Grey Cup uniquely Canadian and should be embraced

It was the great Dick Beddoes who coined it the Grand National Drunk, if memory serves.

And that’s quite okay with me.

The Grey Cup and its inherent celebration is something that’s uniquely Canadian – you don’t see horses plodding through some Champions League or Super Bowl hotel lobby – and since we have precious few things that are truly and uniquely Canadian, why not celebrate it with as much fervor as you want.

I know there will be Toronto snobs who pay scant attention to the game, its festival, its parties and I’m not sure anyone should are about that.

Yes, it may get lost in the big city, seen as some kind of annoyance where a bunch of hillbillies from the prairies and Alberta – and Hamilton – invade the city, cause disruptions along the southern downtown corridor but, you know what?

Let them have their day and, frankly, I think some of the tighter butts around the city could probably use a dose of fun for no other reason that to have some fun.

The horse?

The horse is cool, it’s funny, it’s something of a Canadian sports tradition and give me a list of five others, if you can.

I’ve been to a bunch of these things to chronicle them – in Ottawa and Toronto and Hamilton, Winnipeg and Calgary – and they’ve been a blast. It’s always been genuine fun and what’s wrong with that? And it’s been that way forever.

It’s the Mud Bowl and Prime Ministers doing the kickoff -- and if some dopey politician shows up in blue jeans standing next to a uniformed member of our armed forces Sunday, there’s going to be hell to pay.

It’s horses in hotel lobbies and the Spirit of Edmonton room – and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like the day iconic Edmonton columnist Terry Jones and I walked into the room in downtown Hamilton hotel some time in the early-1990s. You couldn’t move, it was that packed, but once the crowd caught sight of Jonesy, we had two prime seats at the bar and couldn’t spend a dime of our money; that’s a writer with some juice.

It’s the Fog Bowl and double pass interference – whatever the hell that is – and the Calgary Pancake Breakfast, even if you don’t like pancakes.

Know what it should be?

A parade.

Remember the Grey Cup parade? It’s gone the way of the dodo bird here, I’m afraid, and they should bring it back the next time it's in Toronto. That'd be very cool.

And Miss Grey Cup.

They should bring that back, too.

Grey Cup is Canadian sport and the celebration of it in its purist form.

Embrace it.

(And if you see me hanging around some place in the convention centre or on Front Street this afternoon or evening trying to figure out how to file to this live blog thing we’re doing, say hello)

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Yes, I was able to see some NFL stuff yesterday and I’m not that big a fan of the game so it doesn’t really matter who won the games.

But Kenny Chesney killed Kid Rock in the halftime thing, I’d say.

So, how can you not like a song called She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy!!!!

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Since there’s an equine feel to the day:

Horse walks in the bar. Bartender says:

“Hey, what’s with the long face?”

(Admit it, you laughed)

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The Raptors?

Well, a bunch of ‘em took in a football game in Detroit yesterday, I’m told. Other than that, a day off was probably needed and most welcome and a chance to catch their breath a bit.

So, in other words, no news although I cannot wait for the Terrence Ross-Andre Drummond junk to start later on this evening; thankfully Not Grace Kelly will be there to deal with it, I’ll be connecting with my inner Canadianism.

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Still with the Raptors …

Not sure this appeases anyone enough but the NBA has admitted the refs blew the last-second call on the Bargnani shot the other night in Charlotte.

Don’t know what repercussions there will be for the three officials other than censure from their bosses and there’s no more recourse for the Raptors.

Does it make anyone feel any better? Didn’t think so. It’s a flawed process but it’s the only one they’ve got.

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I think only in America, where nothing succeeds like excess, would so many places start Black Friday sales on Thursday.

Now, I don’t get this whole “line up for sales thing and fight off other shoppers” stuff at all; not sure it’s worth the hassle or the wait, to tell you the truth.

That could just be my natural dislike of people and crowds but the very last thing I’d want to do on some holiday is battle others for some electronics or clothing.

Isn’t the idea of holidays to relax and enjoy them? What enjoyment is there in struggling through jam-packed stores?

Sorry, I just don’t get it.

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Oh yeah, one last call for mail; no clue when I might do it but …

Click. Write. Send.

