The 105th Grey Cup goes on Sunday in Ottawa when the heavily-favoured Calgary Stampeders take on the supposedly lowly and outclassed Toronto Argonauts. Sound familiar?
Remember last year when the Cup was supposed to be automatically mailed out to Cowtown but no one told the Ottawa Redblacks that, so they went out and quietly took Governor General Lord Grey's mug back to our nation's capital.
That won't happen a second time, take the Stamps by at least 14 points.
The Argos booked their ticket to the show when they narrowly defeated the Jolly Green Giants from Saskatchewan in a thriller while the Alberta boys received their invitation to the dance after they beat their provincial rivals from Edmonton.
Field Goal? Doh!
In the "What on earth were you thinking" department, we saw one of the poorest coaching decisions in many years when the Eskies' coach, Jason Moss, down by 5 points chose to kick a field goal instead of gambling on 3rd and 4 from the Stampeders 16-yard line with only a couple of minutes left in the game.
Yes, he got his three points but his offence never saw the pigskin again, and it was game, set and match. The only worse football coaching decision I can think of has to be Pete Carroll's (Seattle Seahawks) "brain fart" a few years ago when they were on the New England Patriots 2-yard line, with only a few second to go in a playoff game, and instead of Marshawn Lynch easily running it in, they chose to throw a pass, which was promptly intercepted, sealing a Patriots' win and a trip to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have never been the same since!
If you have never heard of Carson Wentz, you will soon.The sophomore Philadelphia Eagles' QB has his team in 1st place with a 9-1 record, everything's coming up roses for him plus whenever you are mentioned in the same breath as Tom Brady, as far as possible NFL MVP, you're doing something right.
Not too bad for a young man who two years ago was slinging "snow balls" for the University of North Dakota Bisons.
Virden Hockey Update
The VCI Golden Bears held their annual hockey tournament last weekend and the five-team round robin event was once again a big hit. NPC (Northlands Parkway Collegiate from Winkler) won the tournament going undefeated while the host Bears played well, going 3-1.
The Bears (4-1 in league play) go to Reston (aka Melita, Elkhorn) tomorrow night before returning to host the Souris Sabres a week from tonight.
Virden's Wyatt Kalynuk and his University of Wisconsin Badgers hockey team are off to a very good start in the Big 10, sporting a 3-2-1 Conference record and an 8-5-2 overall record.The rising star freshman defenceman, who played in the USHL the last two seasons, has earned the trust of head coach and former NHLer Tony Granato, which has resulted in an increase in ice time, especially on the power play where he excels, picking up three assists in the last game against the Michigan Wolverines.
Calgary Olympics
By Monday, Calgary city council has a major decision to make, and it already has the city divided, bringing many raw emotions to the forefront.
The Calgary Olympic Bid Committee has already spent $5 million preparing their package for the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and now it wants two more big ones to continue on to the next stage.
Many Calgarians want no part in what they see as a total waste of resources, time and most importantly, their tax money, citing the high cost of the Winter Olympics they hosted back in 1988, not to mention the more recent money pits of Sochi, Russia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And they're absolutelyright!
Trivia Question: Only ONE Olympic Games in modern history has ever turned a profit, so name that Olympics.
Jets Hockey
When will the Winnipeg Jets learn that it's awful tough to score from the penalty box.As in previous seasons, they are near the top in penalty minutes and because of this "affliction", they continue to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot, time after time.
When or IF they ever learn to control their emotions and play smarter (are you listening Paul Maurice?) they just might make the playoffs and do some damage because they do have the talent but until then, it'll be just wishful thinking on their part and their many faithful fans who deserve better.
Trivia answer: The Los Angeles Summer Games in 1984 and only because it was so heavily branded with sponsorships, hence its nickname the "McDonalds" Olympics. Trust the Americans, eh?
Until next time....
