Post by WpgJets2008 on Nov 25, 2008 10:28:27 GMT -5
I didn't come home empty-handed after all
By: Doug Brown
25/11/2008 WFP
www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/35052124.html
Now that I've been to four Grey Cups, played in two and watched two others, it's time for me to air my impressions in this latest version of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," Montreal style for the Coupe de Grey Numero 96.
"ö THE GOOD -- The winner of this category, above all else, has to go to the people I encountered at the Grey Cup. Whether it was the infamous Winnipeg quadrant of the "Ryan brothers" I bumped into in the hotel lobby (Ryan Coke, Ryan Seven, Ryan Water and Ryan Beer), the 66,000 fans with their own version of Dancing Gabe that packed the stadium as poorly facilitated as ours, or any of the hundreds of fans I interacted with at anyone of my appearances at CN, Amp Energy Drink and Nissan, CFL fans are a different breed all unto themselves and define the Grey Cup experience.
Unlike the Super Bowl, the Grey Cup is not a near exclusionary corporate event unattainable to the average fan.
Not only can fans from all across Canada afford to attend the Grand National Drunk but they have access to a host of social events and many of their favourite players.
Best quote of the week, in my opinion, went hands down to Wally Buono of the B.C. Lions on the night of the CFL player awards. As coach Buono walked past my table and greeted myself, Scott Flory, and kicker Sandro DeAngelis he remarked to Sandro that: "Isn't it nice how the league seated you with some of the real football players, too?" Priceless.
"ö THE BAD -- There were a few things that were bad in my opinion but that is mainly because I still compare each and every Grey Cup I attend to the gold standard that was set in Winnipeg in 2006, but like all criticisms, what's the point unless they are constructive, so here are the solutions as well.
Let's start with the VIP transport. First and foremost, let's stop using the precursor of "VIP" to describe it. Let's just refer to it like it is, a free, free-for-all cab ride with CFL stickers adorned to it. I don't know how many cars there were -- I heard anywhere from 16 to 60 -- or how many people were supposed to have access to them -- seemingly all 66,000 attendees at the game -- but something needs to be done about this save for the drivers who were volunteers and very courteous.
My proposal: If the CFL determines your daily schedule to be important enough for such a transport service to get to, say, I dunno, the children's hospital within an hour of when you were supposed to be there, then they issue you a nice little card that you can keep in your wallet and present to the driver. No card, no ride. Problem solved.
"ö THE UGLY -- I had to save this category for all my fine-looking companions at a dinner where the only ugly thing was my expression and the bill that was picked up by people far wealthier than I.
On Friday, the night after the award show, I had the misfortune of attending a dinner at the finest steak and seafood restaurant in Montreal with a group of people with far too much money and creative energy on their hands. As it turns out, it was not lost on Gene Dunn, Ken Hidahl, Lyle Bauer and David Asper that this was in fact the third consecutive CFL awards show that I had come in second at, or as Asper likes to remind me care of Talladega Nights -- "If you're not first you're last."
So these fine gentlemen decided they would have most of the wait staff at the restaurant interrupt my lobster gorging and present me with my own special trophy close to the dimensions of the actual CFL award.
It had an inscription that read "The Doug Brown Runner-up Again Award" for 2006, 2007 and 2008, to which Lyle Bauer followed with a press release to Ed Tait at the Free Press, fictitiously quoting me as to how, "I was completely underwhelmed by the award and was looking forward to continuing at the level of mediocrity I had set the standard for."
Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to hire a jester to fittingly blow up balloon animals for these clowns, but I will be consulting Wade Miller and the evil empire in the near future for retribution ideas and the execution of such.
Doug Brown, always a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press.
~~~
Editor's Notes: Good on the Bomber brass for recognizing how much Brown means to their future success. Adding some humour to a tough situation of getting left 3 straight years as 2nd choice was a great way to handle it too!
Chris
By: Doug Brown
25/11/2008 WFP
www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/35052124.html
Now that I've been to four Grey Cups, played in two and watched two others, it's time for me to air my impressions in this latest version of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," Montreal style for the Coupe de Grey Numero 96.
"ö THE GOOD -- The winner of this category, above all else, has to go to the people I encountered at the Grey Cup. Whether it was the infamous Winnipeg quadrant of the "Ryan brothers" I bumped into in the hotel lobby (Ryan Coke, Ryan Seven, Ryan Water and Ryan Beer), the 66,000 fans with their own version of Dancing Gabe that packed the stadium as poorly facilitated as ours, or any of the hundreds of fans I interacted with at anyone of my appearances at CN, Amp Energy Drink and Nissan, CFL fans are a different breed all unto themselves and define the Grey Cup experience.
Unlike the Super Bowl, the Grey Cup is not a near exclusionary corporate event unattainable to the average fan.
Not only can fans from all across Canada afford to attend the Grand National Drunk but they have access to a host of social events and many of their favourite players.
Best quote of the week, in my opinion, went hands down to Wally Buono of the B.C. Lions on the night of the CFL player awards. As coach Buono walked past my table and greeted myself, Scott Flory, and kicker Sandro DeAngelis he remarked to Sandro that: "Isn't it nice how the league seated you with some of the real football players, too?" Priceless.
"ö THE BAD -- There were a few things that were bad in my opinion but that is mainly because I still compare each and every Grey Cup I attend to the gold standard that was set in Winnipeg in 2006, but like all criticisms, what's the point unless they are constructive, so here are the solutions as well.
Let's start with the VIP transport. First and foremost, let's stop using the precursor of "VIP" to describe it. Let's just refer to it like it is, a free, free-for-all cab ride with CFL stickers adorned to it. I don't know how many cars there were -- I heard anywhere from 16 to 60 -- or how many people were supposed to have access to them -- seemingly all 66,000 attendees at the game -- but something needs to be done about this save for the drivers who were volunteers and very courteous.
My proposal: If the CFL determines your daily schedule to be important enough for such a transport service to get to, say, I dunno, the children's hospital within an hour of when you were supposed to be there, then they issue you a nice little card that you can keep in your wallet and present to the driver. No card, no ride. Problem solved.
"ö THE UGLY -- I had to save this category for all my fine-looking companions at a dinner where the only ugly thing was my expression and the bill that was picked up by people far wealthier than I.
On Friday, the night after the award show, I had the misfortune of attending a dinner at the finest steak and seafood restaurant in Montreal with a group of people with far too much money and creative energy on their hands. As it turns out, it was not lost on Gene Dunn, Ken Hidahl, Lyle Bauer and David Asper that this was in fact the third consecutive CFL awards show that I had come in second at, or as Asper likes to remind me care of Talladega Nights -- "If you're not first you're last."
So these fine gentlemen decided they would have most of the wait staff at the restaurant interrupt my lobster gorging and present me with my own special trophy close to the dimensions of the actual CFL award.
It had an inscription that read "The Doug Brown Runner-up Again Award" for 2006, 2007 and 2008, to which Lyle Bauer followed with a press release to Ed Tait at the Free Press, fictitiously quoting me as to how, "I was completely underwhelmed by the award and was looking forward to continuing at the level of mediocrity I had set the standard for."
Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to hire a jester to fittingly blow up balloon animals for these clowns, but I will be consulting Wade Miller and the evil empire in the near future for retribution ideas and the execution of such.
Doug Brown, always a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press.
~~~
Editor's Notes: Good on the Bomber brass for recognizing how much Brown means to their future success. Adding some humour to a tough situation of getting left 3 straight years as 2nd choice was a great way to handle it too!
Chris