Ticats Report—Week 9

This is the story of Hamilton’s last two home games.

A combined attendance of 56,037 sat on the hard seats at Ivor Wynne Stadium for a total of eight quarters - one hundred and twenty minutes of playing time, running a total of over six hours. These people had done their part, and asked only to be entertained to, at the very least, a competitive football game.

The home team responded by scoring a total of two points.

So now the Tiger-cats sport the worst record in the CFL. Seems to me we’ve been here before; though even in Hamilton’s worst seasons, the team gave the fans a reason to stand up and cheer once in a while. But in these last two home games, the only reason anyone had to get out of their seat was to buy beer, or to return some to the earth from whence it came. By the time the final whistle blew, my rear end was so sore I could barely walk.

The fact that these two embarrassing losses sandwich a victory on the road is no consolation to those of us who sat through two of the most pathetic outings I have ever witnessed. It only matters in the standings. Win on the road all you want, if you treat your loyal fans to that kind of performance, you’ll soon have far fewer loyal fans to lose in front of.

There is no more gelling to be done. The season is now half over for this team, so they are as good as they are going to get. Maybe they think they’ll get hot in the second half of the season, and squeak into the playoffs, and then, who knows? That kind of hope may still exist in the locker room and in the front office, but it’s wearing thin in the stands.

It may still happen, but as of right now the Tiger-cats are all alone in the league’s basement. Perhaps that’s where they want to be.

It’s certainly where they belong.