I won’t call Winnipeg “Swaggerville,” because that seems to be something owned by the members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And make no mistake, this little monologue is about Winnipeg, not just about one team.
On Friday night, we witnessed what was almost a perfect storm.
Buck Pierce in front of 30,033 fans (photo by Shawn Coates)
Over on Maroons Road, the Blue Bombers drew 30,033 spectators to watch the home football side beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-27 and improve to 7-1 on the season.
Meanwhile, down at the East End of Portage Ave., the Winnipeg Goldeyes drew 8,065 fans to Shaw Park to watch the Local 9 whip their arch-rivals, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 9-5, to wrap up the American Association’s North Division pennant.
However, while it was definitely an evening of celebration at both venues, it was also one of the most remarkable nights in Winnipeg sports history. On one night, there were 38,098 Winnipeg sports fans watching two professional teams at exactly the same time. And both games were also on TV.
Now that’s not the largest pair of crowds ever to watch two pro sports teams in Winnipeg on the same day. Back in the 1990s, the Bombers and Jets often combined to surpass the 40,000 mark on the same day. But this might have been the largest double crowd for two teams playing at exactly the same time and it was first time anyone could remember that two Winnipeg teams drew more fans than there were actual permanent seats available for them to sit in — at exactly the same time with both teams on TV.
The Bombers added 500 temporary seats — and sold them all in a few hours — to get from 29,533 seats to 30,033. The Goldeyes, meanwhile, sold tickets on the grass berm and probably a few standing room spots to surpass the 7,481 permanent seats at their beautiful little downtown ball park.
Goldeyes manager Rick Forney
There is nothing like a winner to grab peoples’ interest and when you have two winners, folks will obviously respond. With Friday night’s 9-5 win, the Goldeyes swept a four-game series from Fargo this week to improve to 58-38 — 20 games over .500 for the first time since 2003. It was also the first time the Fish had clinched a division title since 2003.
It was also a night to celebrate Rick Forney’s outstanding season as manager of the Goldeyes. In his sixth year as the Goldeyes’ skipper, he built a winner by bringing in (a) an commplished group of veteran leaders and (b) the four best rookies in the American Association and as a result, he won a championship and was named 2011 Manager of the Year.
As well, the Goldeyes reversed a trend this season. After dropping in attendance every year from 2004-2010, the Goldeyes turned things around. Last year, the team drew 271,399 fans and then missed the playoffs. This year, the Fish have drawn 286,885 spectators and the team has at least two playoff games remaining. Getting back to 300,000 is s possibility.
Ace Walker (Photo by Shawn Coates)
“It’s been awesome to be part of this,” said Ace Walker who joined Chris Salamida as the second Goldeyes pitcher to pick up his 10th win of the season this week. “Last year, at the end, was really an emotional time for me (he threw a one-hitter in the final game of the year and thought it would be his final game with the Goldeyes). I don’t think baseball will ever be out of my blood. I think I’ll always want to play. But last year, I thought maybe I was done. Then Rick (manager Forney) really impressed me with the people he was bringing in and when he asked me to play, I really wanted to be part of it. I’m glad I came back.”
Meanwhile, the 7-1 Bombers have four home games remaining and all 30,033 seats available for the Banjo Bowl on Sept. 11, have been sold. That means the Bombers are on pace to set a post-1999 franchise attendance record (1999 was when the available seating at Canad Inns Stadium was actually lowered for the Pan Am Games) in the final year of the Old Dump on Maroons. Next year, the Bombers will move into a brand new 33,000-seat stadium on the campus of the U of M and they’ll do it with a good team playing great football. In fact, after Montreal’s loss to Calgary on Sunday, the Bombers are now four points up on the Alouettes in the CFL East.
The Awesome Bombers D (photo by Shawn Coates)
The Bombers are 7-1 now and with all things being fair and equal, they could very well finish somewhere between 13-5 and 16-2, depending on how well they play down the stretch. This is a team with a remarkable defence that actually got a little help from Buck Pierce and the offence on Friday night.
When the Winnipeg Jets play their home opener on Oct. 9, they could be following a pro baseball championship and a pro football team that is oh, say, 11-3 (as a conservative sports pundit, I still can’t call them winners against Montreal … yet). No wonder Winnipeggers are excited about sports these days.
In fact, any suggestion that there is not a Sports Renaissance in this city is coming from people who think the earth is flat.