Angry Bomber Fans

Goodbye Old Friend

by H.F. Salisbury

It is with mixed emotions that I write this post.  On August 14, 1953, Winnipeg Stadium opened.  This was roughly 17 years, 1 month, and 25 days before I was born (diehard ABF fans now can calculate my birthday to send gifts courtesy the blog).  How could something that predated me have such a big memory impact on me.  Certainly there have been good times at the stadium.  There certainly have been frustrating times too. Here is a recap of the history of the facility as seen through my eyes.

Winnipeg Stadium as it was originally called has hosted a multitude of events over the years but is primarily known as the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Football Club.  It was actually their second home as they moved from Osborne Stadium to the newly constructed 15,700 seater.  Their first game was a win over the Ottawa Rough Riders.  The Bombers in their new home proved to be quite the draw resulting in North End seating expansion in the 60’s and the upper deck expansion in the 70’s.  Natural grass ultimately yielded to turf and other than the name change in 2001 to CanadInns Stadium, for better or worse, the old place really hasn’t changed.    

I barely remember it due to being so young but my father took me down to a Blue Bomber practice when I was about 4 years old.  A friend of his on the team, one Mr. Tom Pharr, got us in and I watched practice from the very field my heroes were practicing on.  It was a thrilling experience for a young kid.  I’m pretty sure that this event was the spark that evolved into my love (and sometimes hate) affair with the Bombers.  

I’ve only ever sat on the West Side to watch CFL games because as we all know, the East Side sucks.  My father took me to many, many games over the years.  It was fantastic father and son time.  I learned lots from my dad about life and football.  When his health was not fully cooperating, he’d flip me the tickets and I’d take a rotating cast of friends…. Reps, Crass, and even the odd date although the girls I liked usually didn’t like football which I attribute as the main reason those relationships didn’t work out.  

Dad has been a fan of CFL football his whole life.  For 40+ years he bet a nickel on every single CFL regular season game, giving and taking points, with my Grandfather (RIP H.F.S.).  The playoffs were high stakes - a whopping ¢25 with a whole buck for the Grey Cup.  After the dust settled, each year they would settle up with one paying the other something like ¢35… they remain the best at capping games to this day (sorry MLCC).  Dad joked he’d use his winnings to buy his Bomber season tickets.  He was a season ticket holder for 23 years.  After he couldn’t go to the games anymore, I carried on the tradition and have been a season ticket holder myself for about 12 years; the bulk of which have been with Tony Tee Martin.  Football wise, you could say our blood runs Blue.  

The stadium has been a big part of our life with the relationship centered on the Bombers.  The stadium doubled as home for other events too.  It was the worst baseball park in the world for the Winnipeg Goleyes when they were born into existence in 1994.  I’ve seen many events there over the years as well ranging from motocross sports, David Bowie, U2, Grey Cups, festivals such as the Another Roadside Attraction concerts, the Pan-Am Games, the Red River Ex free concert stage (the latter being the only time I’ve been on the East side and yes, I can confirm 100% it does suck on the East Side), and on and on… 

Even with all these memories, another part of the stadium really stands out in my mind.  As silly as it is true, it is the trough.  Yes the trough in the men’s washrooms.  No matter what public place I may be in, if there is a line up at the men’s washroom, someone ultimately says “This place sure could use a trough.”  It is almost like some bonding moment when those in line all laugh under their collective breaths.  

On the eve of our last ever Bomber game at the Stadium, a small part of me is nostalgic.  A part of my youth is going to be leveled and replaced with a much needed state of the art stadium for next season.  And make no mistake… we need a new facility.  However, my hope is as much for us to win to get the Bombers to the big game as it is to send the old Stadium out in style.  If the Bombers win, wonderful.  If they don’t…. yet another frustrating memory of what could have been will be created.  I truly hope that tomorrow after the game, I won’t have to draft another edition of the Crappy Honker Award.  

Now, enough nostalgia… Bombers, I implore you to take down the Hamilton Tiger Cats and get to the Grey Cup.  Give the 29,533 fans a solid smash-mouth football experience in the “house that Jack built.”  GO BLUE!!!!!

