Journalists are taught to be objective, and while I apply that focus to my day-to-day duties, I will admit that there have been some instances, albeit rare, in which I’ve allowed myself to root for a specific athlete.
Throughout my years covering the Canadian Football League, there are maybe a dozen players that have fallen into that category.
Players such as former Hamilton Tiger-Cats greats Danny McManus, Paul Osbaldiston and Dave Hack are on that list — men who were wonderfully gifted on the field and who would give you the shirt off their back off the field.
You can’t help but cheer for those type of pro athletes, because they’re genuine from top to bottom.
Zach Collaros is another on that list and on Friday night, when the 31-year-old native of Steubenville, Ohio, starts for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, I will be in his corner.
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With Blue Bombers QB Chris Streveler on the one-game injured list with a right ankle injury, Collaros is being called upon to play in his first game since he suffered the latest in a long line of concussions in the opening game of the CFL season on June 13 after taking a late hit from Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence.
Collaros began the season with Saskatchewan and was traded to Toronto at the end of July and then shipped to Winnipeg before the trade deadline on Oct. 9, so to say it’s been a wild and frustrating year for the former Ticats QB is an understatement.
But come Friday night when Winnipeg (10-7) hosts the Calgary Stampeders (11-5) at IG Field I will be pulling for Collaros to do well.
I don’t care which team wins or loses, but I’d like to see Zach make it through the entire game without getting hurt and prove to his teammates, and the league, that he can still play at a high level.
Collaros has had a long and rocky road, now I hope that he can play the game he loves worry- and injury-free.
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