Angry Bomber Fans

Final Crappy Honker Award of the Season

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 instalment 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.. and believe me Bomber nation, while this is no surprise, it clearly hurts. Perhaps more than other losses.

Loyal readers, please continue to read on.  While this may seem like a bit of déjà vu, and that you are in fact reading an old post, let me reassure you that this is the most current/latest post.  These are statistics for the last (oh and I do mean last) Bomber game against Hamilton.

This was the most important game of the year.  Win and you’re in.  Out and well… Crappy Honker is awarded.  This was essentially a playoff game. The fact that we were beaten by a group of “Bombers past” doesn’t mean anything to me.  Our old QB Kevin Glenn seeing karma in action by beating his old team that gave him a way doesn’t even interest me.  I’ll tell you what really ticks me off – we now have a 19 year Grey Cup drought.  Yes, it was 1990 and the 78^th Grey Cup that we last won.  I don’t blame our Crappy Honker Award winner for all those years but this current year…

Mr. Bishop, please step forward to collect you award.  Yes here is where that déjà vu may come in.  Our QB’s stats for the most important game of the year are as follows:

• Passes completed / Passes Attempted: 8/26 (30%)
• Touchdowns / Interceptions: 1 / 2
• Points Hamilton scored off of QB turnovers: 14

Yuck.  That was the worst performance I’ve seen from Bishop this year.  Seriously, the Tiger Cat defense was not that good.  He was that bad.  I think we only had one first down in the entire second half.  Yes there were poor offensive coordinator calls made (second and 10 from our own 9 yard line and we run it when the run clearly was not working) but at the end of the day, poor passes and interceptions killed us.

To sum it all up, I’d like to use a quote from Doug Brown – “You don’t lose by 22 points at home to a team that’s already made the playoffs.  We got a sold-out crowd, and the Blueout’s happening, and we have a province that really didn’t have a lot of reasons to get behind us tonight, and they did. We let everybody down.”

Well Doug, some players let us down more than others.

Good Riddance

By Ernie “This Is The” Pitts

I almost didn’t want to hear what Mike Kelly had to say about the loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Would he tell Bob Irving to go fuck himself? Maybe he’d challenge Bob Cameron to a cage match. Or kick Kenny Ploen in the crotch with steel-toed boots. Maybe set Buzz and Boomer on fire and slap a few cheerleaders. Take a dump on the logo at midfield and wipe his ass with a game-worn Milt Stegall jersey?

I just didn’t want to hear Kelly do any more damage to this team and its legacy. I didn’t want to hear any asinine comments, and I didn’t want to hear about “great efforts,” “rebuilding” and “next year.” I’m sick of that trash. It’s redundant sports cliches clumsily smeared across a portrait of ineptitude in a ham-fisted attempt to explain a season defined by failure and incompetence. The only thing Mike Kelly owes me is an apology for wasting 10 days of my life spent watching mediocre players paddle a rudderless ship captained by an arrogant asshole.

For the record: Apology not accepted. Go back to Philadelphia. Google Map the fastest route, Professor.

But I couldn’t resist watching a post-game interview. Call me a fool or a glutton for punishment.

And so I watch the interview on the Free Press website, probably shot by Ed Tait with a point-and-shoot camera when he should be learning how to write better or maybe delivering issues of On7 in some ridiculous cost-cutting measure by Winnipeg’s so-called “major daily.” I watch, and what do I hear? I hear Kelly say he wants Michael Bishop at training camp next year.

What?

No, really— what the fuck are you talking about?

Aside from Kelly himself, Bishop the predominant reason for the wasted season. He’s a terrible quarterback. He makes bad decisions. He can’t scramble for shit. His accuracy sucks. His pocket presence is non-existent. He can’t read defences. And did I mention his accuracy makes drunken fucks playing Big Buckhunter at a Canad Inns bar look like spec-ops sharpshooters?

I can only assume Kelly is playing the media game the only way he knows how, treating the interaction like Edward Scissorhands might treat a violin. Maybe Kelly isn’t ready to throw Bishop under the bus yet and he’s reluctant to punt the dude moments after the game. Maybe.

But what if he’s serious? What if he really believes Bishop deserves to take another snap in a Winnipeg uniform? What if he’s going to piss away another season and another 150 hours of my life? What if he really thinks Bishop can be a part of our future rather than another one-year bit player in a two-decade comedy of errors?

If that’s the case—if Michael Bishop is truly welcome back into Canad Inns Stadium ever again—then this team is truly lost.

You Are The Reason Why We Can Never Have Anything Nice.

by Mike A.

I had nodded off on the couch when something caused to wake up suddenly. TSN’s Chris Cuthbert had possibly just said something about Michael Bishop throwing a pick that had just been returned by the Hamilton Ti-Cats for a touchdown late the 4th quarter. I turned around and saw the score and realized that the 2009 Winnipeg Blue Bomber season had just been fucking ended by a team full of former Bomber personnel including Kevin Glenn, Kahari Jones and Greg Marshall. I probably should have not bothered waking up.

The game story was punishing and familiar. It’s a sale tale, one that is painful to hear told time and time again. After a strong start out of the gate that looked promising at first, Michel Bishop and the entire offensive line fell apart leaving the defense to pick up the pieces. One the inevitable collapse occurred on the field, it did not take Hamilton very long to finish the Bombers off and to put an end to a season that looked suitable for rush delivery to the local gas chamber.

