We are devastated to learn of the tragic death of ABF contributor and friend Sheldon Kostenko (aka PacNu). Words can’t really express how we are feeling right now. Our sincere condolences to his family and his many friends in the 204.
Sheldon was an amazing guy who could light up a room with his energy and who loved the Bombers/Jets as much as anyone we know. He will be missed by the many people who called him a friend.
Statement from his family:
“The family of Sheldon Kostenko (Born in Winnipeg on March 2, 1978) are saddened to learn of the sudden death of their beloved son, brother and uncle this past Saturday December 3, 2010.
Sheldon is survived by his mother (Louise), father (Nick), twin sister (Sandra) and niece (Jaden), and extended family members who share their grief.
The family is currently unaware of details pertaining to Sheldon’s tragic death, other than the news announcement released by the Winnipeg Police Department.
Sheldon will be remembered as a caring, generous young man who loved life, family and friends. He was an avid sports and fitness enthusiast, and for the past several years has worked as a supported living counsellor for people with disabilities.
A private family service will held in coming days, and family members wish to extend their appreciation to those who have extended condolences at this difficult time.
by H.F. Salisbury
In the great tradition of recognizing “Cactus” Jack Wells and the Happy Honker Award given out on C-Job radio here in Winnipeg, I present for you yet another installment of the Happy Crappy Honker Award given to an individual(s) for a fantastic unforgivable performance directly related to the continued floundering of our once beloved Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This award is handed out after every Winnipeg Blue Bomber loss.
This one hurts. Bad. The Bombers played poorly for three quarters of the 99th Grey Cup game. It was a boring game for the most part. Lots of “two and outs” for both teams. However one had to win and the Bombers luck ran out. The simple fact of the matter is that you can’t always rely on coming from behind when you play a team as good as BC is. Given we didn’t show up until the 4th Quarter, there were many potential Crappy Honker nominees.
At one point during the game, I said if we won, I’d still give out the award to the referees. I mean, how many missed calls can Team Zebra blow. The answer is lots when you count the number of BC Lion Offensive Pass Interference calls not made. But as usual, I’m not going to go that route and blame the refs on the Bombers loosing. We did a fine job of insuring that ourselves.
Runner up is our punter Jamie Boreham. His average was 36 yards per kick. At one point he had a 16 yard duffed punt. That is brutal. The real problem with that is we give up great field position to BC. The field is shortened and BC gets more offensive plays to choose from in order to move the ball a shorter distance to score a major. At one point after a punt, BC started at approximately the Bombers 45 yard line. Cripes with McCallum kicking for BC, they were already in position for a field goal. They clearly won the kicking game on Sunday. Boreham was a significant piece of the loss but not the biggest.
Which brings me to the Crappy Honker Award winner. That person; loyal ABF readers, is none other than Odell Willis. Willis was a distraction earlier during the week with his tweets. Oh sure you heard the excuses. Coach LaPo said “that’s just Odell being Odell.” My personal favorite excuse came from Odell himself saying “you (The Media) are trying to make something out of nothing. There is no story here.” Sorry Odell, when you are prepping for the championship game in a TEAM sport that you would rather be at home eating turkey in the US with your family rather than working as hard as those around you from the same TEAM… well it is a distraction and amateur hour at best.
However, Willis didn’t earn the Grey Cup Crappy because of his Twitter account. He earned it because he let us down when we needed him the most. In the 3rd Quarter, BC has the ball on their own 19 yard line. Lulay tossed up the lamest of lame duck passes right into the arms of Willis. It was an easy catch and Willis could have walked into the end-zone. The Bombers would have been down only by 8 points (one possession) with a full quarter to go. What happens… Odell Willis dropped the ball. He probably was thinking about what a great tweet he would could send out after scoring rather than concentrating on the job at hand. The worst part… on the resulting drive, BC ate up tons of clock time and scored a major with a pass to former Bomber and current Hot Dog/Lion Mr. Arland Bruce III. With Willis not scoring and ultimately BC getting a major, that’s a 14 point swing in a game that had us down by 15 at the time. I knew we were done right there and than. Made the last 10 minutes that much more excruciating.
