I'm completely in shock

I'm simply at a loss for words. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love football. And tonight, my team (Saskatchewan Roughriders) were up against the Montreal Alouettes, going for the Grey Cup. We completely out played them for most of the game. They came back in the fourth quarter and made it 27 for us to 25 for them. With 4 seconds left on the clock, Montreal went for a field goal to win the game. They missed. All good news so far. Then everyone finds out that there was a penalty against us. Too many men on the field. The stupidest and most preventable penalty there is. So they kick again from 5 yards closer. They made it and won, 27 to 28. My friends and I were watching the game together and we have all been rendered speechless. We haven't been able to say a word since that last field goal. I'm not looking forward to work tomorrow, and seeing everyone so depressed.

It's just a game. You'll live.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

It's just a game. You'll live.

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The Riders are HUGE here. People will be talking about this for a while.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

It's just a game. You'll live.

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Yeah I know but now that you mention that, I'm worried about the players. A few years ago we had a kicker who missed a 16 yard field goal. People were so disappointed that they threw eggs at his house and threatened him and his wife. But that's just how important the team is. Just to give you an idea, the Riders have sold so much memorabilia that they are 3rd among any pro team of any sport of any country.

Originally Posted by TigerOnTheProwl

Yeah I know but now that you mention that, I'm worried about the players. A few years ago we had a kicker who missed a 16 yard field goal. People were so disappointed that they threw eggs at his house and threatened him and his wife. But that's just how important the team is. Just to give you an idea, the Riders have sold so much memorabilia that they are 3rd among any pro team of any sport of any country.

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Paul McCallum, right? I remember they put manure on his driveway.

Originally Posted by Moz

Paul McCallum, right? I remember they put manure on his driveway.

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Yep that's him. And then next year he went to B.C. and was making them from the 50.

It wasnt Hamilton or Toronto so I didnt watch but I understand your pain

Originally Posted by mrblanche

It's just a game. You'll live.

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It is never just a game

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

It is never just a game

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Especially for the Riders. We won the Grey Cup in 1966, then we did pretty much nothing for 23 years and won it again in 1989 and then we won our third one two years ago. It's only since then that the Riders have been popular again.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

It's just a game. You'll live.

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I can never understand why people care so much, but then again I guess it's not in my personality to care about any types of team sports ..I'm so indifferent, even towards my own college's football team...I never go to games or care about whether they win or lose..

Yes, they'll all live but a little compassion here would be OK too.

I'm so sorry to hear that your team lost the Grey Cup. Sounds like it was a good, competitive game though. Sometimes that's harder to take than a blowout (coming from a Denver Broncos fan...we were blown out of 4 Super Bowls before winning 2) because you can always think of how it could have been different.

Too many men on the field is 100% a coaching error - don't blame the players. They were just following instructions from the coaches.

All you can do is let yourselves mourn the loss for a while (at least Christmas is just around the corner!), but keep supporting your team. And remember - there's always next year!

I just got here, drowned my sorrows in some Metallica, Jerry Lee, BB King, and Ray Davies (picked parts of the Hall of Fame concert) and finally got over being slightly irate at the procedure call. I couldn't bear watching the TSN disection of the game - most of the announcers annoy me, and Glen Suitor weeping isn't a nice thing (remember, he played in 88 when RoboKicker made the winning field goal). 'Tis a sad sad night in the Rider Nation. I almost went crying to David Ash for a ticket - good thing I didn't, although would have had fun with him and The Flame, until the last 2 seconds.

It may be only a game, but we take our football seriously in Saskatchewan - we about bleed green. Football season never really ends here as it is discussed endlessly all winter, and we got something to talk about this winter, even if the outcome isn't what we hoped so fervently for. How seriously we take the game here is brought to the forefront by George Reed's retirement. He came home to Regina, even if he was born in Mississippi. George is by no means the only former Rider (import) to retire here and consider Regina home. Richie Hall stayed long after he quit playing until he took the coaching job in Edmonton. How many teams can boast a city councillor in the ranks? We have Chris Szarka, a BC boy who decided to settle here permanently. That is just three off the top of my head.

Yes, it is only a game, but we must remember, we went into the game as 19 point underdogs, and the game was spectacular by anyone's standards. Again, at 28-27, not the outcome we dreamed of, but respectable, none the less. The Riders did go down fighting. For a team who started of so very shakily way back when, they did make a remarkable comeback, much to the fan's delight and the incredulity of the sports hacks (Rob Vanstone aside). Yes, the loss pretty much knocked me for a loop, but, still, a great game and wonderful season.

I had a feeling that the Ravens game was going to end with a field goal too - it did but not until overtime after they missed a 56 yd try in the last seconds of the game

Is it just me or did every football game seem to have too many penalties yesterday?

Keep in mind, I live in Texas, where we only have two sports: Football, and summer football. We have highschool teams that can beat many college teams (Plano stands out), and college teams that could beat many pro teams.

But I'll admit it, I'm not into it and I have a hard time understanding it. I would (literally) rather watch paint dry than watch any sport on TV.

Aww, Tiger....I feel your pain. To lose an important game on a penalty is beyond horrible.

I'm a Mets (baseball) and a Vikings (football) fan so I know fan despair. At each season, my teams find another way to break my heart. But I, of course, go back to them once their seasons start. And the Vikings are giving me incredible highs this season. One game at a time, I'm thinking.

Hope today at work goes swiftly!

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Keep in mind, I live in Texas, where we only have two sports: Football, and summer football. We have highschool teams that can beat many college teams (Plano stands out), and college teams that could beat many pro teams.

But I'll admit it, I'm not into it and I have a hard time understanding it. I would (literally) rather watch paint dry than watch any sport on TV.

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I feel somewhat the same way. That's why I almost never post in threads pertaining to sports. If it doesn't concern me, I just pass it by.

I'm a Kansas City Chief fan and I've been in shock all season. Then we beat Pittsburg last week and I was in even greater shock. This week we sucked as usual, and now life is back to normal. If you watch sports long enough you will eventually believe that the worst thing that can happen, will happen. Learn to laugh about it and always keep the refrigerator well stocked with something to dull the pain.

Ah yeah....this Friday left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I went to one of the biggest college football rivalries there are, the Iron Bowl [University of Alabama vs. Auburn University]. My team Auburn were the underdogs, yet we kept the lead for most of the game, 14 points at one point! This was the #2 team in the nation, due to play the #1 Florida. But then in a serious penalty on us and a lucky, championship throw by Bama, they edged out past us 26-21. We drove hard to get that touchdown, but the clock being less than 1:00 was not on our side. We lost. But the fan support was sooooo much. They didn't leave the stadium until after the Alma Mater was sung.

Urgh, I had to deal with annoying Bama fans after the game that love to rub stuff in their face. They can be downright hateful [not all of them! Just a few of the louder, drunker, more redneck ones that never went to school at the university] to me, especially since I'm in Auburn's marching band.

Rawr! I wanted that victory so bad. But unlike some fans, I realize that it's just a rivalry game and life must go on. There are so many more important things.