WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY – IT’S ABOUT THE STORIES

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Roc, 98.5 FM)

For Canadian football fans, it truly is the most wonderful time of year.

Grey Cup Week is upon us and all the jubilation, hoopla and storytelling that goes with it has officially descended upon the Queen City. How glorious it is to be home for it with The RP Show, broadcasting live daily on Game+ TV all week.

We were truly blessed to be joined by two Hall of Famers on Tuesday’s show: Nik Lewis and Matt Dunigan at Ballers Rec Room on Dewdney.

The icons regaled us with their stories of Grey Cups past, like the fact Nik played in three Grey Cups and all were indoors (Montreal 2008, Toronto 2012 and Vancouver in 2014).

Dunigan recalled winning it all in 1991 with John Candy’s Argos, but losing two while with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

It dawned me a few years ago that I’ve got some great Grey Cup fables too!

In 2007 when the Riders faced the Bombers in Toronto, it was like walking on air all week. It was my ninth season as Voice of the Riders and by then I’d kind of given up on ever making it to the big show, let alone winning it.

That was a “One And Done” year for Kent Austin, leading the Riders to a championship in his only season at the helm. I’ve got a million stories from that season alone, dealing with the diamond that is Kent Austin.

Of course November 24, 2013 was the greatest day in Saskatchewan history as the Roughriders stomped the Tiger-Cats 45-23 at Taylor Field. Corey Chamblin chiseled his face on the Mount Rushmore of Rider coaches that day while Darian Durant took up his spot on the Mount Rushmore of the Riders greatest quarterbacks.

Those were the good times. The 13^th Man debacle of 2009 gets talked about at least as much – particularly in Calgary – and I’ve long since chalked that up to simply being “what makes us, us”.

More heroes will be made on Sunday when the Blue Bombers take on the Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium.

But at this point in Grey Cup Week, it’s all about the stories.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)