It is over. The BC Lions have won the 99th Grey Cup in Vancouver. I would term the game as being the second most boring Grey Cup in recent memory, topped only by the 2007 tilt between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I originally said it was the worst, but my friend Robin reminded of the 2007 clunker. How can a 34-23 game be boring you ask? Simple, both teams were just not that good. From aging receivers to no talent receivers to young quarterbacks to banged up quarterbacks. There was no running game for either team and frankly, both defences are highly rated only because the offences in the CFL this year were brutal. Yes, it was a down year, a transition year maybe, for the CFL. Several past superstars appear to have lost a few steps this year and may not be back in 2012. Maybe next year will see some new superstars emerge.
The only question left about the Grey Cup in the sports riot capital of North America, Vancouver was, would there be a riot. Thankfully there was none this year, although there was a mini riot at an alumni dinner. Check out this video, then I’ll give you some background. The stars of the video are 73 years old.
The occasion was a celebration of the 1963 Grey Cup in which both of these men played, obviously on opposite teams. The gentleman with the cane is Angelo (King Kong) Mosca, a feared defensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1963, and later a major wrestling talent after football. The gentleman on the left is Joe Kapp. Joe was, prior to his career with the Minnesota Vikings, the starting qb for the BC Lions. During the 1963 Grey Cup, Angelo Mosca laid a questionable hit on the Lions star running back, Willie Fleming, knocking him out of the game. The Ti-Cats went on to win 21 – 10. Obviously the grudge is still alive. By the way, there were riots in Vancouver after the 1963 game and after the 1966 game as well, both played in Vancouver.
Related articles
- Joe Kapp punches old CFL rival at alumni dinner (sfgate.com)
- Angelo Mosca brushes off Joe Kapp peace offering (theglobeandmail.com)
- Grey Cup celebrations wrap up peacefully in Vancouver (cbc.ca)
- Grey Cup (dwlonline.wordpress.com)
That is sort of sad. I would hate to let someone have that much power over me and cause me to carry a grudge so late into life. But the tall dude sure can pack a punch.
Yep, he sure does, and it is sad, although, and I hate to say this, Mosca is a notorious self promoter (ex-wrestler) and there is every possibility he made it go this way on purpose. He has a new book out. The tall guy, I don’t know what to say about his actions, other than he may have got suckered by someone who played his emotions.
When I get that old, I want to be that crazy too.
Definitely crazy, not sure I want to waste much of my time on earth dwelling on something that happened 50 years ago. That is truly crazy.
I never knew Mosca played in the CFL!