How do you like us now, Calgary
For once, the Riders are consistently causing another team pain
The 13th Man
Jonathan Hamelin
Sports Editor
Warning: Calgary Stampeders fans may find the following column offensive, reader discretion is advised.
On the frozen tundra that was McMahon Stadium in Calgary last weekend, the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Stampeders 20-16 in the West final. It was the fourth time in five seasons Calgary has fallen short to our beloved Green and White on the big stage.
Of course, as a Rider fan, it is important to stay humble in victory, right?
In this case, no.
Suck it Calgary! Enjoy watching the Grey Cup on television! I’m sure the Roughriders could send you a postcard form Edmonton with their deepest regards! Maybe you could catch the Grey Cup game live if you ride your horses down!
As the Riders celebrated 100 years today, there were seemingly as many negative memories that stood out as positives ones. There have also been certain teams that have doomed the Roughriders on numerous occasions.
Name any team you’d like, like the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders or Edmonton Eskimos. Chances are the team you name has beaten the Riders consistently in the past.
When I was younger, people constantly made fun of the Roughriders – sadly, some of these jibes came from Roughrider “fans”. Even as the team improved, I had to witness some heartbreaking losses in the playoffs, especially against the British Columbia Lions (who will ever forget Paul McCallum’s missed field goal?)
The thing that always bothered me was, until 2007, there was no salary cap. The only reason teams were more successful than the Riders was simply because of money. But I digress.
With all of the Green and White’s struggles, it’s nice to be ruining Calgary’s chances of glory over and over again. While the Stamps did win the Grey Cup in 2008, they didn’t have to go through Saskatchewan. Just imagine how many more trophies they could have won if our Roughriders hadn’t laid beatdown after beatdown on them.
Saskatchewan has become Calgary’s worst nightmare. I’m sure the Calgary players relive the games in their sleep, waking up screaming before realizing it was not actually happening again.
The funny thing this year was how some Stampeder players bitched about the reffing after the game. Dwight “Dirty” Anderson and Brandon “I like to grab opposing receivers” Browner, said that they were being unsteadily flagged. Come on guys! Seriously! All season long, you’ve both done whatever it takes to stop opposing receivers, legal or not. Finally, you got caught for it and it happened to be on the biggest stage of the game.
Comments like that just make me realize how more deserving Saskatchewan is of this success. They never complain about the refs overly. Unlike the Stampeders, they aren’t always looking for flags. When a Saskatchewan player makes a big play or scores a touchdown, they may celebrate but they don’t rub it in the oppositions face. Mostly, they just move on and get ready for the next play.
Heading into the season, trying to rebound from their agonizing Grey Cup loss, everyone was laughing at Saskatchewan. Ignoring these jibes, the Riders fought on. Even though they took another 13th man penalty in a Week 1 rematch against Montreal in Regina, when they had apparently won the game, Saskatchewan still fought back and won. All season long, the team has fought through adversity. Now, here they are on the big stage again.
While I’ve praised Burris for being a great person, it is ironic that he has never beaten Saskatchewan in the playoffs since leaving. He was selfish in leaving Saskatchewan and is subsequently paying for it somewhat.
When all is said in done, it’s a great time to be the Rider fan. They’re erasing bad memories, one win at a time. If they win this weekend, they will shed memories of the infamous 13th man.
But, it’s always good to take a moment to look back and revel in Calgary’s misery before looking ahead to the Grey Cup.
It’s a good feeling.
Oh yeah, one more thing.
“Hennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnry!!!!!!”
