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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
Comments