Canadian Crossing

Can Canadian snack cakes replace Hostess void?

We have written about finding Jos. Louis and May West snack cakes in my corner of the United States. Turns out, Vachon, makers of the snack cakes, have been trying to grow the business south of the border even before the whole Twinkie buildup.

Now with Hostess in doubt south of the border, and Twinkies guaranteed to live on in Canada, the best revenge would be to eat Canadian snack cakes in the United States.

For more on this cross-border snack cakes battle, check out this column from our sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

Stephen Colbert says there's no Santa Claus ... in Canada

The story seemed pretty small: a 24-year-old man in Kingston, Ontario jumped into the Santa Claus parade and told children that Santa Claus doesn't exist.

Stephen Colbert turned that into telling his viewers that Santa Claus doesn't exist … in Canada.

Colbert admonished the "Canadian grinch" for letting the cat out of the bag "or as they say in Canada, let the beaver out of the beaver pelt satchel."

Colbert did point out that Santa flies over Canada to get to the United States, and sometimes stops off at Tim Hortons so the reindeer can use the bathroom.

All was not lost, since Colbert pointed out that Canadian boys and girls do have Canadian Santa. Canadian Santa is when a different celebrity each year dresses up as Santa Claus.

Last year, singer Nelly Furtado was Santa Claus. This year, Rush (friend of Colbert's show) would get the honor. So this year, Colbert said, if you hear a jingle on the roof, that would be "Neil Peart breaking into a 45-minute hi-hat solo."

Canadian Santa sounds like a fun idea. I wouldn't mind sitting on the lap of Sarah McLachlan Claus or Laura Calder Claus. Canadian Santa would know the difference between the Winnipeg Jets and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (American Santa might get that confused). Canadian Santa would also know that Newfoundland and Labrador is a half-hour ahead of its fellow Maritime provinces.

Yes, Colbert is on a roll these days with making fun of Canada. But that was pretty funny. And Colbert wouldn't make fun of Canada this much if he didn't secretly like the Great White North.

And yes, Stephen Colbert, Canadian Christmas is also December 25.

The Colbert Report airs Monday-Thursday nights on Comedy Channel and CTV in Canada and Comedy Central in the United States.

Toronto highs and lows: Argos way up, Rob Ford down and out

The image of Toronto, Canada's largest city, has seen incredible highs and lows this week, and we're only at Wednesday.

On Sunday, Toronto hosted the 100th Grey Cup, celebrating the rich pageantry of the CFL and its history, and the history of the Grey Cup in Toronto. The hometown Argonauts pull off a 35-22 victory, winning for the first time on home soil in 60 years.

On Monday, Rob Ford loses his job as Toronto mayor, removed from office for violating a conflict of interest law. The judge issues a temporary hold, so Ford is still the mayor.

Tuesday marked the victory parade. No, not for Rob Ford haters, but for the winning Argos.

Bringing this all together was the fact that Ford, because he is still Toronto's mayor, got to celebrate with the Argonauts and hoist the Grey Cup at Tuesday's parade.

As you may remember, Ford paced the sideline in Calgary when the Argos played there in August. The mayor also saw the rival Alouettes in Edmonton, all during my summer vacation.

Ford has left his mark in ways too numerous to mention. To be potentially removed from office for a conflict of interest law that Ford admits he didn't know or want to know is a small sample of the arrogance he has brought to the position.

Few outside Toronto and Ontario can name the previous mayor (David Miller), but even casual people in Canada, United States, and yes, even around the world know who Rob Ford is.

Assuming Ford loses his appeal and is forced from office, the City of Toronto lawyer interprets the judge's ruling to say Ford can't run in the by-election. Everyone appears to agree that Ford can run in 2014.

When people asked me to describe Rob Ford, the best example in appearance and voice was Matt Foley (Chris Farley) who lived in a van down by the river on "Saturday Night Live."

Toronto has had its share of problems in the 21st century. The city workers strike that backed up the garbage and shut down the ferries to the islands damaged tourism in 2009. The SARS outbreak in 2003 also was a giant setback for tourism (on top of being a tragedy in itself).

Ford's antics added to Toronto's negative woes. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his politics, Ford's style and arrogance reflected badly on an otherwise great city.

On top of all that has happened to T.O., Toronto has had a losing reputation in the world of sports. In hockey, the Maple Leafs are the only NHL team to miss the playoffs in every season since the last major lockout. The Leafs haven't lost a game this season only because the NHL hasn't played. The Leafs also have the longest streak without a Stanley Cup.

