The jabs are flying, and the trash talking is really getting heated in our humble little home these days. The cause? For the first time ever, the lowly Saskatchewan Roughriders, perennial sad sacks by anyone’s definition, are meeting the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers in this year’s Grey Cup. In fact, even Jakob is getting into the action. Today his blue shirt was clear evidence that he’s siding with Dad and cheering for the Bombers!
Poor Elisha, she missed being raised in the prairie promised land by a mere mile. As a result, she grew up cheering for the green and white in the only place in Western Canada that Manitoba feels they can look down on. Yes, Saskatchewan is the butt of many a prairie joke in wonderful ol’ Winnipeg. Like the ever popular, if not all that funny, “Saskatchewan is so flat, you can watch your dog run away for 3 days,” or one of my personal favourites, “Have you heard that the Canadian government has almost completed the scenic highway through Saskatchewan? Yup, the tunnel should be complete any day now.” Budumpbump ching! One could go on for days, but let’s get back to the serious subject of this weeks championship tilt, to be played in Toronto, where I’ll bet the idea of two Western based teams squaring off for the ultimate football prize can hardly be stirring up much excitement.
What exactly is at stake in this historic showdown between bitter provincial rivals? Bragging rights, sure, but is there more to it? Manitoba has always had this sense of superiority over Saskatchewan. Traditionally, Manitoba has been economically stronger. Their population is larger, and the capital city is larger than Saskatchewan’s two largest cities combined. Saskatchewan is the only place that Manitobans could point at as always being just a little bit lower than them on the totem pole. If Manitoba was flat and boring, well, Saskatchewan was more so. Cold and windy, you say? Well, Saskatchewan’s got to be worse. Could victory by the Roughies tip the scales in this battle between have-not provinces? Would it be enough? Well, the sad fact is, Saskatchewan is showing signs of overtaking Manitoba in some of the aforementioned categories. For example, the city of Saskatoon is growing faster than Winnipeg, both in terms of its population and economy. Provincially, Saskatchewan’s economic fortunes are riding an upward trend fueled by high prices in oil and minerals, which they have in far greater abundance than Manitoba. Did I also forget to mention that they have a lower provincial sales tax? Yes, there’s a lot more riding on this football game than just the trophy.
It’s a good thing that we proud Manitobans, or maybe I should say, proudly displaced Manitobans who are glad that they’re not there right now shoveling snow, scraping windshields and enduring face numbing North winds and temperatures below freezing, have nothing to worry about. A Winnipeg Blue Bomber victory is a certainty. No doubt about it. Now, there are those who would suggest that the broken arm suffered by the Bomber’s MVP quarterback might put them at a huge disadvantage. Heck, that’s nothing. The Bomber’s could win this game with one hand tied behind their backs. Sorry to say it, but the green clad legions of fans that make up the Rider Nation will be left with nothing but unfulfilled dreams to take them through the next 8 months of wintry misery. Yup, might as well get back to polishing that combine. Really now, how could it end any other way?
Comments anyone???
Oooohhh….some good comments already! I wonder if I can get Preston to wade in on this one….