Odell, you were one of my favorite bombers but you let me down. You let your team down. You let Bomber Nation down. Little Timmy (name changed to protect the innocent - WHOOT WHOOT) in Section 2A has your number and name on the back of his jersey. Personally if Timmy burns it, I’d be willing to bankroll a replacement and get him a Suber/Johnson/Hefney/Brown/etc jersey. You know… one of the guys happy to be postponing their turkey dinners in order to get the job done for themselves, their team, and their faithful fans.
I’m so pissed at you that you can come pick up your award. I’m not shipping it out. You can find it on the curbside by my house. Just make sure you look really ashamed when you pick it up. Make sure to use both hands when picking it up… wouldn’t want you to drop it. Perhaps walk 19 steps and spike it down. We will for years to come remember who the real Thanksgiving Turkey Twit(er) is.
For yet another year…. I am an ANGRY BOMBER FAN.
by H.F. Salisbury
Getting ready… can’t Wait. I’ll put this beer snake kit together again later… after we win. Good luck Bombers. GO BLUE GO!!!
- Mike A.
It was a dark and stormy night in 2007 when we piled around the television to watch The Saskatchewan Roughriders beat up a Winnipeg Blue Bomber team that staggered in after a huge week long drug-fuelled bender in which their idiotic quarterback talked some smack to the face of someone’s great grandmother at the pub. He picked on a proud, dignified woman who had no tolerance for his smart-mouthed rude antics who understandably had to take him out back and beat him within an inch of his life with his own belt. Said quarterback was unable to play in the championship game, instead choosing to watch it from the ICU surrounded by no loved ones because no one loved him. Which ironically, is probably what he is doing again today. Life’s like that.
Since that horrible night a few years ago, Winnipeg football has maintained a trajectory of dismal failure and hopelessness. At one point a couple of years ago out of sheer disgust and spite, I was summoned to this blog to rant and rave about things that I was seeing. Tee Martin and his crew were among the many people wearily roaming the streets of this town, angry and despondent. The idea of writing 1200 words a week seemed like a great idea. Many people in my life were insulting about the home team and found the entire concept of the Bombers so easy to laugh off. It became time to stand up and voice the hatred and shame on behalf of those who could not look away. We were angry Bomber fans.
For me, I grew up with it. I remember the 1984 Tom Clements-led Blue and Gold stomping the life out of the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the big game and the 1988 victory as well, as Sean Salisbury barely scraped past the BC Lions. I have a couple of memories of Tom Burgess and the Bombers running up the point board against Edmonton in 1990 in the final, but by that time I had started to discover music and moving out of my parents’ house and focussing on establishing myself in West Broadway instead of worrying about football.
But after that loss against Saskatchewan, the pilot light was ignited and the decision to write as often as possible was soon underway. It began as a lonely affair, of spending afternoons and maybe an evening watching or listening on the television or radio if I was not at home. I had watched from the distance in the 90’s and the 00’s, but started paying attention very closely just before the Coach Kelly years. It was a dark time in my life, understanding that it would likely take years in order for the team to solve their problems, all of which seemed terminal and embarrassing. I often wondered why I was seemingly attracted to failure. Why could I only find happiness in misery, disappointment and jaw-dropping stupidity?
This year has been different. I saw moments of greatness early on this year. And then the strangest bloody thing happened: things got better, not worse. It seemed like a Christmas miracle. I began harbouring thoughts that were uplifting and positive. It felt strange to not hiss murderous thoughts at the television for a change.
The fact that we are back in the big game isn’t surprising to me. What I am taken by is the speed in which Coach Paul LaPolice has turned this horrible ship around.
