TrueBlue4ever

Well, here we go, and there's a lot of hate to go around. As a wise man once said: Don't know if the following rant will be of any entertainment value to any of you, but my therapist says it should do me a world of good. For starters: People/things I should hate but don't Darian Durant - jerk move, but him leaving freed up cash and landed us Bighill, so the love points balance out the hate. I'm good with it. Gary Bettman - Phoenix and Florida are flops and Carolina is pretty poor (chalk a lot of that up to lousy arena locations as much as anything), but hockey is big in the non-traditional markets of Dallas, San Jose, Nashville, and Tampa Bay, and he had the foresight to beat the NFL into Vegas, which has become a hockey mad town. And he let the Jets back in the sandbox, so hard to hate on that. PK Subban - rival we boo because he's a bit of a diva, a diver, a bit chippy, and a self-promoter. But mostly because he is really good. Plus he donated $10 million of his salary to a children's hospital, and his self-promotion is as much about growing the game as his own brand. Actually a pretty classy guy with the fans - grudging respect for a guy we'd adore if he was a Jet. Rod Black - He's a hyper broadcaster with a penchant for goofy nicknames, which rubs many the wrong way. And his interview skills can be downright embarrassing. But it's all in service of selling the CFL. He is an ardent booster, and does not play favorites. He likes to sell the players as stars as well as promote the teams, which is how the NFL broadcasts have always done it. Can appreciate what he is trying to do if not a fan of how it comes across on the TV. I have no issue with him. Flame away. Saskatchewan Roughriders fans - Hey, stop throwing things at me! I know I am in the severe minority, but simply put, I don't waste any time going to their message board to listen to their chatter about how they get screwed over, that they are owed respect, that they are the greatest team ever, or whatever else most on this board tell me they are up to. I can't be bothered to care. They are die-hard fans who are one of the strongest franchise models in the CFL and support their team through thick and thin in a community model that encompasses the whole province. And I personally have never had an issue with any of them at a Banjo Bowl, Labour Day game of otherwise. hey have always been courteous and welcoming to me when I have been the same to them. Bitter rivals for sure, but no personal animosity. My list (subject to change over time): The mild annoyances - 0.25 - Paul Edmonds as a hockey play-by-play guy - too wordy for a fast sport like hockey. Was perfect for baseball and the storytelling it requires. Would be better as an analyst. 0.25 - Dallas Cowboys - no real hate, but as a Niners fan this is kind of a lifetime achievement award. Makes for fun dinner conversation with my Texan wife. 0.5 - Miami Heat - for ruining basketball with the "buy a superteam" model which is now what all teams want to do. Fortunately, I have pretty much zero interest in basketball, so it scores low 0.5 - Buffalo Bills - for making me sit through 3 more lousy Super Bowls after they choked in the first one, and taunted America when they kept getting back there despite everyone praying for new blood. "We're Back. Deal with it, America" Best comeback to that was this sign at the Super Bowl "0-4. Deal with it, Buffalo" 0.5- Seattle Seahawks - for the L.O.B. arrogance and Richard Sherman's trash talk after knocking out my beloved Niners. For Marshawn Lynch and his "I'm here just so I won't get fined" media scrum nonsense. For Pete Carroll not running the ball and handing those stinking Patriots a Super Bowl. For thinking that neon lime green looks good in a uniform. One hate point for each, but 2 love points back for their loud fans and the ORIGINAL 12th fan claim, and retiring that jersey #12 for them, and 1.5 love points for drafting a one-armed defensive back who is a great player and a greater human being and role model. 0.5 - soccer players who dive, and the soccer refs who refuse to card them for unsportsmanlike conduct. I only care every 4 years at a World Cup. 0.5 - anthem singers who can't be bothered to learn the melody or words of the anthem they are going to sing. This is not about nervousness, You have one job! 0.5 - anthem singers who turn the song into a lounge act. Aretha Franklin once took 4 minutes, 53 seconds to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Queen of Soul, King of the World, I don't care. That is nonsense. 0.5 - The entire Sportsnet hockey panel. well, maybe just Nick Kypreos mainly. But I have a mute button on my remote, so hate is fleeting. 0.5 - Darren Dutchyshyn - I dunno, he just has that kind of punchable face, you know? And WTF is "Roof daddy????" Hear he's a bit of a hothead too, possibly because of pharmaceutical enhancements to his physique? Homer broadcasters 0.5 - Rick Jannearet (Sabres) - there's homers, there's annoying catchphrases, and there is over the top hyperactivity. He covers all the bases with a nasally high-pitched tone. But he is honest about his boosterism. Fairly innocuous. 1.0 - Johnny Most (Celtics) - this guy truly BELIEVES the world is out to get the greatest team ever, the Celtics, and worships at the altar of Larry Bird. Take it down about 5 notches, Johnny. 1.5 - Rod Peterson - a blatant homer and provocateur, the worst thing is he deep down knows this is just an act to provoke a response from haters, but he still unapologetically buys his own hype and goads those who don't get on board. More unprofessional than the blind homer. Sports parents 0.5 Bonnie Lindros - If I lived in Quebec City, would have a much higher score. Once told the Team Canada head coach "Eric has the flu, I'm sending Brett to practice instead". Since the Big E is a distant memory, most of my hate is symbolic for the "ugly generic hockey mom" 0.5 - Richard Williams - Couldn't stand his mouth or his "match-fixing" between his daughters in tennis finals, but with Venus gone and Serena alone on top, he has largely disappeared. 1.0 - Earl Woods - raised a phenom, but sad he couldn't have devoted the same time and attention to his other 4 kids or his first 3 wives. And Earl , your son's a golfer, not Jesus. Hated the branding of Tiger as the latter. Hated the media even more for lapping it up (see further down on my list). 1.5 LaVar Ball - If you run your mouth, flout college rules, say you could beat Jordan one-on-one, and boast that your kids are the next superstars of the league, then you'd better deliver. Or at least keep them from getting arrested in Asia for shoplifting and using the President to bail them out. Again, media, why do you give this clown air time? Part 2 in a bit, when I get into some more serious hatred.

