Winnipeg v Saskatchewan

[Mac the Knife]

Jesus... I'm sorry, but I just can't comprehend that. You've just given up 2 points, putting yourself in a position where a touchdown and XP ties it, and a 2-pointer can cost you the league championship.

Without those safeties, right now it's in all likelihood a 23-10 game - out of reach. Sheesh.

[Breakwood]

I totally agree with you...I guess Saskatchewan doesn't have much faith in their defence.

[Mac the Knife]

23-19 now with 3 minutes left. Saskatchewan gives up a touchdown somehow, and they lose, all thanks to three deliberate safeties. If the 'Riders lose and I were in charge of the club, the entire coaching staff would be fired.

You NEVER intentionally give up points unless the outcome of the game has long been decided (i.e., the score's 56-3 with :45 to go in the 4th).

[Mac the Knife]

James Johnson, Grey Cup MVP.

[Roger Clemente]

RIDERS WIN!!!

SUCK IT, GOLD LOSERS!!!

[rams80]

Congratulations to Saskatchewan.

[DEAD!]

Congrats to the Riders!

[Mac the Knife]

Do you believe that on the 'Riders web site, they're ALREADY taking requests for Grey Cup appearances?

Someone in the IT department was hopeful... LOL

[Ez Street]

Has GMac shat himself?

Oh, I know his cheerleading ass is out partying.

Congrats Riders, my second favorite CFL team.

[Spezza19]

yeah, Saskatchewan won!

[NorthStar74]

I can say that game last night was the best I ever saw... man still I was rooting hard for Winnipeg.. but Saskatchewan deserved to be called Grey Cup Champions...my congratulations to them, especially their coach Ken Austin.. man he did a great job in just his first year of head coaching in the CFL!!! I'm envious with green now at the Roughriders.. but they must be really more determined than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win the Grey Cup after 18 years of no Cup... wow.. now next year I sure as hell hope both Sask and Wpg will get back to the Grey Cup (that game to be held in Montreal) and this time Winnipeg will win..

[Phil]

Yep, we lost.

Congrats to the Green Riders, they have a great team that deserved every accolade they got.

I said before the game that the difference between the two teams was that Saskatchewan could win while playing a less-than-perfect game, while Winnipeg would have to be as close to perfect as possible to win. That held to be true, although the Bombers almost proved me wrong.

Ryan Dinwiddie played his heart out and, given his inexperience, I really can't fault him too much. Did the 4 turnovers (3 INTs and a fumble) cost us the game? In large part, yes, but he also held his cool and played as well as one could expect. He's the first QB ever to start his first game in the championship (NFL or CFL), and at the midway point of the 2nd quarter, I'm guessing not a lot of people could tell which QB was the MOP and which one was the first-time starter.

The truly heartbreaking thing for me is that Milt Stegall will end his career without a Grey Cup. The man has been nothing less than the dream superstar - unstoppable athlete with a winning smile, charismatic nature, and a commitment to the community that is second to none. The man is an ambassador of my team, my city, and my league, and deserved to go out on top. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Will this affect his legacy? I don't think so. Call me ignorant, but could I tell you how many Grey Cups Ron Lancaster won? Nope. Could I tell you how many Cups George Reed won? Nope. Could I tell you how many Grey Cups Mervyn Fernandez won? Nope. Could I tell you who is number one in receiving yards? Yes (Allen Pitts). Could I tell you who's no. 2 in TDs (after Stegall)? Yep (the aforementioned Reed and Mike Pringle).

Stegall will live on in the memories of Blue Bomber and CFL fans everywhere as quite possibly the G.O.A.T. at the non-QB position, a player who did things no CFLer had done before. His best years were with the best QBs he was paired with - Khari Jones and Kevin Glenn - but those QBs would be no match for extended stints with Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia (as Pitts had). No, Milt Stegall legacy will not be defined by the amount of rings he owns, but the amount of times he made a play that caused jaws to hit the floor and crowds leap to their feet (or, conversely, to sit back in dejection - see: Edmonton, circa July 20, 2006).

I really enjoyed my time in Toronto. Seeing the Bisons winning the Vanier Cup was really cool, and it's a wonderful thing for Coach Dobie and the boys from my alma mater. Seeing the Toronto sights again was a lot of fun. Seeing the Raptors beat the Bulls was great. And seeing the passion of a great CFL rivalry on the game's biggest stage was something I'll not soon forget.

