Football

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

No action til Melonheads swarm in

Calgary dull as dishwater so far

By: Ed Tait

25/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

‘No, no, it’s Darian, not Kevin,’ Roughriders’ quarterback Darian Durant tells the assembled media horde in Cowtown. (JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS )

CALGARY -- We'll start off with a joke that undoubtedly started in Saskatchewan and will be beaten to death here in Grey Cup central by week's end...

News release:

"A male, early 30s, dressed in a Stampeder jersey, was pulled out of the Bow River Sunday evening. As not to embarrass the family, the Stampeder jersey was taken off the deceased."

Ouch. Funny thing is, while this town is done up right -- there are Grey Cup banners and signs everywhere and they are setting up a Fan Fest site as planned -- there is no sizzle, no oomph. It's as if late Sunday, right around the time the Saskatchewan Roughriders dusted off the Stampeders in the West Final to end their quest to repeat as champions at home, all the air had essentially been let out of the party balloons.

We expect it to be dead until the crazies roll in from Saskatchewan on Thursday or Friday.

"I don't know what to expect, to be honest with you," said former Bomber GM Brendan Taman, now the Riders' director of football administration. "I think it'll be like a home game, I really do. It's going to be wild. There's a lot of people coming and they can drive, so, whoa boy. There are going to be a lot of people coming who aren't even going to go to the game. People will come on their Ski-Doos if it's snowing. I know the Gainer-mobile is on the highway right now as we speak."

VEGAS SAYS: Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have made the Montreal Alouettes -- 15-3 in the regular season and coming off a 56-18 spanking of the B.C. Lions in the East Final -- nine-point favourites.

DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT? TSN has done a solid job of handling games and promoting the CFL in its two seasons holding exclusive rights. And they'll do it up right this weekend with a big splash on Saturday and a huge pre-game show on Sunday.

But... Rider Nation must have cringed and cursed when they heard the promo for this weekend's games and Saskatchewan QB Darian Durant referred to as 'Kevin Durant.' Just so everyone is clear, Kevin Durant is the former Texas hoops star who now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Darian Durant, the Rider QB, has a younger brother Justin who plays linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

PARTY TIPS: Passing along this info for Grey Cup planners who are looking for some variety: the lounge in the Rider hotel in downtown Calgary is advertising the following cocktails:

"ö The Alouette: 2 oz. blueberry vodka, 3 oz. pink lemonade;

"ö The Roughrider: 1 oz. vodka, 1 oz. creme de menthe green, 3 oz milk;

"ö The Blue Bomber: 1 oz. blueberry vodka, 1/2 oz. peach schnapps, 1/2 oz. blue curacao, 3 oz. orange juice;

"ö The Tiger-Cat: 2 oz. tequila, 3 oz. orange juice;

"ö The Stampeder: 1 oz. chambord, 1 oz. vodka, 3 oz. cranberry juice;

"ö The Lions den: 2 oz. alize passion fruit, 3 oz. orange juice;

"ö The Eskimo: 1 oz melon liquer, 1 oz. sour apple, 3 oz. Sprite;

"ö The Argonaut: 1 oz. blueberry vodka, 1 oz. blue curacao; 3 oz. lemonade.

Sample at your own risk. (The Free Press will not be held responsible for any nightmarish hangovers come Monday morning).

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 25, 2009 C3

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