Apologies for the somewhat NSFW music. Not my mix.

Did someone say Kerwin Bell........?

Did someone say Chris Szarka? Time for this video clip, then.

Hate will come and hate will go. Any list probably needs a refresh every couple of years or so.

I think they knew that the moment he got hurt. I have a feeling we won't see him all series long.

This is more a wish list. I hate betting when my heart is involved, and I want to believe that the Jets are just coasting to save their energy rather than the media speculation of a fractured locker room. So don't hold me to these picks Calgary over Colorado, don't think it will be that close, even though I haven't been sold on the Flames' goaltending all year.. Vegas over San Jose, Fleury will outplay Jones. Both buildings will be ridiculously loud. Winnipeg/St. Louis a lot depends on who wins the first game and how the score looks. The Jets' psyche, even if only half as fragile as the media and doom-saying fans right now, needs a jolt of confidence, and the Blues belief in their savior goaltender may falter if playoff pressure gets to him. Imagine the headlines in either hometown paper if their team loses the opener 5-1. I think the Jets have the talent to overcome the Blues and their own demons, but they will be pushed. Right now the way the "experts" are talking, the Jets winning would be the upset, and isn't this a massively talented underdog if that is the case? Maybe being dismissed is the best thing for them. If there is a juicy upset in the first round, it's Dallas and their sudden interest in defensive hockey beating Nashville. Both Calgary and Winnipeg really struggled against the Stars' trap game this year, right now the low seed no one would want to face. Logic says Nashville will prevail, but the Stars are my dark horse to get to the Conference Finals at least if not the Stanley Cup, depending on who they draw each round. The Blue Jackets aggressive trade deadline moves make for a compelling story, now that they snuck into the playoffs. Wouldn't it be neat to see it all come together and re-invigorate the "all in" mentality of trade deadline day for future teams if they were to make a run to the Conference Finals? If it was another match-up, I might buy into this fairy tale scenario. Then I realize they are playing the Lightning. Tampa will blow by Columbus. Boston over Toronto - again. The Leafs will find some way to steal a few games and make their fans believe they are going to win, before a spectacular choke job - again. The fans will mourn saying they gave it away when really they were always the inferior team - again. Washington/Carolina - I think the defending champs get at least to round 2 in their title defence, but I can't think of a better storyline in this year's playoffs than the "bunch of jerks" getting to create a whole lot more "storm surge celebrations" in the playoffs. The upset I'm not betting will happen, but the one I'd most like to see for sure. Maybe they all put on gaudy Don Cherry suit jackets after a win and do the slow clap. NYI/Pittsurgh - like the Blues and Jets, the lower seed is probably the favorite, and the "upset" will be if the higher seed wins. The Islanders have flown under the radar all year despite the best defence in the NHL, which is always a winning formula in the playoffs. Still, everyone who says you can't just flip a switch at playoff time has not watched the Penguins the last decade. Not that they limp in, per se, but they find at least 5 extra gears come April. Take the Pens. Round 2: If going with my heart - Vegas over Calgary and Winnipeg over Nashville If going with my head - Calgary over Vegas, Dallas already beat Nashville and will beat Winnipeg. Tampa over Boston Pittsburgh over Washington Round 3: Heart: Winnipeg over Vegas Head/Heart: Calgary barely finds a way to solve Dallas (because a Tampa/ Calgary re-match would be much better hockey, so kind of a "heart" pick) Head: The Dallas magic continues, as they get the perfect storm of opponents in each round that their trap-style frustrates the most. Tampa over Pittsburgh Finals: Heart: Tampa outlasts the Jets in a fun 7 game final Heart/head: Tampa handles Calgary in 6 decent games Head: Tampa sweeps Dallas in a boring Final

