Both A-Rad and I went 3-1 last week, so I remain 2 games behind.

Rusty's Picks:

Edmonton at BC

Originally I thought that the "Lions Team Building" video on the team website (go to "Fanzone" then click on "Lions Team Building") would be a humourous take on Lions training camp.  Or about a program to mentor youth.  Or a video showing Wally Buono cutting Antonio Warren. 

Wrong on all three counts.  Nice to see the team give Jamie Taras some work, though.

Pick: BC

Montreal at Toronto

In 1997, I spent part of my summer in Kenya (don't ask).  Before I went, I was explictly told not to bring any clothing that had any sort of brand mark or sports team on it, as some people might get overly aggresive. I figured  I was probably pretty safe bringing my Argos hat. Who in Kenya is going to know who the Argos are?

Apparently quite a few.  One of the local papers only carried sports scores from other Commonwealth countries which meant that the CFL got some coverage.  Within my first week there, I had a number of people recognize the hat, and had two people tell me that they loved Pinball.

Number of Kenyans who love Pinball:  2

Number of Kenyans who love Don Matthews: 0

Pick: Toronto

Hamilton at Saskatchewan

I can't be the only person in the country that thinks 1-17 when he sees a Hamilton-Saskatchewan game, right?  Dave Ridgway's going to come kick my ass.

Pick: Saskatchewan

A-Rad's picks:

Edmonton at BC

I've gotta say, I love that Buck Pierce apparently has a mini-fan club. I love even more that he's inspired someone to go around calling himself "MightyBuck." But I'm not sure what it says about Pierce's place with the Lions that he can't even cough up a pair of tickets for his old high school coach.

If this were November, I'd go with the Esks. But nobody owns the pre-Labour Day schedule quite like Wally Buono. 

Montreal at Toronto 

You know how the Denver Broncos have a built-in advantage because their opponents can't adjust to the altitude? I think the Argos might've achieved something similar. The Als play in a city that likes to think itself the most cultured one in Canada; they're now going to have to play in a stadium in which Frank D'Angelo will be the primary form of entertainment. Try adjusting to that.

Pick: Toronto 

Hamilton at Saskatchewan 

Who could've imagined the Ticats would be this godawful. I mean, they looked so good running fake kicks during the preseason game, which I assumed was the hallmark of a champion. As for the Riders, they may not be much on the field...but do not mess with them in ping-pong.

If you thought last week's Argos/Ticats matchup was craptacular, just feast your eyes on this one. If last week was any indication, either Roy Shivers or Ron Lancaster is going to go absolutely ballistic after this one - and frankly I think it would be more entertaining just to lock the two of them in a room and see which one comes out alive.

Pick: Saskatchewan 

Bonus pick: 

All of the Argos have somehow been injured, and Pinball is forced to play against the Als by himself - with earphones inside his helmet that play Frank D'Angelo's cover of Here for a Good Time on a loop for the entire game. How does Pinball do?*

Rusty's pick: Pinball 94, Als 7 (Even though he spends most of the first half clutching his head, Pinball somehow manages to go into the half up 10-7. After deciding to play the second half without his helmet, he proceeds to destroy the hapless Als.

A-Rad's pick: Pinball 174, Als 0. (Pinball channels his irritation into a blind rage, which he takes out on the Als. He's particularly ferocious on defence, imagining Frank's head on every Montreal player and letting out a terrifying "D'ANGELOOOOOOOO!!!" war-cry before driving them into the turf.

* = Everything we need to know about football analysis, we learned from early '90s SNL sketches.