Toronto 33, Hamilton 30

That was definitely not how I expected the final Labour Day Classic played at Ivor Wynne Stadium to turn out. I honestly believe that the Ti-Cats would destroy the Argonauts. But another second-half lead evaporates and the team is now very close to must-win territory after losing their fourth in a row, this time 33-30 to the Argos.

Positives

I should probably just call this the "Chris Williams Section" and move on. I hate to think of where this team would be without Williams. Another punt return for a touchdown, his record-breaking sixth return for a touchdown this season, made him the first player in CFL history to score on a punt return in three straight games. He is single-handedly trying to get this team into the playoffs and is by far the best player on this team.

I was very impressed with newcomer Brock Campbell. Filling in for Markeith Knowlton and Carlos Thomas at one of the toughest positions on a CFL defense, Campbell made a few plays and didn't look to make many mistakes. With both Knowlton and Thomas injured, the Cats might be alright with Campbell manning that position for the time being.

Dee Webb came to play yesterday. His biggest play was a blocked a field goal, but he was around the ball the entire game. Webb put together perhaps his best game since being traded to Hamilton last year and he is establishing himself as the key cog in the secondary.

Negatives

This loss falls 100 per cent on the offense. People will look at the final score, see that the Ti-Cats scored 30 points and think that the defense once again let the team down. Don't let numbers fool you; the offense was the weak link today. When they had the wind in the third quarter all they could muster was six points on two field goals. When you have the wind you are supposed to take advantage and try to build a lead. The Ti-Cats could have really put things away if they could have scored touchdowns instead of settling for field goals once again. The offense was supposed to be the strongest unit and now it is becoming a big liability.

Staying with the offense (which is what this entire section will be about), all the fears I had back in January when Henry Burris was acquired are starting to creep back up. What happened to the player that was on pace to set league and team records? What happened to the guy who looked poised and confident at all times? Since the bye week, Burris has been extraordinarily ordinary, with his 13-for-30 passing performance being the latest example of his ordinariness. He has regressed as the season has gone on and I am starting to worry that the player that got himself benched in Calgary is starting to resurface. That player of the month award for July sure seems like a long time ago.

Finally, will someone please tell me where I can find Andy Fantuz? The guy as been invisible the last couple of games. I know teams try to take him away, but he has just four catches for 49 yards the last two weeks. The team did a lot to bring him here and you'd have to consider his first half season in Hamilton to be a failure. Yes, he had a big catch called back on a penalty, but he also tipped a pass that landed in the hands of Patrick Watkins for an interception. Fantuz has so far not been the difference maker he was brought in to be.

Final Thoughts

Entering the season I was sure about three things. One, the Ti-Cats would win on opening day; two, they'd win on Labour Day; three, they'd win the final game at Ivor Wynne Stadium. So far I am wrong on the first two and I sit here writing this and wonder if I am going to be wrong about all three. I try to stay positive as much as I can, but I say this with all sincerity: I don't know if this team will win another game this year.

Chris Williams can only do so much and if they keep asking him to carry the team on his back, like he is doing now, he is going to get burned out. The offense and the defense have to figure things out before this season gets away from them.

There just seems to be something missing from this team, but the Grey Cup expectations that were on this club did not come from the fan base, they came from the team's own front office that told us all that making changes needed to be done to make the team "more better." Well, 3-6 after Labour Day and losing to the Argos is nowhere near "more better."

The Ti-Cats have now lost four in a row and things don't get any easier. They have very little time to lick their wounds before they head down the highway to take on the Argos at Rogers Centre SkyDome on Saturday afternoon. If the Ti-Cats don't find a way to win that one, this season could be over. I'm not ready to throw the towel in just yet, but in less than a week's time my attitude could be very different.

Ivor Wynne Memories: Labour Day 1991

With it being the last season of Ivor Wynne Stadium, I said I am going to post some of my personal memories I have of the stadium. This edition will look at my favourite Labour Day Classic, the 1991 beatdown of the Toronto Argonauts.