I was indelibly impacted by the passion of the Rider Nation - truly impressed by their commitment to their team. I can say without in any way compromising my devotion to my Blue & Gold - the Roughriders have the best fans in the CFL. (Having said that, I feel dirty enough to have to take a shower.) I sat surrounded by a number of green-clad fans - a family of four (two cute, brainwashed children and their parents) in front of me, some Argo fans/Rider-fans-for-the-weekend to my right, and Roughrider punter (and fellow UofM alumnus) Jamie Boreham's family behind me. And I can honestly say, I had a lot of fun. I cheered my lungs out for the Big Blue, they collectively outcheered me (barely) for the Green and White, and it made for a great atmosphere. I was really upset at the loss, but even in their jubilation, they were nothing but classy all the way, and I think we all were left with a greater mutual sense of admiration for the passion and love we have for our respective teams.

Congrats, Coach Austin, Kerry Joseph, James Johnson, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and all of Rider Nation. You earned your third Grey Cup.

Us Bomber fans are left to dream about what might have been if MOP runner-up Kevin Glenn and star defensive back Juran Bolden (and even star receiver Matt Dominguez of Saskatchewan) had been active and healthy - what was already a great game might have been even more of a classic - but alas, history isn't so kind as to allow any realization of such musings.

Life goes on, the winners celebrate, the losers mourn, and everyone remembers that come next April, we're all undefeated again.

[CC97]

The CN Tower was lit up green after the game in honour of the Roughriders win

[Phil]

Yeah, it was... would've looked better in blue and yellow.

Oh, and as a Christmas gift to myself (and to help ease the pain - materialism is the best medicine ), today I purchased a retro Blue Jays cap and Blue Jays jersey with Carter 29 on the back. I can say that I wasn't here in T.O. to celebrate an '07 Blue Bombers triumph, I was just 14 years and 2 months late to celebrate an '03 Blue Jays triumph.

[DEAD!]

Yeah, it was... would've looked better in blue and yellow.

Oh, and as a Christmas gift to myself (and to help ease the pain - materialism is the best medicine ), today I purchased a retro Blue Jays cap and Blue Jays jersey with Carter 29 on the back. I can say that I wasn't here in T.O. to celebrate an '07 Blue Bombers triumph, I was just 14 years and 2 months late to celebrate an '03 Blue Jays triumph.

.... ummmm you mean '93... oh, but there was blue in that pic.... just not on the CN Tower.

Has GMac shat himself?

Oh, I know his cheerleading ass is out partying.

... oh, I must have forgotten about him being in Riders cheer squad. I watched them perform Saturday at the convention centre. There were plenty of Rider fans out there. You can tell who they are, heck, you didn't have to point and say, "Hey, those are Riders fans" they would just point themselves out.

[winghaz]

Saskatchewan won? Arright!

My friends in Lions from Saskatchewan are sure going to be happy when we have our convention in June. (For the Lions clubs, North Dakota, South Dakota and Saskatchewan are all in one multiple district, and I have made lots of friends from Saskatchewan.)

[GMac]

I was on and coached the U of R team... alot of the rider cheerleaders are former teammates of mine... i was pretty psyched for them that would have been awesome to be there... as for shatting my self... i was pretty worried our offense looked offensive... thank god kerry can run and our defense picked up the slack... just wish i was home to witness this not the bush... sigh...

[Viper]

I watched the game at my cousin's house. She has DirecTV and the game was on the Altitude channel (644), though they just piped in the CBC feed. She'd never seen a Canadian football game before, so this was a curiosity for her. She also happens to be a Lenny Kravitz fan, so the halftime show was a bonus. I didn't have a strong rooting interest, but arbitrarily adopted the Rough Riders (or is it Roughriders?) because they have merely average unis as opposed to those bfugly Winnipeg threads. What's up with those mustard-gold jerseys? I thought they were supposed to be the Blue Bombers.

Anyway, props to both teams for a great game, and congrats to the Riders for winning it. With about 3 minutes left in the game I remarked to my cousin that this was a more competitive game than most recent Super Bowls have been.

[Viper]

For you Roughriders fans...

[NorthStar74]

Cool one, Viper... I like it.. wished it was the Blue Bombers but hey, I'm glad Saskatchewan finally won the Grey Cup... that should be a good memory for a long time.. and even the Grey Cup between Winnipeg and Saskatchewan will be a good classic for years to come....

GMac.. cool avater ya got... wonder if there is a copy of that for say 350x350? I would like to know.. let me know via pm ok?