Look, we were good last year. The Bombers were probably the best 4-14 team on the planet. The majority of the season was lost in the last four minutes of almost a dozen games we played. We weren’t routinely blown out of the water as bad and as often as we were in years past. I quickly learned that LaPo had an idea in his head and when he made moves like releasing Steven Jyles, it made waves. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure about his unwavering faith in Buck Pierce, but I will be goddamned if the QB formerly known as Glass hasn’t proven himself to be one of the toughest bastards in the league. He is the subject of endless hilarious highlight reel footage featuring some of the hardest bone-crunching hits all season long. In spite of the O Line grabbing bags of popcorn watching opposing teams charging and drilling Pierce into the turf time and time again this year, the crazy bastard has gotten up every time. Sure, he got knocked out of a couple games, but damn. He made it. He proved that critics like me were wrong. We all said it was only a matter of time before his season was ended early due to injury. For being one of them, I am very sorry, Buck. I’ll never call you that name gain.
And how about the Defence? Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it. By holding Hamilton to a lousy 3 points last week in the East final, it capped off an unbelievable season. Johnson, Beasley, Steward and the rest of Swaggerville have rushed the pass, stolen the ball, stopped drives and won football games. If you have been paying attention, you have been treated to one of the best D Lines this club has ever seen. They are young, athletic, dynamic and they will mess you up.
But when you haven’t won a Grey Cup in 21 years, you get written off fast. For sure we have heard from the unbelievers all year long. Every white wine spritzer drinkin’ sports writer in the country figures that the game today needn’t even be played. Just give BC the trophy already. Locally, we have seen “fans” roll their eyes at the apparent non-stop failure they seem to witness at every game played this year. Frankly, I’m not really sure what team they are talking about. All I know is that you can imagine how hard all these people are crying over the fact that Winnipeg shouldn’t even be in Vancouver today. People have been looking to stick knives into this team all season long. But they have been unable to do so. Winnipeg became a punishing and brutal reality to the rest of the league fast this year. The Bombers made people pay for their unwavering faith that the Bombers were as predictable as they were horrible. Players, coaches and observers across the league were treated to a beating, maiming and feasting week after week at the hands of Swaggerville for the first half of the season.
During the second half of the season, injuries and horrible officiating began taking their toll as opposing teams began learning the Bomber playbook and bringing the team back to earth. But along the way, Chris Garrett came in to replace Fred Reid and as a running back, has propelled the Offensive line to unexplored heights. It’s been fantastic to see him energize the offence, which in turn, allowed the Bombers to slide into first place in the east. No small feat but I’m sure that no two-bit sad sack journalist will bother wasting their time telling you about it.
This evening will be a tough challenge. BC is good. Real good. Their defensive line is tight. They are 2nd behind Winnipeg for sacks this year. Korey Banks is effective and cruel and was seen single-handedly demolishing Edmonton in the Western final last week with six sacks and an interception for a touchdown. The Lions’ offence is terrifying as well, especially in the midfield, but also basically anywhere. Lulay got the nod as the best fella in the league this year and he deserves it. We could be looking at the next Calvillo here and that is scary to contemplate. If Winnipeg survives the first quarter without giving up more than 7 points, I like our chances. We are likely talking about big turnovers that will have to take the crowd out of the game. It’s never a happy prospect for the home team to host the Grey Cup, but if guys like Geroy Simon or Andrew Harris prove to be too wily for Winnipeg, then yours truly will likely be crying alone in the terlit by the half. In addition to defending against his very capable weapons, Winnipeg will need to stuff Lulay in BC territory all game long. Op specil teams award winner Paul Mcallum’s leg is made of adamantium and if let anywhere near our uprights, will be used to put the game out of reach just in 3 point field goals that he never misses.
This is a defining moment for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This is the biggest game the team has played in the last 21 years. Naturally the Bombers are not being given a hope in hell today, which is fine by me. This is a young team with players who believe they can pull off the unexpected. It’s been a theme all year long. They have defied the odds and made a lot of people look like absolute morons in the process.