A Spy in the House of Bomber?!?!!?!

by H.F. Salisbury

Excerpt from the Winnipeg Free Press: 

Crappy Honker Award - Terrence Edwards

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.

I’ve heard people bitchin’ about this one already and I hadn’t even posted it yet.   We never should have been down as much as we were… the game plan was clearly “let’s give the Stamps a 17 point lead and WHAMO, we’ve got them right where we want them.”  Over to you Defense to win the game… again.  Except it doesn’t work like that.  The Bombers luck with comebacks has run out. 

If our Offense was half as good as our Defense, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club would be in the position to be called a Dynasty.  Say what you want about Swaggerville and you don’t like it because it’s too cocky.  But think about this for a second… wouldn’t you love to see an offense with as much swagger as Brock or Dunigan brought back in the day.    Man, that would be A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  However this is clearly not reality.  Case in point… how many times was our starting field position after a kick or punt to us better than the 40 yard line and we went two and out.  Why was this happening?  Drum roll please… 

Last time I checked, receivers were paid to catch balls thrown to them.  At the two minute mark of the 4th quarter, it was 3rd down.  Brink dropped back in the pocket and threw a 30 yard missile that hit Edwards in the numbers on the Stampeder’s 15 yard line.  You know what he did.  He dropped it.  Game over. Comeback snuffed.  When I indicated Terrence Edwards was getting the Crappy Honker Award, people thought I was joking.  “He didn’t even play the whole game?!?!!?”  “He hurt his elbow and was all taped up?!?!!?”  Boo freaking hoo.  

Terrence, I like you.  You are one of my favorite Bombers.  If it was a mental error, check your head and get in the game for a whole 60 minutes.  If it was related to your sore elbow, rest it.  Just get your act together when we really need you the most… like when we are about to earn first place in the East rather than back into it.  

Enjoy the Crappy…. and hope you don’t earn it again this year.  

Two wins boys.  GO BOMBERS!!!

Barn Burning Battle of Doom: Number 2 Hoping to Finish in 1st Place

Mike Alexander

“Here’s hoping,” she said.

I came home last night with the weight of the world on my shoulders and spent a few minutes talking to my fiancée about this one. I felt like listening to an outsider perspective on our prospects for a Bomber victory today, the last regular season game of the year. She isn’t a fan of the Blue and Gold in the sense that she feels as anxious and uncertain as I do about the opening kickoff at 3pm today in Calgary. Maybe she is better off for it. I can’t really imagine having gone through life not caring about the last 17 weeks…17 weeks of some of the best football I’ve seen Winnipeg play in years. Along the way we have experienced those cliché-ridden staggering highs and a few of those teeth gnashing “D’oh!!” low spots as well, like last week when we watched the team shit the bed at home from our vantage point on the east side. And by the way, the East side rules, but that’s not important right now. Sure, it felt great to see Steven Jyles lying motionless on the field after helmet on helmet contact with Johnny Sears, a hit that cost the defensive back a one game suspension. But I would take a Bomber win against the pathetic Argos over seeing Steven Jyles turned into a convulsing taxidermied doormat any day of the week.

Here’s hoping.

She remembers the year that Ryan Dinwiddie took over for an injured Kevin Glenn as Winnipeg entered the 2007 Grey Cup without a hope in hell of walking out on top. There was a storyline there that is now banging off the walls again, its echo making its way through the air today here at the Ashburn Compound. What will the Bombers be able to accomplish against the Calgary Stampeders with the backup at the controls?

Brink has started in three games so far in his career. As of this morning, the situation is not as dire as it was back in ’07 on account of Brink having shown development this year. I’ve been glad to see him paying attention to the action on the field. As a result, he has been more than able to contribute to the positive. Like Toronto did last week, look for Brink to be playing for a spot on the 2012 roster this afternoon.  He has shown that he remains poised under pressure which is huge. He has completed 62% of his passes for just over 800 years with 4 TD passes and the same amount of interceptions. He has been called in to finish games that Winnipeg starter Buck Pierce couldn’t finish on his own. Can he handle the pressure? Calgary is a tough team (also 10-7) and it will not be a walk in the park.

