Happy Tuesday!
This week on the show we look back on the Toronto Argonauts Grey Cup win, the latest NHL lockout news and the war of words between players & the league and we share a laugh over the NBA handing out its first ever flopping fine.
In the GABBYs: Jack Taylor, Sam Gordon, Leo Messi, Morehead State, Tufts University and Luiz Adriano. The Punchline this week is the Cleveland Browns.
Grey Cup (Roland Tanglao, Wikimedia Commons)
In one of the biggest sporting events of the year, the 100th Grey Cup takes place Sunday in Toronto. The 12-6 Calgary Stampeders face the 9-9 Toronto Argonauts.
The game will have the two finalists for the 2012 Canadian Football League’s most outstanding player award. On Thursday we learned that Argonauts’ wide receiver Chad Owens, who set a CFL record for most all-purpose yards in one season, had more votes than Calgary Stampeder running back Jon Cornish.
This is the third time the Stampeders are facing the Argonauts for the Grey Cup, and 2012 is drastically different compared to 1971 and 1991 when the Argonauts entered the game as the heavy favourite and entered the game as a team the rest of the Canadian Football League were adamantly not pulling for. That tendency isn’t here this time around, and if you go by one Calgary player’s undisciplined actions prior to the Western Final, many football fans nationwide are tempted to cheer for Ricky Ray, Jim Barker and the Argonauts.
The Grey Cup will take place Sunday at 4pm on TSN.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
Grey Cup (Roland Tanglao, Wikimedia Commons)
The Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders will meet in the 100th Grey Cup a week from today at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
On Sunday, three Toronto Argonauts had outstanding offensive performances in a 27-20 win over the Montreal Alouettes. Ricky Ray passed for 399 yards, Chad Kackert had 139 rushing yards and wide receiver Chad Owens had 207 receiving yards.
Toronto bounced back after a 17-10 halftime deficit and an inability to score any points on a second quarter drive where they were first and goal at Montreal’s one yard line.
The Stampeders meanwhile beat the B.C. Lions 34-29 in equally an impressive offensve performance. Quarterback Kevin Glenn, who will be starting in his first career Grey Cup game, threw for 303 yards. Running back Jon Cornish ran for 112 yards and wide receiver Maurice Price had 117 yards receiving.
A major reason for Calgary’s success was because Glenn was able to connect with Marquay McDaniel for a 68 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Romby Bryant for a 57 yard pass in the third quarter.
Happy Tuesday!
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we look at a disappointing effort & a gruesome looking injury from the Edmonton Eskimos East Semifinal loss over the weekend, a tough few days for NHL CBA talks and why 2013 might be the best year ever for big UFC fights.
In the GABBYs: Andrew Luck, Glasgow Celtic, Joakim Noah, soccer fans & Anderson Silva. The Punchline this week is the Washington Wizards!
The Edmonton Eskimos came into the Eastern semi-final game Sunday in Toronto immediately with lost confidence when it was determined that star linebacker J.C. Sherritt could not play due to an ankle injury.
Even though they got off to a fast start, (Eskimos got an early 7-0 lead thanks to a 46 yard run by Hugh Charles that set up a touchdown pass from Kerry Joseph to Cary Koch), the Eskimos quite possibly had their worst second quarter in franchise history.
The Argonauts scored 31 points, the most ever by one team in the second quarter in the history of the CFL playoffs. Ricky Ray orchestrated three Toronto touchdowns (two in the air to Chad Kackert and Maurice Mann and one rushing touchdown) and CFL Most Outstanding Player nominee Chad Owens had a punt return for a touchdown as Toronto defeated Edmonton 42-26.
I will be watching four kinds of football this weekend–the professional and collegiate variety from both sides of the border.
Obviously the biggest games are the Canadian Football League’s divisional semi-finals.
In the East, the Toronto Argonauts are hosting the Edmonton Eskimos (Sunday, 11am, TSN) in a game that is featuring former Eskimo Ricky Ray, now at quarterback for Toronto. The Eskimos finished the season at 7-11 and the Argonauts at 9-9. However Edmonton did beat Toronto in both meetings this year, 19-15 on June 30 and 26-17 on August 27.
Happy Monday!
This week on the show we talk about some big news from the Edmonton Eskimos and examine their chances in the playoffs, and we discuss the latest CBA news and look at how the young guns of the Edmonton Oilers are doing down in OKC. As well, some UFC talk with a possible women’s division and two more failed drug tests after UFC 153.
In the GABBYs: Justin Schultz, JC Sherritt, Jon Cornish, Luis Suarez, Lance Armstrong, soccer fans and the Chomutov Pirates.
