Winnipeg 2013: Game of the week
Jacobs versus Morris is bigger than you know
by George Karrys
“They all want us to lose, right?” “That’s right.”
At 2:30pm ET today, less than an hour from this time of posting, defending Brier champ and world silverado Brad Jacobs (4-0) takes on defending Olympic champion third John Morris John Morris (3-1) at the Canadian Olympic Trials.
You should know the storylines.
Both came out of the last-gasp Trials qualifier in Kitchener a couple of weeks ago.
Both are in the top men’s three, and there are only three teams that will make the playoffs.
Both squads scream youth and vitality, and represent a continuing and definitive changing of the guard from the legendary Kevin Martin – Glenn Howard – Jeff Stoughton power trio.
Three of these eight guys – Jacobs, his second E.J. Harnden and Morris – are super-hunk models in the hottest curling product in the world right now, the 2014 Men of Curling Calendar.
Morris, the veteran, has been filling the curling souls of his British Columbia teammates with unprecedented confidence.
Jacobs’ 2012 lineup changes – Ryan Fry in from Newfoundland to play third, Harnden now at second – have driven the Soo squad into the stratosphere.
This should be a great show, which Canadian fans can watch live on TSN. But there is far more at play here, enough to arguably make this clash the official Game Of The Week... even acknowledging the upcoming Martin/Morris tilt in the final round-robin draw.
If Morris loses, a number of things happen:
• Jacobs is guaranteed a spot in any tiebreakers or the semifinal...
• The fallen titans of last night's heartbreakers, Howard and Stoughton, are still alive...
• Even Kevin Koe, 0-4 and widely written off with Olympic dreams dashed, ain't out of it.
Now just let that sink in for a moment.
Oh, my. Oh, my.
[The Curling News photo copyright ® by Anil Mungal – click on image to increase viewing size]
