Like most of America, my family has gathered around the television set this afternoon to watch the traditional Labor Day Canadian Football League doubleheader on the NBC Sports Network. Earlier today, my 3-year-old daughter rooted on the blue-and-white Toronto Argonauts as they pulled out a 33-30, come-from-behind victory over my black-and-gold Hamilton Tiger Cats (or, "Ti-cats" for short). Now we've got the black-and-red Calgary Stampeders having drawn first blood against the green-and-yellow Edmonton Eskimos in the nightcap. It will be interesting to see which of these uniforms appeals to the girl when she wakes up from her nap. Whatever, it's good to have withstood these dry, dark weeks since the end of the Summer Olympics and tune back in to our old broadcast friend, NBCSN.
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The Stampeders' big star is Jerome Messam, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound running back who was named last season's "Most Outstanding Canadian" in the CFL but failed to crack the roster of the NFL's Miami Dolphins this summer. I have no idea if Jerome Messam is skilled or fast enough to play in the NFL, but, man, I would've loved to have seen a 6-foot-3, 245-pound running back getting some carries for the Dolphins this fall.
ReplyDeleteCanada Post's CFL stamps are AWESOME!
Check that ... Messam is the Eskimos' big star.
DeleteThis actually is a big tradition.
ReplyDeleteFor the 47th time in their history, the Stampeders will be facing their provincial rivals the Edmonton Eskimos at McMahon Stadium in the Labour Day Classic, presented by Jayman.
The Stampeders have a defensive back, Derrius Brooks, from WKU, so I'm firmly in Calgary's camp.
ReplyDeleteCalgary's coach is John Hufnagel, Penn State's quarterback in its 1972 Cotton Bowl romp over Texas.
ReplyDeleteCanada Post's Stampeders stamp features the 1948 Grey Cup champions: "A perfect season: The year 1948, was perhaps the greatest season in Stamps history, the Stamps became the only professional Canadian football team ever to achieve a perfect season with a record of 12–0 and capping the year with a Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. It was also during that same Grey Cup festival that Calgary fans brought pageantry to the game and made it into a national celebration, featuring pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, starting the Grey Cup parade and even riding horses in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel."
ReplyDeleteBig names in Stampeders history include Jim Finks and Doug Flutie.
ReplyDeleteEdmonton and Calgary are slugging it out in the middle of the West Division.
ReplyDeleteCurrent CFL West Division standings:
British Columbia Lions 6-3 (12 points)
Edmonton Eskimos 5-3 (10)
Calgary Stampeders 4-4 (8)
Saskatchewan Roughriders 4-5 (8)
East Division:
Montreal Alouettes 6-3 (12)
Toronto Argonauts 5-4 (10)
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 3-6 (6)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2-7 (4)
Here's how the CFL playoffs work?
Last season's champions were the B.C. Lions, who beat the Blue Bombers, 34-23, in the 99th Grey Cup in Vancouver. Both teams were tops seeds from their divisions. The Eskimos beat the Stampeders, 33-19, in the West semifinal last year.
ReplyDeleteAnd this time it's my Stampeders winning, 31-30, against my daughter's Eskimos. Looks like Calgary and Edmonton (both 5-4 and a game back of defending-champion British Columbia) are veering toward another collision in the West Division semifinal.
ReplyDeleteThis concludes the HP's coverage of the CFL for this season. We pray for the good fortune of being able to check in next Labour Day on who ended up winning the 2012 Grey Cup and whether Jerome Messam's CFL performance suggests he would've helped the Miami Dolphins win Super Bowl XLVII by an even greater margin. Dear Lord, please bring us all--the CFL, the NFL, Canada and the United States, the HP, the fam and me--happily and healthily through another year.