All Aboard: A proximis quisque minime anteire vult. – Titus Livius (No man likes to be surpassed by those of his own level.)
Tickets Please: As
I mentioned before, there is nothing tougher in my chosen profession
than watching another team hoist the Grey Cup above their heads in
celebratory victory. As mature as one would like to be, it is difficult
not to be overcome by envy and remorse. Nevertheless, as time passes
you deal with it. There has been a sufficient amount of ‘water under
the bridge’ for me to make a few comments about the Saskatchewan
Roughriders and their Grey Cup victory.
Despite
my strong desire for my team’s supremacy on the gridiron, there are a
few members of the 2007 champions that I was glad to see raise the cup:
1) New head coach Ken Miller
– Coach Ken is without question one of the finest men that I have had
the pleasure of crossing paths with in my career. It was an honour to
play for him for several years in Toronto. He is a man with much skill
and competency, but those qualities are overshadowed only by his
strength of character. He is an excellent motivator and he truly cares
about those around him. I was genuinely excited to see him get promoted
to a head coaching position. With the exception of a few games this
coming year and the final game in Montreal, I wish him all the success
in the world.
2) Center Jeremy “Moe” O’Day
– Jeremy was my roommate for a year when we played together in Toronto.
He is a hard-nosed competitor and has made his living in the trenches.
He is a good friend and if the team raising the CFL’s grail could not
be wearing double blue then I was glad for this Green Rider to be
raising it. I am sure it is of some consolation for him to best me in
this manner since he lives everyday of his life knowing I am a better
fisherman than he is.
3) Veteran lineman Gene Makowsky
– Until this past year, Gene had been faithfully and doggedly
patrolling the Riders offensive line with nary an opportunity to play
for a championship. For 13 years he had been toiling and had been doing
it with enough skill to win individual awards and personal accolades.
But individual awards mean nothing to a true footballer when compared
to winning a championship. Anyone who is a member of the O-Line
fraternity must be happy for Gene. I know I am.
4) Western alumni Andy Fantuz and Mike Abou-Mechrek
– As an alumnus of the vaunted University of Western Ontario I am
always keeping my eye on ex-Mustangs who now play football
professionally. And though I would definitely prefer it if it was this
Mustang raising the Cup this past November, I salute these two for
their success. In particular, I was impressed by Fantuz and his play in
the final. I knew Andy was extremely athletic, had great hands, and was
a ball-magnet, but I would never have guessed that toughness would be
added to his arsenal. Toughness in receivers is the quality I most
admire and nothing displays this more than the capacity to not be
tackled. Andy’s touchdown in the final was reminiscent of the
hardest-to-take-down receiver I have witnessed; Terry Vaughn. Congrats
to these ‘Stangs.
5) Coaches Kent Austin and Paul Lapolice
– Both of these coaches are talented and have proven themselves at a
young age in their profession. They are also men of character and
playing for them was memorable. I would expect that both will continue
to be successful.
6) Fans
of the ‘Riders – Regina was the first place that I was noticed on the
street as a professional football player. Fans of the Riders are
passionate about their team specifically but also about the CFL
generally. The fact that they would recognize me in my rookie year was
shocking. They love the game and they love their team. Again, if I had
my druthers, I would have had Argonauts fans celebrating a Grey Cup
victory this year. Things turning out the way they did, I hope The
Green Nation enjoyed their championship.
Last Stop: G. K. Chesterton penned these words: There is a great man
who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who
makes every man feel great. Ken Miller is a great man of the latter
type; a real, great man.