By Gary Lambrecht 
Baltimore Sun, Oct. 2, 1995

   Quarterback Tracy Ham said he never expected to win easily yesterday. And for three quarters, an inspired Saskatchewan team, with some assistance from a gusty wind, nearly pulled off a major upset over the Baltimore Stallions. But in the end, the Stallions maintained their poise, while Ham showed why he is one of the Canadian Football League's most accomplished veterans. With a little under four minutes to play and Baltimore trailing, Ham turned a first-down scramble into a 45-yard touchdown run to spark the Stallions to a 28-24 victory before 30,758, the fourth-largest crowd to ever watch a game at Taylor Field. 
   The Stallions (12-3) hope this was a warm-up visit to Regina, which plays host to the Grey Cup championship game next month. Baltimore, seeking to reverse last year's loss in the title game, won its franchise-record seventh in a row and moved to within a victory of clinching the Southern Division championship and home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They also concluded their regular-season road schedule with a 7-2 record, beating a Roughriders (5-9) team that was in no mood to play the patsy. After falling behind, 15-3, Saskatchewan, lifted by the outstanding play of quarterback Tom Burgess - who made his first start in nine weeks after Warren Jones' heel injury flared up - had the Stallions in big trouble.
   On a day when windy conditions put pressure on Baltimore's top-rated rushing attack, the Roughriders contained running back Mike Pringle and harassed Ham with a steady stream of blitzes. And when Pringle lost a fumble deep in Baltimore territory early in the fourth quarter, allowing Burgess to hit receiver Don Narcisse with a 10-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to give the Roughriders a 24-18 lead with 8:39 left, Saskatchewan appeared to have strengthened its fading playoff hopes. But the Stallions never wavered. Instead, they used two crucial punts by Josh Miller, clutch defense and Ham to score 10 unanswered points. 
   "There is so much confidence on this team. It's almost an arrogance," defensive end Grant Carter said. "We've done it so many times this year. It's the attitude of who's going to do it this week? This week, it was Tracy." Ham, who threw for a modest 176 yards while absorbing four sacks and a twisted ankle, still had enough left in his legs to ruin the Roughriders. 
   With Baltimore trailing, 24-18, Ham dropped back to throw on first down, drifted to his left, and began running through a gaping hole. Well past the first-down marker, Ham then veered left, and with the help of a great block by slotback Chris Armstrong, sprinted the final 20 yards along the sideline for the score. "I was just looking for a first down, and all of a sudden, it just opened up," Ham said. "Chris Armstrong threw a key block for me, and I was able to get up the field. We got ourselves in trouble, but Saskatchewan plays real good football at home. People underestimate them because of their record. It comes down to the win factor every time you play here. We were fortunate to win the [coin] toss and have the wind in our favor in the fourth quarter, when we were able to make some plays." 
   After Ham's run gave Baltimore a 25-24 lead, the Roughriders then conceded a safety touch with 2:46 remaining after Jearld Baylis sacked Burgess at the Saskatchewan 2. Baltimore then drove 35 yards to eat up most of the clock, and with 28 seconds left, Miller's 63-yard punt went through the end zone for a single for the game's final score. "If we play like this every time out, we're going to beat some good teams. We played our butts off today," Saskatchewan coach Ray Jauch said. "We'll just straighten out, head down to Baltimore next week and see what they've got left." 
   NOTES: Baltimore coach Don Matthews moved into a tie for fourth place in the CFL record books with his 122nd victory....Narcisse, who had seven receptions for 73 yards, also caught at least one pass in 139 consecutive games....Despite the windy conditions that affected several of his punts. Miller still averaged 50.2 yards on nine attempts.

STALLIONS UNLIKELY TO ACQUIRE FLUTIE 
He may be MVP in CFL, but Speros likes Ham

By Gary Lambrecht 
Baltimore Sun, Oct. 4, 1995

   Could quarterback Doug Flutie, the highest-profile player in the Canadian Football League, become a Baltimore Stallion? It's possible, although not probable. As his surgically repaired right elbow heals and while his backup, Jeff Garcia, continues to lead the Calgary Stampeders to the CFL playoffs, the future of Flutie, the league's four-time Most Outstanding Player, is uncertain. Will Flutie return in 1996 to resume control of the Stampeders' offense? Or will Calgary owner Larry Ryckman, who expects to lose around $1.5 millions (Canadian) this season, deal Flutie and his $1 million salary elsewhere? Flutie, who has a no-trade clause in a five-year, $5 million contract that includes a club option year in 1999, told the Calgary Herald that he would consider going to one of three teams - Toronto, San Antonio or Baltimore. Flutie was born in Manchester, in Carroll County. 
   While recognizing Flutie's wide appeal, Baltimore owner Jim Speros said he expects the Stallions to exercise their 1996 option on quarterback Tracy Ham, who is trying to lead Baltimore to the Grey Cup championship game for the second straight season. "As of right now, I'm not looking for a quarterback. Tracy Ham is our quarterback," Speros said. "He's been our leader since the day he walked in the door. He's a mature quarterback who has helped develop our team. We built our offense around him. "After the season, we'll re-evaluate players at every position," Speros added. "Who wouldn't be interested in Doug Flutie? He'd sell tickets wherever he went. He's the biggest name in our league. His CFL career has been phenomenal. But how much football does he have left in him?" 
   Ryckman said he thinks Flutie, 32, has "Four or five good years left." He added that dealing Flutie would not automatically remedy the Stampeders' financial squeeze. "Clearly, Doug would be a big draw in U.S. markets, but before I'd even consider letting him go, I'd have to consider what it would do to my season ticket base and corporate sponsorship," Ryckman said. "Doug does cost the team a lot of money, but he brings in a lot of people and a lot of revenue. The simpleton's view is I'll save a million dollars a year [by letting Flutie go]. That's baloney. "Ideally, I'd like to keep them both [Flutie and Garcia]. But I'll assess all of this at the end of the year." A month ago, Flutie had surgery to re-attach a torn tendon in his elbow. Since taking over for Flutie, Garcia, whose salary is about one-tenth of Flutie's has led Calgary to six consecutive victories. 
   NOTES: It didn't take long for veteran slotback Gerald Alphin to get comfortable in the Baltimore offense. Alphin, signed last week after getting released by Winnipeg, caught three passes for 57 yards in the Stallions' come-from-behind 28-24 victory in Saskatchewan on Sunday. Alphin caught two passes over the middle during a second-quarter scoring drive. His 20-yard catch put the Stallions on the Roughriders' 4. On the next play, Mike Pringle scored his second touchdown of the game. "It felt good to be back in a uniform and with a winning team," said Alphin, who has 49 career touchdowns but none this year. "I really wanted to get into the end zone on that play. The bottom line is we got in the paint." The Stallions, who face Saskatchewan at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, came out of Sunday's game with a few bruises. Linebacker Maurice Gravely sprained his left knee. If Matt Goodwin returns after missing two starts with a hamstring injury, Gravely would go back to the practice roster....Alvin Walton, the team's special teams tackles leader, has a slight fracture of his left thumb, but expects to play this week....Defensive tackle Robert Presbury, released by Baltimore two weeks ago, has signed with Winnipeg....The Stallions have dressed 59 players in 1995, the same total for all of last season....How is this for offensive balance? The Stallions have run and passed 397 times.