by GABRIEL MORENCY

If you can't remember the last time the Montreal Alouettes went into British Columbia and came away with a win, don't feel bad. It's been a while.

Just as sure as the sun sets in the west, the Alouettes' annual trek to Vancouver has resulted in a Lions win. How long has it been? Well, put it this way. The last time the Als did what Hamilton and Edmonton have already done this year, George Bush was Governor of Texas, Britney Spears was still innocent and Osama bin Laden's beard was just a goatee.

All of which does not bode well for a Lions team that faces the unbeaten Alouettes tonight, Thursday, at B.C. Place. While it has been four long years since Montreal last won in Vancouver, it would be hard to imagine the streak hitting five. The Alouettes are now a third of the way through their 18-game schedule without suffering a loss, and B.C. should expect an angry guest after last year's season sweep of the Als. The best any team can hope for when playing Montreal is that they catch the Alouettes disinterested, but with a perfect record on the line, it's not going to happen. Not with immortality at stake. Not with the Alouettes attempting to become just the second team in CFL history to finish with a perfect record, as the 12-0 Calgary Stampeders did in 1948.

Which makes you wonder why the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would want to motivate the Alouettes more than they already are. You no doubt have heard by now that the Alouttes were "caught" video-taping Winnipeg's sideline signals and, while doing nothing illegal, were accused of unethical behaviour by the Bombers organization. You get the feeling that Bombers GM Brendan Taman would prefer that no cameras be allowed at his team's games, and with the way the Bombers have played so far this season, it's probably not a bad idea. Someone should let him know that if they don't start winning games soon, the only airtime he and head coach Dave Ritchie are going to get is on their banks' surveillance camera when they cash their last cheques as Bomber employees.

At the very least, it should make for some good television August 26, when the Alouettes visit Winnipeg. As good as the Als are, they haven't stayed unbeaten by overlooking opponents. But before Montreal can remind the Bombers that nobody likes a snitch, B.C. is up first, then the Roughriders and Argonauts at Molson Stadium.

The Lions may only be 2-3, but they possess an explosive offence capable of scoring early and often. Expect to see some points scored, lots of them, in what should be the Alouettes' toughest test yet. Calvillo and crew should be up to the task. Prediction: Montreal 35-31.

All posture, no talk

For those of you who didn't notice, Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman sat down last week and appear to be further apart than ever. At the heart of the issue is a hard cap, of which the players want no part. Bettman also recently told 70 per cent of his league's employees that they will be laid off in eight weeks. It's getting ugly, like Condoleezza Rice ugly. Unfortunately, with less than two months to get a deal done, both sides are doing more posturing than negotiating and a lockout all but seems a certainty.

He's back!

For those of you who've missed "Iron" Mike Tyson (50-4), he's back to take on former British Commonwealth champion Danny Williams Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky. While it's easy to dismiss Tyson as a has-been who is no longer the most feared man on the planet, with the three stiffs Vitali Klitschko, Chris Byrd and Lamon freaking Brewster on top of the Heavyweight division, how could he stay away? In any case, this fight will be better than last week's Gatti-Dorin fiasco, in which Dorin quit in the second round. After failing to make weight in Romania, and losing his belt without throwing a punch, I guess we're lucky Dorin even showed up. If Tyson shows Friday, he should come one step closer to getting the IRS off his ass and a title shot as well. Only in America.

Pigskin prognosticator

Thursday, July 29
Montreal (-81/2) at B.C.: B.C.
Friday, July 30
Winnipeg (+8) at Edmonton: Winnipeg
Saturday, July 31
Hamilton (+6) at Saskatchewan: Hamilton

Sports Rage with Gabriel Morency is vented weeknights 11 p.m.-2 a.m. on TEAM 990 AM. This column appears bi-weekly. Comments: sportsrage@team990.com