Today, a gentleman going by the name of "Shoomy" joins us a special guest Boatmenblogger. He's managed to score this sweet, sweet gig because he's one of our most reliably entertaining commenters (see where it can get you?), he sits next to us at Argos games, and he's almost certainly the only guy in Toronto with a genuine certified Jerome Davis jersey. In his Boatmenblog debut, he explains that last part - which, it must be said, is especially endearing to those of us who've had our very own awkward conversations with Jerome Davis.

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I became an Argo season ticket holder for the first time this year. It wasn’t a tough decision. The tickets are reasonably priced, I enjoy football and my good friends (and Argo superfans) Rusty, A-Rad and Cowbell Jenny had a spare seat open up beside them. I jumped at the chance. A far more difficult decision - one that took me the bulk of the season - was deciding what Argo jersey to buy.

My first instinct was to go for a novelty jersey. I thought I would try to distance myself from casual fans and endear myself to my new Hard Core Argo fun tribe by not selecting the off-the-rack jerseys offered at the Argodome. Looking toward former NFL disciplinary cast-offs, I researched whether R. J. Soward did drugs. I'm pretty sure he did, but outside of killing my NFL fantasy team a few years ago, he hasn't committed any especially exotic crimes. I  secretly wished that Onterrio Smith was picked up by the Argos - then I would have the double-pleasure of not worrying about peeing myself in a fit of excitement or intoxication, since I could simply blame it on my whizzinator malfunctioning - but sadly it wasn't to be.

From NFL substance abusers, I moved to random non-import players just happy to be in the league. The Argos have some great ones, Yorga (if he has a first name, I don't want to know it) and David Azzi being my favorite. Happily, that would leave open the possibility of actually being mistaken for an Argo should I wear my jersey to a bar after the game. Okay, I'll never be mistaken for Yorga, listed as 6'7'’ and 300 pounds - but seriously, does anyone really know what David Azzi looks like? Would Spergon Wynn know? Could I tell him I was David Azzi and scoop in on some of his cast-offs at the clubs?

The plan seemed perfect, except for the very real possibility that a non-import, non-impact player might not be an Argo for very long. At least Mookie Mitchell- whose outdated jersey I was borrowing from Rusty for the bulk of the season - is still in the league. An Azzi jersey without an Azzi on the Argos would be about as dated as those original Simpsons episodes where Waylon Smithers was black.

It wasn't until the Labour Day Classic that I settled on my jersey to-be. While it was Damon’s night, there was one Argo who stood out to any fan close enough to get a good look. He was stomping around the sidelines, firing up his own teammates, encouraging Toronto fans to make noise at the appropriate times and playfully sparring with Hamilton fans. Plus, he was a bald man with a beard. I don’t know why, but that always kills me.

I did some research on this player, and found that while never drafted, he had been on and off four practice rosters before  making a few starts in the NFL. He was an All-NFL Europe selection and was converted from a defensive lineman to an offensive lineman. He also works as a financial advisor in the off-season (during the season, the money he manages is presumably on its own). In his senior season of college, he was given the Paul Giel Award for total unselfishness and most concern for the University of Minnesota. His resumé reads like his first impression - a guy who genuinely loves to play football and be a part of a football team. Unfortunately, it doesn't boast any drug convictions - but nobody's perfect.

In my fraternity we used to consult the big list of famous alums and invite them to our initiations and big events. David Letterman, Mike Ditka, John Wayne and Jack Layton (yes, Jack Layton) all declined our request. Only Tom Selleck returned out invitation, with a letter of regret and a sweet Magnum PI autographed picture (one of many reasons why I love Tom Selleck). But Jerome Davis strikes me as a guy who would come to the dance.

So I was sold. The only question left was whether he'd be around next year. Considering that last weekend he was wearing an Argo touque during an indoor game, it's probably safe to conclude that we aren’t going to lose him to Winnipeg anytime soon.

From this point forward, I'll be praying that he does stick around. For one thing, he appears to be a good player and a likeable guy. More importantly, I put way too much thought into this jersey to have it backfire on me. And unlike my season ticket, it was bloody expensive.