Bookies leave Bombers blue

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2009 (5912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No one would come out and say it, but the prevailing sentiment in Bomberland concerning the huge point spread for Saturday’s game against the Calgary Stampeders is a mixture of "are you kidding me?" and "we’ll show them."

There’s a rule in almost every professional sports league: No betting on the games. But that doesn’t mean players don’t pay attention to the Las Vegas point spreads.

And every once in a while, one of those spreads will catch the attention of a locker-room and get the boys talking. Take the point spread in the game between the Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers that has the Big Blue sitting as 141/2-point underdogs.

"Those guys in Vegas are cute. I certainly don’t see a lot of them around here every day in their black vests. That stuff means nothing to me. People are going to bet however they want to. But I’d say if you have some expendable cash, I like 14 points," scoffed coach Mike Kelly, when asked about the heavy spread following Thursday’s workout.

"We haven’t won in Calgary in seven years so maybe they just doubled the number and said ‘that looks good.’ That stuff’s all fun but it doesn’t mean anything to us. Other than the fact that we feel maybe our entire club isn’t getting the respect it deserves."

Bombers safety Ian Logan said the point spread has been a topic of conversation in the clubhouse.

"We’ve been talking about it. We’re a little surprised. We like being the underdog and we’re going to go with that. It’s been that way all year and it’s easier to play as the underdog. We’re just trying to prove people wrong," said Logan, who won the starting safety job with the club last season in Week 8 and has held the spot for every game in his fourth year as a pro.

"We’re joking about it. We’re surprised. We beat them the last game and our defence has been great. They lost their last game and we won our last game. The one thing is, we haven’t won in Calgary in a long time. They take a lot of factors into account. But we think we’ll be better than 14 points."

Defensive back Lenny Walls, dealt from Calgary to Winnipeg in May, says the point spread is fun for fans but doesn’t carry weight among players.

"Considering we haven’t won there in seven years, maybe that’s fair. But I don’t pay any attention to that stuff. That’s just somebody’s opinion," said Walls, who spent six years in the NFL before coming to the CFL with the Stampeders last September.

"At the end of the day you still have to go out there and play the game. I wouldn’t underestimate any team if I was a 14-point favourite."

Walls says heading back to Calgary has him a little more jacked than usual.

"I’m definitely more excited. It adds a little icing on the cake," said Walls. "I’ll be fired up."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

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