It’s time to celebrate an annual Canadian tradition – Thanksgiving weekend. So, pass the cranberry sauce, delve into those mashed potatoes, eyeball the peas and carrots, warm up the buns, and load up on gravy because this year the spread features a Grade “A” turkey.

The CFL should offer “thanks” to their fans by changing the playoff format. In the past, traditional practice featured an East-West Grey Cup game; this year fans may be treated to a Calgary vs. B.C. or an Edmonton vs. Saskatchewan championship final.

The Eastern and Western Conferences both display very different pictures. West Division contenders Calgary, B.C. and Saskatchewan all boast 9-5 records with four games remaining followed by last-place Edmonton, which has a respectable 8-6 mark. In the East, Montreal is 9-5, but then it gets sad with Winnipeg (5-9), Toronto (4-10) and Hamilton (3-11).

Under the current set-up the top three teams in each conference advance to the playoffs, unless the last-place team in one division has a better record than the third-place club in the other. So, this year all four teams from the West will qualify for the playoffs, and just two teams from the East. However, the second-place team in the East will have homefield advantage even though their record is inferior.

It’s actually more beneficial this year to end up last in the West than third. Huh? The bottom team in the West will visit Winnipeg or Toronto, with a slight possibility of playing Hamilton, while the third-place club may play at Calgary or B.C.

The simple solution is to have the league change its structure to one eight-team division. In this plan, Teams 1 and 2 earn first round byes and will host semifinal games. Team 6 visits Team 3 while Team 5 plays at Team 4. The winners advance to the semifinals with the winners advancing to the Grey Cup. Simple isn’t it? This makes more sense, so one wonders why a change hasn’t already been made.

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Although it is too early to assess their overall performances, there appears to be significant improvement with the Prince George Cougars, P.G. Spruce Kings and the UNBC Timberwolves men’s basketball team. Two of these three teams failed to qualify for the playoffs last season and the other one (Spruce Kings) grabbed the last playoff spot before suffering a quick elimination. Early indications show that all three should aspire to a higher level than just qualifying for the postseason.

The Cougars and the Spruce Kings have winning records. Upcoming road games this month, however, will help gauge their progress.

The T-Wolves had impressive exhibition wins against the youthful TRU WolfPack (Kamloops), an opponent that certainly didn’t resemble a CIS team. UNBC dominated the opener (77-64) and then, thanks to a 32-16 fourth quarter, rallied to complete the sweep with a 76-69 decision. Guard Inderbir Gill of Spokane, who led UNBC in scoring both nights, looks as impressive as advertised. It appears that the T-Wolves have more depth which will mean less playing minutes for returning players. Under the guidance of new coach Mike Raimbault, the UNBC men will emphasize speed and will dictate the tempo of games as demonstrated against TRU.

“That’s the type of tempo that we feel we need to play at to be successful. It’s definitely more enjoyable for some of the athletes we have that are made for speed. So, were looking to get on a run and push the ball in transition,” said Raimbault.

The Timberwolves will host the CCAA National Championships in March. Their league home opener is scheduled for Nov 14 against Langara; this is the same day a four-member committee consisting of athletic directors from Canada West visit the UNBC site. The response from the basketball community on that weekend will help determine whether the Timberwolves will be accepted into the CIS. A jump from BCCAA to the Canada West Conference would indeed give sports fans something to be “thankful” for.

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From the quote rack:

“The Canucks are really thinking outside the box: Their Zamboni driver is running for Transportation Minister.”

Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen, after the Canucks made Roberto Luongo the first goalie captain in 61 years.

“Early holiday gift alert: The third annual ‘Women of Curling’ nude calendar has gone on sale in Canada. You could say the calendar goes beyond the sport: Instead of 10 ends, you get 12.”

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for Opinion250. Hartley can be reached by e-mail at hmiller@94xfm.com.