And now...Sports

The 93rd Grey Cup takes place in Vancouver this Sunday. I was at BC Place last Sunday when the Edmonton Eskimos upended the hometown Lions 28-23 to punch their ticket for the big game. This page heard more finger-pointing and griping at Terry Fox Plaza than he did when James Green showed up on the ballot next to Jim Green.

For the band-wagon jumping masses that constitute much of Lions' fandom, the problem with the local gridiron concern can be summed up in two words: Wally Buono. It's not that Buono isn't a good head coach or a competent general manager, the problem is he's still trying to wear both hats and it's not working anymore. Buono the coach is loyal to a fault with his veteran players (ie. Dave Dickenson), which makes Buono the GM extremely reluctant to dump those veterans once they jump the shark.

Having followed the CFL in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan, I find the locals somewhat naive if not ignorant about Canada's other great game. I spent much of the second quarter chastizing a trio of would-be Krazy Georges about trying to start 'the wave' when the Lions had the ball. These jackasses (who brought their Canucks jerseys and fan etiquette from across the street at GM Place) had never heard of an audible, nor a snap count (neither of which can be heard over a roaring crowd), nor the stadium security rule about bringing in your own bottles of beer.

As for the rest of the faithful, I think a strong case of myopia set in when the Lions went to 11 and 0 and the Grey Cup sold out in the same week. Only three times since 1986 have home teams won the Western Final, the '92 and '98 Stampeders, and the 2004 Lions. All three of those teams had Wally Buono at the helm, so while it may be a good idea for David Braley to take one job away so that Buono can better focus on the other, it doesn't make sense to take away both.

Who is this page rooting for this weekend? I'll find out as soon as I buy my Grey Cup pool tickets.