CONTEST: 2006 Grey Cup

[GA Russell]

This year's Grey Cup game will be played Sunday between the Montreal Alouettes and the British Columbia Lions. So let's have a contest!

The Grey Cup is awarded to the world champion of what I feel is the greatest game in the world, Canadian rules football. The first Grey Cup game was in 1909. Two of the eight teams which compete for the Grey Cup, the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tigers (now Tiger-Cats) were founded in 1869, which was also the year that the Cincinnati Red Stockings baseball team was founded and the year that Princeton played Rutgers in the first US college rugby game.

To fill you in on what we can expect: The Lions were the best team in the league this year. They have the best starting quarterback in Dave Dickinson and the best backup quarterback in Buck Pierce. However, Dickinson is often injured, and has recently had concussion problems. The Alouettes won their first seven games this year, but then nosedived. However, they have looked very good the past month. The Als lost last year's Grey Cup game in overtime, so they won't have the big game jitters.

Here's the contest: Pick the winner of the game, and for the tiebreaker pick the total number of points scored by both teams. The contest winner will be the one who picks the closest number of points without going over (We call that the Bill Cullen Rule!).

Here's the prize: Your choice of any single CD available from Your Music.

Note: Everyone here is welcome to play. Your Music ships only to American addresses. If a non-American wins, he will be free to trade, sell or just give away his right to the CD to any American of his choosing.

If you change your mind about your pick, you will be free to change it by editing your post. However, if you accidentally make the same pick as someone else, the first to post the correct guess will win the prize.

The deadline to enter will be Sunday, November 19, at 5:00 pm eastern time.

Later in the week I'll post a link to where you can listen to the game on the internet. There will be a number of sites.

I'll start with my pick: British Columbia, 54 points.

Good luck everyone!

edit for typo

Edited November 15, 2006 by GA Russell

[Jazzmoose]

Woohooo! Go BC!!!! I'll take the Lions and 72.

[GA Russell]

The game will be played in Winnipeg this year. Winnipeg is normally quite cold after sunset this time of year, which is why the game is being played a week earlier than usual. But the area is enjoying a warm spell this week, and the temperature at kickoff is predicted to be 32 degrees.

Speaking of kickoff, it is not clear to me whether the game starts at 5:00 pm eastern time, or the pre-game TV show starts then. In the past the kickoff has been at 6:00 pm eastern.

Radio station The Team 1200 in Ottawa will carry the game and stream it on the internet using both the Windows Media Player and RealPlayer formats.

Here is the link for Team 1200:

http://www.team1200.com/listen-live/index.asp

If you do not already have Windows Media Player or RealPlayer on your computer, I recommend that you download them well ahead of game time, so you won't miss any of the game. The downloading can be slow.

It's always possible for there to be a streaming problem for the game. Last year all of the CFL stations were perfect, but this year I have often had a problem.

You may want to consider as alternative sites:

http://www.am770chqr.com/home/index.cfm

http://www.620ckrm.com/

http://www.630ched.com/

http://www.900chml.com/

[GA Russell]

The CFL Awards were handed out last night.

There are six categories. The East and the West have a nominee for each. Five of the Western nominees were BC Lions. All five won.

Receiver Geroy Simon was named Most Outstanding Player.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Gre...391490-sun.html

[Indestructible!]

GA,

Sorry I haven't been catching up on the CFL talk recently... work has had me all over the place the past two weeks!

Anyway, my pick: Lions win it 27-24, total points = 51.

Should be a good game... Lions offense versus Al's defense!

Cheers,

Shane

[B. Clugston]

I pick B.C. 60 points.

[GA Russell]

At this rate, anyone who picks Montreal will win without a tiebreaker needed if the Als win!

[GA Russell]

In addition to the website cited above, Sirius satellite radio will carry the game on ch. 186.

The kickoff will be 6:00 pm eastern time, with a pre-game radio show of at least a half an hour.

[patricia]

Lions win. 29 - 27. Total points, 56.

[Soulstation1]

MONT 24

[John Tapscott]

B.C. wins 34-24 58 points

[GregK]

The Grey Cup is always a better title game than the Superbowl

[GA Russell]

Since we now know that the kickoff will not be until 6:00 pm eastern, let's extend the deadline till then.

[patricia]

Watching the game now. The score is 16 - 3 for B.C. at the end of the first half.

And I was worried about your stipulation that the CD won't be sent out of the U.S.

Montreal better get their ducks in a row if they are going to avoid embarrassing themselves.

A win is one thing. A drubbing is quite another, especially in a Grey Cup game.

[GA Russell]

After three the Lions lead 19-12.

The Als O showed nothing in the first half, but came to life with six minutes left in the third and made a game of it.

It often happens in the CFL that when a team dominates the first quarter and fails to put the other team away on the scoreboard, that team winds up losing. Tonight the Als got zero first downs in the first quarter. And now they have some momentum.

[Van Basten II]

25-12 BC, the Als had a scoring chance but they fumbled the ball near the goal line. Not a great year for pro teams in Montreal. Edited November 20, 2006 by Van Basten II

[GA Russell]

B.C. Lions 25....Montreal Alouettes 14

The Als fumbled on the Lions' 1 yard line with four minutes left in the game which pretty much sealed it for the Lions.

Dave Dickinson was named the game's MVP, although he didn't have a great game. Paul McCallum was named the Canadian of the game with six field goals, tying the Grey Cup record.

[GA Russell]

Total points: 39.

Nobody was under. Indestructible! was closest with 51. So he wins the prize.

Congratulations Shane!

I'm sure that everyone will be curious as to what CD you pick, so you might as well post your choice here.

PM me your name and address, and I'll order it right away.

[Jazzmoose]

Congrats, Shane...guess I was expecting a blowout romp. In hindsight my point total seems a bit silly...

[Soulstation1]

i was closest on total points and i don't even know the CFL's scoring system...

[GA Russell]

i was closest on total points and i don't even know the CFL's scoring system...

Yes, but unfortunately you picked the wrong team!

I remember fifteen years ago when the NFL went on strike the bookies recommended that their customers not bet on CFL games because they were too unpredictable!

Speaking of Canadian league scoring...there were no single points (rouges) tonight!

[GA Russell]

Here are the first two articles about the game, hot off the press:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Gre...19/2429608.html

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

[Soulstation1]

damn

i thought i won a mosaic

[B. Clugston]

I saw the Lions arrive with the Grey Cup earlier this afternoon. The trophy appears to be back in one piece.

I thought that was one of the duller Grey Cup games I have seen. Montreal could have made it interesting, but fumbled. Not sure why the Montreal coach didn't challenge the call; the RB may have been down when the ball popped lose.

[GA Russell]

I thought that was one of the duller Grey Cup games I have seen.

BC, I have attended, seen on TV or listened on the radio to about 25 Grey Cup games, going back to 1962's famous Fog Bowl. This year's game was the worst in my book.

The 1986 game was a blowout, but I found it interesting because Edmonton was expected to clobber Hamilton but instead Hamilton clobbered Edmonton.

Oh well, last year's game was one of the best, and they can't all be good!