Bush League CFL
Published February 10, 2010 @ 17:01 in Toronto Argos

David Braley has been announced as the new owner of the Toronto Argonauts. David Braley already owns a CFL team, the British Columbia Lions. David Braley gets to keep both the Lions and the Argos.

In an eight team league, one man owns 25% of the teams. The fact that one man can own more than one team in the same league amazes me. I'm sure there's no other league on the planet that would allow such a thing. Can you imagine MLSE buying a second NHL team, or Rogers owning a second MLB team?

It can't happen because there are strict rules against it. And for good reason. The integrity of the game must be preserved and even the implication of impropriety is unacceptable.

No wonder my family and friends think the CFL is bush league.

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How to Convert an NFL Fan into a CFL Fan in 4 Minutes
Published October 4, 2009 @ 11:17 in Toronto Argos

It's Sunday. I know what my brothers will be doing all day today. In fact, I'm willing to bet most of you have the same plans. It's NFL game day.

I used to be the same way. I spent many a Sunday afternoon watching the Bills until Wade Phillips went with Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie in the Music City Miracle game. Today, I rank football 4th amongst the four major sports, but when I go football, I go CFL.

If you have 4 minutes to spare, watch this CFL promo entitled "This is Our League". The song is "Always" by the Neverending White Lights. Down Goes Brown introduced me to this video a few months ago and I've been loving it ever since.

If that didn't turn you, there's no hope for you. Enjoy your Sunday.

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Arland Bruce's End Zone Michael Jackson Tribute
Published July 3, 2009 @ 08:48 in Toronto Argos

Toronto Argonaut slotback Arland Bruce scored the Argos first touchdown of the season on Wednesday, on a 21-yard pass from Kerry Joseph. Then, he paid tribute to Michael Jackson by removing his helmet, shoulder pads and uniform top, then laid down in the end zone.

Here's the controversial celebration:

Remember when guys like Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders refused to celebrate touchdowns? They acted like they've been in the end zone before, and they'd be there again.

But heck, Arland Bruce's MJ tribute was pretty tame compared to his Spider-Man routine last season.

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City of Losers
Published March 12, 2009 @ 14:42 in Toronto Argos, Toronto Bills, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus, Toronto Raptors

My city is a city of losers. At least when it comes to our primary professional sports teams. We suck.

Our Maple Leafs of the NHL are 27-28-13, which puts us 11th in the conference and well outside the playoffs.

Our Raptors of the NBA are 23-42, which puts us 14th in the conference and well outside the playoffs.

Our Blue Jays of MLB were 86-76, which put us 4th in the division and well outside the playoffs.

Our Argos of the CFL were 4-14, which put us 3rd in the division and well outside the playoffs.

Our Bills of the NFL were 7-9, which put us 4th in the division and well outside the playoffs.

There is little hope for any of the above. In fact, I'm willing to bet all miss the playoffs again next season.

Welcome to Loserville.

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Joe Krol, Rest in Peace
Published December 17, 2008 @ 15:11 in Celebrity Death Watch, Toronto Argos

Joe Krol was 89. He won six Grey Cups, five with the Toronto Argonauts, as a Canadian Football League quarterback, running back, and placekicker/punter from 1942-1953 and 1955.

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Ralph Sazio, Rest in Peace
Published September 26, 2008 @ 19:31 in Celebrity Death Watch, Toronto Argos

Ralph Sazio was 86. He won three Grey Cups as a coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and served as Toronto Argonauts' team president from 1981 to 1990.

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Thank You For Not Throwing In The Towel
Published July 19, 2008 @ 12:56 in Toronto Argos

I got a chuckle out of the headline of Chris Zelkovich's column in today's Toronto Star. It reads "Argos Not Throwing In Towel".

On behalf of all Toronto Argonaut fans, I'd like to thank the club for not throwing in the towel after a 1-2 start. Considering six of the eight teams in the CFL make the playoffs and we're technically sitting in 2nd place in the Eastern division, I find myself even more relieved that we haven't thrown in the proverbial towel quite yet.

Hang in there, guys. I know it's tough starting 1-2, but teams with that exact record after three games have actually won championships. It's true, you can look it up.

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Toronto Bills Tickets and Argonaut Guilt
Published June 1, 2008 @ 12:00 in Toronto Argos, Toronto Bills

Thanks to Ajax Mike, I've won the Toronto Bills lottery. On June 4th I'll try and buy a couple of cheap seats to the 8 Buffalo Bills games at Rogers Centre SkyDome. I'd love to be there on December 7th when the Toronto Bills squish the fish.

As I crunch the numbers and see who's willing to buy some of the tickets off of me, especially for the August 14th game against the Steelers I can't make, I'm feeling a tad guilty. You see, I actually like the CFL and our Toronto Argonauts. I have tickets to our season opener and I'm pretty psyched about the arrival of Kerry Joseph and the return of Mike Vanderjagt. Even though I believe myself to be more of a CFL fan than an NFL fan, I'm about to buy 16 tickets to see NFL games here in Toronto. How do I explain that?

The fact is, I'm a homer. I prefer the CFL and the Argos because they're based in Toronto. If the Bills were based in Toronto, I'd be a huge NFL fan. I'm buying Bills in Toronto tickets because it's going to be a big-time event and I want to be a part of it and because I know I'll be able to sell the tickets I don't want.

Speaking of that, if you're interested in buying Toronto Bills tickets from Toronto Mike, leave a comment on this entry and you might just get that chance. Non-family members may have to pay a moderate Toronto Mike service fee.

Oh yeah, about that guilt... My penance will be the purchase of more Argo tickets and a promise to raise my children as CFL fans.

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Damon Allen Retires
Published May 28, 2008 @ 21:12 in Toronto Argos

I wore my #9 Damon Allen 2004 Grey Cup Championship tee shirt today. I didn't wear it because Damon Allen was announcing his retirement today, that part was a complete coincidence, but I'm glad I had it on. Allen played in the CFL for 23 years and has more passing yards than any other player in professional football history.

I really like Damon Allen, a fierce competitor who could run like no other quarterback I've seen. In just five seasons as a Toronto Argo he sits second in club history in career passing yards (13,974), career attempts (1,713) and completions (1,051), career passing touchdowns (77), and once completed 13 consecutive passes in a game - the second-best streak in team history.

My only complaint about Allen is that he hung on a tad too long. I should have been writing this entry one year ago. Still, that's my only beef with #9. He had a stellar career.

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Kerry Joseph An Argo?
Published March 5, 2008 @ 19:29 in Toronto Argos

The Toronto Argonauts appear to have landed a bonafide starting quarterback who's not in his 40s. Sources say the Argos have acquired the Canadian Football League's reigning outstanding player, Kerry Joseph, for a group of players. We'll likely get the details tomorrow at 10am.

Joseph ranked third in CFL passing last season with 4,002 yards and guided the Roughriders to a 12-6 record and their first Grey Cup appearance since 1997.

Arrrrrrgoooooos!

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