Preparations for a massacre...

As two potential first place clubs prepare to battle for the leagues top spot, Canada and her citizens welcome another perfect end to the vacation months, labour day.

A time when the typical(teachers especially) Canadian prepares to work extra hard so she/he can enjoy the fruits of their labour come thankgiving in late October. And it is also a time to re-new old rivalries on the football field. The league has undergone evident changes since I started watching as a five year old in 1982. I know in Alberta, the labour day game has enjoyed time in both Edmonton and Calgary in the past. But there is still at least one constant in the league. One fact of life in Canada almost as sure as death and taxes.

That fact is a showdown between the Winnipeg Bluebombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders at (Mosaic Stadium)Taylor Field, on the labour day weekend. In recent history, a second game one week later in Winnipeg has been dubbed the banjo bowl by of all people, Troy Westwood(?).

With potentially two first place clubs fighting for this years home and home games, I would like to move to REMOVE that name(Banjo Bowl) on behalf of the fans of both clubs, as it has seen its day and no longer makes anyone laugh.

In fact Id like to call the two game set, THE SEPTEMBER MASSACRE, and the notion has been gaining popularity. Whomever comes out on top, does not matter to the name. These are both storied franchises having great seasons and Id like to think either could win and revel in the massacre.

Lets face it. Noone in either province has a real propensity for banjos or banjo music. Fiddle maybe, with the large Metis population, is something we can all relate a little to.

Whomever first published the words, Banjo Bowl, should have been disciplined!
For no other reason than its a lame-o name that speaks nothing about our teams, our provinces, or the history of the home and home series that we ALL love. You with me?

Kel

I agree on one part. I hate the Banjo bowl and I certainly think it should be removed. Case in point:

When Winnipeg won the actual trophy they made, they drank champagne out of it.
When Saskatchewan won it, they were forced to take it with them back to Regina when they tried to leave it in Winnipeg.
Why would you play for a trophy that one team doesn’t want?

I must say though, I don’t like the idea of “The September Massacre” either. I think it sounds kind of cheesy and doesn’t even really relate to the games.

On a slightly related topic, I don’t like the idea of the Labour day rematch either. Quite frankly, I don’t think that you should play the same team two weeks in a row anyways, and I think it kind of cheapens Labour day in general!

i agree with u :wink: on the Banjo name, i dont like it but i like the back 2 back games

I agree that its tough but I think the series was implemented because the Riders sort of monopolized the labour day game. Other teams around the league share the game on a rotating basis. The Riders will always host the labour day game.

Kel

I don’t believe any of the other Labour Day games “rotate”.
If back to back games must be played, then the Labour Day rematches are almost acceptable.
I think the league might look towards making Thanksgiving the rematch weekend though.
Back to back games are tough on the teams and the players.
But I think the fans like it well enough.

you guys.. if you did that, then the classic Edm vs Cgy matchup that happens on the Monday and then again the next Friday couldn't be possible! that's a classic on its own!!

you can't do that!

Ive lived in other CFL markets...I can assure you one year its in Edmonton and the next its in Calgary. Im also quite sure it happens in the case of Toronto/ Hamilton and BC/ Montreal. You may have a point on the last two Arius as I have never lived in those markets and dont pay a whole lot of attention to their schedules. It'd be pretty easy if you really wanna find out though right?....look at yrs past schedules.

Kel

And, having not lived in these other CFL markets I can absolutely assure you they do not rotate.
Haven’t found anything concrete about TO/Hamilton yet, but:

The only thing that can come close to the annual Labour Day Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos [b]at McMahon Stadium in Calgary[/b] is the rematch the following Friday at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. The teams started this back-to-back tradition in 1989 and have done it every year since except for 1992 when [b]they played the first game in Edmonton the week before Labour Day[/b].
[url=http://www.stampeders.com/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=5926&writer=0]http://www.stampeders.com/index.php?mod ... 6&writer=0[/url]

So in Calgary at least, every Labour Day game SINCE 1989.
The teams and the league have tried other combos over the years(Sask vs. Montreal; TO vs. San Antonio)), but by and large the Labour Day Classics are in Hamilton, Regina and Calgary…year after year…
BC vs. Montreal has only been the match-up since Ottawa folded (again).

Other than the odd ill-conceived experiment, the Labour Day sites for the big 3 matchups do NOT rotate. I believe the back end of the home-and-home was added for the benefit of the Labour Day road teams, so they had a fixed home date and opponent to market, and both Edmonton and Winnipeg have done good jobs in this regard.

Uh Kel, you might want to take your own advice and check out the schedule on the top left of this page and see where the Esks vs Stamps Labour Day game was played in 2005, 2006 and where it will be this year.

The only thing you have assured me of is not to believe much that you write!

Maybe he's 87 years old and how he describes it is how they did it in the 1950's....?

lol....OK so I ASSumed...I'll check from now on...Im old but not that old....bet I could out CFL some on here anyways. Im just the victim of an old post where someone insisted they rotate. Sorry for the bad info.

Kel

heres a question for ya...

Why should Regina, Calgary, etc. enjoy the home game on a holiday weekend every year? Dont Winnipeg and Edmonton, etc. deserve the sellout crowds?

I know all about resisting change as Ive lived in Sask a looong time.

Kel

Even better idea: Whoever wins it one year, gets to host it the next year!

But I would feel bad about taking that game away from Saskatchewan - that is the only thing their fans have to look forward to every year!

Speaking of the Labour Day Game. Best quote I heard from Westwood was from 2-3 years ago, Sask wasn't doing too good, and Westwood said some of their fans were jumping off the roofs in Regine. But no one had to worry because no roof in Regina was more than 2 stories high!! :stuck_out_tongue: Still makes me laugh today, gotta love that Westwood.

Or how about when he apologised for saying that everyone in Saskatchewan played the banjo and was inbred? "I'm sorry, I know not everyone plays the banjo in Saskatchewan"!!! LOL!

How did Westwoods boxing career go? ahahahahaahhaahahahahahahah...and that mullet of his sure reflects positively on your fair city...please everyone take a moment to read some lyrics by Winnipegs own, The Weakerthans...

[url=http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/weakerthans/onegreatcity.html]http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/weakertha ... tcity.html[/url]

....the pride is ooooooozing...NOT!!!!

Kel

Saskatchewan fans aren't too high on Westwood are they? :wink:

He's actually said many times that he has family there, and does it all in fun. Nothing wrong with stirring the pot a little!

I actually think he's a funny guy, and would enjoy an afternoon talking with him. He's one bright spot in an otherwise dreary bunch.

:cowboy:

It should be renamed the Mullet Bowl!!!!!!!!!!

Should the Riders win - the captain of the Riders should get to shave or cut Westwood's mullet off at centrefield after the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE ANNUAL MULLET BOWL- I think it has possibilities!
What do others think!!!

:rockin: :wink: :P :lol: 8)

Prairie Bowl maybe?

Why do they call it a bowl anyways? What do bowls have to do with football?

Ask Ricky Williams.....whoops, wrong kind of bowl.....