The baseball Blue Jays have made some popular moves in the off-season, but the team hasn't been in the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1992 and 1993. A second-place finish in 2006, 10 games out, is as close as the team has come since.

The basketball Raptors haven't made the playoffs since 2008 and has only one playoff series win (2001). The Raptors won only 45 games in the last 1½ seasons.

Toronto FC in soccer hasn't made the playoffs in the entire history of the MLS franchise, not that the team has even come close lately.

Even the NFL Buffalo Bills have gone 1-3 in their games at Rogers Centre.

The Argonauts quenched a 8-year drought as Grey Cup champions with the win. Even with the Grey Cup win, Toronto finished at .500 in 2010 and 2012. Those were high water marks compared to 2011 (6-12), 2009 (3-15), and 2008 (4-14). You have to go back to 2007 to find the last time Toronto finished above .500 (11-7).

So the idea of having a parade for a championship team in Toronto would seem more improbable than the idea of removing an elected mayor from office. Yet, Toronto has both this week. Maybe things are looking up after all.

Photo credits: Rene Johnston/Toronto Star; Nathan Denette/Canadian Press; NBC

Canada still has Twinkies, but they aren't what they used to be

For those looking to make a run on Twinkies, the good news is that Canada has Twinkies and other Hostess products, since a different company, Saputo, owns the trademark and rights to the Hostess products.

The bad news is that Canadian Twinkies taste like … oh, we can't say it … American Twinkies.

For years, I have enjoyed bringing back Canadian Twinkies, with a taste more like sponge cake and cream filling, across the border. They really tasted nothing like what had passed for American Twinkies.

The Canadian Twinkie is alive, but in name only. The American Twinkie may someday come back. However, if the Twinkie does die in the United States, come to Canada for that not-so-classic taste.

For more on the death of the Canadian Twinkies, check out this column from our sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

Toronto wins 100th Grey Cup on home turf

Toronto is the Hollywood of Canada, so a Hollywood script in Canada would have the last-place Toronto Argonauts of 2011 transform into the Grey Cup champions of 2012 on its home turf at the Rogers Centre.

The Argos defense that rose to the occasion in the second half at Olympic Stadium in Montréal last week continued in the 35-22 win on Sunday.

Calgary got into the red zone but walked away with 4 field goals (and a safety) until a last-minute touchdown with 20 seconds in the game.

Toronto looked comfortable during the entire game; Calgary never got into rhythm.

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Then again, if Larry Taylor's 105-yard TD return late in the third quarter had counted, the momentum Calgary desperately needed could have turned the game around.

If the TD has stood with an extra point, Calgary would have only been down 27-16 late in the third quarter.

Bo Levi Mitchell led the only TD drive for the Stampeders. This does result in the obvious question of the night, "What if Drew Tate was available for the Grey Cup?"

Kevin Glenn was unable to play in the 2007 Grey Cup and his team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, didn't win the Grey Cup. This pattern repeated in 2012.

Unless the conditions involve blustery weather, scoring the first major of the game with 20 seconds left in the game means you're not going to win the Grey Cup.

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Even if we think some Americans tuned in for all the CFL games, you have to figure that the Grey Cup was the first game of the season or ever that some Americans saw Canadian football.

They would have seen a deliberate safety, a Noel Prefontaine punt that ended up in the end zone that resulted in a point, and the ejection of a player — Adriano Belli, number 78 for Toronto. These quirks aren't usually found in the NFL.

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Not just because these two Toronto players share my first name, but where would the Argonauts be without Chad Kackert and Chad Owens.

Kackert rushed 20 times for 133 yards and caught a game-high 8 passes for 62 yards — his 195 combined yards earned him the Grey Cup MVP. This was the culmination of a season where Kackert wasn't a starter until August when the Argos cut Cory Boyd, who was leading the CFL in rushing at the time.

Chad Owens, named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, finished with 103 yards and a TD. Owens, known for his ability to return the ball for a touchdown, finished with 1 TD return the whole season and that was in the playoffs against Edmonton.

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B.C. Lions, and the CFL, went 17 years without a team winning the Grey Cup on its home soil. Now the CFL has back-to-back years where the home team won the Grey Cup. The 2013 Grey Cup will be in Regina.

Toronto is now 10-3 in Grey Cups at home, though factor in that the Argos hadn't pulled this off since 1952. A long time, yes, but 7 fewer years since the Chicago Cubs were last in the World Series.

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Scott Milanovich certainly had a great background as he became a first-time CFL head coach. Winning the Grey Cup in your first season as coach is a rather impressive feat.