Vegas would play Colorado in the 2nd round. Same with Boston and Tampa. They can’t meet in the Conference final.

If they had the answer they wouldn't have finished second in the division. One of the big things teams figured out about the Jets was pressuring them in their own end before they could wind up and clear their zone really threw them off. Passes off the mark a lot on the break out when feeling pressure. The Jets have a real problem in the second period when their bench is the far one, because they can't seem to get the puck super deep to complete the change and either get stuck on the ice for long periods when they can't get past centre to their bench, or get caught in a quick transition game while they are changing lines leading to an odd-man break, Hopefully Ehlers' return and his speed through the neutral zone can assist their entry. Sami Niku might help too since he seems to have good vision and skating ability out of his own zone.

First of all, I may have to award 20 hate points out of pure petty spite and jealousy to Bluto for coming up with this glorious topic before I did (says the old man shaking his fist at a cloud)! Damn you anyway. (Love you, man!) Second, this may cost me an entire week of productivity at work thinking about this. Third, I simply have to put out a multilayered list (because, well, does anyone who has seen my novel-esque posting history seriously need to ask why) covering teams, players, coaches, fan bases, sports parents, and broadcasters since they all contribute to my hate in different ways. This will take some serious trigonometry to get the points balance right. I'll get back to you later on this, but rest assured Boston will feature prominently across many areas.

This is the classic playoff mentality of "don't leak any injury news". I don't see him returning for a while, but the club doesn't want to write him off just yet because the level of injury you play with in the playoffs is much higher, so they'll keep it as day-to-day, when it may well be more like week-to-week. Just a hunch on my part due to past experience. Probably has a break somewhere and they would consider a playing cast if desperate, but he is not 100% by any stretch. If it required surgery now, I suspect they would have said he's done for the year.

I think the Jets dodged a major bullet not having to play Dallas in the first round. The Stars, like the Wild, employed a trap-style designed to clog the middle and slow down the feet of the Jets, which worked quite well. St. Louis (like Nashville and Colorado) played a more up-tempo style against the Jets this year, which suits Winnipeg. The success Winnipeg had against St. Louis this year was when they employed a run-and-gun style, and did not run into a hot goalie (Allen kind of stole the one game St. Louis won in a shootout). The Blues win this series if their goalie continues to be white hot and they decide not to go toe-to-toe with the Jets offensively, but play a shutdown defensive style. The Jets win if their best players play their best - their talent exceeds that of the Blues. Hopefully they do flip a switch (after seeing them play they way they can against Nashville in the last month, part of me DOES believe the slump was more about letting their foot off the gas to rest for the big grind ahead). I don't mind this match-up, but we sort of don't know what to expect from St. Louis, since they have transformed themselves completely since we last played them. Did they embrace a whole new style of defence-first play after firing their coach, or is it all about Binnington? I think he is due for a regression, now that he actually has some legitimate pressure and expectations on him. Scoring the first goal of the game will be key for both of these teams, so they can then dictate what kind of game is played.

