Rails from the Rails #4 - Pinball, O'Sh, and the Legend

Rails from the Rails – 4 (originally posted on August 17, 2007 at www.argonauts.ca)

Tickets Please: Confession: I have never been to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Shame, shame, double shame. I will remedy this soon.

All Aboard: Over the past 10 years with the Argonauts I have played with many good football players. I have shared the locker-room with a handful of great football players. But I have also been a teammate of a very few double-blue athletes who are destined for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. These players have differentiated themselves from their peers in so many ways it is hard to decide which accomplishments to focus on or which attributes to highlight. I have decided to share their greatness with you by telling you how members of my family have reacted to these players and then sharing a statistic associated with that player which may be overlooked when their careers are considered.

Let us begin with Damon Allen. What can be said about a quarterback that has passed for more yards than anyone who has ever played the game? And what can you add to the fact that he is also 3^rd on the all-time rushing list? At a loss? Well let me tell you something about him that you may not know. Damon is my eldest daughter’s favourite Argonaut. Ena was recently asked by her teacher who her favourite Argonaut player was. It should have been easy to figure out: dad! But my lovely child did not mention her father. No way. Her favourite is Damon Allen. And people wonder why offensive linemen have inferiority complexes. My own daughter didn’t pick me! Please, nobody ask my wife the same question. I couldn’t handle the rejection. At any rate, my daughter has chosen a future hall-of-famer and the choice is a good one. Many people mention Damon’s passing and rushing yardage when considering his greatness on the gridiron. However, let me share with you a statistic that impresses me: 366 games played. That does not include pre-season or post-season. That is 366 regular season games and counting. Damon is number one on the games played list if you disregard special teams players. When I consider the years that Damon has played this game at a high level I am amazed. Damon is a sure-bet for the “Hall”.

One can look like a fool on a football field. I have been there many times. In my second year I made the play that TSN considered their “Turning Point” of the game for a contest between the Ticats, the team I first played for, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Not bad for an offensive lineman. Unfortunately, it was because I was offside! I fall down, get knocked down, trip over my own feet, go the wrong way, and miss assignments far too regularly. However, I don’t often play the fool on center stage with cameras rolling in front of thousands and thousands of people. But it does happen occasionally. In 2003 we were playing the Montreal Alouettes in the eastern final. The “Big O” was filled with close to 60,000 loud fans. One had to yell to be heard even if the listener was right beside you. All verbal communication was accomplished only through screaming. In the 4^th quarter the offense made a costly mistake that we had made several times that game. I was furious. We had discussed how we might resolve this error, but we erred again. As I walked to my bench, our head coach asked what happened. I screamed back at him that someone repeated the error that we had tried to fix earlier. So there I was, screaming at the head coach with a scowl on my face. I was screaming to be heard, not because I was upset with the coach. And I was scowling because of our team’s inability to correct the aforementioned problem, not because I was angry with the coach’s question. The camera caught it all. I was angrily screaming at my head coach and the many viewers did not have the explanation I just gave to you. No big deal you say? In many cases, perhaps not. But when it appears as though you are disrespectfully yelling at the nicest guy in professional sports, and the camera catches it, you are in hot water. That is what my wife saw while watching the game at home. Her husband was bellowing at fan favourite Michael “Pinball” Clemons. And I got an earful when I talked to her after the game. Instead of sympathy for losing another opportunity to go to the Grey Cup, I heard “I hope you’re not taking advantage of the fact that Pinball is a friend of yours. He’s your head coach!” As with most, she holds “Pinner” in high regard and wanted to make sure I wasn’t taking his position as head coach for granted just because at one time we played together. That was the first I heard about that incident but it was not the last! Michael Clemons is another sure-thing hall of fame footballer that I had the privilege to play with. His many on field accomplishments are only over-shadowed by his off-field philanthropy. He is one to marvel at. And one could choose to look at his numerous awards and records, such as his all-time all-purpose yards or Outstanding Player award. But let me give you an amazing and often overlooked statistic: 165 lbs. That is what he weighed. And that was probably with his shoes on. When public speaking I use that fact to inspire many young kids and many undersized football players. The man did all he did on the field and only weighed 165 pounds. Incredible! The CFL Hall of Fame in Hamilton will not be without a bust of the “Pinball Wizard” for very long.

The final yet to be recognized Hall of Fame Argo is still getting it done on the field. His impact as a player can be sensed if you ever meet my grandmother. “Nana” is a sports fan. My earliest memories of her are of watching Maple Leaf games together. Until this past year she followed the CFL closely. But recent days have not been good to her. She had been entirely self-sufficient until this past winter. She fell ill and even though she recovered, she was no longer able to solely care for herself. Her health has not allowed her to watch CFL games this year. She has good days and she has bad days. She occasionally forgets her great-grandchildren’s names (she has 21 of them). She doesn’t always clearly remember people and events from the past. But she always remembers a good friend of mine. Her face lights up when I mention his name. When I tell her that I will see him at practice she informs me that I must give him, along with advice for the upcoming game, a big kiss. My Nana loves Mike O’Shea. She loves him because he plays the game the way it was meant to be played. And he plays it at a high level. And he has played it that way for 15 seasons and counting. “O’sh” is another Argo that I have played with who is destined for the Hall of Fame. His 1000+ tackles guarantee his presence there. But the incredible statistic that I would like to mention is a relatively small part of those more than a thousand tackles. More than 160 of those tackles are special teams tackles. That is outrageous. Mike has been a starting linebacker his entire career. He has always been on the field when his team’s defense is playing. But when the ball needs to be kicked, or a kicked ball needs to be received, Mike is still out there. While many starters are resting on the bench, he is still fighting tooth and nail. His defensive competency is well known. His special teams prowess is almost unattainable. Of the two defensive stars who have more career tackles than Mike, one has 85 special teams tackles and the other only 36. O’Shea has excelled at every aspect of the game. We have all been witness to a career that will entitle him to a place among the CFL’s greatest.

Damon Allen, Pinball Clemons, and Mike O’Shea are three players adored by my family and are surely to be enshrined by the Canadian Football League.

Last Stop: Perseverance is not the same as patience. Many people use the words synonymously. But perseverance is patience with hard work. It is defined as continued, patient effort. And it is an attribute highly esteemed in the sports world. Great achievements over the course of one or two seasons will get you recognition. But perseverance in a sport over the years will get you respect and recognition. Respect from fellow athletes and recognition by Hall of Fame committees. Most of us will never experience the latter. But achieving the former is success enough.