Because when that Cup gets paraded around Portage and Main next week like Christ carrying the cross, 21 long years will seem like a heartbeat.
I’m calling Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the win and for all the marbles. It’s going to be a classic game, one that will be talked about for years to come.And we’re doing this for Coach Harris.
So for one last time this year, LET’S GO BOMBERS!
Pac’s back and loves the Blue & Gold +7 and also the under in the game.
Good luck.
Every analysis on the 99th Grey Cup I have read has picked the Lions to win. It’s almost if the game has been played already. Not one article has mentioned that if you are a Bomber fan and a gambler, you are loving the fact the Blue are seven point underdogs.
Let’s face it, this is YOUR TEAM. You’re going to bet the game no matter what the line or how many years it has been since the Blue & Gold hoisted the cup or that BC is on a terrifying run at the end of the season - you will be betting the Bombers WHATEVER THE LINE because you bleed Blue & Gold. As a die-hard fan and slight degenerate gambler living in Bomberland, will you be betting against Buck’s revenge big game, the memory of Coach Harris, Brown’s swan-song, Johnson’s turn to confirm Defense wins championships or Garrett’s chance to prove he is the real deal? Of course not. That would be against your very Blue & Gold DNA. You love the fact you and your gambling buddies are getting seven points in the biggest game of the year and that the money line bet is paying an extra juicy 3.70 for the Bombers to win. The WCLC is paying out 3.85 for the Bombers Proline win (must win by 4 or more).
This is the moment Winnipeg sports investors have been waiting for.
You have been riding the wave known as gambling in the CFL all season - you’ve had monstrous wins and crushing defeats (two of them from these Blue Bombers - Labour Day Classic & Banjo Bowl).
That’s what happens when you throw your cash into the CFL, it’s about predictable as the stock markets these days. It can make those flat, over-priced beer at the soon to be demolished stadium seem like a good idea while you drown your sorrows in a plastic cup. Your only hope at redemption being the crumpled 50/50 ticket stuffed into your pocket that you’ll check when you get home.
Of course the Lions have a dangerous team and are carrying a ton of momentum going in to the 99th Grey Cup game, but you can’t underestimate the motivation for the Winnipeg team who hasn’t been champs since 1990 and who had enough story lines this season to have their own version of The Extra Yard on TSN.
Grab those seven points or pound that money line if you are a true Blue believer! This could finally be the Blue & Gold’s year. If they lose, what’s the big deal? You were going to bet on them anyway. If they win, you can get crazy at Portage & Main with everyone else and have a nice down payment for your season tickets next year.
I hope LaPolice has been watching Friday Night Lights, he needs to channel Coach Taylor today.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.
Do this for Coach Harris. Do this for all the Angry Bomber Fans who have been without the Cup since 1990. Do this for Doug Brown. Do this for Buck. Do it for the Beer Snake. Do this for the whole 204. Let’s move into our new stadium GREY CUP CHAMPS!
It’s been too long of a Grey Cup drought in the 204. It stops in B.C. this Sunday.
GO BLUE!
We’ll be angry till you bring the Cup back.
Quick Stats
[video]
By Professor Kelly
Hello Angry Bomber Fans. This week is a special week, its Grey Cup weekend! This year your Winnipeg Blue Bombers are representing the East division and the B.C. Lions are representing the West. The last time the Bombers won the Cup was back in 1990. The game was held in BC Place. The last time the Lions won the cup was in 2006. The game has coincidently held at Canad Inn Stadium. The Bombers have appeared in 24 grey cup games, winning 10 of them. The Lions have appeared in 10 grey cups and won 5 of them. This Grey Cup game is highlighted by two great turn around seasons. The Bombers, last year were a disappointing 4-14 and finished last in the league. This year their record improved to 10-8 and capturing their division. The lions started the season 0-5 then went on a tear and won 11 out of 13 games finishing with a record of 11-7. This year the Bombers are 2-0 against the Lions, out scoring them 55 to 37.
