Backstory: I was surfing one of the online Forums I'm a member of earlier this week, and a reporter for OpenFile - Hamilton put out an open call for season ticket holders of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to submit their stories and memories of their seats at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Just for a larf, I wrote a yarn about how I became a season seat holder in my section. The reporter liked it so much, he interviewed me for the article. The article on their website can be found at: http://hamilton.openfile.ca/hamilton/file/2011/07/grandmothers-spark-passion-football, but I'd like to share the short story I wrote that netted the interview.
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Have you ever wondered what stories the benches at Ivor Wynne would tell if they could talk? This is the tale an aisle seat in the lower half of section 22 would spin...
"Do you remember that old movie and TV series, 'The Odd Couple'? It was about two roommates; one was neat, the other was messy. Well, I'm one half of an Odd Couple of a different sort.
"I have seen many people come and go over the years, but my yarn goes back to 2008. *sigh* I remember like it was yesterday. It started at the home opener that season against Montréal. The normal people who frequent around me had returned to their usual roost; however, I was bestowed the honour of having two new people sit on me and the spot beside me. These two were unlike any other. They had purchased flex packs that season and I would see them 4 more times during that 2008 campaign, but what made them unique was they were attending a Hamilton-Montréal game; yet, at the time, they were not only season ticket holders for our much despised rivals down the Queen Elizabeth Way, but residents of the eastern stretches of that same burg.
"The buzz I heard was these two people were upset with the perceived notion that those said rivals had 'rolled over and played dead' when a team from a different pro football league decided to expand their territory and claim the rival's stadium as a sporadic home. Nevertheless, these two were willing to make the 2 hour trek on the GO Train and Bus to Hamilton to cheer on what would become their new 'home' team.
"The next year, the guy in the seat beside me would relocate to a more cost-effective locale in section 30, but the one in my perch would remain and upgraded his seats to the full season; where he has remained since. This is his 3rd year as a full-season seat holder, and those other fans around him have welcomed him with open arms; almost as if he's one of the regulars. Sure, he's missed the odd game whether it be to financial hardships or, in the case of the pre-season game this year, feeling under the weather, but I've grown accustomed to the big 6'3" lug who lives 55 miles away. That's why it always brings a smile to my face whenever I see that black #71 jersey with the name 'Dief' on the back lumber down the stairs to take his place amongst the avid Ti-Cat supporters.
"They'll be tearing the place down in a couple of years and building it back up anew. I don't know how I will be reconstructed during that project, but until that day comes, I will cherish the moments I have with 'Dief' with a solomn hope and prayer that when I'm back after my makeover, the two of us will be reunited once more."
"Do you remember that old movie and TV series, 'The Odd Couple'? It was about two roommates; one was neat, the other was messy. Well, I'm one half of an Odd Couple of a different sort.
"I have seen many people come and go over the years, but my yarn goes back to 2008. *sigh* I remember like it was yesterday. It started at the home opener that season against Montréal. The normal people who frequent around me had returned to their usual roost; however, I was bestowed the honour of having two new people sit on me and the spot beside me. These two were unlike any other. They had purchased flex packs that season and I would see them 4 more times during that 2008 campaign, but what made them unique was they were attending a Hamilton-Montréal game; yet, at the time, they were not only season ticket holders for our much despised rivals down the Queen Elizabeth Way, but residents of the eastern stretches of that same burg.
"The buzz I heard was these two people were upset with the perceived notion that those said rivals had 'rolled over and played dead' when a team from a different pro football league decided to expand their territory and claim the rival's stadium as a sporadic home. Nevertheless, these two were willing to make the 2 hour trek on the GO Train and Bus to Hamilton to cheer on what would become their new 'home' team.
"The next year, the guy in the seat beside me would relocate to a more cost-effective locale in section 30, but the one in my perch would remain and upgraded his seats to the full season; where he has remained since. This is his 3rd year as a full-season seat holder, and those other fans around him have welcomed him with open arms; almost as if he's one of the regulars. Sure, he's missed the odd game whether it be to financial hardships or, in the case of the pre-season game this year, feeling under the weather, but I've grown accustomed to the big 6'3" lug who lives 55 miles away. That's why it always brings a smile to my face whenever I see that black #71 jersey with the name 'Dief' on the back lumber down the stairs to take his place amongst the avid Ti-Cat supporters.
"They'll be tearing the place down in a couple of years and building it back up anew. I don't know how I will be reconstructed during that project, but until that day comes, I will cherish the moments I have with 'Dief' with a solomn hope and prayer that when I'm back after my makeover, the two of us will be reunited once more."
-- Douglas J. McLeod, 2011
