There are many Canadian Traditions including: July 1^st (Canada Day), Thanksgiving, and, the Grey Cup.

Sure there are many other prominent customary festivities, but the three aforementioned traditions have a way of rallying all Canadians together regardless if they live in a city such as Prince George or a province such as Prince Edward Island.

 

The Grey Cup is not just for football fans. It’s a party, a celebration, a special event, yes a bash.

 

It’s also about the best of the West battling the beasts of the East. Forget about counting calories, the last Sunday of November is a day to indulge, watch the biggest TV screen possible and together with family and/or friends, or quietly in one’s home put the feet up and relish the moment.

 

Whether one enjoys the CFL the Grey Cup is entertainment for the rich and poor, young and old, and healthy and ill.

This year there is added significance in that the Calgary vs. Toronto game in Toronto is the 100^th Grey Cup.

 

Expect a game that will be determined in the last few minutes as each of the past 14 Grey Cup games have been decided by 12 points or less.

 

The good news for Saskatchewan Roughriders fans is they don’t have to endure the agony of seeing their team in this year’s CFL final. Amazingly enough Saskatchewan is 3-15 in Grey Cup games for a paltry .167 winning percentage.

 

Compare that to this year’s participants as Toronto is 15-6 and Calgary is 6-6.

 

The Riders though have arguably competed in the two greatest Grey Cup games ever. On the bright side, there was the Saskatchewan 43-40 victory over Hamilton in 1989, the highest scoring GC ever that ended on a Dave Ridgway field goal.

On the sombre side, just three years ago, the 13^th man game reared its ugly head. Montreal beat the Riders 28-27 in 2009 on a last play 33-yard Damon Duval field goal. Duval appeared to be the goat after missing his first attempt, but was given a second chance because Saskatchewan had 13 players on the field.

 

That remarkable game was seen by 6.1 million Canadian viewers, making it the most-watched telecast in Canada for the year. How many other times occur when one in five Canadians are glued to the tube riveting with such emotion and passion?

50 years ago, the unforgettable Fog Bowl Grey Cup game was played in Toronto. It started December 1^st, was halted due to fog in the 4^th quarter and resumed December 2^nd with Winnipeg holding on for a 28-27 victory over Hamilton.

The B.C. Lions had an unforgettable victory in the 1994 Grey Cup game defeating the Baltimore Stallions 26-23 in Vancouver on a Lui Passaglia last-second field goal. It was the first time a US-based club would vie for the trophy. For that one day, the Lions became Canada’s team and fans throughout the nation took pride in ousting the Americans.

 

These kinds of games are classic moments that are part of Canadian culture and heritage. We need more of them.

The Stamps and Argos have met twice before in the Grey Cup. Calgary won in 1971 thanks to the infamous Leon McQuay late game fumble that preserved the Stampeders 14-11 victory in Vancouver. 

20 years later, in the first Grey Cup held in Winnipeg (temperature -16), it was Toronto, led by
Rocket Ismail, winning 36-21 over Wally Buono’s Stampeders. Ismail had an 87 yard kickoff return for a touchdown which remains the longest kickoff return in Grey Cup history.

 

Will this year’s Stampeders/Argos match-up live up to the hype? Probably not, but come Sunday, Canadians from all walks of life will attempt to ignore their hardships, have fun and band together focusing on the event.

And naturally, on the next day around all the water coolers in thousands of offices around the country, millions of Canadians will become experts and turn into Monday morning quarterbacks.

Isn’t that the nature of the game?

Oh, by the way, since you must know, I am forecasting a Stampeders victory by 10 points.

 

 

At an auction, a Maple Leafs fan purchased the team’s old Maple Leaf Gardens dressing room toilet. When he used a plunger to clean it, the last ten seasons came up.

 

 

A report says sex toys in Canada are flying off the shelves in the wake of the NHL lockout. One woman reportedly try to purchase Sean Avery.

 

 

 

Sex shops in Canada have seen a 15% growth in sales since the NHL lockout. Wonder if that’s been the case for such businesses the last 21 years on Grey Cup weekends in Winnipeg.

 

 

San Francisco has voted to ban public nudity. And in the “You can’t make this ‘stuff’ up, department”, the San Francisco Supervisor who originally proposed the public nudity ban? Scott Wiener. 

 

 

 

 

The Philadelphia 76ers have unveiled what they claim is the world’s biggest T-shirt cannon. The cannon can take more than 100 shots per minute, which still falls well short of the team record held by Allen Iverson.

 

 

A-Rod says he will approve a trade, as long as he doesn’t go to a team that wants to use him exclusively as a DH. As witnessed during the recent playoffs, it’s obvious that he still wants to play the field.

Yanks Nick Swisher has turned down their qualifying offer. He says other teams are more than willing to pay him handsomely for the privilege of having their fans booing him.

 

 

A Gallup report shows that Sunday is the day we spend the most time doing things we aren’t good at. Especially if you’re a Jacksonville Jaguar. 

A Pennsylvania man faces 25 years in prison for stealing lobsters to support a drug habit. Police arrested him for probable claws. 

Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com      

 

 

 

 

If pot activist Dana Larson is successful with a petition to decriminalize marijuana and the Province puts the question to B.C. voters, will that make it a "reefer-endum"?

Comedy writer (?) Elaine Meisner

 

 

A group of Venezuelans who said they were Olympic weightlifters on their way to Portugal were arrested at Buenos Aires, Argentina’s airport after body scanners found capsules of cocaine hidden in their stomachs.
What are they going to pose as next time: pro cyclists? a heavy metal band?