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, bluto said:

...coming into your house and spiking the football.

Like this?

9 hours ago, bluto said:

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.

 

Grats on the W bluto. It makes the lose a bit easier to swallow knowing atleast one good fan is on the other side revelling right now. 
 I really like the argos front 7 and D in general. If ray and McManis were healthy it might’ve been a different argos win. 

a lot of really good young coaching, that was the biggest surprise for me. You guys handily out adjusted and game planned us. 

I really hope the argos cut some of the rabble. Namely banks and mbt. Kelly was soo exciting in his time I think he and blm next year for you would be electric and not cancerous. 
 

sadly i feel like the argos are a sinking ship as long as mlse is in charge. Not only will they not grow and develop the market If the xfl plays next year I think the argos are gone. 

8 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

sadly i feel like the argos are a sinking ship as long as mlse is in charge. Not only will they not grow and develop the market If the xfl plays next year I think the argos are gone. 

 

31 minutes ago, Rich said:

 

That breaks my heart and pisses me off. 

11 hours ago, Rich said:

 

Raptors, BlueJays, Maple Leafs, Bills.
 

Argo’s who?