Blue crank up volume to prepare for noisy Melon Heads

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This article was published 02/09/2010 (5544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE best way for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to mute the noise at Mosaic Stadium would be to jump out to a big lead, pushing the crowd’s alcohol consumption from celebration-driven to sorrow drowning.

Barring that occurrence, though, the Bombers have other plans to handle the Labour Day Classic circus.

The sound system at Canad Inns Stadium was just as active as the players on the turf Wednesday, thanks to the return of the canned cheer the Bombers play over the loudspeakers in preparation for hostile environments. It’s just the second time the Bombers have pumped up the volume leading up to a game, the other time coming in anticipation of a loud crowd in Calgary.

Bomber players, coaches and onlookers should get used to the audio annoyance this week.

"I think (the volume) was a little low," head coach Paul LaPolice smirked Wednesday. "I would say atmosphere — it’s the truest thing to playing like an Alabama-Auburn football game, like a big-time college football game. I’ve been in the Ticats-Argos (Labour Day game), and they’ve always been great matches, but this is just an exciting time."

An exciting time, this annual matchup between the visiting Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders — no doubt about it — but it’s a contest that comes with a distinct home-field advantage. The thousand or so fans who make the trip from Manitoba in support of the Blue and Gold certainly deserve mention for their efforts, but they are no equalizer for what the football team has to deal with once the opening kick-off drops.

That’s why the Bombers are leaving no stone unturned in preparation for this game.

Besides trying to work on things like silent counts and hand checks within a torturous and sometimes disorienting noise pollution (that sounds nothing like a real crowd, by the way) the team is breaking with frugal tradition and flying to Regina to prevent injury (the club will ride the bus back to Winnipeg). Unfortunately, the white boards made popular during the 2009 Labour Day Classic are not making the trip.

The biggest thing the Bombers are doing to combat the Riders (and the crowd) has little to do with travel budgets and coaching tools, however.

Winnipeg welcomes linebacker Marcellus Bowman and safety Ian Logan back to the lineup, two starters who should provide more help against a potent Saskatchewan offence than any sound board should. Bowman is still a raw rookie, so measure his impact against the weight of the game, but Logan’s return gives the Bomb Squad instant stability in what promises to rocky Green seas.

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With pass-catchers named Weston Dressler, Andy Fantuz, Rob Bagg, Chris Getzlaf, and Prechae Rodriguez lining up on the Saskatchewan side, the Bombers hope having a five-year man like Logan directing the defensive secondary will slow the Riders offence and in turn, keep the crowd out of it.

"I have some experience — I’ve played in Regina before and it is a different game there," said Logan, who comes back after missing the last three games after re-injuring his left hamstring in Calgary. "It’s hectic and crazy and it’s louder than any other place. I’ll try to guide the guys as best I can. Experience can only help there."

That’s sounds good to LaPolice.

Something the Bombers won’t like the sounds of: Winnipeg’s Labour Day losing streak is up to five games.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca