I went to see the Montreal Alouettes-Edmonton Eskimos game last week as the guest of Marc Cohon, commissioner of the CFL (that's him below). We had been discussing a potential partnership between Just For Laughs and the league (Isn't it just perfect? JFL meets the CFL...) in a late-afternoon meeting at my office, and given its proximity to Percival Molson Stadium, where the Als play, we walked over instead of driving or cabbing it.
I suppose every professional sports league would want a commish like Mark. Young, bright, friendly and very forward-thinking, he outlined his hits, misses and future plans on our 15-minute journey.
As commissioner, the whole league is his turf, so before heading up to our seats in Robert Wettenhal's box (he owns the Alouettes), we stopped on the field itself so that Mark could schmooze with team reps, some players and especially the game officials.
As he spoke, I marveled at the size of the behemoth players next to me. No wonder I chose hockey and the gym, not football, as my participative sports of choice. Massive on TV, these guys were IMAX when up front and live in your face. They could snap me in half with a look.
Anyway, once Mark had finished his socializing, the teams, the refs and most of the game staff retreated to their respective dressing rooms. We were left virtually all alone when Mark suggested we cut across the field instead of the long walk around it to get to where our seats were.
So you have to picture this--five minutes before game time, a completely barren football field, 25,000 people in the stands, dozens of accredited media photographers, a national TV broadcast crew ready to go...and two solitary figures crossing at the 55-yard line. Literally, all eyes were upon us. Imagine the scene below:
As we hit the mid-field mark, right at the McGill logo (the stadium is part of McGill University), I turned to Mark and said:
"You know what would be great for both our careers right now?"
"What?" he asked.
"If I got down in a three-point stance and tackled you."
The commish laughed.
"Just think! The perfect image for both our careers!" I enthused. "The 'I Can Get Away With Anything' head of the world's biggest comedy event tackling the very respected head of a pro football league! The image would be ever-lasting! A CFL classic, like Pierre Trudeau's pimp outfit at the Grey Cup! Just think of the publicity!"
"You serious?"
For a second I was...but then the tsunami of reality washed over this somewhat over-the-top idea.
"Aw, security would be on me in a flash and take me away in handcuffs," I reasoned. We both laughed, and climbed about 250 north side steps to get to the upper level of the stadium.
Maybe had we planned it beforehand we could've gotten away with it...but then again, Mark would have a lot more to lose than me. I think...
So, with this wild tale comes this week's lesson:
Sometimes, no matter how great something may be for you, you've got to consider the other side in your wild plans.
Resist that impulsive urge and think for a second about the ultimate ressult for everyone involved.
But then again... ;)