I watched the Grey Cup last night and was happy to see the Argos win with style. Odd that BC chose to go with the back-up quarterback, expecially as the other one won the league MVP. Dickenson's choke on two time delays ruining a two-point conversion opportunity followed my a missed kick for one point pretty much lost the game or at least blew the last opportunity for them to win the game. No rouge.
The Grey Cup always brings out memories. Colour TV at Mrs. Hawkins around 1972 watching Angelo Mosca and the Ti-cats win. The fact that once CBC and CVT used to both show the game at the same time - when Canada existed in a pre-cable, two channel universe. I was reminded of 1983 when I was in the Roost at Fish's above the library at Kings in the fall of third year. The Argos had not win since the 50s and our jumping up and down with every play sent the evening library staff up the stairs to tell us to be quiet. I don't think that we had considered the power of a librarian's shooshing powers to extend beyond the library. I was also reminded by my father, after a short funny bit on the broadcast with June Calderwood teaching the art of the field goal, that I had mooned her as a tot in a Toronto waterfront park in the summer 1965. She was in a lawnchair sunning. I was in a diaper half way down me arse on a breakaway from the picnic blanket. I apparently have a winter version of roughly the same story involving less skin, a toboggan and Allen MacPhee.
Nice as always to see someone my age win the game's MVP - the "other Allen" drilled some sweet passes and even the Argo back-up did well while he was in expecially with a very natty soft rainbow pass to the sideline. It was not all about the punt and field goal after all. Nice also to realize admitting you watch the CFL is not like admitting you lick cat feet.
If you have no clue what this is about, here is a link. Don't expect the diaper reference to be there.
Comments
Nils Ling - November 22, 2004 12:40 PM
I still think of Canadian Football as "real football" and anything else as a different (and lesser) game. I'm also delighted that the Argos won. This may be the first and last time I have said or will say that about any team that coes from Toronto. But damn, I like it when old guys rise up and smite the teams that cut them loose. And I think Mike "Pinball" Clemons is one of the truly nice guys and great role models in all of sport.
So now I'm forced to turn my attention to that American game, where time can run out as the players stand around in the huddle and eight 390 lb. linemen hunker over a ball as it slowly rolls to a stop because some wimp has waved his hand and said "Don't hit me, please don't hit me, I'm a punt returner." (sigh) It's something. But it ain't football.
David - November 22, 2004 3:35 PM
It was a good game. The Argo's backup QB carried them through the season, so I'm happy to see him on the field. I was cheering for the Argos and expected them to win: defense over offense in championships. BC threw the game away with a few stupid mistakes, but I guess this can be claimed of any win loss situation.
I'd prefer something about half-way between the American product an hours. 3 1/2 downs would be the way to go :-)
Alan - November 22, 2004 3:56 PM
One end at 55 yards and the other at 50.
portland - November 22, 2004 10:20 PM
nesn carried it here. whoopie. i loved it. oh to be in ottawa in november he says without a hint of irony.
portland - November 22, 2004 10:27 PM
and i had forgotten that bit about it being on both channels. do you remember how they used to run last years game in full on the cbc on saturday and we'd all sit and watch it in anticipation of sunday's game. and how about getting up early to park yourself in the front of the tv on sunday morning to watch the goings on during grey cup week in whatever city happened to be host that year. i could watch calgarians make pancakes forever.
portland - November 22, 2004 10:33 PM
and i dont like the argos one bit but be dammed if i'll ever cheer for the western division - well, maybe the blue bombers (what is a a blue bomber?) (did they go back to the west when the als came back? you tell me.) awww, i could go on and on. and for the record there's nothing so good as a good cfl game. none of this sissy four downs. you gotta throw the ball. you gotta catch the ball. but inversely there's nothing as bad as a bad cfl game. punt punt punt.
Alan - November 22, 2004 11:11 PM
That is exactly right. The west sucks. It sucked when the NHL had an east-west playoff. Except Saskatchewan as I like any team called Rough Riders <i>or</i> Roughriders. I loathed the Edmonton Eskimos (the Montreal Canadians of the 1970s off-ice world) and the BC Lions are like in a different league I like them so little. I want CFL stuff. Over 4 million watched - 12% of the population.
Alan - November 22, 2004 11:13 PM
The <i>BEST</i> CFL game was the 1977 or so western semi-final in which rugby style running punting back and forth broke out a number of times at the end in a mad attempt for the rouge.
Nils Ling - November 23, 2004 9:09 AM
I should make it clear that while I cheered for the Argos this year (for the first time in my life), I am and forever will be a Western CFL fan. Specifically, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (about whom I once wrote a best-selling book, and there - you learned something today).
For portland's edification, the Winnipegs (as they were first known) were re-named the Winnipeg Bombers in honour of the air squads operating out of the base in Winnipeg. When people in Detroit started referring to Joe Louis as "the Brown Bomber", a Winnipeg sports reporter named Vince Leah jumped on it and stuck the team with the nickname "The Blue Bombers". It seems to have taken.
Thus endeth today's lesson.
Alan - November 23, 2004 9:49 AM
One more fact. Labatt Blue is named after the team. It was Labatt Pilsner and, like a more successful version of the nickname "red label" for Oland's Ex, became so nicknamed by Blue Bomber fans who drank it. The brewery picked it up. I now have to remember this evening to check that reference in a text book I have. Here, at least, is a rumour to the same effect.