During the big game, the Bombers will be lead by ex-lion Buck Pierce. This season he was 261 for 411 with an accuracy rating of 63.5%, 3 348 yards, 14 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions. He also ran 51 times for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Lions are lead by league MVP Travis Lulay. This season, he was 342 for 583 with an accuracy rating of 58.7%, 4 815 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran the ball 47 times for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Bombers’ running back is Chris Garrett. He was cut in training camp and then got signed later on in the season because of injury to Fred Reid. He has been incredible for the few games that he has played. He ran the ball 92 times for 576 yards and an average of 6.3 yards per carry. He also has 4 touchdowns. In the eastern final game, he ran 29 times for 190 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Lions running back is Andrew Harris. He ran the ball 96 times for 458 yards with an average of 4.8 yards per carry and 1 touchdown.
The Bombers’ receiving corps is lead by all-star Terrence Edwards. He caught 66 passes for 1 124 yards and 8 touchdowns.
The Lions’ receiving corps is lead by all-star Geroy Simon. He caught the ball 84 times for 1350 yards and 8 touchdowns.
The Bombers’ defensive backs are lead by defensive player of the year Jovon Johnson. He lead the league in interceptions with 8, he also returned 2 for a touchdown. He also accumulated 55 tackles.
The Lions’ defensive backs are lead by Dante Marsh. He accumulated 60 tackles, 1 sack and 4 interceptions.
The Bombers’ defensive line is lead by Odell Willis. He accumulated a lead league in sacks with 13 and also got 27 tackles.
The Lions’ defensive line is lead by Keron Williams. He accumulated 11 sacks and 43 tackles.
The Bombers’ punter is Jamie Boreham. He has punted the ball 21 times for 855 yards and an average of 40.7 yards per punt.
The Lions’ punter is special teams player of the year Paul McCallum. He punted the ball 123 times for 5183 yards and an average of 42.1 yards per punt.
The Bombers’ kicker is Justin Palardy. He was 40 for 52 in field goals attempted with an average of 76.9%.
The Lions’ kicker is Paul McCallum. He was 50 for 53 in field goal attempts and an average of 94.3%.
In order for the Bombers to win, they need to do 3 things:
Have a fun Grey Cup weekend. Until next year, Professor Kelly is out.
[video]
Mike Alexander
It’s quiet here now, minus the desperate pleas for attention from the just-fed cat. The living room lights seem loud and cold but illustrate how dark and quiet the streets are outside. It‘s -15 Celsius at 6:15am with a light wind. There is a layer of snow on the ground, one that will stay for the next few months. It is late November and finally, after all the controversy, the bye week and the jockeying for position in the eastern final, for the first time since 2008, Winnipeg finally gets to host a playoff game at home, the last one that we will ever play at the Canad Inns stadium. It feels like Christmas morning on Ashburn and sleep is simply out of the question.
Today’s match against the Hamilton Ti-Cats is by far the most important game the Bombers have played this year. A victory at home in front of a beat down, angry, ugly and deserving sold out crowd will propel the Bombers into a Grey Cup Week in BC that starts tomorrow, an appearance that has not occurred for the Blue and Gold since 2007. And just in case you needed to be reminded, the Bombers are 21 years without a Grey Cup, the horrible honour of being the team who has gone the longest in an 8 team league without winning one.