It appears the Toronto Argonauts may not be dressing their top lineup in their regular season finale against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Thursday night at the Rogers Centre.
Instead it looks like they are resting up for the Eastern Semi-Final, where they will either host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos or Saskatchewan Roughriders.
On Tuesday it was confirmed by the Canadian Press, that Toronto Argonaut quarterback (and former Edmonton Eskimo) Ricky Ray will not play in the game, as Argonauts head coach Scott Milanovich has opted to rest Ray.
Milanovich also confirmed that backup quarterbacks Jarious Jackson, Trevor Harris and Zach Collaros are all scheduled to see some time. Now one needs to wonder how many more Argonaut starters will not see any action.
Milos Raonic (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
This is currently one of the most exciting times in Canadian tennis. Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ontario achieved greatness again Friday night when he defeated U.S. Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray of Great Britain in three sets, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Raonic saved off two match points in the third set and was able to break Murray back after being down 4-1 in the final set.
Raonic also performed admirably while not serving in the third set, something he has struggled with in his career. He will now face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in tonight’s final (11pm, Sportsnet One). Raonic is also seeking his third title of the season, having won in Chennai and San Jose earlier in the year.
What could just be the best Edmonton Eskimos quarterback will get the start tonight at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
According to the Canadian Press, Matt Nichols will make his Canadian Football League debut as a starting quarterback against the Calgary Stampeders.
Nichols had a very impressive series against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on September 15. Nichols was the only impressive Eskimo in a 51-8 loss, where he had to leave the game because of a head injury ?(possible concussion). Nichols also came in to throw a touchdown pass against Calgary on September 7, on a fake field goal. Nichols threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Corbin Sharun on the final play of the first half.
The Toronto Argonauts beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 25-22 on Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre, and they have a pair of Eskimos to thank the most for pulling out the victory.
Ricky Ray went 23 for 34 with 325 yards and three touchdown passes, while Jason Barnes had 72 yards receiving and caught the game winning touchdown from Ray with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter as the Argonauts came back to record the two points.
My reaction to the Argo major continues to be one of minor frustration– what if! What the Eskimos need right now more than any other position is a quarterback and Ray looked very comfortable in the blue and white on Wednesday. What if Edmonton Eskimos’ General Manager Eric Tillman had listened to his wife, and not made of the most controversial trades in CFL history.
On the other hand I still see Tillman’s standpoint. If he doesn’t make the deal, the Eskimos possibly fail to keep their talented defense together. Still, so far Tillman has been incorrect in his assessment of Steven Jyles.
The Canadian Football League commences this weekend.
On Saturday night the Edmonton Eskimos host a familiar person to town. Ricky Ray will be quarterbacking not the Eskimos however at Commonwealth Stadium, but the Toronto Argonauts (Saturday, TSN, 5pm).
In a very controversial off season deal, Eskimos GM Eric Tillman traded Ray for quarterback Steven Jyles, kicker Grant Shaw and a first round pick in 2012.
In the Canadian Football League I thought you needed a solid quarterback to win football games. Ricky Ray is a great quarterback and the Eskimos let him go. Apparently Tillman didn’t get the memo.
The Edmonton Eskimos won’t have their top quarterback from last year. Now they won’t have their top running back either.
On Saturday night according to TSN, Jerome Messam, the Canadian Football League’s top Canadian from 2011, has signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Messam was third in the CFL in rushing last season with 1057 yards, only trailing Brandon Whitaker of the Montreal Alouettes and Cory Boyd of the Toronto Argonauts.
With Messam leading the Eskimos’ offensive attack, Edmonton secured its first home playoff game since 2003.
Just how dominant was Messam and how important was he to their offensive game plan? Well, he had 780 more yards than Hugh Charles, who finished second in rushing with 277 yards.
The Dolphins meanwhile will probably use Messam as a backup to former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. (Or at least he once won the Heisman Trophy before having his name crossed off for accepting gifts, a violation of the NCAA policy.)
Earlier in the off-season, Edmonton traded Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts.
Happy Monday!
It’s that time again folks – we’re back with a fresh episode of everyone’s favorite internet sports show: 15 Minutes of Fame!
This week on the show we’re talking about another concussion-filled week in the NHL, and going through the list of hired and fired coaches from around the league. As well, we react to the big news from last week in the CFL: The Edmonton Eskimos traded quarterback Ricky Ray, the face of the franchise, to the Toronto Argonauts.
In the GABBYs: Derek Jeter, Tebowing, Patrick Chan, the National Basketball League, fighting in hockey, Jerry Sandusky’s lawyers. The Punchline this week is the washrooms at the MTS Centre!
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