- It is a little far afield, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 13th man has to be the biggest twist ending in Grey Cup history.
What else is there, in terms of a game where defeat was turned into victory and the fallout is going to linger? Nineteen ninety-six comes to mind, where the Edmonton Eskimos got robbed by a quick whistle on a Doug Flutie fumble late in the game, or '71 when the Toronto Argonauts' Leon McQuay laid it on the ground in the final two minutes. The two games in the 1970s where Tony Gabriel (with Hamilton in '72 and Ottawa in '76) burned the 'Riders in the final minute also come to mind.
One irony: All the talk about the CFL's import ratio and the need for Canadian talent and an American placekicker decides the game. Damon Duval even thanked "the man upstairs," but he could have just been talking about his father-in-law, Als president Larry Smith. - The Toronto Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets is revelling in a team triumphant, for a change.
- Dan McCullough, a tight end on the '92 Queen's team, says he now realizes what his parents went through during that run. It's all about family. (Belleville Intelligencer)
- There were no "rah-rah" speeches in the Golden Gaels locker room at halftime of the Vanier Cup, relates D-lineman John Festeryga. (Windsor Star)
- Queen's coach Pat Sheahan paid tribute to the late Gaels coach and booster Hal "Moose" McCarney following the Vanier Cup: "He's the one who wanted me to come here ... I hope he's a happy guy right now. He's a big part of everything I did over the last 10 years here." (Kingston Whig-Standard)
- Special teamers Matt Ritchie and John Widgett are two of the Soo's favourite sons today. Along with Thunder Bay's Frank Pankiewich, it was a pretty good season for the Gaels' northern Ontario continent, (Sault Star)
- Queen's principal Daniel Woolf was also in attendance (as a student) for the 1978 team's win. Woolf and Always OUA's Chris Lund were quoted in the same article about the Golden Gaels' fan support. You'll have to read it to find out which of them was wearing an army helmet painted yellow. (The Queen's Journal)
- "Dinos fall to Queen's of the ball" is an all-time groaner of a headline, but that's how it rolls at Sun Media.
Not even Dante could conceive of an inferno for cheesy-headline-loving copy editors, and that's coming from someone who's been on both ends. (Calgary Sun)
- St. Thomas forward Jason Cassidy's latest column is the culture of CIS hockey: "There’s nowhere to go and no one to impress but the guy sitting across from you." (The Hockey News)
Basketball
- The headline, "Foul costs Mac loss to Ravens" might be laying on a little thick. Carleton beat McMaster 83-74 on Saturday after late fourth-quarter technicals on the Marauders' Ryan Christie and coach Joe Raso following the centre's fifth foul helped Carleton take a six-point lead out to ten.
The rub is McMaster's shooting turned cold for a stretch earlier in the quarter, plus as Dave Smart noted, Carleton had players cooling their heels with foul trouble. There are two sides, and a lot of people will tell you officiating in men's basketball has not kept pace with the calibre of play. (Hamilton Spectator)
So who will end up with the next CFL franchise? The Maritimes (I saw as many Atlantic Schooners fans yesterday as Als fans) or Ottawa?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, the Ottawa bid is hampered by certain city counselors who've acted in a dishonest and selfish manner during the sordid Lansdowne Live affair.
Too bad -- always loved Lansdowne.
All aspects of the game must be focused on to elevate the calibre and its absolutely true that the officiated of CIS basketball is horrible. Is there no way to improve this?
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