No Gaming 'Cause I Went to the Game

This is the first chance I've had to do any blogging; it's been a busy week.
Last Saturday, I had intended to go up to the Hamilton Road Games Group as I often do on Saturdays. Instead, at Andy's invitation, I joined Andy, his son Steven, his wife Barb, and our friend Martin and attended a Canadian Football League game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Edmonton Eskimos. I've been to National Football League games in the US, but not for quite a while. This was the first time I'd seen a CFL game.
The game is rather different when compared to American football. The field is longer and wider. The offensive team has three downs to go 10 yards and get a "first down." There are twelve players on each side as opposed to eleven in US football and up to three men can be "in motion" during a play. (That means that three men can be moving behind their own line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.) Scoring is slightly different; there are different penalties for play against the rules, and the game is much faster since there is a 20 second clock, meaning a play has to go off within 20 seconds of that clock starting,
Sad to say, the Ti-Cats lost and had their quarterback injured. I believe I heard that he'll be out for the rest of the season. Many of the fan spoke of their belief that the Edmonton team was "gunning" for some of the Ti-Cats, hoping to cause injuries.
Any way...

Steven, Andy, myself, and Martin... dressed for the weather.
I was raining steadily when we arrived but it soon cleared up although it remained windy.
Rain ponchos cost $1.00 at the Dollar Store; a good investment.

Andy has season tickets and he allowed me to use one of them. That's what's hanging around my neck.
We sat up pretty high in the stands and had a good view of the developing plays,

Barb, Steven, our friend Ralph, and Martin actually sat on the other side of the stadium.
I felt guilty for a brief moment, then I got over it.

Hamilton reminded me of Pittsburgh, PA with its steel mill background and the very involved fans. I told Andy that the only thing missing was an Orthodox church. He pointed to the left and sure enough, there was one a block away from the stadium. Many of the fans would have been right at home in Philadelphia where the crowds have been said to "boo" God. Many were quite vocal about their disappointment in their team and its performance.

Such is life.

I'm not a great football fan; I prefer baseball or hockey. That having been said, I'd go again if the situation presented itself.