On paper, Winnipeg looks good today. We have the home field, we have the rest and health we require and we have the weather. Winnipeg is the 4 point favorites going into this game, but it’s all about as meaningful as a church full of believers. It makes no difference. All season long, the Bombers have taken turns being the Right Stuff and then not so much. This team has been woefully hard to predict in spite of a wild first half of the season. Since that time, teams have made adjustments to counter the sometimes explosive Winnipeg offense resulting in what I figure is the longest slide into first place that I’ve ever seen. Other teams have had to basically fall on their swords in order for the Bombers to host the Eastern final today. Regardless, we have weapons and we have ability. Terrance Edwards started well against Hammy this season, generating 11 receptions for 200 yards and 2 TD’s in the first two meetings this year, but then ran out of gas in the third match and earned only 11 yards. The same questions about our O Line being able to dominate remain. It’s been a year of watching other teams pile on the points in the first half before attempting epic comebacks with more than a couple of disappointing results.
The weather is a factor today and should result in less passing and more running, although Buck Pierce is dangerous when throwing to the backfield. Expect Garrett to have a big day rushing the ball, even though he has only played against Hamilton once this year. Garrett rushed for over 100 yards against the TiCats back in October. Expect Hammy’s Avon Cobourne to go for the same although Winnipeg’s D Line has been effective in shutting him down all year long. Which Kevin Glenn will show up today? The smart short passer to Williams or Thigpen, or the Kevin Glenn that gets rocked early and often, who is gone at the half? Winnipeg will need to stomp him back down his hidey hole and keep him there. Glenn still has a great arm but routinely lacks the confidence to play 4 quarters of football. Kicking will be crucial. I hear stories of the wind picking up later this morning and so the coin toss will be significant as far as possession is concerned. Justin Medlock is a threat and routinely boots anything across midfield through the uprights and his huge goddamn leg gives him an advantage over Winnipeg’s Justin Palardy who will also have to be accurate today. Since starting to return punts this season Javon Johnston is just waiting for a break any time he touches the ball. Field position will be king today if the wind is going to be as harsh as forecasters predict.
The only other thing to mention would be the Winnipeg release of and the subsequent Hammy signing of TJ Harris, the too cool for school gutless coward who sold out his team for a $500 a week position on Hamilton’s practice roster. The issue being that Hamilton came into possession of a Winnipeg playbook as a result of this weeks’ nonsense. I suppose that forking over a Bomber playbook to Hammy coaches would give the opposing team an advantage, one they usually don’t get. But with 18 weeks of film already on hand, one has to give Hammy coaching staff a little more credit as far as having insights into Winnipeg’s playbook than the addition of a coward, a fake and a phony. Sure, it makes sense to use the confused and cowardly brainstem of an undisciplined shithead as a distraction, but come high noon today, I can’t see the team benefitting all the much from TJ Harris’ cowardly defection. If anything, it seems like a poor idea to make those last minute adjustments to Hammy’s playbook, but who knows. Do teams who finish in the east beat teams who finished first? Seems odd to me.
But stats only tell part of the story. The other half of this game will be determined by who shows up to play and how badly they want to win. As fans, this town has been waiting for this moment all season long. Now there is one last door to open before finding ourselves in Vancouver next week. All season long, the Bombers have slowly pushed towards this afternoon at home for one last time at the old shithole stadium in front of a crowd that has suffered longer than any other in the league. The jubilant highs have outweighed the crushing disasters for the first time in a few years and there is a sense that this game can be won. Can Coach Paul Lapolice, quarterback Buck Pierce and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers discover themselves as they work from this unusual position and play four strong quarters of football?
The sun is going to rise in fifteen minutes from now. At our place, layers upon layers of warm clothing are ready to be strapped on as we take to the East side one last time in hopes of seeing something very special happen on the field today. 2011 has been an incredible season for yours truly and most likely for the rest of the ABF crew as well. No matter the outcome today, we realize that Winnipeg is now a dominant force in the league and that 2012 is looking very bright. But that’s not important right now. There is a game to be played today and we remain ANGRY BOMBER FANS until the cup comes home.
Eastern Final at home! Last home game of the year! TIME TO GET BAT-SHIT FUCKIN’ CRAZY!!
GO BLUE!