The B.C. Lions and Calgary Stampeders have been established as co-favourites to capture the CFL championship in the 2007 season, which kicks off tomorrow night.
Odds on both teams to win the Grey Cup are 3-to-1, according to The Greek Sportsbook (www.thegreek.com).
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, at 4.5-to-1, are favoured out of the Eastern Division, followed by the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts, both at 5-to-1.
Cup odds on the Saskatchewan Roughriders are 6-to-1. Then come the Edmonton Eskimos at 12-to-1 and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 20-to-1.
Pssst: Hamilton won’t be all that bad this season.
•The Stamps seem strong, but team members are concerned about shaky pre-season performances from first-string quarterback Henry Burris. They fear a QB controversy is inevitable.
Backup Akili Smith, formerly a high-profile flop in the NFL, “looks good and has won his share of supporters in the (locker) room,” a Calgary player tells me. “Hank’s a great guy, but there’s no question Smith had the better camp and, realistically, he should be starting.”
• The wish from new commissioner Mark Cohon is for there to be stability in the CFL and for players to be easily identifiable for fans, but that can’t really happen with the massive number of roster changes that have occurred.
Even the champion Lions have eight new faces in their lineup. The Eskimos have — brace yourself — 20 newcomers, including eight starting on defence.
• Major records are on the verge of being set in both MLB and the CFL, but what a difference there is in mentality.
While Hank Aaron is trying to ignore the irascible Barry Bonds, who’s about to erase his home-run record, George Reed is heaping praise on a consummate professional, Milt Stegall, who’s set to erase his record for CFL touchdowns.
Stegall is a TD shy of the record of 137, shared by Reed and Mike Pringle, and could make history as soon as tomorrow night, when the Blue Bombers open in Edmonton.
• NBA sources are convinced now that Vince Carter will pass on the free-agent market and will re-sign soon — for megabucks, of course — with the New Jersey Nets … Victoria “Posh” Beckham, believe it or not, is being lined up as a cheerleader for hubby David’s new soccer team, the LA Galaxy. The club actually has persuaded the former Spice Girl to wave pom-poms and do sideline splits at home games … According to the Harris Interactive Poll, Tiger Woods remains the world’s most popular athlete, just ahead of Derek Jeter, while Serena Williams has displaced sister Venus as the No. 1 female star.