After the first interception that Bishop threw in the fourth quarter to Markeith Knowlton, Michael Bishop decided to cap things off by adding a personal signature, throwing another interception to Jykine Bradley that lead in a Hamilton touchdown late in the game. As Bradley ran 49 yards for the score, Chris Cuthbert was screaming about how Winnipeg’s football season was over. It was actually very bizarre. That’s two picks for two major scores in one quarter of football. Michael Bishop was 1 for 11 in the second half.

So it’s over. Many questions remain and to me there is one more important than any other. Who is to be the starting QB in 2010? The Michael Bishop experiment has failed as he was unable to deliver results when he was most needed. BC will release Pierce, Jackson or Printers at the end of the season. In Montreal, McPherson is a free agent after this season. For some reason Kerry Joseph’s name has come up as well.

But all of this really doesn’t matter right now. The sting of watching Winnipeg auto corpse themselves into a very long winters’ dirt nap has passed. Like any relationship poisoned by mistrust and a lack of respect, I need time away from this reality. I am quite relieved that this season is over. This team did not deserve to be in the playoffs.

The lights can finally be mercifully turned off on one of the most wretched seasons of football I have ever had the displeasure of watching. It’s back to the drawing board for the brain surgeons over on Maroons Road. As for me, it’s time to pretend like none of this ever happened. See you in 2010.

Maybe I’m Just Cranky

by H.F. Salisbury

I must be cranky because this really got under my skin.  I think Coach Kelly got this one right!!!  Football is a team sport.  Period.

I do not care if Fred Reid is correct or not in his assessment regarding the Offensive Line needing to do a better job of creating holes for “Thunder” to run through.  You don’t publicly call out your offensive line ESPECIALLY before the last regular season and most important game of the year.  Talk to them in practice or in a private meeting.

So Fred, how is that guaranteed rushing title (i.e. personal rather than team award) going for you?  Guess it is as hard to be a team player as it is to run for big yardage with your jaw waggin’.

My advice to you is stop guaranteeing things.  Stop using the media to get a message to your teammates.  Start focusing and working hard on winning on Sunday.  Be a team player.

And I actually thought this team had bonded.  Nobody in “Swaggerville” is acting like a champion therefore; they will never be a champion.

Geeze… I’m thinking I’m doomed to be an Angry Bomber Fan forever?!!?!?!?

Ian Logan - Twitter King of the CFL

by: Tony “Tee” Martin

The Blue & Gold may have got their ass kicked in Montreal, but there is some good news from Swaggerville Bomberville this week.

Ian Logan was the first CFL player to reach a 1000 followers on Twitter. Hot 103’s Ace Burpee will make a $500 donation to Winnipeg’s United Way on behalf of the Bomber safety.

via: @ianlogan31:

“Its been an eventful night. Mission accomplished. Thanks to everyone who helped. $500 is going to @unitedwaywpg!!”

Way to go Ian.

Now if Burpee could only convince Doug Brown to setup an account…

Go Blue!!!

Crappy Honker Award

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 instalment 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.

However, as with the previous edition, this was a tough one to award again.  You see, when you loose as bad as the Bombers did against Montreal.  There are a lot of nominations.

My initial thought was give it to Bishop.  He was brutal in the game going 8 for 21.  Then I thought of the dropped passes but thought hey, they were probably shocked that Bishop hit their number and not row 27 of the stands.  What about that run game… it was putrid.  Note to Reid – if you are going to guarantee winning the rushing title, you will need to average a bit more than 3.36 yards on 11 carries.  Guess it’s hard to run with your jaw wagging.

Could I award it to the entire offence????  What did we have two first downs going into the half?!?!?!?  What about the dynamic defensive duo arguing on the sidelines on national television?  Sure this team has bonded, Swaggerville… what a joke.  Awarding to a large group like that would be a copout.  What was an Angry Bomber Fan to do?  Then Mike Kelly opens his mouth.

Guess what, I’m not even shocked he said BS live on the air.  In a way I kind of agreed with his point but that lack of professionalism caused listeners to focus on the words not the message.

What Coach Kelly really gets this award for is his half assed apology.  You don’t lay down rules to those you are apologizing to.  You are supposed to be humble.  We get it… defending your players is good.  We are not allowed to question their “effort or focus.”  I have one question Coach… can I question your professionalism?

Congratulations Coach Kelly, your unforgettable (and perhaps unforgivable) performance has earned this week’s Crappy Honker Award,

PS I hope the CLF doesn’t fine me $2,000 for saying half assed (whoops did it again).  If I’ve offended anybody, I apologize.  It won’t happen again.  See Coach, it’s not that hard to apologize.

Make Ian Logan The Twitter King of the CFL & Win Tickets to the Game

Help Blue Bomber Ian Logan be the first CFL player to reach 1000 followers on Twitter.

Ace Burpee and Hot 103 will donate $500 to the United Way if the Bomber safety is the first player to have 1000 followers on the social networking site.

Just announced: Hot 103 is also giving away 25 pairs of tickets to the game against Hamilton. You have to be following @Ianlogan31 in order to win.

Go Blue!!!

Mike Kelly’s Outburst After The Game

Not only did the Blue Bombers get their ass kicked by Montreal, Mike Kelly flipped out again on CJOB after the game. Here we go again.

Hear it here.