Not that Winnipeg particularly enjoys walks in parks. Winnipeg tends to trip over garbage cans when not getting attacked by hissing and blood thirsty geese when trying to enjoy a leisurely walk in the park, as horrible losses to Toronto and *ahem*, Saskatchewan will attest to. Can the offensive line give Alex the time needed to complete plays? Calgary pivot Drew Tate is 2-0 since replacing Henry Burris. It turns out that Bomber DB Jevon Johnson played with Tate at the University of Iowa and will be providing a few tips about his former team mate to the Winnipeg D. Hopefully Winnipeg will be able to take advantage of Johnson’s history with Tate. From the sounds of things, shutting him down fast will be a rule of thumb as Tate has shown that he has a strong throwing arm and the composure to make high impact plays for the Stamps.

The Bombers come into this game in worse shape than Christine, the possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury, who returned home to Darnell’s Garage late one night after murdering Arnie Cunningham’s bully, Buddy Repperton. The Bombers are a burned and busted up, rattling hulk of a beast. Key players are gone and we are entering McMahan Stadium which is a dark, frightening place where the Bombers go to receive a solid beating a couple of times a year. It’s been happening since 2002. We actually haven’t won there since then. So as you may understand, the Bombers are not a team that is resting in spite of securing a playoff game for the first time in years. You just know that those shit-kicking cowboys and oil barons are drinking premium single malt whiskey straight out of the bottle this morning as they load their pistols in hopes of back alley encounters with citizens of Winnipeg later on tonight after the final whistle has blown. It’s disgusting and horrible to contemplate. But this is the time that Winnipeg must rise to the occasion as the playoff picture finally comes into focus this weekend.

In spite of coming into this game the underdogs, there are some positives to speak of. Everyone’s new favorite, Chris Garrett averages 6 yards a carry and has had 2 100+ yard games. The Winnipeg defense leads the CFL with 54 sacks. Winnipeg is tied with Edmonton for most interceptions, with 24 picks, all of them a joy to witness. The D hangs on, but it will take an orchestrated effort from Brink and the O Line for Winnipeg to take this game.

A win today will secure Winnipeg 1^st place in the east and a bye for the conference final, in which case Montreal would host the Hamilton Ti-Cats. In order for Montreal to claim 1^st place, Winnipeg will need to lose this afternoon and then Montreal will have to defeat BC later on this evening.

The stakes are high. The BBQ awaits us. The ice is plentiful and the coolers are stacked. The house is ready to go. We are looking forward to a hard fought victory today at McMahan. We are going for 1^st in the East and control of our destiny going into the playoffs.

LET’S GO BLUE!!

Crappy Honker Award - Buck Pierce

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.

I hate issuing this award.  Especially when I could just as well copied and pasted a previous entry.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.  As much as this should go to the CFL officiating crew, I’m not going to cop out with that one.  We had our own destiny under control.  Win against the 4 - 12 Argonauts and grab first in the East.  Have a bye week.  Get healthy, Go Blue!!!  Simple right.  WRONG.

We can’t ride our Defense to victory each week.  We can’t put ourselves in a “need a major comeback” each week.  We have to score points.  Offense is important and our Offense is not carrying its weight now.  We are the second worst passing offense in the league.  

Buck Pierce got knocked out of the game.  On the play he injured his leg he attempted to throw the ball to a receiver on the East sideline.  He threw a wobbler off his back foot, and floated a gift up to Byron Parker, who intercepted the pass and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown setting a CFL single season record for 9 interceptions for a touchdowns.  It was a poor decision to throw that ball to that spot and it was an even poorer pass.  Rookie mistake.  Bush-league at best.  

We only lost the game by 5 points.  Turnovers are bad.  Turnovers which yield points for the opposition are a guaranteed way to get a nomination or in this case the choice for this weeks Crappy Honker Award.  Come on down, limping all the way to collect it Buck.  

