I’m typing this while watching the Grey Cup, Canada’s football championship, on television. No Roman numerals needed for this one.

In the US, the Super Bowl is a big deal. Arguably more for the size of the television audience and the commercials aired during the broadcast than for the game. I may not be an objective observer, but I find the Grey Cup more exciting to watch.

Maybe that’s why the Super Bowl is designated by the use of Roman numerals. The next one, in February 2024, will be number LVII, which is 57 to the rest of us.

Fifty-seven years is a reasonable streak. But it pales when you consider the Grey Cup. Today’s game is the 110th. Which means that Canada has a national professional football 53 years longer than the Americans.

Thought I’d wave the flag a little. Canadians tend to have a little bit of an inferiority complex when we look to the south.

As for the game itself, all the experts say it will be a slaughter, The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are making their fourth straight appearance in the championship game. The Montreal Alouettes are a surprise starter, having knocked off the defending champion Toronto Argonauts last weekend. Nobody gives the Als a chance, but I am rooting for them. (As I type this the Bombers lead 10-7 in the second quarter.)

The strange thing about the game is that the two teams have no Grey Cup history with each other. Each has won the Grey Cup multiple times, but they have never met each other in the big game.

For now, I’m going to concentrate on cheering on my team.