The first name that leaped into my mind for a first-time manager/coach to win the championship was Lou Pinella winning the 1990 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds. The 1989 Reds had a lot more talent than the 2011 Toronto Argonauts, so Milanovich's effort was a lot more substantial.

His offense took a while to kick in for the Argos, but once the Argos figured out what was going on, the team became the hottest 9-9 team you will find. They earned every victory down the stretch, and Milanovich deserved his Gatorade bath.

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That was Governor General David Johnston performing the ceremonial kickoff. The flurry of politicians who had previously done so including former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

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Stephen Harper has roots in Toronto, having grown up there, and Calgary, where he represents in Parliament. But he has been on the wrong side of the three Grey Cups with the two teams. As we noted earlier, Harper rooted for the Argos in 1971 when they barely lost to the Stampeders. In 1991, Toronto won but by then Harper was living in Calgary. And Harper was rooting for Calgary in the 100th Grey Cup.

TSN showed Harper and his wife Laureen in the crowd near the end of the third quarter. Harper had his Diet Pepsi while Laureen was drinking Dasani water.

Harper is a avid sports fan. What's nice is that the prime minister gets to sit among the crowd and not be confined to a skybox.

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Though he was in the pre-game show, Johnny Reid had a great showcase to shine in the spotlight, both Canadian and American. NBC Sports Network's coverage included the pre-game concert and the pomp and circumstance.

Burton Cummings of the Guess Who had a creative version of O Canada. The middle part was supposed to be in French, and I think that came off okay. When Cummings came back to the English, well, that is when things got really creative.

Here is what Cummings sang: Canada, Glorious and free, we stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee, O Canada we stand on guard for thee.

Here is the actual verse: God keep our land glorious and free O Canada we stand on guard for thee O Canada we stand on guard for thee.

The loungy approach with the bad drum machine sounded bad from the start and got worse when he messed up the lyrics. A bad performance from a great artist.

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Gordon Lightfoot looked like he had been through a lot, but his voice sounded excellent. Marianas Trench, followed by Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Bieber, were there to attract a younger audience.

If the music list were to cover more of that 100 years spirit, you would have had Leonard Cohen, Rush, Barenaked Ladies, Joni Mitchell, Rush, Alanis Morrisette, Tragically Hip, and Sarah McLachlan.

Still, the younger artists did what they needed to do for the younger demos.

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The older gentleman who was the transition between music artists at halftime was Brian Williams. Before the other Brian Williams took off in the States as a newscaster, the Canadian Brian Williams has been a long-time host of sports, first for the CBC and lately for CTV/TSN. Williams has hosted the Olympics for a long time and has also handled major events such as the Grey Cup.

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Loved the promo for the Canadian loonie that commemorated the 2012 Grey Cup. CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon talked about his experience with the coin while French subtitles were on the screen. This must have been more than amusing for the American audience.

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Chris Berman did run Grey Cup highlights in his fastest 3 minutes feature on ESPN's Sports Center. Berman and Tom Jackson used to show more elaborate highlights of the Grey Cup on ESPN. I don't remember seeing any highlights last year. If Berman did the 99th Grey Cup in his fastest 3 minutes last year, they went too fast for me.

Berman subbed an older Montréal Canadiens version of O Canada in part because Berman does have a Montréal bias, but also to cover up Burton Cummings sad version of the Canadian national anthem.

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The 2012 Grey Cup drew 53,208 to Rogers Centre. The question is what was the last event in the stadium to draw as many as that figure. The Blue Jays haven't drawn well lately, and the capacity for baseball doesn't even come close to that figure.

The Buffalo Bills games in Toronto haven't reached that figure. The Argonauts don't draw terribly well; the announced crowd of 25,792 for the other home playoff game was less than half of the Grey Cup crowd.

Due to the baseball capacity, none of the World Series games drew as high as figure as the 2012 Grey Cup. The first Grey Cup at Rogers Centre, the first year SkyDome opened, drew 54,088 in 1989.

2012 Grey Cup preview: Toronto shooting for home turf win

Toronto finished the 2011 CFL season in last place in the East Division. Now the Argonauts are playing on home turf for the Grey Cup. Calgary traded its long-time quarterback and had the young heralded quarterback miss most of the season, and the Stampeders are playing for the Grey Cup.

Chad Kackert started the year behind Cory Boyd on the depth chart. Chad Owens set a CFL record for most yards in a season without a regular season TD return.

Jon Cornish rushed for 1,457 yards, the most ever by a Canadian running back, and became the first Canadian to led the CFL in rushing since 1988.

