When West is East

Much football excitement this Sunday, in the Eastern and Western Division finals of the Canadian Football League (CFL).  Calgary Stampeders will meet Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final at Regina's Mosaic Stadium, braving the high-decibel hoots of watermelon-wearing Roughrider fans, while in the Eastern Final, in Montreal, the Alouettes will be challenged by the BC Lions.

British Columbia is about as far from the east as it is possible to get, but a relatively recent CFL wrinkle allows the last-place team from the west to cross to the East Division playoffs, if it has more points than the last-place eastern team.  The irony in this is that the BC Lions replaced the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the eastern playoffs--Winnipeg (which, as far as I know, still qualifies as a western Canadian city) having been moved to the Eastern Division after the Ottawa team folded.  

Should the Lions win their game against the Alouettes, it would mean that, for the first time, two teams from the west would meet in the Grey Cup.  

"Only," says my 6' 5" tackle son, "in the CFL."

Get the vat of chili simmering.  We have a full day of football Sunday.