Years ago, when he was trying to get himself traded by the Blue Bombers, star quarterback Dieter Brock called me to deride the city of Winnipeg.
“It’s so boring,” he said. “And it’s so ridiculously flat. And, once you go to the park and the zoo here, there’s nothing else to do. And, Marty, please make sure you quote me as saying all this in the paper.”
I did, sure enough. And Dieter was, sure enough, traded.
And Winnipeg, sure enough, still is flat — although that’s not exactly what comes to your mind when you see the waitresses at Earl’s. I mean, wow! I digress, but, hey, this is Grey Cup week in Winnipeg, and there really shouldn’t be anything that can be construed as boring.
Except, perhaps, the game itself. I mean, seriously, there’s at least a reasonable chance that Sunday’s championship showdown could be much like too manyof the CFL’s games were this season — dull, one-sided and all but officially over by halftime.
The B.C. Lions, after all, are favoured by as many as eight points in some book shops, and the line’s increasing as the week progresses. The consensus is that the Montreal Alouettes aren’t in the same class as the Lions. The perception is that the Lions are superior to the Als in virtually every category and, therefore, a cakewalk is in store.
Consider the coaching matchup. B.C.’s Wally Buono has probably coached in more CFL games than Montreal’s Jim Popp has seen. Buono owns a regular-season record of 202-102-2. Popp’s regular-season record is, um, 2-3.
In receiver Geroy Simon, the Lions feature the CFL’s top weapon, a fact that will be punctuated tonight when he is identified as the league’s outstanding player. During the same event, it’ll be announced that B.C. defensive end Brent Johnson is both the premier defensive player and finest Canadian in the league.
The list goes on and on, although some suggest the Als have the edge at the game’s most important position — QB —partly because Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo has won a Grey Cup, while B.C.’s Dave Dickenson never has as a starter.
“Dave’s due,” Simon assured reporters. “He keeps saying this is his year, and, not to sound cocky, but we think he’s right.”
Sunday’s forecast favours the Lions, too. They’re a dome team, so inclement weather could damage their chances, but it’s supposed to be sunny at kickoff, with a high of 0 C. No sign of snow, either.