These subplots and a whole lot more await the two teams when they meet Sunday night at Rogers Centre. Oh, and this is the 100th Grey Cup, so the pageantry will be rich. On top of all this, Americans can watch the game live on their TV sets: no computer required.

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Calgary is 6-6 in Grey Cup games, while Toronto is 15-6. The Argos have the best Grey Cup winning percentage of any active CFL team. The teams have split two Grey Cups: Calgary winning the famous 1971 title game while the Argonauts won in 1991.

Toronto is also 9-3 in Grey Cup games the city has hosted. The second most active city/team is the B.C. Lions that have been in 4 Grey Cup games in Vancouver.

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The Toronto Argonauts have a good chance to win the Grey Cup even though the franchise went .500 in the regular season. The 2000 B.C. Lions became the only team to finish below .500 (8-10) to win the Grey Cup.

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When you watch a regular-season game in person in any sport, you wonder if the matchup you are witnessing will be duplicated in a championship game.

Some sports have limitations, but since any team theoretically can matchup with any team in the CFL, seeing a Grey Cup preview isn't terribly uncommon. For an American who has now seen 7 CFL games in person, I did get to see a preview of the 2012 Grey Cup when I saw Toronto visit Calgary in person.

The Argonauts got the best of the game in August, though both teams were afraid of the end zone for most of the contest. Toronto finally snapped a considerable TD drought when Ricky Ray threw a 26-yard TD pass to Andre Durie on the final play of the third quarter. The Stampeders didn't score a TD for the first 59:48 of the game.

You might remember that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was roaming the sidelines that warm afternoon in Calgary.

Toronto's offense is running much better than it was in August. Jon Cornish had one of his worst games of the year, only 43 yards on the ground. This game was Ricky Ray's first visit to Calgary in Argonaut double blue.

Even with the teams not at their best, Toronto still dominated the game. We'll see if the Argonauts can repeat that focus on Sunday.

The Argos also won the other meeting of the season in the opening week, edging out Calgary 39-36.

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The coverage on the NBC Sports Network starts Sunday at 6 pm, simulcasting TSN's coverage. Canadians get the luxury of extended coverage on TSN, running noon-10 pm ET on Saturday and a pre-game show running 1-6 pm on Sunday.

This will be the first live CFL game on the NBC Sports Network since the Battle of Ontario on November 1. This will be the first live Grey Cup telecast on national U.S. TV since Versus, the previous reincarnation of the NBC Sports Network, carried the 2008 Grey Cup in Montréal.

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Normally, the prime minister wouldn't be rooting for a particular team in the Grey Cup. Given that Stephen Harper represents Calgary Southwest in Ottawa, we would understand that Harper is rooting for a Stampeders win.

What may surprise you is that Harper grew up in Toronto, was an Argonauts fan, and said that the only time he cried while watching sports on TV was when the Argonauts lost to Calgary in the 1971 Grey Cup.

"The reason I remember that so well is I think that was the only time I cried in front of the TV at a sports event," Harper said. "We had been waiting for 20 years. Obviously, I was growing up in Toronto then and the Argonauts were my team."

The 1971 Argonauts team featured a rookie QB named Joe Theismann and Toronto was in its first Grey Cup since 1952. The 1971 team is considered to be the greatest team that never won the Grey Cup, losing a heartbreaking 14-11 loss in the rain in Vancouver. You can understand why Harper cried.

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The music lineup is thoroughly Canadian, though the demo aim is mostly very young people. Pop stars Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen are in the spotlight with Marianas Trench and Gordon Lightfoot also playing.

Burton Cummings and Johnny Reid are the music stars for the kickoff show. That will likely air only on TSN, but if I can find a YouTube of their performances, I'll post what I can. 

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The Argos last won a Grey Cup at home in 1952 — they lost one in Toronto in 1982 and now they’re home again in 2012 — each time exactly 30 years apart.

Calgary's last Grey Cup win came in 2008 when the Stampeders defeated the Montréal Alouettes 22–14 in Montréal. Toronto's last Grey Cup win came in 2004 as the Argonauts edged out the B.C. Lions 27-19 at Ottawa.

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Here is how the CFL teams have done in recent times when playing the Grey Cup on their home turf. Toronto is trying to make this two years in a row, and its 10th Grey Cup winner in Toronto.

