"I wish I had a pencil thin moustache."
– Jimmy Buffett
Cary Grant had one. Big deal, he probably liked his nose so much he had to underline it. Besides, that was the style then, along with smoking and those weight loss machines that just jiggle your fat around.
Until recently, this song had about the same intrigue as a nose picker in an El Camino stopped at a red light. But thanks to new-found Dinosaurs football talent Alan Giacalone, the Parrothead tune hits the nail square on the head.
This suave, unassuming first-year student, known to his teammates as "The Stache," has proven more than just a number on the field. In a less-than-favourable Dinos showing against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies this past weekend, Giacalone (jack-a-loanee) was instrumental in softening the 39-24 loss, rushing for a total of 130 yards and two touchdowns, in replacement of starting running back Ken Eslinger.
"I was prepared," said the soft-spoken rookie with a sly grin at a job well done. "When I got my chances I hit the holes hard."
Currently testing the post-secondary waters in General Studies, the Father Lacombe High School graduate has aspirations of continued fitness and, with an expressed reluctance to restricting ‘desk jobs,’ hopes to flex his muscles in his own gym someday.
Unsurprisingly, as one who likes to sample all flavours of life at once, his answer to the question of whether he eats his chunky soup with a fork or a spoon was, after a very brief pause, "Spoon."
Hopefully the rookie will be spooning up a big mouthful of victory stew with his teammates in their upcoming game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears in Chuck City this Saturday. On a two game skid, the remarkably healthy Dinos are hungry for a win to bolster both their 1-2 record and their weighted spirits as they face the remaining four games of the season.
"We have to win this," asserted Dinos Head Coach Tony Fasano. Emphasizing the importance of this game as a pivotal one for the rest of the season, he adds, "It’s most critical that we have a 2-2 record coming out of this one and to do it we have to get the fundamentals down."
Acting as the Canada West’s doormat so far this year, U of A is also hungry (no wait, they’re starving) for a win this weekend, and whether home turf will prove a boon to Edmonton’s plight has yet to be seen. At the risk of wringing emotion out of an already sopping crying towel, the ever existing North-South rivalry might also add that extra bit of grit all Alberta sports fans love to see on the field/ice/pitch/diamond/track/ring/et cetera.
As to Giacalone’s projected performance against U of A, his statement of "We’ll see, I’ll try my best," is as understated as his demeanour. He is no doubt ready to continue a strong rookie showing on a squad with an already adept veteran presence bent on preserving a winning Dinos football tradition.
When asked about his title "The Stache," Giacalone’s reaction to the light ribbing by his peers of his low profile facial growth has shown them that he is also averse to messing with tradition. "I’ve had the stache for a while," he said.
Translation: "Screw them, I know it’s cool!"
So do I man. So do I.