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2007 Cfl Grey Cup In Toronto


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Grey Cup time is upon us for of lovers of the CFL. And Hogtown, Canada's largest and most multicultural city, is hosting it. Alas, the hometown Toronto Argonauts will not get a chance to reclaim the trophy in front of their hometown fans because the Winnipeg Blue Bombers came to their turf at the SkyDome (I DON'T call it Rogers Centre) and defeated them 19-9. The Blue Bombers will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who knocked off the defending champs the British Columbia Lions on the road in Vancouver 26-17 as Kent Austin, a rookie coach, stops caoching legend Wally Buono and an eight game winning streak. I'm picking Saskatchewan.

My Montreal Alouettes didn't even came close this season in the hope of winning another Grey Cup, despite being there so many times in recent years before and after 2002--all the best to Anthony Cavillo's wife. Wasn't a good season for them anyway. Winnipeg beat them in the wildcard. Next year's Grey Cup will be hosted in Montreal--hopefully the Als will make it to it and win.

With this being in Toronto, it's going to be a blast. Lenny Kravitz will perform at halftime. Tickets for the Grey Cup are sold out (though seating at the SkyDome Hard Rock Cafe is still available). Loads of artists at the Toronto Convention Centre plus signings from former and current CFL players. Maxim will host a nighttime party hosted by former WWE star and Toronto native Trish Strauss. Dan Akroyd will host a tribute to John Candy, a former Argo co-owner, and the Barenacked Ladies and Glass Tiger will perform at a Grey Cup Tailgate Party.

With all of this going on, the CFL MAY end bringing back Ottawa into the fold for next year or the next during the CFL meetings. By then we will know what cities will host the next Grey Cups after Montreal. Also, this will be the 54th and last Grey Cup the CBC will broadcast over the air; we talk about CBC losing the Olympic TV rights in Canada, here is something else iconic in sports it will lose. For many years it was the largest TV event in Canada with an excess of over 4 million viewers annually. Starting next year, TSN/RDS takes over in the coverage.

Toronto 2007 Grey Cup

Now if we can get a CFL video game or at least a CFL license into Madden 2009...

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Ratings for the Grey Cup will inevitably fall next year by being on Cable-Only. I've also heard rumours of this happening to the Superbowl rights in Canada, what a shame! Also, Ottawa wont be getting a CFL team anytime soon, one of the grandstands at Frank Clair has been deemed unsafe and that they should tear it down. Its gonna be blast here, the Skydome (I cant think of anyone who calls it the Rogers Center unless there a new immigrant, heck, even Ted Rogers slips up sometimes!) is a stone throws away from my place, and I do have tickets! Woohoo, really looking forward to the giant Calgary Pancake breakfast tomorrow and Friday infront of Metro Centre, any chance to feel a little bit at home again I'll take. And, too bad all the snow will be melted come Sunday, would of pleased the Prairie Folk a little, although they are crying about the Dome being closed on Sunday.......

And, without my Stamps, I'll be going for the Riders - they had the CN Tower decked out in Rider Green earlier tonight.......

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Ratings for the Grey Cup will inevitably fall next year by being on Cable-Only. I've also heard rumours of this happening to the Superbowl rights in Canada, what a shame!

I agree wholeheartedly on the Grey Cup. Ratings will go down only due to access issues. Considering the iconic standing in Canadian sports (and one of the few domestic stuff that Canada can claim wholly as its own), you would think the CRTC would issue a mandate like the BBC does on events like this, ensuring that it will be seen as many people as possible. On the other hand, considering where the CFL was sometime ago with the troubling stability franchise issues, the CFL could use the money TSN provides and boost its revenue. So I can't blame the league entirely.

Also, Ottawa wont be getting a CFL team anytime soon, one of the grandstands at Frank Clair has been deemed unsafe and that they should tear it down. [/qoute]

Notice the may emphasized in capital letters when discussing Ottawa. I wasn't aware of the awful situation with one of the grandstands at Frank Clair Stadium until you told me about it. The city of Ottawa might as well tear down the whole stadium and build a new, contemporary with all of the modern revenue-generating amentities in its place. That will take a couple of years of course. By then Halifax may end up getting a conditional expansion team (Atlantic Schooners?) provided with a new stadium built, and both cities could join at the same time.

Enjoy yourself out there in Toronto, especially with the Calgary Pancake Breakfast! :D

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I remember reading not too long ago about the Toronto Argonauts wanting to be apart of a new NFL team being brought into Toronto (via the Buffalo Bills). Some Canadian folks (mostly from the west coast) are crying foul saying the CFL can't survive without Toronto, blah blah blah!!!

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Notice the may emphasized in capital letters when discussing Ottawa. I wasn't aware of the awful situation with one of the grandstands at Frank Clair Stadium until you told me about it. The city of Ottawa might as well tear down the whole stadium and build a new, contemporary with all of the modern revenue-generating amentities in its place. That will take a couple of years of course. By then Halifax may end up getting a conditional expansion team (Atlantic Schooners?) provided with a new stadium built, and both cities could join at the same time.

They wont tear down Frank Clair completely, the other grandstand has 10,500 seat arena currently being used by there OHL team, and that OHL has zero interest moving into the Scotia Bank place. I dont see the CFL ever returning to Ottawa, just wont work. Halifax maybe, but they need a stadium, and after the 2014 bid ended up in Flames, I kinda wonder if there ever going to get that stadium. Maybe just increase St. Marys to 20K? Thats about where Montreal is, and St. Marys has a permanent capacity of 9K, imagine just replacing one of the decks with a two decker could do the trick.

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I'm glad to see the Grey Cup get some mention here. I personally prefer the Canadian game to ours in the states, which has become too much fluff and not enough action, more soap-opera than sport. I read somewhere that football games here in the early years were played by rules that actuually resembled the Canadian game but were changed over time. Our loss. I wish we would adopt rules such as multiple men in motion at the snap, and outlawing the fair catch (with a five-yard restraining zone). I wish we had the single point too, but the shorter end zones (and goal posts at the back of the zone) , not to mention that it would be sacreligious to Americans. make that an improbability, although we have had a few missed field-goals returned for touchdowns in recent years.

As for the cup itself. I predict a Roughrider win, but it should be a good game given the historical rivalry between the two teams. I really feel for Winnipeg QB Kevin Glenn, leading the team this far only to be ruled out of the big game by injury. Congratulations to both teams, now go out and make it a classic.

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Saskatchewan won in a close one 23-19. The Grey Cup is now in the hands of the Roughriders in Regina with a victory rally today showing it off at Taylor Field in front of their fans. Parade is set for tomorrow.

SkyDome looked packed as the teams rekindled their long-standing prairie rivalry with both teams looking to end their Grey Cup droughts. Actually the CFL needs teams like Saskatchewan and Winnipeg as much as Toronto and Vancouver because they are areas where football is fervantly followed.

In a related story, the Vanier Cup, Canadian college football's title, was won by the #3-ranked 12-0 Manitoba Bison also held in Toronto's SkyDome in front of 26,787 fans over the #4-ranked 9-2 St. Mary's Huskies 28-14 on Saturday. You listening, NCAA BCS?

2007 Grey Cup Recap

Manitoba Bison Wins 2007 Vanier Cup

Saskatchewan Roughriders Website

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