Coach’s Clamshell: Don Cherry to introduce Rob Ford at first council meeting

Coach’s Clamshell: Don Cherry to introduce Rob Ford at first council meeting

Coach's Clamshell with Ron and Don

The last time we heard from Don Cherry outside of the airwaves of the CBC, he was endorsing Julian Fantino in a by-election in Vaughan. Fantino went on to narrowly win that race, so maybe Cherry is playing it safe now, and only showing up with politicians after they’ve already won. The mayor’s office announced yesterday that Cherry will be in council to introduce Mayor Ford before he makes his first speech to council. Aside from the fact that they’re both coaches—though not even in the same sport—we can’t see what, exactly, is bringing these two together, except for their shared love of speaking without thinking. That seems to be the Toronto Star’s theory, too.

The other possibility is that these things happen in threes, and the Hockey Night in Canada personality is getting ready to move on from the CBC to something even bigger and better. Senator Don Cherry, anyone?  From there he could continue to draw a taxpayer-funded salary while spouting off on whatever angers him that day—and as a bonus, he even gets to overrule elected MPs if he wants.

We would offer only one piece of advice to the senator-in-waiting: keep the commentary domestic for a while.  When a senator starts bad-mouthing Russians, it’s a bit more troublesome than when a TV personality does it.

Don Cherry to introduce new mayor, eh [Toronto Star]
Don Cherry to introduce Rob Ford to Toronto council [Globe and Mail]
• Don Cherry to introduce Rob Ford at first council meeting [National Post]

(Images: City Hall by Peter Kudlacz, Ron and Don by Lucas Poirier.)