The Kid meets Angelo Mosca

Last night, October 7, at Ivor Wynne Stadium, the Tour was the guest of Larry Robertson and the Canadian Football Research Society at the game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the home team, Hamilton Tiger Cats. We were seated in the central tent in the southern end zone and treated to the game and a delicious buffet. As soon as we arrived at our table another Hall of Famer, Angelo Mosca, dropped by to see the Kid.

Angelo: "Gerry, it's so great to meet someone who's even older than me."

The Kid rolled his eyes and punched Angelo affectionately in the ribs. However, there was little time for the two to properly exchange their books, complete with thoughtful inscriptions, or to reminisce about their playing days. Angelo's fans are legion in Hamilton and he was soon beseiged by requests for photos and autographs. One of these fans, Luigiana Vella, was kind enough to send me a couple of photos of Gerry and Angelo (and Larry, Luigiana's cousin, who is a member of the CFRS). These photos are safe and sound in my gmail account waiting for me to access them at the appropriate time (which would be NOW!. However, try as I might, I currently lack the savy to publish the photos on the blog. Perhaps in a later post?) (Oct 11 EDIT- a photo should now be seen above).

As Rob Morrallee, Office Manager at the Hall says, "these men (Gerry, Angelo, et al) are the cream of the crop. They are the top .01 per cent of all of the hundreds of thousands of men who have ever played in the CFL." Sometimes, late at night, when Rob passes the central room at the Hall where the heads of all the members sit row upon row, he thinks he "can even hear them talking to each other."

In an aside to Luigiana, Angelo said about Gerry, "He's the best football player I ever played against."

Later, when Luigiana recounted the above to Gerry, he refused to believe her.

Luigiana: "It's true. He really said that!"

Later, in the second half, Luigiana asked the Kid: "Are you cold?"

The Kid: "No!"

Luigiana: "I didn't ask if you were OLD. I asked whether or not you were COLD. I would have lent you my  TiCat scarf, although being an old Blue Bomber I don't suppose you would have worn it?"

The Kid: "I'm not COLD."

Actually, it is a little difficult to believe that the Kid could have been cold. The temperatures in Hamilton continue to hover around 23 degrees C. There was no wind blowing off Lake Ontario last night. The percussion band kept rhythmically drumming, the cheer leading kids in front of us kept shaking their golden pompoms and the fans in the stands carried on drinking beer and cheering their TiCats in a losing cause.

On the drive back to the Hotel, Larry Robertson recounted some of his experiences recording the play by play descriptions of CFL games at Ivor Wynne Stadium on a manual typewriter, typing on Gestetner (sp?) forms. During an especially cold and foggy playoff game in late November, the statistical team in the open air press box were dutifully recording their accounts of the tied game when Saskatchewan (?) scored a touchdown in the dying seconds. A great cheer rose from the statisticians whereupon their chief immediately rose and gave them a lecture on the importance of their being impartial. Whereupon the statisticians all rose and threatened to quit. They had been cheering the fact that there was going to be NO OVERTIME.

This morning Gerry and Ron are at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame meeting with the Canadian Football Research Society. I took the opportunity to sleep in and update the blog. Later today we are going to be signing books in the Concourse of the Copps Coliseum at 5pm before the hockey game between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Rochester Americans.

Before signing off, the Author asked me to send a special "hello" to Tour followers, Edwin and Mary Webb, in Wokingham, Berkshire.

a pui tardi, Pat