Well friends, I can’t think of much else to talk about today aside from losing.
It’s so strange to me that losing is something we each experience almost daily as sports fans. Ultimately there is little difference between a big loss or a tight-scoring game that goes down to the wire. CFL fans were treated to a pair of tight games yesterday, with the Tiger-Cats losing despite a late rally, and the Lions losing in overtime. But in the end, fans in both Hamilton and BC, separated by nearly the entirety of this land, went home feeling sad and blue, and sick and green.
For the Tiger-Cats, it’s a disappointing end to a season that was supposed to have ended with at least a trip to the East Final. Through the fog of disappointment, it’s sometimes hard to remember some of the good things that happened this season. And with season ticket renewal letters coming shortly after Christmas, it’s going to be important for this club to remind their fans of the good things they saw on the field in 2010.
The best thing Ti-Cats fans saw this season? Anguish. Looking at Kevin Glenn and other Tiger-Cats after yesterday’s game, it was clear and easy to see this game meant more to the guys in black than to the people in the stands. In today’s sports world, that kind of emotion seems rare, and you certainly can’t fake it. The Tiger-Cats had it in spades.
Staying with Kevin Glenn, it’s hard to ignore the kind of season he had. He threw for more than 5,000 yards and 33 touchdowns, both numbers good for second in the league. No greater authority than Eastern nominee for Outstanding Player Anthony Calvillo suggests Glenn could have been the Eastern nominee. DeAndra’ Cobb quietly out-rushed the likes of Avon Cobourne and Wes Cates with nearly 1,200 yards, and he scored more touchdowns than the Argos’ heralded Cory Boyd. Hamilton was one of three teams with two 1,000-yard receivers and Marquay McDaniel was just 6 yards shy of making Hamilton one of two teams with three 1,000-yard receivers. So clearly, the offense was working.
For all the headlines generated by signing Stevie Baggs, the Ti-Cats had other strong contributions on defense. Jamall Johnson was second in the league in tackles and Garrett McIntyre finished fifth in sacks. Markeith Knowlton led perhaps the league’s best group of linebackers that helped cover up a rash of injuries that tore through the defensive backs.
Dave Stala, one of those 1,000-yard receivers is the Eastern nominee for Outstanding Canadian, Knowlton is up for Outstanding Defensive Player, Marwan Hage is up for Outstanding Lineman and Marcus Thigpen is not only up for Outstanding Rookie but was also Hamilton’s nominee for Outstanding Special Teams Player, although the Eastern nomination rightly went to Toronto’s Chad Owens. Having the nominees in four of six award categories is something to be proud of. No other team can boast such a feat.
This team even won a game in Montreal!
Sadly, all this praise and all these award nominations didn’t add up to a trip to Edmonton in two weeks. But the Tiger-Cats have a lot of the right pieces in the right places, and should enter the 2011 season as real Grey Cup contenders. And from a crushing loss against our most-hated rival, hope springs.
Thanks for the season boys. Until next June, Oskee Wee Wee.
--Steve
