Never in my lifetime (and I'd suppose pretty much all of yours) have we had this matchup in the Grey Cup.

And if you, dear Bomberfan, could go back through your memory of all of your past teams and coaches and then select just one of them to be taking the field this Sunday for All The Marbles, I can't think that many of you would pick any other Bomber squad or Coach that you've ever personally witnessed above this one which you have.

Conversely, we the Argo Faithful, would be stretching the truth if we were to say the same. Indeed, most of us wouldn't have this year's incarnation of the Boatmen in our top 10.

 

Speaking for myself, I confess great sporting admiration for your current team, its coaches and its accomplishments. Having myself been spoiled by epic teams in the past, I remember well the great feeling it brings to have your spirits buoyed by witnessing a well-oiled machine, firing on all cylinders and sweeping all before them. It is a daunting prospect for any club to come up against such an animal - apologies for mixing metaphors - but as you well know, there's a reason why you don't just declare a winner before the ball gets kicked.

Any Given Sunday.

This time honored maxim is a cliche for a very good reason: the team that is supposed to win, doesn't always win. Game of inches and such. I go into this matchup once again prepared for the emotional wound which losing The Big Dance can bring... But then, I have made this preparation for each of the last 3 of these games we were in and the outcome wasn't what it ought to have been. We were solid underdogs in all of them. We should have lost each of them. But we once again had our glorious name etched of the Cup because for each of these games we had a gameplan that worked, made fewer (or no) mistakes, and we had that one intangible that others will scoff at, but we, the True Double Blue know from the bottom of our hearts is real:

The Argo Bounce.

It's a helluva thing, but time and again, year after year, decade after decade, The Argo Bounce has come from out of nowhere and given us Victory and Glory that just frankly and earnestly speaking should never have happened. Fumbles, Tips, Deflections, Slips, Bonehead Errors and yes, Bounces. They should not keep happening, and the younger Bomber supporters with less appreciation for the Storied History of a rival team may deride this as a bullshit thing that isn't real and that random acts of bounce happen for and against every team. Well, yes they do. But the grizzled veterans amongst you look back over the years and in some recessed corner of your memories do in fact recall a stupid amount of random events granting risibly improbable wins for the Toronto Argonaut Football Club. And you wonder, will The Argo Bounce show up? Can the nigh invincible Bombers be denied by The Football Gods showing their favour once again to the Mighty Scullers?

Likely not.

This is probably the year where The Law of Averages catches up to us. When Lady Luck looks past us because we have just had it so damn good for so damn long. Maybe the Argos show up and have their best Gameplan, best Effort, make no mistakes and do everything right but still fall short because their opposition was just too much for them to overcome. The Blue Bombers should win this game. I can't fathom that you'd find many Argo fans who, if forced to bet everything they own on this game, would take the Argos to win it. If Winnipeg shows up and plays their best, it probably won't matter if Toronto can show up with their best. Winnipeg wins that matchup nine times out of ten... Or... maybe Any Given Sunday and The Argo Bounce happen.

 

Some of you have known me 20 years or close enough to it. You know that my wish of good luck to you is sincere and it is in the tradition of sporting competition that the better team on the day wins. I witnessed your years in the wilderness and the false dawns that ignited hope in you that never came to be. You are deserving of your time at the top spoke of fortune's wheel because you've known the bottom of it. 

 

Sincerely & Fraternally,

It's Go Time. I will look for you on the field of honour.

2 hours ago, Mark H. said:

There were several BC bounces...last week...

 

Are you including the two failed challenges... which should have been successful.

Cuz... that is the argo bounce I am dreading... no holding calls on a mugging enabling a argo punt return td... or MBT throwing lights out because he has ages in the pocket because of muggings on the d-line... or blatant push offs to get that 35 yard touchdown... and all those types of "argo" bounces... because you know- need to be relevant in toronto.

That would gift me with a new TV- cause the old one will have a remote through it. 

Edited November 20, 20223 yr by Wanna-B-Fanboy

The refs will try to give the game to Toronto just like they did with BC last week and the Gap last year.

My whole section audibly burst out laughing when BC had 0 penalties called against them and the bombers were about at #4, and Grant got blown up out of bounds 5 seconds too late and the Bombers got called for a phantom illegal block. 

Thankfully O'shea has the team prepared overcome all these atrocities of fairness that keep "randomly" happening.

Edited November 20, 20223 yr by Dr Zaius

Nice post @bluto. I can appreciate everything in it, and the fact that you are here on our board is what good CFL fans do.

Argos have no business winning this game but who knows. I agree with that.

Cheers

Any given Sunday...

50 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Any given Sunday...

Not this one.

If you’re relying on shitty movie premises it is already over. 

7 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Any given Sunday...

Agreed. The Bombers have to play their game- pressure MBT, take away his running game and march the field until the Argo defence tires, and then and only then start bombing them.

Congratulations bluto

Well at least there's a happy person. Ate there any other fans happy tonight there bluto? Maybe 10?

Congrats Bluto.

Good on you Bluto.  If no one else....

😉

Congrats Bluto

Totally happy for you @bluto. BUt argos can still go eat a big plate of dicks out of the Grey Cup. 

Congrats Argos

The better team tonight for sure won. 

**** the Argos and their miserable fans. Worst run team in sports. Looking forward to seeing you losers buy another championship off of other teams hard work in another  5 years after 3 years of sub .500 football 

Congrats @bluto! Enjoy it!

Kudos...........while i throw a frozen fish at you........this one hurts.......

3 minutes ago, BagBlieBulls said:

**** the Argos and their miserable fans. Worst run team in sports. Looking forward to seeing you losers buy another championship off of other teams hard work in another  5 years after 3 years of sub .500 football 

In other words, congrats!

Congrats Bluto, seriously. You’re a great fan and rep for the Argos fanbase.

Congrats Bluto. Enjoy the Stella.

2 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Congrats Bluto. Enjoy the Stella.

Who cares anymore???

Gross

To: The Bomberfans of Morning Big Blue

CC: The various other CFL fans here

 

First I'd like to offer my most genuine congratulations on your 3rd straight Grey Cup appearance and having been the best team in the league over that period of time. Although the talk of a "dynasty" may have tailed off for now, knowing the standards that your Head Coach holds himself and his team to, I have every reason to make your club early favorites to be West Champions again next season and then the talk of an O'Shea Dynasty may resume.

Secondly my thanks to all of you who've forwarded congratulations. It's been a good morning for me and I know that your own has been not quite so good. So with that in mind, I really appreciate the sentiment especially knowing that you're still feeling the sting of last night.

To those of you who took the opportunity leading up to the game where you were solid favorites and felt secure enough in that to shittalk me, my team and my home both publicly and privately I say this: sit yourself down and have a word with yourself.

 

I could go through the game and why it is that the Argos won and the Bombers lost and I'm happy to do so if anyone wants to see my takes on it, but honestly that feels like coming into your house and spiking the football. So the most brief summation I can put on it will be thus: The Argo Bounce is real.

You'll get 'em next season.

 

Guys like you deserve it, Bluto.

Respect 

Gag me with a spoon.