Grey Cup teams on home turf since 1960

Year	Winner	Score	Loser
1963	Hamilton*	21-10	B.C.*
1972	Hamilton*	13–10	Saskatchewan
1977	Montréal*	41–6	Edmonton
1979	Edmonton	17–9	Montréal*
1982	Edmonton	32-16	Toronto*
1983	Toronto	18-17	B.C.*
2002	Montréal	25-16	Edmonton*
2008	Calgary	22-14	Montréal*
2011	B.C.*	34-23	Winnipeg
* team played on its home turf

photo credit: CFL

Canadian government allows American caregiver to stay in Canada

Thanksgiving, whether in Canada or the United States, is about family. Sometimes that family consists of people you choose instead of those who are directly related.

This American Thanksgiving, Nancy Inferrera (American) and Mildred Sanford (Canadian) are back together in Canada after the Canadian government had deported Inferrera back to the U.S.

Inferrera, 73, takes care of Sanford, 83, and the two have been virtually life-long friends. Sanford has no other family, and the threatened deportation caused a stir and led the two ladies to wonder what they would do.

Inferrera was deported last Wednesday but the two women only had to spend one night in a Maine motel before the Canadian government gave her a three-year temporary residency permit. She came to Nova Scotia in 2008 to take care of her friend.

Besides being torn apart, even if the women had lived together in the United States, Sanford may not be eligible for health care in the United States. Inferrera reportedly wasn't taking any social services from Canada, something that would have helped her case.

The one possibility that hasn't been mentioned is whether Inferrera and Sanford could have been married in Canada. After all, same-sex marriage is legal in Canada, a limited option in the United States. There is no reason to think either woman was a lesbian, but being married would have solved that problem. For what it's worth, some older couples enjoy each other's company without sex, and that would summed up their relationship.

Perhaps getting married would have been a cynical solution to this significant problem, but these two people needed to be together. And the solution would have only been an option in Canada, not the United States. While Maine just legalized same-sex marriage, the health care issue would still be relevant.

Congratulations to Inferrera and Sanford for being able to be together for Thanksgivings in both countries for some time to come. And thanks to the Canadian government to (eventually) seeing the light.

Bud Selig finally approves Toronto Blue Jays chance to contend for playoffs

Jose Reyes. Josh Johnson. Mark Buerhle.

These are the names that will supposedly make the Toronto Blue Jays playoff contenders in 2013, thanks to the blockbuster deal with the Miami Marlins.

After what felt like forever, but was only about a week, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig approved the trade. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox pulled off a similar trade (with fewer prospects) that Selig had no trouble approving.

The Marlins, owned by former Montréal Expos owner Jeffrey Loria, dumped a bunch of contracts after a rather poor season.

The Blue Jays also got their former catcher John Buck back as well as infielder Emilio Bonifacio and a reported $8 million.

Miami gets shortstop Yunel Escobar, starter Henderson Alvarez, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, catcher Jeff Mathis, along with minor league pitchers Justin Nicolino and Anthony Desclafani and minor league outfielder Jake Marisnick.

You might remember Escobar for being suspended back in September for putting a homophobic slur in Spanish on his eye black.

Despite the outcry, the Marlins did receive some good minor-league talent. And Johnson only has one season left on his contract.

Having Reyes in the leadoff spot helps Toronto drop Brett Lawrie further down in the order. If Johnson stays healthy, he and Buerhle will dramatically improve a bad starting rotation.

Even with a significant upgrade and the money to match, Toronto did have a dismal 4th place finish last year and that is with Edwin Encarnacion having a career year. These new players will help, but time will tell if this trade can break a 20-year exile from the playoffs. The last playoff visit was in 1993 when Toronto won the second of its back-to-back World Series championships.

Toronto went 73-89 in 2012. 93 wins won the wild card slot in the American League. 20 more wins and 20 years since a trip to the playoffs. A long way to go, but the journey got a bit easier.

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The coverage in the States focused almost exclusively on the impact of the Marlins, a team that has been babied over the years at the expense of the Montréal Expos. The attendance in Florida was about as bad as the Expos when they were forced to play games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Even if the fan base for the Blue Jays wouldn't affect ratings or readership, the fan base of the Marlins clearly isn't very high, even in Miami.

Selig appeared to be more concerned about the Marlins fans feelings than for Toronto, notably not taking sides in Los Angeles and Boston in a similar deal.

"I am aware of the anger, I am," Selig said. "The questions are fair about the Marlins fans. I want you to know that. It's a subject that I'm extremely sensitive about."

To be fair, Selig did say, "I'm also aware that in Toronto they're very happy."