Fortunately, their opponents will have nothing to play for (maybe Grand rapids to seal up second place, but that could have already happened by game time), so the Moose may get uninterested squads.

How about these?

Do we get one more year of Trouba as an RFA/arbitration one year deal signing? I thought so. The big talk this year might be the RFA offer sheet, which disappeared a few years ago with the Brian Burke/Kevin Lowe spat. Before Austin Matthews and Nylander signed big deals, they were rumoured to be getting big offer sheets, so Mitch Marner is now in that boat, and with Trouba, Connor and Laine all RFA's they might be the hot targets for an offer sheet. Open question - if anyor all of the following offer sheets are thrown out, do we match? If not, what is the threshold we do match at? Trouba - 7 years, 8 million per year Connor - 7 years, 7 million per year Laine - 7 years, 8.75 million per year The salary numbers are my best guess at what an "inflated but not ridiculous" offer for each would be.

One man's take: First of all, I must apologize for some egregious omissions. Tom Casey, Bob McNamara, and Charlie Shepard should all have been included on the list, and would in my mind rank above some of the others this list, but in the end 13 was a sizable number in itself, and I don't believe any of these omitted players would have cracked the top 2. From this list- 13) Miller - Great rookie season, but the focus of those Bomber teams was Brock's passing, not Miller's running. 12) Richardson - only back to ever win a rushing title in a 16 game or more season with less than 1000 yards (beat out Damon Allen 925-920 in 1993). Like Miller, was serviceable but not the key element of a pass happy offense. 11) Reid - a very strong 2010 season, and a game for the ages against BC (260 yards, 3rd best ever) in the only successful display of the otherwise goofy "Jet Package" (does it bother anyone else that the greatest rushing AND passing games in Bomber history are both products of the Mike Kelly offensive system? Maybe "The Source" will chime in). But Reid, an admirable replacement for Charlie Roberts, never felt like a game changer at running back to me. 10) Mimbs - Holds the single season rushing record - the only Bomber ever to rush for a mile in one year. So why do I not really remember anything about him? A very underrated back, if he had hung around for a few more years would rank higher. 9) Washington - very steady numbers, he was good for 1000 or so every year, but was buried on some poor teams which lowers his profile 8) Raimey - Like Washington, very good numbers over an extended period, but stuck on some poor teams, and replacing a legend in Leo Lewis he suffers by comparison. One of the best backs on the list in terms of pass catching, and he was a star returner as well, which moves him up on the list. 7) Herron - Destined for greatness, especially after that revelatory 1972 season, but a drug bust in the off-season led to his departure, so he does not have the mileage to crack the top 6. Depending on my mood, he could slide as low as #10 on this list for me. The top 6 are now in the "has done something no other Bomber RB ever did" category, so they get raised a level above: 5 tie) James and Harris - I said before Harris was in tough to crack the top 5, which I am sure will be met with some flak from younger MBB members. So I'll put him in a tie with KId Dymamite (maybe if Harris had a cool nickname he might rank higher). Both are Winnipeg natives and grads of our high school football programs. James' numbers appear smaller, but he had to share time with Lewis, Casey, McNamara, and Shepard, and was still able to put up some heady numbers (18 rushing TDs in one season!) and be the best Canadian on the team 4 times, one more than Harris. Harris has more all-star nods, and is arguably the best dual threat runner/receiver the club has ever employed at running back (although Leo Lewis makes a pretty compelling case as a receiver too). Trying not to let James' moonlighting as an NHLer at the same time influence me - I will hedge my bets and place both of them at the edge of the top 5. In the "only player ever to...." category, no one else has ever hit 1000+ rushing-800+ receiving yards in one season in CFL history (Harris) or played both the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup in the same season, or for that matter a Grey Cup and NHL game IN THE SAME DAY (James) 4) Hanson - no stats make a comparison hard, but he was the first player to ever put the Bombers on the map, and was THE team by all accounts in his playing days. His "only player ever to..." contribution? Name another Bomber who was the best male athlete in the nation across all sports. Can't? That's because no one else ever has been honoured as such. That puts him up to #4 for me. 3) Reaves - My 1984 bias clearly on display, but he is the only Bomber RB to ever be selected as the Most Outstanding Player in the CFL, so that rarified air of top 3 is warranted to me. He boasted before the year started that he wanted to hit 1800 rushing yards, and came oh so close to hitting it, despite being the primary target in every game. The Bomber game plan was "run on first down for 5-6 yards, short pass play on 2nd down, repeat down the field". A classic power back with deceptive speed and brilliant vision and cutting ability for a big man, has was essentially automatic for 20 carries and 100 yards a game. Even his lesser seasons were quite impressive ("only" 1323 yards in an off year in 1985 ,1471 in 1987). He was the focal point of the offence for 5 years here. 2) Lewis - Bud Grant called him "the greatest player I ever coached". I defy anyone to come up with a better counter-argument as to why Lewis should not be on the all-time team. Still the career leader in all-purpose yards for the club, and #2 in career rushing, in a committee running system he was still the most dominant player on the team during the club's 50-'s-60's heyday. Threat as a runner, receiver, and returner, he did it all. His "only player to..." list includes winning 4 Grey Cups, being the team MOP 5 times, and leading in career all-purpose yards. 1) Roberts - It would take a lot to bump Lewis off the top of this list, but 6 straight 1000+ and 4 straight 1500+ yard rushing seasons (only player to...) is my rationale for doing so. Unlike Reaves or Harris, who could generate 3-4 more yards after first contact on pure power, Roberts was the best ever at avoiding tackles for losses (which given his o-line, was an occurrence at least a half dozen times a game in some cases) by being untouchable. Still, he was able to fight for extra yards consistently when he was being wrapped up, despite his small stature. The Barry Sanders of the CFL, his rushing totals were more of an individual accomplishment than almost any other back. In an era when Khari Jones and Kevin Glenn each topped 5000 yards passing, and we had receivers like Bobby Gordon, Geroy Simon, Albert Johnson III, Milt Stegall, Terrance Edwards and Arland Bruce to name but a few, Roberts was still a superstar.

