I came across this article today, which is mildly relevant since:

1. The Super Bowl is upon us this Sunday, and
2. I will be watching it with a friend who is a member of the ill-fated Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Perhaps if he had promised me a goat, I could have done something about their odds.

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Apparently we were wrong about head coach Kent Austin.

Austin, we’re finding out, wasn’t the main reason why the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup in 2007. He’s been getting most of the credit while the real secret for their success took place halfway around the world in Yemen — an oil-producing, Islamic state south of Saudi Arabia — where the country’s Muslims pray five times daily in Arabic.

Some of them were apparently praying for a Rough Riders victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

How did they know about that game in November? And why did they care?

Ask Michael Nagus, a drilling engineer for the Nexon oil company, who grew up in Saskatoon and has been wearing green Riders caps during the three years he has been working on drilling crews in the deserts of Yemen. Like most Roughriders fans, he calls his team “we” and keeps track of the storied franchise any way he can.

“When we won the West final against B.C., I told the crew that my team’s going to the big game,” said Nagus, 29. “And I told them if we won the Grey Cup, I would buy them goats for a feast.

“Goats are a delicacy in Yemen. We buy them from goat girls who come through the villages with their herds. Goats used to cost $25 each when I first came here. Now they cost $60 each — 60 American dollars! I hate goats. I hate the taste. I don’t like eating them, although I have had to eat goat at some special occasions. They make stew or soup and I’ve had some with hot bread. They’re very fatty for such a scrawny little animal.”

On Grey Cup day, Nagus pleaded with everyone to not tell him about the game. He wanted to watch the tape-delayed, shortened telecast afterwards in the camp. But his girlfriend called him with the good news about their favourite team. And the rest of of his crew couldn’t conceal their happiness. Nagus watched the entire game with some co-workers, including a guy from Scotland and another from Yellow Grass.

After Saskatchewan’s 23-19 victory was replayed on a Fox TV network, Nagus dispatched a radio operator with the required cash. He brought back two goats. A couple days later, a crew member who is evidently a competent goat dresser slit the animals’ throats and had them prepared within 10 minutes. A huge feast ensued.

“Even though I knew the outcome, I was doing a little praying during the game,” said Nagus. “I think some of the crew had been praying, too. They’re not supposed to pray for something like that. And I wasn’t overtly telling them to.

“They wouldn’t do it openly, but they told me they were going to pray for my team. We have 20 people per crew and we have two crews. Mostly they’re Yemenis, but a few are from Jordan. So there are 40-60 people praying at a time. And they wanted to have a goat feast. It was a bit of a treat for them. We had to time it, though, so everything was ready during our meal break.”

Nagus works for four-week stints in Yemen. Then he has four weeks off, during which he will return to his Calgary home. He has kept track of his football team’s offseason plight and knows that Austin left earlier this month to accept a job as the offensive co-ordinator at the University of Mississippi.

Nagus spent last weekend attending his brother’s wedding in Saskatoon. When he returns to work, Nagus flies from Calgary to Frankfurt to Dubai to Mukullah, followed by a 30-minute flight in a Twin Otter to the oilfields. It takes 11/2 days.

Yemen is supposedly a safer place these days. Fewer tourists are being kidnapped since the War of Reunification. But their laws remain strict — Nagus couldn’t have a celebratory drink of alcohol until he returned to Canada.

Nagus envisioned having his crews wearing green T-shirts proclaiming the Riders’ CFL championship. But shirts cost $25 apiece, he said, so he wasn’t too crazy about spending $1,000 on souvenirs. He’s been looking for Riders stickers for the drillers to affix to their hard hats. No such luck. The Riders don’t sell stickers, likely because they can be stuck on to anything for free. Maybe he could take back to Yemen the team’s furry mascot, who isn’t a scrawny little animal — Gainer the Goat-pher.

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