| Organizers of the 93rd Grey Cup in Vancouver have some ugly history hanging over them until the final whistle of the game on November 27.
An inauspicious fog remains floating throughout B.C. Place stadium, left over from the last CFL championship game hosted on the Left Coast.
That year, for some inexplicable reason, the stadium ran out of beer before halftime. Yes, before halftime.
Perhaps organizers of the 1999 contest were concerned about fans getting out of hand. Dumb argument. Anyone who is a Cup Head (regular spectator at the Grey Cup) knows there are few fans interested in causing problems. People simply want to party, cheer for or against a team and have a bit of fun.
Or maybe the organizers in ’99 wanted to make sure everyone watched the fantastic halftime show....
Regardless of the reason, if beer sales don’t go beyond the third quarter this year, I predict there will be a huge outcry from thirsty football fans across the country. And that anger could present itself in cries to have B.C. removed from Canada.
OVER TO YOU
The Calgary and District Cricket League heads into next season with a firm stance at the wicket. Surging participation levels and waning pressure from the City of Calgary to relocate have invigorated local participants of one of the world’s most popular sports.
"Only five years ago we had nine member teams in the league," says league vice-president Ravin Moorthy. "This year that number stood at 25 with several teams wait-listed to join the league. We have pegged the growth at about 300 per cent in the past few years and as we resolve our facilities issue, we expect not only the numbers, but the quality of players to rise dramatically."
At present there are about 600 active members in the league, which has seen a massive influx of participants in the last three years. New immigrants to the city from more cricket-familiar nations continually appear at the pitch.
Not long ago, another, less rosy scenario loomed large. The city was pressuring the league to move from its playing grounds at Riley Park, which would have ended more than 50 years of history associated with the game at that location.
Moorthy says that pressure has fallen off, likely due to the increased interest in the sport.
"The push to move us away from Riley Park seems to have settled down," he says. "Cricket in Calgary will always be centred around Riley Park. As a league we need to properly facilitate our expansion and look for additional venues to grow our sport. We are now looking at several other sites in partnership with the city to act as additional facilities to our home at Riley Park."
And if anyone wonders about the quality of play in the local league, there are currently two national team members in addition to a former professional cricketer.
MORE BEER BLUES
Fishing in British Columbia takes on new meaning when you're after a special kind of fish. While collecting her gear for the day – fishing supplies, food and beverages – a friend reeled in horror upon hearing her Kokanee limit is four.
Dreams of kicking back and downing a bunch of cold ones quickly disappeared. "I thought, ‘OK, that's enough for me, but what about the rest of the people?’" says the friend, who prefers to remain anonymous.
Imagine the horror of spending a day in the sun, out in the middle of the lake, enjoying the fresh, country air and being limited to four cold ones.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Apparently the would-be fisher only knew they were fishing for salmon, not kokanee salmon (which is a landlocked fish similar to the sockeye). |
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