Harris will need at least 4 or 5 more years of production like the last 2 to be considered. He is great ,but this is pretty heady competition. As I said before, right now he might scratch top 5.

Sorry everyone. Life (and more pressingly work) intervenes this week, start of a new fiscal year coupled with a hunch or projects kept me working overtime on many things, with precious little time to devote to the bios. Took about 3 times as long as usual to crank it out, but it is up now. Thanks for your patience and the good debate. I ultimately decided to leave Mike Sellers off the list (sorry) since it was taking so long, we had 13 others, and he did not even crack 900 career yards rushing with the club. But I will say he may be the 2nd or 3rd most effective pass catcher out of the backfield (behind Harris and Lewis) the club has ever employed. If we had a fullback position, he would be a leading candidate (so would Harris if we modified his game) and who can forget him dragging the entire ‘Rider D that one drive in a pre-Banjp Bowl game without his helmet on. Just a tank, never used to his full potential because he shared the backfield with Roberts.

At long last! Here are the bios: Stats will be broken down into rushes-yards-average-longest-TDs and then receptions-yards-average-longest-TDs for the career, with the best single season total for each in parentheses with the corresponding year following the career numbers. Fritz Hanson (Galloping/Golden Ghost, Perham Flash, Twinkletoes) – 48 games in 8 seasons (1935-41, 45), 5 time divisional all-star (1937-41), Canada’s Male Athlete of the Year (1939), CFL Hall of Fame, Blue Bomber Ring of Honour, 75th Anniversary Team member, 5 Grey Cup appearances (1935, 37-39, 41), 3 time Grey Cup champion (1935, 39, 41), no stats available, here is the Blue Bomber Ring of Honour bio: https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/09/18/ring-honour-inductee-fritz-hanson/ Andrew Harris – 50 games in 3 seasons (2016-18), Rushing: 423-2399-5.7-43-18 (239-1390-5.8-43-8 all in 2018), Receiving: 230-1939-8.4-51-5 (105 rec.-857 yds. both in 2017, 9.4 avg.-51 long both in 2016, 3TDs in 2018), led CFL in rushing 2 times (2017, 18), 2 times 1000+ rushing yards (2017, 18), led CFL in receptions 1 time (105 in 2017 – CFL record for running backs), 2 times led CFL in yards from scrimmage (2017, 2018), 3 time divisional all-star (2016-18), 3 time CFL all-star (2016-18), 3 time team Most Outstanding Canadian (2016-18), 2 time West Division Most Outstanding Canadian (2017-18), CFL Most Outstanding Canadian (2017) Mack Herron (MiniMac) – 31 games in 2 seasons (1971-72), Rushing: 456-2427-5.3-65-16 (258-1527-5.9-65-11 all in 1972), Receiving: 69-869-12.6-63-8 (39 rec.-451 yds. both in 1972, 13.9 avg.-63 long both in 1971, 4TDs in 1971, 72), led CFL in rushing 1 time (1972), 1 time 1000+ and 1500+ rushing yards (1972), led CFL 1 time in yards from scrimmage (1972) and 2 times in all-purpose yards (1971, 72), 2 time divisional all-star (1971, 72), 1 time CFL all-star (1972), 1 time team Most Outstanding Player (1972), 1 time West Division Most Outstanding Player (1972) Gerry James (Kid Dynamite) – 135 games in 11 seasons (1952-62), Rushing: 991-5541-5.6-74-58 (197 ru., 74 long, 18TDs all in 1957-1205 yds. in 1955-9.3 avg. in 1952), Receiving: 57-711-12.5-32-5 (12-190-15.8-32 all in 1957, 2TDs in 1952), 2 times 1000+ rushing yards (1955, 57), 1 