News you need to get through the day …
A few scattershot thoughts on the final big football weekend on the Canadian calendar …
RAY, RICKY RAY
Is there some broadcasting bylaw that requires the Toronto Argonauts’ quarterback to be addressed by his full name every time he’s mentioned?
Listen to a game, and guys are generally referred to by their last name alone. Or sometimes by their first name alone. Occasionally by their nickname alone.
Yet the Argos’ QB is always Ricky Ray. Never Ricky. Never Ray. Always Ricky Ray.
FOLLOWED BY A BIG YAWN
Hands up if you think an Argonauts win would provide a huge boost to CFL interest in Toronto and would help fill the seats at BMO Field next summer.
Seeing none, we move along …
SWING AND A MISS
On Friday, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie told media covering the Grey Cup there isn’t enough evidence to link concussions to CTE because the science remains unclear.
And to think he’d been doing so well.
SWING AND A MISS II
In the same press conference that Ambrosie made that mushy comment — remember, the league is facing a $200-million class-action lawsuit on the issue — he engaged in a back-and-forth with star receiver Nik Lewis about brain health. As part of this exchange he talked about his role as league disciplinarian.
“The one thing I’ve said I’m going to fine (players for), and we’re going to be super tough on, is the head shots,” Ambrosie said.
But hold on a second. If you believe there’s no certain link between head injuries and brain health, then concussions are just another football injury. So why make this a priority over a shot to a player’s knee that blows out his ACL or a vicious facemask that spins a player’s head around and potentially hurts his neck?
His position is convoluted at best and nonsensical at worst.
NO GOAL
Going into Friday night’s game, the Hamilton Bulldogs were sitting fourth in the OHL standings. Meanwhile they’re dead last in league scoring.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is almost impossible to do.
NO GOALIE
The Vegas Golden Knights have played just 20 games. Yet they’re already on to their fifth goalie thanks to an unprecedented run of injuries in net.
Here’s the amazing thing. Despite having to dip deeply into a farm system that didn’t even exist 12 months ago, all five have even or winning records.
MAROON WITH A VIEW
Thursday was the five-year anniversary of the Vanier Cup game at Rogers Centre between McMaster and Laval. The rematch game. More than 37,000 people flocked down the highway to Toronto for that one, almost all wearing Marauder colours.
Stef Ptaszek, who was Mac’s head coach back then, says he’d never seen anything like it before in Canadian university sports and he hasn’t seen anything like it since.
“I’ve never walked out of a locker room and had the hair on the back of my neck stand up like I did when I saw that sea of maroon.”
THE FIRST PICK GOES TO …
The Edmonton Oilers are only five points out of the NHL basement. Meaning they’re just a few losses away from being the favourites to get the first-overall draft pick again this spring. Which would be their fifth No. 1 pick in nine years and their ninth top-10 pick in the past 10.
So why can’t they win? Well, it might help if they could find some later-round picks who could contribute. In the past nine years they’ve made 63 selections after the first round. That entire group has scored a grand total of 56 goals for the Oilers.
OUCH
If the Argos win on Sunday, that’ll mean they’ve claimed three Grey Cups since the Tiger-Cats won one and hosted the big game three times since Hamilton did.
That’s gotta sting fans of the black and gold particularly hard.
WAITING FOR HOME
Of the nine current CFL cities, only two have never had its local team play a Grey Cup game in their hometowns. Calgary and Winnipeg are still waiting for that moment.
Edmonton, Montreal, B.C., Toronto and Saskatchewan have all played in games on home turf since 2002. Ottawa last played the big game at home in 1940 when the Rough Riders beat Toronto Balmy Beach 12-5.
And of course, Hamilton’s last time was 1972. But you know all about that one.
WARNING: BOASTING AHEAD
And now for a moment of shameless self-promotion.
Last week in this space, it was suggested that Western would score 80 points against Acadia in the Uteck Bowl. They scored 81.
So, how many will they score Saturday in the Vanier Cup? You decide. I’m getting out of the prediction game while I’m ahead.