From now on

Last week, I received an invitation from Dalexia to go see the Sunday's football game at the Percival-Molson stadium in Montreal. After a quick look at the tickets available, we both realized that it was too expensive for both of us. But the idea clanged to my mind and Sunday morning we decided to go in town and see if we could find cheaper last-minute tickets at the doors.










Finding tickets was not a big deal but finding a parking was much more difficult! Anyway we finally arrived in the stadium at the end of the first quarter. First surprise for our first live football experience: The place looks much smaller in real than at the tv screen. Second surprise, the bargain tickets we bought lead us almost to the field level.











Ok, we were a little offset behind the goal line but so what? We saw the game very well and the ambience was great.

We even had our private clown, a multiple beer drinking fan who decided to take the mission of making the security guard, placed just in front of us and right behind the cheerleaders, dance. So every 5 minutes we heard him shout “Dance! C'mon Dance!” First it was funny, then annoying and finally, it became really funny. The poor guy didn't move a hip but certainly deserved his pay that day! The same clown also called me the “lens boy” since I was taking many photos with my 300mm lens, but I didn't mind, I'm used to being the “photographer”, “Mr. Photo” or whatever name they find when they see me take hundreds of pictures in a relatively short time.




Of course, some of you might say that going to see the Als play against the Lions would inevitably lead to an EASY win for the home team but what can I do? There was no better team visiting the upcoming 2009 Grey Cup Champions that day.




But I have to admit, even if the Als were ahead all along the game, at the fourth quarter, the wind changed. Ok honestly, at the fourth quarter the Percival-Molson crowd became suddenly silent. Nothing was working for the Als attack and it began to look like a rerun of last week's game



And then a miracle happened




After an incredible 56 yards pass to Watkins and with 46 seconds left to play, Avon Cobourne took the oval ball and ran the last 12 yards of the field to score a touchdown right in front of us

Everyone turned to me and asked “Did you get it, lens boy? Did you get it?”

“Yes, I think so” I answered after quickly looking at my camera viewing screen.



But arrived home I realized that the only good photo I got of Cobourne crossing the goal line before everyone stood up in front of me and masked completely my sight was blurred except for the ball itself.

But after all, what is the most important thing when a player succeeds to avoid 12 angry men trying to crush him and reach the fateful yellow line?

The ball:



Tee-hee!

(more photos here)