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REGINA – There once was a Detroit Tigers pitcher by the name of Frank Lary who they called “The Yankee Killer.”
Lary had ordinary numbers against the other teams but against Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra the rest of the best team in baseball, he had an unbelievable 28-13 lifetime record. In 1958 his record against New York was an unfathomable 8-0.
Yankees manager Casey Stengel once delayed Whitey Ford a day in the rotation so his ace wouldn't have to go against The Yankee Killer saying “If Lary is going to beat us anyway, why should I waste my best pitcher?”
It's kind of like that with Chris Getzlaf versus the Calgary Stampeders.
And this is his 1958.
Getzlaf is the Calgary Killer.
He's a Stamp-canceling machine.
In three games against the defending Grey Cup champions this year, none of which Calgary was able to win, he's caught four touchdown passes including a winner.
Over the three games Getzlaf caught 15 passes for 223 yards. In his other 15 games against the other teams in the league he's caught a mere 26 for 302 yards.
After spending 2007 on the four-man reserve list and practice roster, he made his CFL debut last year in which he made his first catch and scored his first touchdown.
It was against Calgary.
In Week 5 this year he had his greatest day replacing injured starting slotback Andy Fantuz with five receptions for 101 yards and two TDs including the opening score of the game and a 65-yard
touchdown with 1:17 remaining in the game to give the Roughriders a 24-23 comeback victory.
It was against Calgary.
Over the three games – in which the Stampeders were unable to register a win – Getzlaf caught 15 passes for 223 yards. In his other 15 games against the other teams in the league this year he's caught 26 for 302 yards.
It was the same story last year. He had eight catches against Calgary for 121 yards and seven against the rest of the league for 123.
Getzlaf has eight touchdowns so far in his CFL career. Five have come against Calgary!
“Getzlaf has made special plays against them, big plays,” said coach Ken Miller. “It's part of the maturity and development of one of the league's best up and coming receivers. In Calgary's case, maybe they just paid attention to other receivers.”
The Stampeders are headed here trying to figure out why they can't cover two slow white Canadian guys, veteran Andy Fantuz also having big numbers against Calgary.
“I guess they just over-run us,” said Miller, breaking up a media scrum after practice Thursday.
All of this is relevant now, of course, because now batting, in the first Western final held in Saskatchewan in 33 seasons is Calgary.
Darian Durant says he doesn't think it's one of those fun with figures things that happens in sport where a player has one team he seems to always play well against.
“Calgary is the one team in the league that comes up and bumps you every play” said Saskatchewan's QB1 who will be starting in his first playoff game here Sunday.
“The way Chris runs, it's hard to judge where he's going to go every route.” Getzlaf said there's a lot of truth in that.
“I think so. They like to bring coverage zero and that leaves a guy as an island.”
If Getzlaf wasn't born and raised in Regina and didn't know better, he'd figure being in the playoffs with the Roughriders was normal.
He joined the team in 2007 and experienced the first playoff game in 19 years here, won a Grey Cup ring and played in last year's Western semi-final loss to B.C..
“There were a lot of five-win seasons. But I came along at the right time. I can't wait. It's going to be a tremendous atmosphere.”
Getzlaf's thing against the Stampeders is such a good story that this may be the furthest down you ever have to go in a column about him before you read a mention that he's the brother of Anaheim Ducks superstar Ryan Getzlaf who, ironically, spent four years with Calgary cheering for him when he played for the Hitmen in junior hockey.