back, how does a Junior A franchise in Timbuctu stay a float. While experts believe that their is light at the end of the tunnel for when provinces can begin lifting social distancing restrictions, what was "normal" before March of 2019 will have a vastly different meaning on the other side.

6.P.K Subban hosted an online hockey trivia show via NHL.com, the "NHL Hat trick challenge", and the premise of the show was to quiz hockey fans throughout North America and if they completed the trivia hat trick, they would win two regular season tickets to a team of their choice. One of the questions pertained the infamous Philadelphia Flyers"Legion of Doom" line featuring Michael Renberg, John LeClair and Eric Lindros and it got me reminiscing on how great that line really was. Lindros specifically was ahead of his time as the combination of size and skill was evolutionary.  It's a shame that the Lindros led Flyers never hoisted Lord Stanley as if concussions didn't get in the way, I don't believe I'm going out on a limb in suggesting that Lindros leads the Flyers to at least two cups in the mid nineties and hey, by extension maybe Michael Renberg would've had his name enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame!

7.The Western Hockey League bantam draft was conducted this past Wednesday and done so online in lieu of the global pandemic. My hometown Regina Pats selected West Vancouver forward Connor Bedard, the first ever player to receive exceptional player status from the Western Hockey League. My take is that Connor, barring that he can stay healthy has a chance to contribute next season, potentially amassing the thirty goal plateau.My other takeaway is as the recruitment war amongst the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA is ever present, creativity will be required to entice the elite talent to choose the CHL, and how do you do that, be more lenient with that justifies the exceptional status  A kid out of Saskatoon in Berkly Catton is the premature top prospect in the 2021 bantam draft and if Bedard paves a clear path, Catton may not be too far behind in joining Bedard in the dub.

8.We're approaching on almost three years since the Houston Astros cheated their way to a world series, but it was a trade vetoed by the Detroit Tigers that could've forever changed the direction of the 'stros franchise. It's been reported that at the peak of pitcher of Michael Fulmer's potential, the Houston Astros were willing,whilst ultimately being fortunately declined, to package prized third basemen Alex Bregman to land Fulmer. Fulmer admittedly still has extreme potential however coming off a Tommy John operation, questions naturally will arise over the plausibility of a comeback. The Tommy John operation is a mastered science in 2020 and the recovery rate is at an all time high. A pitcher in Fulmer who relies on the heat carries some inherent risks but he's been to an all-star game previously, no reason another trip to the classic isn't on the horizon. The Astros make that trade, lose a core piece in Bregman, perhaps aren't forced into chasing and cheating a championship, A.J Hinch still employed? The theories are endless.

9.Current Kansas City Royal Brett Phillips was once featured a few years back on the MLB network for his distinguished laugh.  The exuberant laugh aside, while a member of his former organization the Milwaukee Brewers, he was a heralded prospect but I genuinely didn't the potential.  Sub par arm, had power to left field but as teams began to exact the scouting report, his effectiveness decreased significantly. A former sixth round by the Houston Astros, he's on his third team and 2020 was billed as a make or break year for Brett. The Royals have full intentions of providing him every opportunity so we should have a better gauge as to whether he's a capable every day player of whether the trademark to Phillips will be the laugh.

10.NFL Draft for 2020 commences tomorrow and while the first two picks in the draft are known commodities in Joe Burrow donning the Cincinnati Bengals stripes and Chase Young destined for D.C, the draft truly begins at three with the Detroit Lions. Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah appears to be the consensus at this selection but rumours have run rampant the last several days that the pick is in play and that teams that covet highly regarded Alabama pivot Tua Tagovailoa such as the Chargers and Dolphins have been working the phones diligently. I'm a proponent of the talent that hails from the SEC conference, always have been and while Burrow is also SEC alumni product of LSU, he's a pocket passer that from my viewings hasn't shown the propensity to competently get out of pocket whilst making plays. Conversely, Tua prior to the injuries that ravaged his 2019 campaign moreso resembles the modern age quarterback and I am adamant that between the two, Tua will have the more consistent career when we analyze this draft ten to fifteen years from nw.