by Dave Yanko

Winnipeg Blue Bomber kicker Troy Westwood has a reputation for talking trash, especially to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their fans.

Aaron Sparwood, of Virden, MB, sports a Banjo Bowl T-shirt.

Like me. But after experiencing the first annual Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg, I'm beginning to like the guy.

Before the Canadian Football League's 2003 western division semi-final in Regina between the Bombers and Riders, Westwood kicked up a storm when he called Rider fans "banjo-picking inbreds". The Riders whacked the Bombers 37-21 in that game but the controversy didn't die. Many Rider fans thought Westwood had gone too far.

The Bomber booter would later respond to these concerns by "apologizing" to Rider fans whose parents are related to each other, and adding he'd never met a Saskatchewan woman who had all her teeth. Plucky.

Somewhere in the midst of this colourful brouhaha someone had an idea. And so was born the Banjo Bowl, a new name given to the Winnipeg leg of a traditional home-and-home series against the Riders that begins with the Labour Day Classic in Regina.

With hawkers outside selling little sponge banjos in Rider green or Bomber blue, the inaugural National Post Charity Banjo Bowl at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg got underway shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12 in an atmosphere of balloons, beer and banjo music—think plenty of Dueling Banjos from the movie Deliverance. One year after Westwood's most controversial jibe, the old game with a new paint job drew a season-high crowd of 27,160 paying customers. And that was the point.

Corey Holmes was a Rider workhorse in the losing battle.

"It's going to help really solidify and intensify the rivalry, especially if we can, for the years up coming here, get the home-and-home series going,'' Westwood told the Winnipeg Sun before the game. "It's a great tradition and it's always a huge game in Saskatchewan. Hopefully, (the Banjo Bowl) becomes a sellout date year in and year out. We've got to fill the stands to drown out the stubble jumpers."

Rider fan living up to expectations.

Although the Bombers defeated the Riders 27-24, the Banjo Bowl provided an entertaining theme for lots of fun and silliness. During our walk from the hotel to the stadium, for instance, I met three young and bleary-eyed Rider fans from Regina who set off for Winnipeg shortly after the last one finished work at midnight Saturday. I laughed when I spotted the one with a green torso and a backwards "S" painted in white on his chest.

"What can I say?'' he said, deadpanning it for the all the Rider and Bomber fans in earshot. "I did it in front of the mirror.''

Rider fans weren't the only ones having fun with the theme. Winnipegger Lorne Hammerberg attracted hoots and catcalls sporting a blonde Heidi wig, a nasty set of false teeth, a two-day growth and a green banner proclaiming him "Miss Teen Regina."

Lorne Hammerberg, Winnipeg: "I'm the only Rider cheerleader who was able to make the trip."

The Jumbotron at the north end of the stadium featured replays, advertisements and contests occurring during breaks in the action including the outhouse building competition at half time.

On-field announcers interacting with the crowd via the Jumbotron missed few opportunities to snipe at Rider fans; we were portrayed as mentally sluggish and backward. A public service spot for the local animal shelter showed a series of dogs being offered up for adoption. The final image was photoshopped to portray a cute little mutt playing the banjo, bringing a roar of laughter from surprised and delighted Bomber and Rider fans alike.

There appeared to be no one area set aside for Rider fans in the 29,000-seat stadium—we were green-and-white buoys in a sea of blue and gold. But that's alright. Our numbers likely didn't command such accommodation. And in any event, this provided for more "interaction" with fans of the host club.

Good-hearted heckling was common among Saskatchewan and Winnipeg fans.

When I had season tickets at Taylor Field, I was impressed with the visitors who came from Winnipeg each year for the big Labour Day game. They brought the noise and colour and hooting and hollering, but I never saw a fight between Bomber and Rider fans. I'm happy to report Bomber fans at the Banjo Bowl greeted us with little more ribbing and derision than they might expect to receive at Taylor Field, even though they had a small advantage because the banjo theme gave them a unified focus.

The hawkers were out in force.

Will the Banjo Bowl become as popular an annual event as the Labour Day game in Regina? Who knows. But as a long-time Rider fan and one of the estimated several hundred who travelled to Winnipeg for the dust-up, I hope it does. A renewed and strengthened rivalry with the conference-surfing Bombers is a good thing for both clubs, their fans and the CFL. And the United Way benefits from a portion of T-shirt and poster sales as well as a $10,000 cheque from the National Post to the provincial United Way Organization whose team wins the Bowl.

And love him or hate him, the man who started it all became a star of the game when he ran a fake kick for a crucial first down.

"I don't know why they're not taking advantage of my athletic ability," Westwood told the Winnipeg Sun after the game. "Did I look like Walter Payton running?"

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