Spygate, eh? Ticats throw Bombers scout out of practice
When the spread is set as a pick, sometimes it?s the smallest advantage that decides the winner. At least that seems to be the way the Winnipeg Blue Bombers feel.
A scout who claimed to be working for the Bombers was caught spying on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats practice on Tuesday and 12 pages of notes were confiscated from him. The scout, identified in a Globe and Mail story as Ron Trentini, was recognized at the practice scribbling on a notepad by Hamilton scout Danny McManus.
Trentini admitted to working for the Bombers when confronted and was escorted out of the open practice. The Blue Bombers later said that Trentini worked for the team and he was ?overzealous? when he took it upon himself to take notes of the Ticats? formations.
This incident will no doubt bring back memories of the New England Patriots' scandal from a couple of years ago when a member of their coaching staff was caught videotaping the New York Jets on the sidelines. That incident became infamously known to football fans as "Spygate."
Judging by comments from Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell, you probably shouldn't expect this incident to be treated with the same severity as the NFL version, which involved hefty fines and lost draft picks.
?I think the Bombers and this guy are taking our league marketing campaign of ?accessible and affordable? a little too seriously,? Mitchell told the Globe and Mail. ?To be honest, we probably made a mistake by escorting him out. Considering how quickly he gave up his contacts and his reason for being there, we probably should have bought him lunch and asked him some more questions, who knows what we would have found out?"
Winnipeg visits Hamilton on Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff. The Tabbies opened as a 1-point favorite but that line has since moved to a pick. The over/under is set at 53.5.
Both teams are 1-1 to start the season and they could very well end up fighting one another for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as the season wears on. Winnipeg won all three meetings last season and went 2-0-1 against the spread.
When the spread is set as a pick, sometimes it?s the smallest advantage that decides the winner. At least that seems to be the way the Winnipeg Blue Bombers feel.
A scout who claimed to be working for the Bombers was caught spying on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats practice on Tuesday and 12 pages of notes were confiscated from him. The scout, identified in a Globe and Mail story as Ron Trentini, was recognized at the practice scribbling on a notepad by Hamilton scout Danny McManus.
Trentini admitted to working for the Bombers when confronted and was escorted out of the open practice. The Blue Bombers later said that Trentini worked for the team and he was ?overzealous? when he took it upon himself to take notes of the Ticats? formations.
This incident will no doubt bring back memories of the New England Patriots' scandal from a couple of years ago when a member of their coaching staff was caught videotaping the New York Jets on the sidelines. That incident became infamously known to football fans as "Spygate."
Judging by comments from Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell, you probably shouldn't expect this incident to be treated with the same severity as the NFL version, which involved hefty fines and lost draft picks.
?I think the Bombers and this guy are taking our league marketing campaign of ?accessible and affordable? a little too seriously,? Mitchell told the Globe and Mail. ?To be honest, we probably made a mistake by escorting him out. Considering how quickly he gave up his contacts and his reason for being there, we probably should have bought him lunch and asked him some more questions, who knows what we would have found out?"
Winnipeg visits Hamilton on Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff. The Tabbies opened as a 1-point favorite but that line has since moved to a pick. The over/under is set at 53.5.
Both teams are 1-1 to start the season and they could very well end up fighting one another for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as the season wears on. Winnipeg won all three meetings last season and went 2-0-1 against the spread.