Still, the idea that MLB would take away part of/all of the trade from the Blue Jays was infuriating. The bias for the Marlins (saving them from contraction talks, allowing Loria to do damage in Montréal and still get another team, treating them better than the Expos) would have caused this deal to be delayed no matter the opponent. Given that the Blue Jays and their fans already seemingly forgotten by MLB, the waiting felt more insulting.

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In acquisitions that Selig couldn't deny, the Blue Jays also signed OF Melky Cabrera for 2 years and $16 million. When we last left Cabrera, he had been suspended for 50 games for taking a banned substance while playing for the San Francisco Giants. When the team could have taken him back, the Giants refused to put him back on the roster. While on said banned substance, Cabrera had been hitting .346 with 11 HR, 25 doubles and 10 triples in 501 plate appearances.

Toronto also signed INF Maicer Izturis to a 3-year deal for $10 million. Izturis will be in the mix for the second base job along with Bonifacio.

The Blue Jays did make all of these moves without a manager. The team announced this morning that former skipper John Gibbons would be the new Toronto manager. Blue Jays fans would remember that Gibbons managed the team from 2004-2008. Gibbons had a 305-305 record as manager, but was remembered more for confrontations with Shea Hillebrand, Dave Bush, Ted Lilly, and Frank Thomas.

Other contenders included Manny Acta, Mike Hargrove, Jim Tracy, Sandy Alomar, Jr., and Tim Wallach. All of those people make a lot more sense than bringing back Gibbons. Great ingredients with a bad chef makes for a lousy soup.

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Florida has no state income tax. Ontario and Canada offer a more extravagant tax structure. For those with normal incomes, the difference can be significant. For multimillionaire athletes, well, they like to complain about taxes, too.

When former Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Carlos Delgado was with the Marlins, his agent put a provision in the contract that if the Marlins traded him to a place that had a state (provincial) income tax, the Marlins would pay Delgado the difference. Turned out that Delgado got just under $3 million out of the deal.

Florida, Texas, and Washington state have MLB teams and no state income tax. The transition for the new Blue Jays players is also financial.

On top of that news, Buerhle can't bring his pet pit bull since Ontario has banned the breed.

2012 CFL Division Finals: Road teams rule

Home-field advantage normally rocks in the CFL playoffs. 2012 turned that upside down since if you count the extra close Calgary-Saskatchewan West semifinal, the only clear home victory was Toronto's win over 7-11 Edmonton.

For the first time since 2007, both CFL division finals resulted in road victors. Toronto pulled off the 27-20 upset over Montréal at Olympic Stadium while Calgary edged out B.C. 34-29 at B.C. Place in Vancouver.

Kevin Glenn lost out on a chance in 2007 to lead his team in the Grey Cup thanks to a broken arm. Kevin Glenn has a chance in 2012 to lead his team in the Grey Cup thanks to Drew Tate's broken arm.

David Braley, owner of the Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions, got one of his teams in the Grey Cup, but not the other. Overall, Braley is probably thankful the Argos got in because the team can be the first CFL team to win a Grey Cup in its home stadium since B.C. accomplished the feat in Vancouver in 20111994.

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We can chalk up what keeps happening to not the best-laid plans by the NBC Sports Network. Last week, the network showed the games out of order, but ran promos that this week, the games would run in order. Well, the TV listings said otherwise, so how would we know? I didn't even notice the promos until I was replaying last week's games on Sunday afternoon.

So the good news was that we saw the games in the proper order, even if that meant shutting out any media that might accidentally tell me the score. This is a lot better than previous years where the games wouldn't run for a day or two. Though live is so much better.

NBC Sports Network will run the Grey Cup live, picking up TSN's coverage at 6 pm Eastern. Details will come on Friday when we run our Grey Cup preview.

The games featured glitches in the TSN feed, where the feed would repeat the previous few seconds. The problems seemed to be an issue from TSN, and while awkward, no coverage was missed. If you had worse problems, let us know.

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The announced attendance at Olympic Stadium was 50,112. This was by far the biggest crowd to see a CFL game this year. Toronto only drew 25,792 for the East semifinal without the Maple Leafs competing for the sports dollar. Calgary drew 30,027, its third-best crowd of the year (Saskatchewan travels well and the Labour Day Classic with Edmonton).

I recall much larger crowds watching past East semifinals at Olympic Stadium. I would have thought that without the Canadiens that the Alouettes would benefit from getting extra attention. Montréalers are saving money by not going to les Canadiens thanks to the lockout; would make sense to spend a small portion of that money to see the CFL.

For example, Montréal drew 58,021 in 2010, 53,792 in 2009, and even healthier figures such as 60,007 in 2003 and 57,125 in 2002. Even 2004 (51,296) and 2005 (51,269) surpassed the 2012 mark.

