It's a late season game with as much meaning as the weekend can offer and for all the wrong reasons.
Both Winnipeg and Hamilton have provided the material to be the poster children for incompetence this season, neither it seems capable of seizing the moment, neither really deserving of the chance to have a post season, but here we are, two weeks to go in the season and the Bombers and the Cats could very well determine which team packs for an Eastern Semi final game and which one parks on the couch.
Neither the Bombers, nor the Cats have given their fans much in the way of hope for a Grey Cup parade this season, in fact, frustration among the fan base has marked much of the season for both Winnipeg and Hamilton.
The Cats fans perhaps the most flummoxed at the path of the Tiger this season, a season of occasional highs mixed with far too many lows, of games within grasp and lost, intermixed with games where they have been blown out of the park, only to be countered by the odd effort where the Tabbies have looked like the Grey Cup should have been engraved with their name at the July 1st kickoff.
The only team more confusing for their fans this year has been the Bombers, a team which last year went as far as the Grey Cup game deep into November, a team which this year looked like they had booked their tickets for winter vacations back by the August 1st holiday weekend.
The Bombers, who went without the services of starting QB Buck Pierce for most of the year, were at times the team most likely to be run out of town by their own fan club.
The Bombers were at times just plain awful and then just when all seemed dire, they would come up with an impressive win, enough of a bit of progress to perhaps save the job of the head coach (the GM however isn't feeling any love from Friendly Manitoba) once they get around to the post mortem of the season from hell.
You somehow get the feeling that Bon Jovi is going to be the preferred warm up music in the Bomber locker room for the next two weeks. Yet with a win on Saturday and another next week and the Blue could very well be in the playoffs, a three week dash where anything can happen.
The test of that theory begins Saturday afternoon in the Hammer, to paraphrase the theme of the old Tina Turner Movie Thunder Dome, two teams enter, one leaves.
Game Time 1 PM ET, Noon CT, 10 AM ET, Ivor Wynne Stadium TSN
Winnipeg 18 at Hamilton 28 (29,722)
Pre Game
CFL.ca-- Game Preview
CFL.ca-- Video Preview
National Post-- Desperate Blue Bombers living on a prayer
Winnipeg Sun-- Tiger-Cats easy marks for Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Free Press-- Bombers juggle defensive lineup to replace injured starters
Hamilton Spectator-- Math is not on the side of Ticats against Blue Bombers
Canada.com-- Blue Bombers defence knows they have to step up to keep playoff hopes alive
Team Backgrounders
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Hamilton Tiger Cats
Post Game
CFL.ca-- Game Review
CFL.ca-- Video Highlights
National Post-- Tiger-Cats keep slim playoff hopes alive in final game at Ivor Wynne Stadium
Winnipeg Sun-- Blue Bombers' Buck Pierce's last hurrah?
Winnipeg Free Press-- Fitting end to sorry season
Hamilton Spectator-- Believe it! Ticats in battle with Esks for playoff spot
Canada.com-- Burris, Ticats seize the day vs. Bombers in 28-18 win, final game at Ivor Wynne
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