The Tiger Cats have the ball third and ten at their own 45 yard line in a hotly contested pre-season game at Skydome. It is the Cats last chance to pull victory away from the Mighty Argonauts of Swash.
McManus walks up to center and begins his cadence ... and at that moment the symbiosis of two players evolves.
McMANUS: " SET! "
Toronto linebacker Mike O'Shea is the epitome of the salvaged soul in football. Once he cruised the field for the evil and vile Hamilton Tiger cats until he had the opportunity for redemption by joining the divine Toronto Argonauts.
Mike Morrealle on the other hand is the epitome of those that fall from grace and convince themselves that the dark side is ok after all ... all the time fooling themselves. He once was with the divine light of Toronto only to be cast out and set adrift the dark river of soot that is to be a Tiger Cat.
McMANUS: " Forty - Four! "
O'Shea has thrived in the great Argo uniform. No longer having to hang his head in shame ... a smile can often be seen across his face.
Morrealle soul is a divided one. One part longed to return to the light when he had a chance ... but his darker nature ensured that he would remain a Tiger Cat.
McMANUS: " Thirty - Three Red! "
What is it that plays upon the minds of such men? O'Shea looks across at the shame that is black and gold ... while Morrealle can only fight his shame and protest to actually like the same black and gold that is reviled by all.
McMANUS: " SET "
As the tension mounts ... O'Shea is buoyed by the raging cheers of the divine fans of the Argos. Morrealle only has to draw on the faint echo from a darkened corner of the Celestial Temple that is Skydome.
McMANUS: " HIKE ... HIKE ... HIKE!!! "
As the ball is snapped ... a powerful rush is thrust upon Danny McManus in the pocket.
He looks ... and FIRES!
As the ball is snapped ... Morrealle gives a deke to his man and turns and runs through the middle to receive McManus's evil offering.
He looks ... and the Ball is THERE!
Morrealle turns ... his heart aflame with desire to reach the first down marker ... then BOOM!
Morrealle gets hammered by the great O'Shea a mere one yard short of the first down!
The Cats are stopped ... and the Mighty Argonauts of Swash have yet another in a long line of victories over the pathetic kitty cats from Hamilton.
O'Shea turns around ... and sees his adversary still lying prone on the ground. O'Shea walks up and asks ....
O'SHEA: " Why Hamilton? Why losers? "
Morrealle: " Have you ever read Milton? "
O'SHEA: " Ah ... fair thee well you pathetic loser."
Just then the Great Wiltshire ... who over - heard Morrealle asked O'Shea ...
WILTSHIRE: " I'm afraid I'm not up on Milton."
O'SHEA: " It's what Lucifer said as he was cast into the pit. It is far better to rule in Hell than serve in
Heaven."
WILTSHIRE: " I understand the heaven part ... being of course Toronto. But I don't quite get the other part."
O'SHEA: " I know. Problem is ... the poor stiff doesn't either. It may just be something to ruling in Hell ... but
the pathetic loser is only a player in HAMILTON! "
WILTSHIRE: " I get it now. Poor lousy fool is stuck in Hamilton and everyone knows that is far worse than
Hell."
O'SHEA: " At least Hell would have won a Grey Cup since 1986!"
WILTSHIRE: " You bet ... let's go polish our rings. "
As the two gladiators walked away ... Morrealle was scraped up by the Tiger Cats crew and loaded for easy delivery back to the dressing room.
Now the long and dingy bus ride home after yet another loss to the Argos.
The more things change ... the more they stay the same.
