This week's picks reveal that Lefko's no Mr. Spock, but he does love hot tubs.
In honour of those retro uniforms, I did my picks this week wearing a baby blue Argo shirt, circa 1975, and pretending to do a cartwheel a la Jim Corrigal.
The shirt is way too tight and I can't do what I used to do almost 30 years ago.
And speaking of retro, what a thrill it was to see Jim Stillwagon - The Wagon - at the last Argo game.
I'll never forget going to Yorkdale Mall in Toronto as a wide-eyed teenager and seeing The Wagon at an autograph session. Also in attendance were Howard Berger (now of the The Fan 590) and his best football buddy, Dave Silverman.
We were just young and improving, to borrow a line from a John Cougar Mellancamp song, but what a thrill it was to see Stillwagon then and now.
Ah, yes, going down memory lane.
Okay, okay, back to the present and this week's editions of Perry's Peerless Predictions.
I'm leading all public prognosticators and leaving my critics - and you know who you - Eskimopie, Canucklelions - feeling toothless.
Friday
Calgary (6-4) at Hamilton (5-5)
The Stamps are simply too good right now. They are getting great production out of all phases of the game. It's not just Henry Burris and his receivers, notably Jeremaine Copeland. The offensive line is arguably the best in the league, and running back Joffrey (All-World) Reynolds is piling up the yardage. What is most impressive is the defence, and the emergence of middle linebacker Tim (Zero He's My Hero) Johnson. He has 24 tackles in three games. The defence has seven sacks in that span and is creating turnovers. The Ticats have hit an offensive snag, leaving tons of points on the board in back-to-back games against Toronto. They need to really establish the run some more with De'Andre (Corn On The) Cobb. If I was Hamilton, I'd try to get physical with twin tight ends. Ticats have proven they can go vertical, but they need to get Prechae (Chi Chi) Rodriguez back in the game. He's become a non-factor. Maybe with Chris Davis gone, Prechae will see the ball some more. Clearly, Arland Bruce is the go-to guy, but Mr. P. says give the ball to Prechae. Will there be an issue again with the quarterbacks? It looks as though the natives want Quinton Porter back at the controls, and maybe the management and coaching staff, too, but you can't blame Kevin Glenn for all of the offensive woes. An underlying issue now is the play of kicker Nick Setta. He is usually consistent, but he hasn't been that this season. Does he have a lingering injury? Ticats fans were in an uproar after the game on The Fifth Quarter, hosted by my man Ted (Al) Michaels. I have a feeling the natives will be restless again. And the winner is: Calgary
Saturday
Toronto (3-7) at B.C. (4-6): Argos are feeling good after beating Hamilton in overtime. The gorilla is off their backs, as head coach Bart (Simpson) Andrus told his team afterward. The big plus for the Argos is the return of Dominique Dorsey, who returns from a failed NFL tryout and will help Toronto's dormant return game. It's not just all about one player - it's the schemes and the players - but this guy makes plays. He should help provide better field position. Once again the receiving corps is going through another change due to injury. It can't help quarterback Cody Pickett, who still needs to find a way to go deep more often. It's also imperative the team stay with the run game. It worked well in the last game. Rush end Jonathan Brown returned to the lineup last week and added some leadership on defence. He and his mates will have a chance to put some heat on Buck Pierce, who returns to the starting spot with Jarious Jackson sidelined with a wonky rotator cuff. The Argos need to jump on him early. The Lions are showing improvement in the last two games, largely because the ball is going into the hands of the playmakers. That said, the receivers are dropping too many balls. So counteract that by giving the ball to bruising running back Martell Mallett. My concern is a dropoff following big efforts against Montreal. Lions coach Wally Buono could become the all-time winningest head coach with a win in this game. Logic suggests he should do it. But I'm not Mr. Spock. I don't believe in logic. I believe the absence of Jackson and the insertion of Dorsey are huge factors. I sense an upset. And the winner is: Toronto. Come on, Bart, I'm showing confidence in you!
Sunday
Winnipeg (3-7) at Montreal (8-2): Plain and simple, the Bombers are an embarrassment on and off the field. It's all because of Coach Mike Kelly, who week to week tears the heart out of this team and their fans. Now he's looking to possibly give his latest quarterback, Mighty Casey Bramlet, some playing time. Starting quarterback Michael Bishop is struggling, but so is the entire offence. The receiving corps is totally demoralized. Eight turnovers last week against Saskatchewan set a new low for this team this year. And now the defence is starting to crumble, too, mainly because the offence is totally inept. Fortunately for the Bombers, they're on the road this week following the 55-10 debacle at home last week. The loyal Bombers fans are demoralized, and it's hard to believe Kelly could find fault with them, claiming they're not true Blue diehards. The Bombers' only hope is pounding the ball with Fred Reid and using Bishop on the run to create some playaction stuff. We've long given up telling Kelly to implement the shotgun more often. The Als' offence is starting to crack because of injuries on the line, but it would be foolhardy to think they couldn't roll over the Bombers. The return game is heavily titled in Montreal's favour. This is too easy. I suspect the stadium announcer will be repeating "Touchdown, Monreeal" a lot. And the winner is: Montreal
Edmonton (5-5) at Saskatchewan (6-4): What's the deal with the Eskimos? They are starting to resemble the struggling team that began the season with some problems in all phases of the game. This is a team that knows how to score, but it's also making too many mistakes, either fumbling the ball or dropping passes. Surehanded receiver Kamau Peterson dropped a pass that had touchdown written all over it, and that epitomized the game. But the team is giving up too many points on defence, the thing that killed them early in the season. Have they hit a wall? Is it an issue of players? The scheme? What up? This could be a game that defines their season. Head coach Richie Hall returns to the home of his former team and last time it resulted in an emotional win and ruined the Riders' reunion of the team that won the '89 Grey Cup. I'm not suggesting the Riders' will use that as a source of motivation. Okay, I am. The Green Beaners are on a nice roll and you can just see the confidence in quarterback Darian Durant in his body language and demeanour. He is really guiding this group, which may have the most creative offensive packages, much of it built around Weston Dressler. But defence wins games and it's clear John (Le Freak C'est) Chick is the dominant defensive player in the league. He's eating up quarterbacks. I once was anti-Rider, now I'm a Rider Prider. I wave my green pompons and wear a watermelon on my head. That's what happens when you find out everyone in Saskatchewan is putting pins in the backs of dolls that look like me. Go Green or go home. And the winner is: Saskatchewan. Man, I love that hot tub action.
RECORD SO FAR: 28-12 LAST WEEK'S RECORD: 3-1 RECORD PICKING BART ANDRUS TO BEAT WALLY BUONO: This week will tell.