   

Bedtime for Toronto

Mike Alexander

If there was ever a need to slap on a pair of nasty jackboots and then use a face as a gas pedal and pinning the needle before using the same face to slam on the breaks hard, tonight in Winnipeg at the Canad Inns stadium would be it. After last weeks’ stunning, and I mean goddamn stunning comeback by the Bombers against the Al’s and subsequent celebrating that went on long into the night, Winnipeg finds itself with momentum to make a crazy-legged dash to the finish of the season with a final stand tonight at home on Maroons Ave.

And in the midst of these crazy anything-can-happen days of CFL football, it’s a tough business for guys like our very own PacNu…a man who has probably had his house mysteriously burned down several times this year as angry fans lose truckloads of cash over his picks. Sorry to hear about it, Pac! All over the country, Gamblor’s neon talents are gouging into the soft juicy eyeballs of the perverted black rain slicker wearin’ betting crew like hot knives through butter…bodies are ending up in the trunks of late model sedans with two in the back of the skull and also with crushed testicles…likely from some sort of blunt force trauma…No one can be certain as to what is going to happen next in this league. It’s a wild ride with as many punishing lows as there are ebullient highs. So while it could be said that the safe money is on the Bombers eating a turnbuckle and then hammer fisting the hapless Argos into pixie dust up and down the field tonight, there are a few sobering thoughts about tonight’s match that hopefully serve to reign in the drunk scumbags in St. James who are sharpening their blades and digging up their brass knuckles from the kitchen junk drawer in preparation for an Argo thumping tonight at 7. But none of those concerns are important right now.

The problem with Toronto is that they prefer to sit on the sidelines polishing their slipper collections all night long. Winnipeg won the first two matches against the Argos, but then wrecked what was otherwise a very nice birthday party for me on September 24^th with a thrilling yet disappointing 25-24 loss to Toronto in which pretty much every Bomber that took the field got injured at some point in the game. So while we learn that the Toronto D is explosive and often excruciating, it wasn’t that Toronto won the game as much as it was that Winnipeg lost the thing. Anyways, with resident Toronto flunkie QB Steven Jyles at the helm looking to secure himself employment in the 2012 season, it’s hard to say what kind of night he’ll have. Probably not a good one. With their team out of the playoffs this year, they say that Toronto is playing for pride tonight but I’m not sure that Steven really has much experience with that particular emotion, so I don’t see how effective or productive that rallying cry will serve the Argos. Look for turnovers all night long. Jyles is a man not fit to be on this field. And yet here we are. Time for a butchering.

So going into week 18, this is the deal: Winnipeg are currently tied for 1^st in the east with Montreal.  The Als play Calgary on Saturday. If Winnipeg wins tonight and Montreal loses tomorrow, we will clinch 1^st place in the east on account of winning the seasonal rivalry against Montreal 2 games to 1.

We call upon the Beer Snake to rise again to claim a victory for the Blue and Gold tonight. Let’s do this one last time for good measure in that old dump. How about Winnipeg by 15? Sound good? We will be there in section 9 to watch the massacre unfold.

Go blue!  

The PacNu Report - Week #17

The Angry Bomber Fan crew is in the USA and are a bit late with Pac’s picks. We’ll update his record when we get back, here’s the picks for this week:

Edmonton, Sask, Wpg and BC all to cover.

Good luck.

Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before

Mike A.

The Angry Bomber Fan crew have been angry Bomber fans in this blogosphere for the last two years and like many of you, much, much longer in real life. As Winnipeggers, we understand the word “underdog” more than anyone else in the league. The failed relationships, the substance abuse problems, the mental health issues and ongoing compulsion to bite the heads of off poodles with each near win, failed drive, picked off football, lack of confidence, 2 and out and personnel loss due to injury. A lot of blood has been spilled over the years and nothing has ever come easy for us. Our bones have been crushed and pounded into dust time and time again, year after sordid year. And it’s now that point in the season when important events take place that will require discipline and composure. It looks to me like everyone in the town finally feels free to openly discuss Winnipeg’s chances of a really big finish this year. Ugh. Not so fast…we have yet to make it past Saturday’s possibility of another Saturday slmfest to the face against the 1^st place Montreal Alouettes.

