Post by blackthorne on Nov 23, 2007 13:38:59 GMT -5
The Winnipeg SUN rarely prints anything worth repeating,
but today, there's a great article on the Grey Cup game.... and if you weren't pumped up about the game yet, this article would surely do it for you.
source: www.winnipegsun.com/Sports/Football/2007/11/23/4679440-sun.html
Brace yourself for the perfect CFL storm
By TED WYMAN
One of the greatest sports stories in Winnipeg's history is unfolding before our very eyes.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the Grey Cup after an unlikely road win over the Toronto Argonauts and are set to do battle with none other than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are both their fiercest rivals and closest compatriots in Canadian football.
The Bombers and Riders meeting in a Grey Cup is a perfect storm. In fact, given it has never happened before in 94 years worth of national championships makes a once-in-a-lifetime tempest seem like no big deal.
These are the CFL's two most downtrodden franchises, proud as they and their fans may be. They are two of the three remaining community-owned teams and they hold the longest two Grey Cup droughts in the league.
The Bombers haven't won it all since 1990, the Riders since 1989. The Roughriders have only two Grey Cup titles in their history, the Bombers only three since 1963.
They are teams from the heartland of football that have found ways to lose over the years while franchises from indifferent locales like Toronto have piled up the championships.
But here they come together, brothers in arms in a way, converging on Toronto for a Prairie Classic that few people could have predicted.
Having lived and worked in the newspaper industry in both provinces, I can assure you that the Bombers and Riders are on pinnacles when it comes to their status on the sports hierarchy.
Unlike Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, there are no NHL teams to steal the headlines or divide the fan's devotion. While the CFL often gets second-rate attention in other markets, Winnipeg and Regina are football cities through and through and that makes this Grey Cup more meaningful than any other in recent memory.
It's a huge story -- and an even bigger party -- every year when the Bombers and Riders meet on Labour Day in Regina. Now take that atmosphere, add the on-field intensity and multiply by 1,000. What you've got is the potential for one of the most memorable Grey Cups in history.
They'll celebrate in the streets of one of the cities come Sunday night, with no less fervour than if the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens were to win the Stanley Cup.
They'll party with Prairie pride in Toronto this weekend, displaying the essence of Canadian football to a city that long ago left the CFL for dead.
The fans and players will show that the CFL is a vibrant league with passionate fans who believe in the tradition and glory of the Grey Cup.
The only downside to all this is the fact that the Riders are favoured by a whopping 11 1/2 points, almost entirely due to the fact that the Bombers have a quarterback who has started as many CFL games as yours truly.
Had Kevin Glenn not broken his arm last Sunday, this game would have been a toss-up and almost certainly would have been a battle to the finish. That's less likely now, though people down in Boise, Idaho, are describing Bombers replacement Ryan Dinwiddie as a cross between Doug Flutie, Joe Montana and God.
The very fact that Dinwiddie is starting this game and is acting like it's his destiny to win has provided Grey Cup media with one of the juiciest storylines of all time.
Who knows? The kid might pull it off, win a championship in his first professional start and make headlines and highlight reels across the continent.
That would make this already great sports story, even better.
but today, there's a great article on the Grey Cup game.... and if you weren't pumped up about the game yet, this article would surely do it for you.
source: www.winnipegsun.com/Sports/Football/2007/11/23/4679440-sun.html
Brace yourself for the perfect CFL storm
By TED WYMAN
One of the greatest sports stories in Winnipeg's history is unfolding before our very eyes.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the Grey Cup after an unlikely road win over the Toronto Argonauts and are set to do battle with none other than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are both their fiercest rivals and closest compatriots in Canadian football.
The Bombers and Riders meeting in a Grey Cup is a perfect storm. In fact, given it has never happened before in 94 years worth of national championships makes a once-in-a-lifetime tempest seem like no big deal.
These are the CFL's two most downtrodden franchises, proud as they and their fans may be. They are two of the three remaining community-owned teams and they hold the longest two Grey Cup droughts in the league.
The Bombers haven't won it all since 1990, the Riders since 1989. The Roughriders have only two Grey Cup titles in their history, the Bombers only three since 1963.
They are teams from the heartland of football that have found ways to lose over the years while franchises from indifferent locales like Toronto have piled up the championships.
But here they come together, brothers in arms in a way, converging on Toronto for a Prairie Classic that few people could have predicted.
Having lived and worked in the newspaper industry in both provinces, I can assure you that the Bombers and Riders are on pinnacles when it comes to their status on the sports hierarchy.
Unlike Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, there are no NHL teams to steal the headlines or divide the fan's devotion. While the CFL often gets second-rate attention in other markets, Winnipeg and Regina are football cities through and through and that makes this Grey Cup more meaningful than any other in recent memory.
It's a huge story -- and an even bigger party -- every year when the Bombers and Riders meet on Labour Day in Regina. Now take that atmosphere, add the on-field intensity and multiply by 1,000. What you've got is the potential for one of the most memorable Grey Cups in history.
They'll celebrate in the streets of one of the cities come Sunday night, with no less fervour than if the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens were to win the Stanley Cup.
They'll party with Prairie pride in Toronto this weekend, displaying the essence of Canadian football to a city that long ago left the CFL for dead.
The fans and players will show that the CFL is a vibrant league with passionate fans who believe in the tradition and glory of the Grey Cup.
The only downside to all this is the fact that the Riders are favoured by a whopping 11 1/2 points, almost entirely due to the fact that the Bombers have a quarterback who has started as many CFL games as yours truly.
Had Kevin Glenn not broken his arm last Sunday, this game would have been a toss-up and almost certainly would have been a battle to the finish. That's less likely now, though people down in Boise, Idaho, are describing Bombers replacement Ryan Dinwiddie as a cross between Doug Flutie, Joe Montana and God.
The very fact that Dinwiddie is starting this game and is acting like it's his destiny to win has provided Grey Cup media with one of the juiciest storylines of all time.
Who knows? The kid might pull it off, win a championship in his first professional start and make headlines and highlight reels across the continent.
That would make this already great sports story, even better.