It's a tradition: if a Western city is hosting the Grey Cup, the West representative gets the home dressing room and the Eastern representative gets the visitors.
In most cases, it's not that big a deal.
But at this Grey Cup, it is kind of a big deal.
Commonwealth Stadium is in the final stages of a $95-million renovation to modernize the facility and included in the process has been construction of the Taj Mahal of CFL dressing rooms, a facility modeled after the NFL'S Green Bay Packers and the envy of the league.
That's where the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be calling home this week.
The Alouettes? Well, think of the room you get changed in for your rec league hockey game, with more showers.
The Eskimos room features stalls big enough for a whole team of Weston Dresslers; wood paneling; ports for ipods and cell phone rechargers; whirlpool facilities big enough for synchronized swimming and more flat screen TVs that a sports bar.
It's kept in such perfect condition by longtime Eskimos equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak that he's asking the Roughriders to remove their shoes when they come in after practice.
"The room is spotless. It's amazing how clean it is and how ready it is," he said."This is really a major disadvantage for the team that comes from the East, when you look at the two rooms. Our visiting room is OK, there's nothing wrong with it, but at the end of the day, when you look at what one team has and the other doesn't ... ."
Not surprisingly, the Alouettes don't see their relatively Spartan accommodations as a problem. It might even be an advantage if the Roughriders get too cozy.
"We've been here, we've done it before," said Als defensive end Anwar Stewart. "It's not Hollywood. We don't put makeup on and put on this persona; it is what it is. The locker room is the lockerroom. We don't get that locker room, so what.
"I won in that locker room in 2002. When we don't care about that."
Has he even looked inside the home locker room?
Well, I glanced a little bit," said Stewart. "It's kind of nice and clean in there, but that that's Saskatchewan's locker room. Maybe they'll be traumatized by it and forget some of their reads and stuff on Sunday."