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Comments

[Johnnyc]

Writers played a big part in Grey Cup history.....part of my GC memories are devouring the stories as we were hungry for news... The quality of writing was legendary....Milt Dunnell, Jim Coleman, Jim Proudfoot, Trent Frayne....just to name a few....they were a big part of the scene..... Did you ever own the CFL electric football game?... I did....but I was useless passing the magnetic football....but it had a good buzz!,,,, Enjoy the Canadiana!,,,,

[Peter]

If you see me, say "hello". Followed by "my natural dislike of people."
I found those two phrases in the same blog to be funny. :)

Any blog that can talk about the Grey Cup in Toronto, include horse jokes and country music videos, along with some Raptors news, is my kind of blog. I enjoyed your ramblings today. Have a fun weekend!

[john]

Hey Doug, it’s interesting that the NBA has admitted there was a missed call. What will be more interesting is to see if the Raps get some respect moving forward.
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I understand why everyone loves Butch Carter so much, but to listen to him go on about how the refs don’t pay attention to rookies and about how rookies give the refs a reason to blow the whistle, it makes the foul on AB even worse considering that it was committed by a rookie. If Butch’s theory is accurate then the refs have already put Kidd-Gilchrist higher on the totem pole than AB which is disturbing in a number of ways. Either way, maybe it’s these types of theories that have prevented him from getting another coaching gig.

[David in Oakville]

Good Morning Doug,

Will you be at tonight's Vanier Cup? and come to think of it, have you ever identified your University affiliations?

GO MAC! Let's make it two in a row.

@Johnnyc - the CFL Electric Football game, what a great memory... Thanks, I had filed that one away along with my Argos/Joe Theismann bed sheets and pyjamas.

The Grey Cup has always had a special place in my heart because it often fell on one of my brother's and grandfather's birthday. It almost always meant a special dinner (my mom is an amazing cook) and a football shaped chocolate cake with lots of stories about my parents and grandparents attending the Fog Bowl to cheer on the Cats the year before my older brother was born.

Blogger's note: No, I'll watch some of the Vanier Cup on TV in between the HOTH in Detroit

[Steve]

"Does it make anyone feel any better? Didn’t think so. It’s a flawed process but it’s the only one they’ve got."

I wouldn't know how the players feel but from a fans point of view it just rubs it in particularly when combined with the video showing the official 1-2 metres away looking straight at it. Funnily enough that angle wasn't the one that made the game recap on nba.com ;).

Not sure there is much else that could be done about it though, I don't really favour the idea of using reviews in that situation because it draws out the already tedious end game and opens all other types of issues (when do you stop the play for the review being the main one, if you wait till the next stoppage or time expiring and the other teams scores in the meantime then what do you do with it, if you don't wait you effectively introduce a stoppage and stuff with the natural flow of the game, etc).

[Steve]

(Obviously the issues I raise here are in reference to in game reviews of situations where a foul may have occurred but no call was issued on the floor - this doesn't apply to flagrant and out of bounds reviews because in both cases the call on the floor already resulted in a stoppage).

[sam]

Grey Cup Sundays used to be something special for the gang I chumed around with. There would be the traditional pre game - tackle football game in the back yard - the visit to the emergency room for the unlucky soul that got hit too hard and dislocated a shoulder or something of that ilk - the case of adult beverages consumed - the Chili simmering away on the stove - It was all very grand, and a welcomed tradition - the last time we did that was 20 odd years ago.
Unfortunately, the grand old game has lost a little of it's lustre over the years....

It's nice the NBA admitted the refs blew a call - Now what?
@john mentioned Butch Carter's theories - Butch may be a pretty good coach, but I'm wondering if his attempt to sue Marcus Camby, or trying to backdoor Glenn Grunwald, might play into why he hasn't got another head coaching gig.

[Willy Wonka]

I hope those refs get fired

Blogger's note: Hope you or one of your employees never makes a mistake

[Dave]

I don't get the black Friday thing either. Maybe it is my dislike of people and crowds also. There is nothing I need in life to make me want to get into that mess. I also think it is unfortunate that they are starting to steal a portion of Thursday and are interrupting the greatest holiday in the States. I feel sorry for all the people who have give up their Thanksgiving dinner and family time to go to work in some store so other people can shop.

One more thing about the Andrea non-foul; why wouldn't the refrees review the play to see if it was a foul. If I understand correctly, they can review any play in the last two minutes. We don't know if the Raptors would have won the game but I would be very confident with Andrea going to the line to at least get a tie and overtime.

If the Raptors didn't have bad luck they wouldn't have any luck at all. Their bad luck includes all the teams tanking last spring (Charlotte in particular) and the last game of the season so they could get better draft picks. Toronto played every game to win.. They then lost the coin toss for who would go 7th and 8th in the draft. Thus we get what we see every night. hopefully their luck will change soon.

