Today marks the playing of the 98th Grey Cup game marking almost 100 years of organized football in Canada. Also lovingly known as the national drunk, it’s a day for the people to celebrate in a uniquely Canadian way.
A Proud Bomber Fan Celebrating a Canadian Tradition
As a country we know that we are barrelling headlong into yet another long bone grippingly cold winter. Yet all across the country people will be shovelling off their lawns pulling out the second hand chesterfields out of the garage and setting up the big screen TV’s to watch the big game alfresco.
Celebrating a Touchdown Canadian Style
Yes it’s true that collectively we are known as the big pink country that occupies the space on the map above the United States. That docile beer drinking nation who’s better known past time of hockey somehow is played into the ungodly heat of the summer months now. What a uniquely Canadian way to celebrate our diversity and creativeness by stripping down to our collective skivvies and watch a football game played in the snow! Or as it turns out in the mud, the 1950 Grey Cup featuring Toronto vs Winnipeg saw a man almost drown in the muddy field. After the game rowdy fans swarmed the field tearing down the goal posts looking for souvenirs. Who says Canadians are always nice.
Winnipeg at Toronto in the 1950 Mud Bowl
The tradition started in 1909 was played on Toronto’s Rosedale Field to a crowd of around 10,000 people watching the University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale squad by a score of 26-6.
Not That Earl Grey
The trophy donated by Albert Henry George Grey, the fourth Earl Grey and Canada’s Governor General at the time. (Stoners and Star Trek fans please note that this was not the same Earl Grey that the tea is named after but a descendant.)
This Earl Grey
The Grey Cup was awarded for excellence in Canadian rugby football, the forebearer of the modern game. This year’s contest involves the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in a rematch of last years final.
Evidence of Unnatural Carnal Relations In Saskatchewan
I could get into a systematic breakdown of each teams strengths and weaknesses, analyzing the quarterbacks and defencive schemes that each are known to employ. But the truth is I really don’t care who wins todays game. My beloved Winnipeg Blue Bombers are out, bounced from the proceedings before the playoffs even began. So the minutia of the today’s match does not really interest me.
Rider Nation: The Evidence Speaks for Itself
What does get my attention however is the amount of money I stand to win. For weeks the usual break open charity tickets have been circulating and if the score printed on the tickets of which I have a purchased many, equals the quarter score or final score I win cold hard cash!
Montreal Doing What it does Best! T n' A
So I wish equal luck to those from La Belle Province and those who support tractor sales, gopher friendship and inappropriate intimate relations with close family members on the wide open prairies of Saskatchewan. As long as one of the teams wins me some cash! Maybe I can afford to move my chesterfield back into the house this year instead of leaving it frozen to our front lawn until spring.
Sadly it's the Only English this Alouette Cheerleader Knows
Happy Grey Cup Day to one and all! Have a cold one for me wherever you are!
Bob
Exploring Winnipeg and Beyond. 
hahaha nice bob.
Especially enjoying the random pics thrown in here.
Random, those my darling are hardly random pictures. Those represent the best that Canada has to offer on this great day.
But ya I likes em too!! Go Money Go!!
Football, tea, snow….. I don’t like any of those things. but Canada is still cool.
Well of course Canada is Cool. Actually now that I think of it Canada and Australia are constantly vying for top spot in Coolest Nation on Earth. Are they not?
Bob!!! How sits the wallet tonight?
Not the most exciting of games. Though I was with friends so that was a good time!
The boys rocked the half time show pretty good!
Hope you can move the chesterfield back in, that heavy snow is not good on the pile of the material. 😀
The wallet unfortunately is a little lighter from buying all of those tickets in the first place. GRRR Oh well, it’s all for charity.
I also wasn’t too impressed with the game, pretty low scoring affair. In the end I did end up cheering for the Alouettes because I just couldn’t stand to see those inbred gopher lovers to the west win last night.
Love the way the game ended, only one interception and Durrant has to throw it in the last minute to seal his teams demise. Classic
As for Bachman and Turner, they were good but with all of that sponsorship money that Pepsi Max was throwing around on the half time show you think they could have sprung for a better stage and sound system. Sounded like they were playing through someones kid brothers ghetto blaster for God sakes.
I lost all focus at Jean Luc. Quick. Put me in a cup with some cream.
Welcome Elly Lou! Glad to see you made it through all of the snow and cold that we have been suffering through here.
I really don’t know what to say about your infatuation with Jean Luc other than, l’amour est bonne. So feel free to poke around here a bit, pour yourself into that cup of tea and steep for a while. Grab a cookie while your at it, they are metaphorical but delicious just the same.
This sounds amazing. I am truly sorry I missed it.
Grey Cup is always a blast! Like I said it’s the national drunk. Some of my best Grey Cup experiences involve never actually watching the game.
Strange but true!
Sounds like it was a blast! Cool pics as well.
Have to say I am more of an ice hockey fan myself. One day I will make it back to visit Canada and this time in winter to enjoy some good NHL games. 🙂
/Nush
It’s true that hockey is the Canadian game. Not ice hockey, just hockey.
The winter months are long and can be very isolating depending on where you live and the weather. So it’s the one constant that holds us together on those cold winter nights. Across the country radios and televisions are clicked on in unison to hear the strains of the Hockey Night in Canada theme song.
It seems strange but it works!!