B.C. drew 43,216 for the West final, its best attendance but below where the stadium can draw.

We'll see where the attendance falls for Sunday's Grey Cup.

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Toronto upgrades at quarterback and goes from worst in the East to division champion. Edmonton trades that quarterback and limps into the playoffs at 7-11.

Calgary trades the all-star quarterback and goes to the Grey Cup. Hamilton gets the all-star quarterback and can't make the playoffs at 6-12.

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East Division thoughts

Several reporters had predicted a Toronto win in the East final. My thought was that Toronto was hot, but Montréal had enough weapons to win out.

Toronto's worst enemy in the first half was in its own reflection. Getting to the 1-yard line and then turning the ball over on downs didn't help. The Alouettes got 10 points off turnovers to start the game, and the Argos didn't score a touchdown in the first half.

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The CFL needs Toronto to have some success from a financial standpoint. CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon mentioned to TSN's Sara Orlesky that the Argos TV ratings were up 20% this year. Toronto is the largest market in the country. Montréal is #2, though TSN's ratings aren't as significant since a considerable portion of the audience watches the games on RDS in French.

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Noel Prefontaine was injured this season, but the Toronto punter showed why he is one of the best. Prefontaine helped out Toronto on offense with a couple of single points in the first half. Throw in a safety and a couple of Swayze Waters FGs and that was the Argos scoring in the first half.

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Chad Owens started out with the Alouettes in his CFL career. Montreal traded Owens to Toronto, and Owens clearly made a gigantic difference in the game. Owens had 346 combined yards vs. 303 yards for Anthony Calvillo.

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The Montreal defense gave up three huge plays in the second half. Owens had a 70 yard catch that led to a Argos TD. Chad Kackert had a 49-yard TD run and a 51-yard run that led to a Waters FG. Montreal's inability to tackle proved crucial in yards, scoring, and momentum.

That momentum helped to quite the Olympic Stadium crowd, which easily stayed quiet during any sign of Toronto success.

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Montreal had little experience with trailing after three quarters. Meanwhile Toronto was 9-0 with a lead after three quarters. Make that 10-0.

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This was the second straight year Montreal went one-and-out for the playoffs, both times at home. The Alouettes had played a final regular season home game in the dome, but stopped doing that recently. Perhaps, Montreal should bring back that tradition so the team gets used to playing at Olympic Stadium.

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For all the platitudes you will hear about Toronto this week, think about this. If Brian Bratton had caught Calvillo's pass in the end zone at the end of the game, we might still be playing.

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West Division thoughts

When you score your first offensive touchdown with :59 left in the game in the playoffs, you aren't advancing in the playoffs. Well, maybe if the game was outdoors and you win 13-10.

Also, when you don't score in the third quarter and you can't blame that on wind or weather, you aren't likely to win.

As good as Paul McCallum was with his 5 field goals, punching one or two of those drives for a major would have been the difference for the B.C. Lions. McCallum came into the game hitting 39 of his last 40 field goals and went 5-for-5 at B.C. Place.

McCallum and Calgary's Rene Paredes were two of the best kickers in the CFL this year and they were perfect on the day.

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B.C. and Montréal both were guilty of giving up huge plays. When the second play from scrimmage goes for a wide open 68 yard touchdown pass, you are in for a rough day, and that is exactly what happened for B.C.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor were quick to point out that 68 yards was the distance when Drew Tate hit Robbie Bryant for the winning score against Saskatchewan last week.

Early in the second half, Kevin Glenn hit Romby Bryant on the same pattern for a 57-yard TD pass. You know the B.C. secondary watched the video, yet they let the same thing happen to them. The Roughriders might feel slightly better about Bryant doing that to another team.

B.C. also gave up a 42 yard catch to Maurice Price from Bo Levi Mitchell that brought the Stampeders to the 1-yard line. Calgary did its best Toronto impression, having trouble scoring from the 1. For Mitchell, the third time was the charm as he barely made it in for the 1-yard major score to put Calgary up 31-16.

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Glenn threw all three TD passes in the first half, but only two of them to red jerseys. Korey Banks had a nice pick for a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Lions. Credit to Glenn in that he did not let that interception and score affect his game in the slightest.

Cinderella doesn't begin to describe his journey to get to the Grey Cup. Win or lose on Sunday, Glenn's 2012 season has been an amazing run.