time led CFL in all-purpose yards (1955), 2 time divisional all-star (1955, 57), 1 time team Most Outstanding Player (1953), 4 time team Most Outstanding Canadian (1954, 55, 57, 60), 2 time West Division Most Outstanding Canadian (1954, 57), 2 time CFL Most Outstanding Canadian (1954, 57), club record for rushing TDs in a season (18 in 1957), #2 club in career rushing TDs (58), 6 Grey Cup appearances (1953, 57-59, 61, 62), 4 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59, 61, 62), CFL Hall of Fame, Blue Bomber Ring of Honour, 75th Anniversary Team member, Memorial Cup winner in 1955, only person to play in a Grey Cup and Stanley Cup Finals in the same season (1959-60), or play in a Grey Cup and NHL game on the same day (Nov. 29/57) Leo Lewis (Lincoln Locomotive) – 161 games in 12 seasons (1955-66), Rushing: 1351-8861-6.6-92-48 (167ru.-1164 yds. both in 1958-8.7 avg. in 1960-92 long in 1963-8 TDs in 1958, 61), Receiving: 234-4251-18.2-78-26 (43 rec.-695 yds.-7 TDs all in 1959, 31.4 avg. in 1955-78 long in 1960), 2 times 1000+ rushing yards (1958, 61), 6 time divisional all-star (1955, 58, 60-62, 64), 1 time CFL all-star (1962), 5 time team Most Outstanding Player (1958, 60-62, 65), #1 club in career all-purpose yards (18577) and career rushing average (6.6), #2 club in career rushing attempts (1351), yards (8861), #3 club in career TDs (75) and rushing TDs (48), CFL Hall of Fame, Blue Bomber Ring of Honour, 75th Anniversary Team member, 6 Grey Cup appearances (1957-59, 61, 62, 65), 4 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59, 61, 62) William Miller - 38 games in 3 seasons (1980-82), Rushing: 552-2813-5.1-54-15 (218 ru. in 1980-1076-5.3-54-7 all in 1982), Receiving: 101-987-9.8-75-6 (43 rec.-407 yds.-75 long all in 1982, 10.1 avg.-3 TDs in 1980), 2 time 1000+ rushing yards (1980, 82), 2 time divisional all-star (1980, 82), 2 time CFL all-star (1980, 82), team Most Outstanding Rookie (1980), West Division Most Outstanding Rookie (1980), CFL Most Outstanding Rookie (1980) Robert Mimbs – 45 games in 3 seasons (1990-92), Rushing: 687-3502-5.1-47-25 (326-1769-5.4-47-15 all in 1991), Receiving: 134-1178-8.8-33-3 (71 rec.-538 yds.-2 TDs all in 1990, 11.2 avg.-33 long both in 1991), led CFL in rushing 2 times (1990, 91), 2 time 1000+ (1990, 91) and 1 time 1500+ rushing yards (1991), led CFL 2 time in yards from scrimmage (1990, 91), 2 time divisional all-star (1990, 91), 2 time CFL all-star (1990, 91), 2 time team Most Outstanding Player (1990, 91), 1 time East Division Most Outstanding Player (1991), club records for most rushing attempts (326), yards (1769), 100+ yard rushing games in a season (10), and yards from scrimmage (2207) all in 1991, 1 Grey Cup appearance (1990), Grey Cup Champion (1990) Dave Raimey – 66 games in 5 seasons (1965-69), Rushing: 625-3917-6.3-100-16 (188 ru.-1223 yds.-100 long all in 1966-8.1 avg. in 1965, 5 TDs in 1968), Receiving: 130-1586-12.2-96-7 (43 rec.-509 yds. both in 1968, 13.9 avg.-96 long both in 1966, 4 TDs in 1967), 2 time 1000+ rushing yards (1965, 66), led CFL 1 time in yards from scrimmage (1966) and 3 times in all-purpose yards (1966-68), 4 time divisional all-star (1965-68), 1 time CFL all-star (1966), 2 time team Most Outstanding Player (1966, 68), CFL Hall of Fame Willard Reaves (Sheriff of Linden Woods) – 62 games in 5 seasons (1983-87), Rushing: 1110-5923-5.3-75-44 (304-1733-5.7-14 TDs all in 1984, 75 long in 1983), Receiving: 113-1202-10.6-76-9 (40 rec.