ShareThisBy SCOTT ADAMSON
Scripps Howard News Service
Monday, July 23, 2007
My name is Scott, and I'm a footballaholic.
There, I said it. And by saying it I have finally admitted to you, my three loyal readers, that I have an addiction.
For years I either denied it or didn't really think about it, but I was forced to face my demons just a few nights ago when a leisurely channel surf found me on the CSS network watching the Montreal Alouettes take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 3 action of the 2007 Canadian Football League.
Now I could tell a white lie here and say that I tuned in because Clemson's Will Proctor plays for the Alouettes and South Carolina's Jamacia Jackson is on the Hamilton roster, but that wasn't the case. Will is on the practice squad, meaning unless the two other Montreal quarterbacks decided to leave the team just before kickoff and take factory jobs, he wasn't going to see any action.
No, I watched because I needed a football fix. And when I need a football fix I'm talking about the kind of football that they play outdoors (or in big indoor stadiums like the Georgia Dome).
The Arena Football League just doesn't do it for me. I mean the AFL is fine - a nice diversion if the weather's too bad for golf - but 72-57 scores that come from teams that play in hockey rinks, well, it's just not real football.
So since Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia haven't even started practice and several NFL players are still awaiting parole - the CFL has to do.
And it's doing quite nicely, thanks.
In fact, the Montreal-Hamilton showdown was a heckuva game, with the Alouettes hanging on for a 29-20 victory.
Of course if you aren't accustomed to the CFL it's a little mind-blowing.
The field is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, and end zones are 20 yards deep.
It can be disconcerting to hear the announcer say "Montreal has first down at the Hamilton 53."
Teams have only three downs to make a first down, so you don't see a lot of running.
If a ball is fumbled out of bounds, it becomes the possession of the last team to touch it.
And my favorite weird rule is the "rouge." This is 1-point awarded to a team that kicks the ball into the end zone and it isn't returned.
Even if a team misses a field goal it still gets a point if the ball goes out of the end zone or if a kick returner takes a knee.
There's just something strange about seeing a "1" on a football scoreboard.
At any rate the CFL has fed my addiction this summer, and I want to thank it very much. It will be completely forgotten once the four-down brand of football gets going, but for a few brief, shining moments I was one of South Carolina's biggest CFL fans.
It's all part of my 12-step program, folks.