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Calgary got called for an offsides penalty in the last 3 minutes of the fourth quarter. The penalty was the first for the Stampeders for the whole game. The offsides penalty was declined. The Stampeders played a textbook game.

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The loss to Calgary was only the second for the B.C. Lions since the new roof and renovations were completed. The Lions lost a regular-season game to Edmonton earlier this season. The Lions crowd didn't sound as intense as the Olympic Stadium crowd in Montréal. I've been both stadiums but perhaps the new B.C. roof plays a factor with the sound. This game would have been the time to test how loud that building can get.

Then again, Alouettes and Lions fans weren't used to having the home team in a losing predicament.

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Fans in Vancouver, like their counterparts in Montréal, are used to hosting the division final. This final was the 6th time in 10 years that the West final was in Vancouver. The Lions have gone 4-2 in those 6 games.

2012 CFL division finals preview: crazy NBCSN tape delays

Yes, Americans can watch the CFL playoffs on a national channel. The way the games are presented isn't what we had planned. Creativity is necessary, but if you are a long-suffering CFL fan living in the United States, you are used to being creative.

For Canadians, the times of the division finals on TSN will be the same: 1 pm and 4:30 pm. Unfortunately for those in the United States, the tape delay times are also the same: 11 pm (for the East West) and 6:30 pm (for the West East). Yes, you can blame MLS for another delayed start for the West game.

Sunday, the West final started on time. This week might be a different scenario depending on the MLS playoffs situation. You need to know sine, cosine, and tangent to follow the MLS playoff structure.

Last week, NBC Sports Network carried the pregame and halftime content, a much appreciated stance. Record extra time, especially if you plan to watch the games later.

Long-time reader Tim noted problems with the signal on his DirecTV feed last week. Here's hoping for a better picture for him this week and November 25.

For reasons that haven't clicked in my brain, the channel is showing the games out of order. If you watch the West final, you are going to know which team won the East final. Insane. Turns out NBCSN aired the games in the correct order. My TV listings had said otherwise.

My suggestion, and you are welcome to follow this, is to have an early dinner and go to sleep in the evening, get up to watch the East final, then watch the West final, and catch a catnap. So yes, the Twitter feed won't be as buoyant as normal. Your boss will understand on Monday if you're tired. And even if your boss doesn't get it, in the States, we have a 3-day workweek next week.

Poutine is optional on the menu, especially eating poutine late at night, unless you are rooting for the Alouettes. Then you need to put smoked meat on your poutine.

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The only way to make a Grey Cup victory even better is to win the game on your home turf. The Toronto Argonauts desperately want a chance to do so at the Rogers Centre, especially for the 100th Grey Cup.

Toronto and Montréal renew their rivalry for the right to represent the East at Olympic Stadium in Montréal. Anthony Calvillo's rival quarterback is his long-time rival from the West, Ricky Ray. Calvillo and Ray went head-to-head in a few Grey Cups some time back. While Ray has struggled to click with this offense, the Argos looked good on Sunday.

Chad Owens might need to run back 2 TDs for Toronto to go home for the Grey Cup. Edmonton went 7-11 while Montréal went 11-7. The Argos will have to be more than 4 games better to advance.

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David Braley is two games away from his dream scenario. The CFL has 8 teams, 4 teams are left in the playoffs, and Braley owns 2 of them. If the Argos and the B.C. Lions win, Braley gets to watch both his teams play in the Grey Cup in one of his home stadiums.

Braley has owned the Lions since 1997 and became owner of the Argonauts in early 2010. He owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1987-1990. In his spare time, Braley is a federal senator from the Conservative Party.

His Lions have a better shot at making the Grey Cup, but the dream scenario is not out of reach.

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B.C. didn't know until the last play of the West semifinal who its opponent would be. The Lions were the best team in the league, the defending Grey Cup champs, and even when their quarterback Travis Lulay suffered an injury, Mike Reilly stepped in so well that the announcers were (somewhat) joking that he would be Ottawa's new quarterback.

Drew Tate played a heroic second half against Saskatchewan, most of that time spent with a fractured throwing arm, so Kevin Glenn will play in Vancouver. Glenn started most of the games for the Stampeders, so the transition is really smooth. And hey, Glenn got to rest last week.

Other than a regular-season loss to Edmonton, the Lions haven't lost at the new B.C. Place. The Stampeders and Argonauts both went 5-4 on the road this year. Arland Bruce III says he's ready for the West title game for the Lions.

The weapons in Vancouver are formidable. Calgary needs to play above its normal level to make the game close. Braley might not get all of his dreams this week to come true, but the Lions going to Toronto is very likely to happen.