...and the Season Begins!
While it wasn't my favourite lineup of teams to watch, the CFL season kicked off with a Montreal victory over the dreaded Ti-Cats.
The game opened with the retiring of Mike Pringle's jersey. A bit of a prickly character, Mike was, but arguably one of the best running backs the League ever saw. For all of his flaws (real and perceived), he left the game with a couple of key records: the single-season rushing record - well over 2,000 yards - and the all-time rushing record: 16,500+ pretty damned impressive for a "passing" league.
Speaking of passing, the QBs were an interesting contrast. Danny McManus and Anthony Calvillo were almost at the opposite end of the spectrum. Danny Mac still has the fastest release this side of Dan Marino, but AC really kept the Alouettes marching down field. Hamilton did its best to stage a rally late in the 4th, but it just wasn't to be.
For the first game of the season, it was a surprisingly good effort on both sides.
All I know is that my Argos have their work cut out for them this season.
So far, I'm 1-0 in my pool. *grin*
11 comments:
Argoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooos!!
I am just sorry I missed the cheerleader tryouts. I personally could help them choose spirited, appealing personalities....
that happened to bounce correctly in the Skydome's lights!!!
Yes, I said SKYDOME. &^(*&^(*&^* Ted and all his damn money and audacity to buy the building my unpaid tax dollars went into for next to nothing AND change the name that everyone took a decade to get used to. No amount of cosmetic changes or stupid commericals or sad sack baseball will change that.
SKYDOME lives!
Goooooooooo Tiger-Cats.
I just like to be contrary.
1. Isn't Tiger Cats redundant, sort of like calling a team the Canine-Dogs?
2. I always thought you guys were wicked lucky, getting your football season to start so early.
3. What the hell is an argonaut?
4. Do the Alouettes call their plays in French? "Hut Une, Hut duex, Hut Trois." Or, furthermore, is football like everything else in Canada, and you have to call the plays in French and English?
Thank you. Just had to ask.
Larry: c'mere and let me beat you up. Oh wait, I already said that on my blog....
Kal: Actually, Montreal is trying really hard to ensure that all their players are bilingual. I'm not sure if the commentator does it in both english and french, but I'm assuming so. Who cares, though, because it's the Alouettes and they SUCK! And "what's an argonaut"? Hello?? Jason & the Argonauts? Remember the story?
Kal:
Welcome to CFL 101.
The Tiger-Cats were formed from old club teams (The Hamilton Tigers, and the Hamilton Wildcats) Yeah, it's a little redundant. Kinda like the New York Yankees. ;-)
Yeah, it's nice to have football in the summer, but I'd like to see a longer pre-season.
The Argonauts got their name from the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club, who put together a rugby/football team with the same name in 1873. The name comes from Greek mythology. Specifically, The Odyssey. Jason's boat was called 'Argo', hence his crew of warriors/rowers were called "Argonauts". "Naut" being the Greek word for "Voyager". e.g. "Astronaut" = "Star Voyager".
The Alouettes call their plays in English, because the majority of the players are English-speaking. However, they have made efforts to recruit bilingual players in order to connect with the Francophone community. However, the stadium announcer does his bit in English and French for the crowd (in accordance with Quebec's language laws as much as sensitivity to the crowd.)
I know that a few teams have some French-speaking players who will sometimes mess up opposing American players by calling audibles at the line to their French-speaking teammates.
FYI "Alouette" is the French word for "Lark".
Somewhere on cfl.ca there is a link to the US-based broadcast schedule if you can/want to catch a game.
Argonauts... oh god, duh... Well, that's a public school education for you.
I paid a lot of attention to the CFL back in high school (as a matter of fact, once you reminded me of the Ti-Cat thing I remembered it), back when Warren Moon and Deiter Brock came down here.
I sort of lost track of them in college, only to see that they had expanded to like sixteen or something, including a bunch of American teams (remember those offset jersy numbers on the Memphis team?). Now back down to eight, eh? Too bad.
Well, we've got local CFL flavor here, as many New Englanders followed the Flutie brothers in Canada, and now he plays for the Pats. (As he did in the late eighties. One of my only Pats games I've seen in person was Flutie against the Houston Oilers (RIP) in the final "scab" game during the 1987 strike.
So, is the cheer "Allez Alouettes!"
Argonauts... oh god, duh... Well, that's a public school education for you.
I paid a lot of attention to the CFL back in high school (as a matter of fact, once you reminded me of the Ti-Cat thing I remembered it), back when Warren Moon and Deiter Brock came down here.
I sort of lost track of them in college, only to see that they had expanded to like sixteen or something, including a bunch of American teams (remember those offset jersy numbers on the Memphis team?). Now back down to eight, eh? Too bad.
Well, we've got local CFL flavor here, as many New Englanders followed the Flutie brothers in Canada, and now he plays for the Pats. (As he did in the late eighties. One of my only Pats games I've seen in person was Flutie against the Houston Oilers (RIP) in the final "scab" game during the 1987 strike.
So, is the cheer "Allez Alouettes!"
Mossy's "Cliffie Moment" was brought to you by the CFL's Fan of the Game...
I really should pay more attention to the CFL. Always was a big Dave Dickenson fan...
Lots of good football players came out of Montana over the years to ply their trade in Canada. Al Wilson, Dave Dickenson, Mike Trevathan....just to name a few.
Kal, in reguards to your first comment, no one ever accuse canadians of being smart.
I am such a shit disturber
P-Shag: sorry, you are going to have to come down here although I haven't been spanked ina while
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