-407 yds.-4 TDs all in 1984, 14.4 avg.-76 long both in 1985), led CFL in rushing 3 times (1984, 85, 87), 3 time 1000+ (1984, 85, 87) and 1 time 1500+ rushing yards (1984), led CFL 1 time in yards from scrimmage (1984), led CFL in TDs (18 in 1984), 4 time divisional all-star (1983-85, 87), 3 time CFL all-star (1984, 85, 87), 2 time team Most Outstanding Player (1983, 84), 1 time West Division Most Outstanding Player (1984), 1 time CFL Most Outstanding Player (1984), #2 club records for most rushing attempts (304), yards (1733) in a season, club record 100+ yard rushing games in a season (10) and consecutive 100+ yard games (8), #2 in career 100+ yard rushing games (26), #3 club in career rushing attempts (1110) and yards (5923), 1 Grey Cup appearance (1984), Grey Cup Champion (1984), 75th Anniversary Team member Fred Reid – 83 games in 5 seasons (2007-11), Rushing: 773-4505-5.8-61-22 (238 ru.-7 TDs both in 2009, 1396 yds.-61 long both in 2010, 7.0 avg. in 2008), Receiving: 99-810-8.2-44-1 (35 rec.-255 yds. both in 2010, 8.3 avg.-44 long both in 2011, 1 TD in 2009), 2 time 1000+ rushing yards (2009, 10), 1 time led CFL in rushing (2010), 3 time divisional all-star (2008-10), 1 time CFL all-star (2010), 2 Grey Cup appearances (2007, 11), club record rushing yards in one game (260) Michael Richardson – 33 games in 3 seasons (1992, 93, 96), Rushing: 467-2456-5.3-31-12 (211 ru.-1153 yds.-31 long all in 1992, 5.6 avg. in 1993, 5 TDs in 1996), Receiving: 100-878-8.8-41-8 (46 rec.-378 yds. both in 1993, 9.7 avg.-41 long-3 TDs all in 1992), 1 time 1000+ rushing yards (1992), 2 times led CFL in rushing (1992, 93), 2 time divisional all-star (1992, 93), 2 time CFL all-star (1992, 93), team/East/CFL Outstanding Rookie (1992), 2 Grey Cup appearances (1992, 93), club record rushing yards in one playoff game (227) Charles Roberts (Blink) – 131 games in 8 seasons (2001-08), Rushing: 1853-9987-5.4-70-64 (303 ru. in 2006, 1624 yds. in 2005, 5.9 avg. in 2003, -70 long in 2002, 16 TDs in 2007), Receiving: 362-3341-9.2-64-13 (55 rec.-613yds.-11.1 avg. 6 TDs all in 2002, 64 long in 2005), 6 times 1000+ (2002-07) and 4 times 1500+ rushing yards (2003-06), 7 time divisional all-star (1955, 58, 60-62, 64), 7 time CFL all-star (2001-07), team and East Outstanding Rookie (2001), team/East/CFL Outstanding Special Teams Player (2001), 4 time team Most Outstanding Player (2003-06), 1 time East Division Most Outstanding Player (2006), led CFL 3 times in rushing (2003, 05, 06), 5 times in yards from scrimmage (2003-07)-(3 times over 2000 yards) and 3 times in all-purpose yards (2002, 03, 06)-(1 time over 3000 yards), #2 club in career all-purpose yards (17528), #1 club in career rushing attempts (1853), yards (9987) and career 100+ yard rushing games (37), #2 club in career TDs (79) and #1 in career rushing TDs (64),#3, 4 ,5 and 7 single season rushing totals in club history, CFL Hall of Fame, 75th Anniversary Team member, 2 Grey Cup appearances (2001, 07) Jim Washington – 82 games in 6 seasons (1974-79), Rushing: 1117-5736-5.1-68-30 (252 ru. in 1977, 1277 yds.-5.8 avg.-68 long-12 TDs all in 1976), Receiving: 181-1435-7.9-61-7 (47 rec.-428 yds.-2TDs all in 1976, 9.6 avg. in 1979-61 long in 1977), 3 times 1000+ rushing yards (1976-78), 2 time divisional all-star (1976, 77), 2 time CFL all-star (1976, 77), 2 time team Most Outstanding Player (1976, 77)

