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Remember Bryan Hall, A-State fans?
Sure you do. Former Arkansas State standout from the former regime, before the "one and done" coaches. All-Sun Belt Conference. Undrafted in 2011. Super Bowl XLVII champion with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
Last month, Hall almost added to his ring collection when the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16 in the 2014 Grey Cup, up here in Canada. This game happened in Vancouver, which is on the Canadian west coast and about 3,000 miles away from where I write these words. (Or, you know, even further than Jonesboro, AR, which stands about 1,115 miles away from my house. Welcome to Canada.)
That's right, Bryan Hall almost won the 2014 Grey Cup, which is a football equivalent of the Stanley Cup, which itself is something you have no idea about. The Grey Cup is awarded yearly to the best team in Canadian football. (The latter is a Canadian version of the sport Americans love so much, with very Canadian characteristics, like a larger field, 12 players per team, only three downs and the rouge.)
What is Hall doing in Hamilton when he's not playing this Canadian football sport? He's playing Jenga-or, you know, fitting right in. (By the way, did YOU know that Jenga meant "on top" in Polish, and thus the name of the game? Bryan Hall is a God.)
As proof that you can ship the guy to Hamilton but that you can't ever ship the red wolf out of the guy, Hall spoke with Brad Bobo and Kara Richey on The Drive on KNEA. The good folks at the station were kind enough to send me a link to the interview. Here are a few of my favourite things about the interview.
Hamilton weather: "It's a little cool outside."
Bryan, that's because Canada is a cold country and Hamilton is a cold city. Seriously. It's nicknamed "Steel City" as a nod to its manufactures and steel industry, but also because living in this weather will turn your heart to steel.
Weight gain/loss: Putting on the weight again "was a lot [more fun] to do."
Yes, because eating a lot more food and way more fun than not eating a lot more food. We're with you on this one, B-Hall.
Playing in the Grey Cup VS the Super Bowl: "The added pressure made me just want to go ball out and win."
Not everyone can take the pressure, but Hall can. He understands that it's better to lose if you've played than to win if you haven't even dressed. It's better to be a leader and key contributor on a second-place team than it is to be 1/53rd of a roster and able-bodied man who doesn't play in a Super Bowl.
The interview is only 10 minutes in length, so you should definitely listen to it in its entirety. It's entertaining, because that's how Hall is.
And just in case you need further proof of just how efficient Hall has been with his time since arriving in Hamilton, here are two more YouTube videos. He's killing at Jenga. He's killing it in Polish. And he's making up words as he goes along, such as "sexyonanous" when a woman is both sexy and anonymous. Oh wait, you didn't know that last one.
See? Bryan Hall has got all the moves. But wait, it gets better.
The final countdown, indeed. Say it with me, all at once-cheesecake!