After a promising 7-1 start that has electrified this town and allowed us sorry-looking sadsacks an opportunity to pick up the pieces of our fucked lives, we have lost just about everything again over the last two months including an embarrassing yet familiar Labour Day Classic and then Banjo bowl game against the Riders. It has cost us a tremendous amount of energy to keep our heads above water because we’re not really all that used to the feeling. We have persevered to watch some breakout players perform at a pace that has been exciting to watch. Lowly expectations have been far exceeded and we have soared to heights that we haven’t been to in years.

A divisional victory at home against the Montreal Alouettes is incredibly important at this point in the season. There is no point in saying it any other way. This win is needed. Because time is running out on the 2011 regular season and there are still some very important playoff questions that need to be answered as teams jostle for home games and opponents for the playoffs that wait for us all. Everybody knows that we are 2-5 in the last 7 and unless we can sweep the next 3, the Bombers will not end this season in first place. Losing to Montreal on Saturday will most likely mean that we see Hamilton at home for the semi-finals. If Winnipeg won’t or can’t start winning consistently now, then the end is nearer than we may have dreamed three months ago.

It’s interesting to me that on paper, Winnipeg looks about as good as Montreal does. Anyone who has been paying attention this year understands that Winnipeg’s D has been a machine. And of course, Montreals’ offense remains decisive and dominating. For me, it’s become too difficult to say who will show up for either team. I would expect Winnipeg to begin to fall apart early on if Montreal show up to play both sides of the ball. And given Winnipeg’s non-stop offensive woes, all the smart money puts Winnipeg back in the role of underdog.

Anthony Calvillo does not need to be spectacular against Winnipeg to win the football game. He has a methodical, patient approach and his composure is like a pussy willow lazily dancing in a light breeze. It’s hypnotic when effective. And yet there are patches of time this year that have caught Anthony off guard and open to his fair share of few crushing sacks and dismal incompletions. With Calvillo at the helm, Montreal possesses that offensive rhythm while marching down the field and collecting first downs all the way. It’s a drumbeat that Buck Pierce hasn’t mastered and while surrounded by a bunch of goofs that allow him to face another almost half dozen sacks last week, it’s like handing the car keys to your crippled poodle named Stains in hopes that he’ll be able to get you to work on time. 

In “Interesting line up news” issues, head coach Paul LaPolice has had Brendan LaBatte taking first-team reps at centre this week, with backup lineman Chris Greaves sliding in at LaBatte’s left guard spot and veteran centre Obby Khan the odd man out in some of the reps. While it’s hard to pin team woes on 1 person, it’s about time that Khan were benched.  Another blight to the organization, Mike Renault is also gone this week. Jamie Boreham will take over punting duties from Renault as well as kickoff duties from Justin Palardy.

So we’ve made the playoffs this year which is nice. Our QB is somehow still alive. Have we learned to return a punt yet? No? Oh, okay…how is the D? Hanging on? The O? Not so much….but no matter, the time for tinkering is over. It will take every mind and heart to maintain composure and discipline from this point forward. Although the last few weeks have been rough, it all comes down to each game now. Each drive is crucial for the Bombers. Decisions about the teams’ future in November will be made Saturday afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium. Barring serious injury, this is the very same team that will show up to play in Vancouver at the end of November. It’s time to get behind them. For me, it will mostly likely be my last stand at the Stadium up in section 3A.  One last time to watch it all unfold. It would be great to finally be in attendance when we win. I am looking forward to being in attendance with the crazies, the desperate, the flooded out and those with nothing left to lose. Let’s go Blue; it’s time to pull one off at home.

Let’s go !

The PacNu Report - Week #16

PacNu went 3-1 last week, bring him to 31-26.

Just the quick and dirty his week Owning Mahowny style.

Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and Saskatchewan all to cover.

Go Blue!