I agree with the Grey Cup being uniquely Canadian. I don't really understand football, but I think this is our biggest sports party. And we aren't arrogant enough to call them "World winners" or the best in the world or the world series when they only represent one country.

Enjoy the weekend.

Blogger's note: Foul calls are not reviewable in that case

[Brad B]

Hi Doug,

I used to love watching the Grey Cup on TV, but I missed last year because we got rid of our cable and went straight to internet streaming. Do you know if TSN will be streaming the game live?

As for the Raptors, do you think that the acknowledgement by the league of the non-call at the end of the last game will make the officials of the next Raptors away game more attentive (not sure if that's the right word or not) or self-aware of possible bias?

Blogger's note: I don't about live-streaming at all; would seem to be something they or the CFL would do.

[Mos High]

@ John its the blunt reality of the respect Bargnani has in the NBA, he is very talented special talent, but is soft, soft play on the court. MKG is im sure already known to be a defensive guy.

Blown call = no change in standings. Hopefully the memo is sent out though.

Im going to travel downtown with my son tommorrow and check out the Grey Cup activities.

Honestly most people who claim they love the NFL in Canada is because of gambling or Fantasy sports, Lets be real. However since the NFL is going the way more like the CFL with heavy doses of passing its much better to watch.

[Mark]

I'm somewhat placated hearing the league admit foul. I would guess that it does give the players some minor element of satisfaction, too. Not in a way that actually makes any practical difference, but it's always a little bit less frustrating when an error is admitted.

Regardless of what a certain brand of Torontonians think, I'm overjoyed to have the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto, with our team actually in it. Gotta make some nachos, make some chili, chill the beer. As a young software developer I wouldn't dream of hillbilly stereotypes ;) and if anyone complaining about this was causing any sort of ruckus last World Cup, I call foul there. At least this is one day, I think we can all enjoy and make the best of it, or at the very least simply avoid it.

@David: As a Guelph alumnus who went out to watch Mac kick our butts in the Yates, I gotta say, that QB kid can sure play. Best of luck to Mac in the Vanier!

[Steve]

"If I understand correctly, they can review any play in the last two minutes."

The two minutes rule only applies to determining which player was responsible for an out of bounds. The reviews that are available for fouls (at any time in the game) are:

* Checking whether a foul called on the floor was a clear path foul.
* Checking whether a flagrant foul called on the floor was in fact a flagrant and what level of flagrant.
* To verify which player was fouled and should be shooting free throws.

Note that all of these apply to situations where the referee on the floor has made a foul call and therefore there is a stoppage for the review to occur in. None of them allow for review of a non-call.

I don't really see any system that did allow for review of a non-call being workable without creating even more controversial situations that what we have already (mainly involving play continuing after a non-call only to have to "wind back" the play following a review).

[Jeff D]

@ David in Oakvile
I know Doug is an alumni of the Hornet's (high-school). I'm also pretty sure he's a Knight alumni as well, although I'm not sure it was the Knights back in those early days. Maybe Doug or some other irregulars could set the record straight.

Blogger's note: Absolutely was the University of Welland Knights!

[james]

The Raptors should be steamed. It will be most interesting to see how they react tonight in Detroit. I agree with Dave that a lot of this early season record can be chalked up to simple bad luck, a factor that one hopes will even out.
I will watch the Vanier as well as the Raptors (good old PVR). I wonder if Kyle Quinlan will get the same chance to play in the CFL as another Mac quarterback a few generations ago. It took Russ Jackson about five years to become Russ Jackson, but mostly it took a visionary coach who realized the advantage of having what they called a "homebrew" at the position rather than an "import". I think the stadium in Ottawa is still named after that guy.

Blogger's note: You mean Frank Clair?

[john]

@Sam, I'm not sure how those 'other' incidents have slipped my mind.Thanks for the reminder and I am sure they play a much bigger role. To be honest I was immediatly dubious of anything Butch said as soon as it was obvious that he and Mckowan were on the same page. Something had to be wrong...