I recall Dunigan later talking about the sound when he threw the ball that day. But go to the source if you can, pw13. I must also cop to another error in re-watching the game on youtube. The Argos did get introduced individually at the start of the game, but the part about them walking out slowly one by one with helmets raised is accurate. And Don Wittman said kickoff temperature was -18, windchill hit -24 according to Environment Canada archives. Some sites (Wikipedia for one) said Dunigan's stats were 12 of 29 for 141 yards, but I cannot verify anywhere. The site also said he had a separated shoulder in the same write-up, so take that (in)accuracy for what it is worth. As for the OV tall boy, re-watching the video of the Grey Cup, you can see an inflatable OV can in the end zone, so I'm guessing that they were a corporate sponsor for the game. I am 99.999% certain that I DO remember the can thrown being a tall boy can, because the Bombers normally served Labatts at their games, but would have bowed to the league sponsor for that game, and the tall boy can was a fairly new fad at that time.

Thanks for the clarification. That would explain the clicking sound when he threw.

It would have been section S that you are identifying, the notorious student section, adjacent to the temp stands. Didn't see the angle of the throw, just noticed the can flying over my head from the vantage point. Did not mean to suggest it definitively came from the temp section. Odds are much better that it WAS from section S. BTW that sideline was the typical visitor's sideline. Toronto was the assigned home team for that game, but requested to wear their road whites for that game. And as everyone remembers, the beer can was an OV tall boy!

From what I understood, Dunigan had a separated shoulder or some form of break, was shot up with painkillers to have a numb shoulder, and relied on the cold weather to keep it tolerable until the half when he was shot up again. Said he heard a click in his shoulder with every pass. Don't think there was ever any doubt he was playing, and not sure how much pain he was in, and add to it the fact that he was not very effective that day (7 for 18, something like 180 yards with a couple of long bombs making up a good chunk of the yardage), but he did suck it up and play on a bum shoulder. I'm sure the truth falls somewhere between "legend" and "vastly overblown". But seeing how you are a Ticats fan I can see why you'd lean towards "vastly overblown", and how that sentiment will fall on deaf ears on a Bomber fan site where most equate Dunigan to the "legend" of a 713 yard passing game.

Most annual days of sunshine in Canada for any city over 200,000 population.