Blog
November 24th 2011
Will we sip from the cup again?
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are playing in the Grey Cup this Sunday in Vancouver, taking on those pesky BC Lions. This is one more feather in the cap of Winnipeg sports fans, who have had much to smile about lately.
And boy is it time. Winnipeg football fans have been in the desert for a while, and it’s no secret that last year we held court in the league basement, with a dismal 4-14 record. A mere year ago we never could have guessed that our city would have a Grey Cup bound team.
But is the team ready for greatness?
The Blue Bombers have won 10 Grey Cups, the third most in the league, despite being the team with the most Grey Cup appearances, at 23 (this year will make it 24). When was the last Grey Cup we won, you ask? Of course you ask, because many of you young students weren’t even born yet. It was 1990.
BC fans don’t have to remember so far back. The last time they won the Grey Cup was 2006. I was at that game, actually, because it was right here in our fair city.
That being said, BC is much less experienced in the Grey Cup game than our beloved Blue Bombers. Even with this year’s appearance, the BC Lions have only been in the Grey Cup game 10 times, the least of any team in the CFL. Consequently, they’ve won the second fewest Grey Cups, with five. The only team with fewer Grey Cup wins is poor Saskatchewan.
This is bound to be a great game. Both teams have healthy quarterbacks, and for the most part any serious injuries took place long ago. This is a match-up that has been brewing for a while, a classic CFL final where two of the league’s best teams have made it. BC started off the season dismally, and then pulled out a triumphant finish; Winnipeg started the season triumphantly (remember Swaggerville?), and then finished up dismally.
Their paths have been different, but here they are. For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, nothing less than a Grey Cup is good enough; the BC Lions have already won one in this lifetime.
Discussion
There’s been no discussion on this story yet. Perhaps you will be the first?