[Rob.V]

Does it make anyone feel any better? Didn’t think so. It’s a flawed process but it’s the only one they’ve got.
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or
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Then the refs have already put Kidd-Gilchrist higher on the totem pole than AB which is disturbing in a number of ways.
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You guys are freaking killing me this morning!
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(cotton stuffed in cheeks): Just when I think I'm out... they pull me back in.
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I had done everything in my power (short of visiting my shrink) to move past the other night, thank you... and now I'm back!!!
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Okay, here we go. NBA Rant #2
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Does the NBA admitting the blown call accomplish anything?. Acknowledgement does NOT suffice!
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How in the hell could all 3 officials miss that call? There's 3 seconds left, no transition, a non moving in bounds pass... what ELSE could they have been watching??
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To both of your points noted above. There IS a problem, and it goes far beyond a "missed"' call.
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Tim Donaghy wrote that he and other officials made wages prior to tip on how they could hold out the longest in "not" making a call for fun. Players could be mugging each other and they would let the play continue until one ref finally gave in and blew the whistle. Sometimes 8 minutes would pass.
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Now, I'm not talking gambling here. If the NBA was doing their job this poor officiating should not only have been detected, these officials should have been fired long before the scandal became public.
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My point being, where is the integrity on the part of the officials?. I want a mic in front of all 3 officials to explain. Not because I care to listen to their BS but rather so that this may deter this blatant lack of respect for the integrity of the game in future. These 3 get to walk away unscathed, but let's hijack $5000 from our players for a flop.
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This is no joke. This is a "billion" dollar industry.
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I'm all for European expansion, ad's on jersey's... whatever you want to do to make more money. But in the meantime:
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Hire a 4th ref if need be.
Allow teams to challenge a couple of calls each game.
Institute the use of more replay.
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I know a measly few billion dollars doesn't go as far as it use to however I think it might be okay for the NBA to break open the petty cash box and spend a little money on oh...um... fixing their game!!!
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I don't need or want any acknowledgement from the NBA. Take action!, do something to make it better. We love this game, don't sit on your hands. This is not new, the officiating has been atrocious for years. Make the game better!
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And in the short term. Don't disgrace yourself by trying to pilfer money from the players for your inability to manage the game.
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I want to see you publicly fine all 3 refs $5000 a piece for being the "flops" that they were Wednesday night.

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Paul Jones wrote about his thoughts about NBA officiatingin his blog, the following quote to my mind summed things up:

"The bottom-line message to the officials is as follows: call the game as you see it, devoid of a team’s record, a player’s personality, his stature or tenure in the league."

This is all we the Fans want Doug. We want the game refereed impartially. I've been eching these same thoughts for years here. This "Superstar" and now "SuperTeam" bias by refs is killing the league's credibility. Sadly the NBA is becoming WWE-like. Too frequently we all know the way the script is going to play out before tipoff happens.

Ciao Amigo,

marc in panama

Blogger's note: Then I presume you're filthy rich for having bet on outcomes you already know. Congrats!

[james]

Yes, I mean Frank Clair. I have never understood why there appears to be no priority given to developing Canadian quarterbacks in this league. At the moment we are witnessing an age of great domestic running backs (Cornish, Harris, and Messam) so it is not that Canadians can't play skill positions. But Cornish, the best of the bunch, had to serve an apprenticeship of several years before he became a starter.

[PK]

If it was a Toronto home game do you think it would have been called? Refs too timid to make a call against the home team in the dying seconds?

Blogger's note: There were like 6,000 people in the building, hardly an intimidating night

[john]

'Blogger's note: There were like 6,000 people in the building, hardly an intimidating night'
Doug, I am not saying I dont trust your judgement, but according to the offical stat sheet attendance was over 15,000. Did they do the math wrong and count the empty seats?

Blogger's note: That's tickets distributed; or they were counting arms

[LakeSimcoe]

@John:
"if the Raps get some respect"

Its won't, its been there before: "They just didn't let us win!", can you recall which raptors said this?

So what will the other zebras react tonight...hmm...remember Henderson? When NBA suspended this GREATEST EVER Laker fans, what did his colleagues do? Oh, I know, "embarrasssing"...

[Garry]

thank you John for making a few very good points. I have no problems with coaches or players getting fined, but lets be reasonable and publish the fines( yeah right) or disipline that is metted out to these refs.

[T I]

I missed the game but caught it on the airwaves.

Paul and Eric mentioned during the broadcast that it had to be the most they've ever seen in that arena

However, they didn't say how many they thought were in there.

[M]

"@ John its the blunt reality of the respect Bargnani has in the NBA, he is very talented special talent, but is soft, soft play on the court. MKG is im sure already known to be a defensive guy"
Since when is it required that a player be respected or to have " proven" himself before the rules of the game are invoked in his favour. Even sadder and more depressing is the fact that some people live in such a moral vacuum that they will accept this acceptable.