Turkeys no longer, Blue aim for Thanksgiving Day win

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This article was published 07/10/2009 (5844 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALL it wacky, goofy or whatever you wish. But when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats meet on Thanksgiving Day, it will be for second place in the CFL’s East Division.

We’re not making this up, people.

Now, even though the Bombers have had their struggles through a 5-8 start and the fact the Ticats have dropped three of their last four to fall to 6-7, the game still figures to serve up as much intrigue and drama as any on the CFL schedule down the stretch.

"This should be an interesting one," said Bombers head coach Mike Kelly. "We know we’re going into a place that gets great support. They’ve got to be licking their wounds a little bit. This will be a great challenge for us, but I expect our players to be up for it."

The Bombers return to the practice field today after a three-day break following their victory over the Edmonton Eskimos.

And with all the schedule-watching and concern over a possible crossover team coming East from the West Division, the rest of the season is cut and dried for the local footballers.

Take care of their own business — a win over Hamilton ties the season series with one more matchup to play — and the Bombers, amazingly, could be playing host to the East Semifinal on Nov. 15.

"I give credit to the players for staying the course and not getting deterred by certain aspects of the situations we found ourselves in this year," said Kelly. "I’ve said all along I really believe in this group of players and they’ve put themselves in this situation where they could grab onto second place and hang onto it.

"Everything that’s happened this year has been a growing experience for all of us. And if you don’t learn from those experiences then you’re not really paying attention to your surroundings.

"I think what it’s done is solidified or hardened our group. We’ve really rallied around each other and believe in each other and really don’t let a lot of things distract us from the task at hand. I think that’s what makes us unique right now."

BLUE NOTES: Beginning today CFL teams may add an additional five players to their practice roster for a stretch ending on Nov. 5. Kelly said there are a couple of players they are interested in.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca