It's the end of the regular season, and much like the end of any Rodney Dangerfield movie, we here at Boatmen Blog will celebrate the season's close with a raucous party set to the music of Journey. Hopefully, it'll be celebrating an Argos win.  That's the way we need it.

Rusty's Picks:

Saskatchewan at Edmonton

You hate to see these games at the end of the year that don’t mean anything to either of the teams. They’ll go through the motions because they’re forced to, while the fans in the stands display varying degrees of indifference or drunkenness.

Basically, this is the CFL’s version of a shotgun wedding. Hopefully, for all of our sakes, the Dannys will get an annulment on Saturday and we can forget that this one ever happened.

Pick: Edmonton

Montreal at Toronto

Wait a minute… Was the Don’s “retirement” all just a clever ruse so that he could spend the last month videotaping Argos coaches himself? Bravo, Don. You are the master.

Pick: Toronto

BC at Winnipeg

Shouldn’t someone be telling Winnipeg fans that even if the Bombers win this game, they still won’t get a home game? Crossover teams have to play on the road - it’s the rule.

Pick: BC

A-Rad's Picks:

Saskatchewan at Edmonton

You know, of all the many important things we do on this site, these blurbs for three or four games are the most challenging and the most time-consuming. And yet, somehow, both Rusty and I have managed to find something at least tangentially connected to each game to post about. But in the regular season's final week, it's time to admit I've found my Waterloo. Because there is nothing whatsoever even remotely interesting about this game.

All I can really add is that I assume the two Dannys referred to by Rusty are Messrs Maciocia and Barrett, not Eskimos alumnus Danny McManus. Because I'm pretty sure Danny Mac only goes to weddings classy enough to have an open bar and a really good buffet. 

Pick: Edmonton

Montreal at Toronto

There were many things to like about Ricky Williams' hour-long interview on The Fan on Thursday. His praise for Canadian culture...his unexpected declaration of his love for Family Guy...his telephone chat with Jim Brown, in which he informed his old friend that the Argos had "at least three, maybe four" games left - meaning the only question in his mind is whether they have to play an extra game before winning the Grey Cup. But there was also one genuinely disurbing aspect - his nicknames for his teammates.

"Crouchie"? "Brucie?" I'd always assumed that hockey players were the only guys who thought a nickname involved sticking an "ie" - or, if they're really imaginative, a "sie" on the end of surnames. Of all the things to take home from Canada, Ricky, this is what you've chosen?

Pick: Toronto

BC at Winnipeg

The common wisdom on this game is that it means a lot more to the Bombers. I'm not so sure about that. I mean, we all know how much Dave Ritchie means to the Lions. And surely nothing would please the Evil Fish more than depriving the team that unceremoniously dumped him two years ago of a home playoff game. Except, you know, a lifetime supply of this stuff.

 
Bonus pick: 

All of the Argos have been injured in practice, leaving Pinball to play the Als by himself. When he finds out about this, Jack Todd - still basking in the glory of riding Don Matthews out of town for inflicting a grave injustice upon ticket scalpers - insists on celebrating by playing against Pinball himself. The Als, tired of Todd telling them all the things they should be doing differently, decide to let him. How does Pinball do?*

Rusty's Pick: Pinball 4000, Jack Todd 2. (Todd goes back to the dressing room after the game and yells at himself in the mirror. He then calls for his immediate firing - not because of the score, but because of his hostility to the media.)

A-Rad's pick: Pinball 612, Jack Todd 0 (The score would be even higher, except for Pinball deciding to settle some old scores once the game is out of reach. Remembering Todd's suggestion that the Als would win the 2004 East Final because they had a head coach and the Argos only had a cheerleader, Pinball spends the entire fourth quarter beating Todd senseless with a pair of pom-poms.)