| Last updated at 1:04 AM on 15/11/08 |
CFL playoffs, Panther basketball in sports spotlight this weekend 
FRED MACDONALD 
The Guardian
The sports spotlight focuses on today’s Canadian Football playoff doubleheader and it should be a dandy as Edmonton Eskimos travel to Montreal to meet the Alouettes while the star-studded British Columbia Lions visit Calgary to face the hometown Stampeders in two crucial gridiron games.
The Eskimos and the Alouettes split two games this season, each winning at home, but Edmonton impressed in whipping Winnipeg 28-21 last week while the Montreal club had the bye. The Als have outstanding quarterback Anthony Calvillo at the controls and a great passing attack and I give them the edge in this one.
In the other game, Calgary hosts arch-rival B.C. Lions, a team they’ve beaten on all three occasions this past summer. The Lions placed 13 players on the West all-star team but the Stamps have west player of the year nominee quarterback Henry Burris running their offence.
Are the Lions due for a win or is it a case of one team having the other’s number? I’ll take the home team again but it should be a nail-biter.
Closer to home, the UPEI men and women basketball Panthers play their home opener versus Memorial tonight with the women playing at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. at the campus field house. Both Panthers clubs lost double-headers to powerful Cape Breton Capers on the road last week, and both lost games they should and could have won— the men lost 79-72 and the women 70-68 as both have dropped to 0-2 on the season.
Panther organizers feel the hoop clubs are playoff material so tonight’s home openers should answer some questions.
Charlottetown’s Susan Canvin and newcomers from Australia Myra Donkin and Leia Piccoli could play major roles in any Panther victories. Flashy five-foot-11 point guard Jo Jo Geddes and talented second-year man Vlad Farcas have been standouts in the early going and are worth watching tonight.
If you’re a hoop fan, UPEI is the place to be this evening.
Around the rinks
If you’re a hockey fan, here’s a story that may interest you. The Dressing Room, a drama/comedy about the hockey playing career of Summerside’s Paul MacWilliams, will be staged tomorrow night at 8 p.m. and again on Thursday, Nov. 20, at Centre-Belle-Alliance, 5th Avenue Maris Stella, in Summerside.
The play is being used as a fundraiser for Wyatt Heritage Properties and is worth the price of admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling 432-1332 or they can be bought at the door. It’s too bad play organizers couldn’t incorporate Paul’s buddy and everybody’s favourite goalie Gary Somers into the act, but that may be for another day.
MacWilliams was a standout with the 1967 champion Saint Dunstans Saints, joining the local university club after three great seasons with the Halifax Junior Canadians of the mid-1960s, the top junior club for many years in Atlantic Canada.
In university action tonight, the UPEI hockey Panthers entertain St Thomas Tommies tonight at 7 p.m. at MacLauchlan Arena.
The P.E.I. Rocket is on the road this weekend but returns to the Civic Centre next Friday night against Val D’or. Let’s try to fill the Civic Centre next Friday in a show of support for our local club.
Prophet’s picks
On the NFL front, there are a number of key games on this week’s schedule. America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, travel to Washington for a date with the Redskins, who are banged up with running back Clinton Portis not likely to play.
His backup Ladell Betts is iffy but veteran Shaun Alexander could play. The Skins have injury issues on defence, too.
The Cowboys need this win, Romo is back at QB, so I’ll take Cowboys in this one.
The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Cincinnati and there’s a lot to like about the Eagles. In my view, Philadelphia may be the next best club aside from the New York Giants. Take the Eagles, who will be very dangerous if they get into post-season play.
If you’re looking to bet the four- game parlay, take Atlanta at home to beat Denver and Arizona on the road to trounce Seattle. The Seahawks used to be tough at home, but they don’t have any semblance of defence any more.
As always, pay the mortgage first, the picks are for fun.
At the track
Live harness racing continues today at the CDPEC with a 1 p.m. post time and 16 races on the card. The $2,500 feature goes in race 15 and it includes from the rail out: Casual Motion, Yankee Sun, Whose Smilin Now, Tanks a Lot, Negrito, Woodmere Quickpeek, Pans O Silver and Porthill Alf.
Also on the card, the Don Canning Memorial Trot, a race honouring the memory of the long- serving deputy mayor of Moncton who died here about a month ago.
Ron Gass has a horse called Victory Creed and he’s in to go today in Race 16. A horse by the same name was an invitational star here in the Maritimes in 1972 for owner John Hankey, who raced out of Sackville Downs. Victory Creed and Firebolt raced in a number of epic invitational races.
In news up-country, harness races fans are still praying for Southport native Kurt Hughes who was badly injured in an car accident last weekend outside Peterborough. Keep those prayers coming.
The Pat Morris-owned Mighty and Strong was fourth by one in his last outing at Woodbine but has drawn the outside at Flamboro for trainer Gord Ford and driver Anthony MacDonald this weekend.
Somebeachsomewhere, considered by many as the greatest horse ever, although you will get big arguments from Niatross fans, goes tonight at Woodbine in the Super Gold series for a purse of $300,000.
Dr Maurice Coady’s good pacer Doctor Nault goes this afternoon and Covehead’s Steve MacDonald. perhaps the CDPEC’s best handicapper, says this horse could be in the winner’s circle today. That’s good enough for me.
Local handicapper Jim Grant, who gets a lot of assistance from thoroughbred punter Rich Wilson, posted a hole-in-one two weeks ago at Fox Meadow.
Grant hasn’t been hot at the windows lately but with help from Wilson, Gary Wood and Al MacNeill, today could be a big day for Grant and company.
Dr. Ian Moore, Serge Savard and Ron MacLennan’s Shadow Play will stand at stud at Blue Chip Farms beginning 2010 but he’ll race next summer which is great news for harness fans.
There’s lots of money on the table tonight at Woodbine with six, $300,000 race so the card which will be seen via simulcast tonight at the city track.
Fred MacDonald writes a weekly column for The Guardian. To comment, e-mail
fiddlersfacts@hotmail.com
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