Labour Day is a different game from most. This one really gets the blood flowing and the hatred for the opposing team is off the charts. When it comes to Labour Day, Hamilton has been host to quite a few memorable moments. Whether it be Earl Winfield's three touchdowns in three different ways in 1988 or the 30-30 double overtime thriller in 2004, great things happen on Labour Day. One of those great things happened in 1991 when one of the biggest upset in CFL history occurred on the field at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

The Ti-Cats were dreadful in 1991. Entering the Labour Day Classic, the Cats had yet to win a game and stood an 0-8 and in last place in the East Divsion. The Argos were an impressive 6-2 and would steamroll their way to a Grey Cup championship later in the year. But on one glorious Monday afternoon, the Ti-Cats were the better team and by a significant margin.

I went to the game because I acquired cheap tickets from the football team I played for at the time. It was my first year of playing football and the the Hamilton Minor Football Association (HMFA) had a deal with the Tiger-Cats to provide cheap tickets to to a couple of games for players in the league. One of the games was Labour Day. Now, you have to remember that back in 1991 fan attendance was down. For that Labour Day game, I sat in the end zone with my dad and we had a whole bench to ourselves. The place was empty. There were maybe 10,000 people there. But those 10,000 or so people went home happy.

I don't recall much of what happened that day because I went to that game not to watch the Tiger-Cats, but to watch the Argos. More specifically, I went to watch The Rocket. Growing up, my dad and I were huge Notre Dame fans and our favourite player was Raghib "The Rocket" Ismail. When he signed with the Argos in 1991, I was bummed and excited at the same time. Bummed because he was playing for the one team I hated more than any other, but excited because this would be my chance to see him play. That first opportunity came on Labour Day. The weird things is, I don't remember much of what Rocket did that day. I couldn't tell you his stats or anything.

Even more so, I couldn't tell what actually happened in the game (so much for a memory, eh?), but I remember that it was a sunny day and the Ti-Cats absolutely spanked the Argos to the tune of 48-24.

I might not have any memories of what happened on the field, but I got to see "The Rocket" play live and the Ti-Cats mercilessly pound the Argos. I may not remember many details (any details?), but I can still say that the 1991 Labour Day Classic was my favourite one played at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

The Importance of Sunday

For the longest time, the Montreal Alouettes had a hex of sorts on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Als had won 20 of their previous 22 meetings. It was as if there was a mental block that prevented the Ti-Cats from beating the Alouettes.

Then things started to change.

It started last October, when Hamilton handed Montreal one of its most embarrassing defeats in recent memory: a 40-3 pounding that took place in front of a raucous crowd at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The win was poo-pooed by some as meaningless. The Als, having already wrapped up first in the East, had nothing to play for. When Hamilton lost in the East Division Semi-Final, the big win against Montreal just a month prior was long forgotten.

Then in July, the Cats and Als faced off in a somewhat meaningful early-season matchup. Hamilton won 34-26 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in a game that was not as close as the score indicates. Hamilton was clearly the better team and took a 31-19 lead, but Montreal scored a late touchdown to make the game look closer than it was. People took notice after this victory, but doubt was still there.

Maurice Mann scoring on Labour Day

Then Labour Day arrived, and all doubt was seemingly removed. In as complete a game as I have seen the Tiger-Cats play under Marcel Bellefeuille, the Tabbies hammered the Als 44-21 in front of a rambunctious 26,964 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Much like their July matchup, the score of this game also made the Als look a lot better than they actually were. The Montreal Offense could barely muster anything against a stingy Tiger-Cat Defense. Had it not been for two scores by the Alouettes' Defense, the final score would have been just as lopsided as their October game from a year ago.

Despite having won the past three against their division rivals, Sunday's game still holds a lot of importance for this Tiger-Cat team.

The reason for that is because in Hamilton's three victories against Montreal, one thing is constant: they all came at home.

Hamilton has yet to beat Montreal in Montreal. In fact, the last time the Cats went into Molson Stadium and beat the Als was... October 20, 2002! That means that Hamilton is 0-fer in Montreal since Bob Young purchased the team. The last coach to lead the Tiger-Cats to a victory in Montreal: Ron Lancaster. The last Quarterback to win in Montreal: Danny McManus.

Percival Molson Stadium

During Marcel Bellefeuille's tenure as Head Coach, the only "quality opponent" that Hamilton has defeated on the road is BC, winning there in 2009. The Cats have continued their dominance in Vancouver, having won there the last three seasons. That is no small feat, either considering that prior to 2009, Hamilton hadn't won in BC since 2004.

But beating BC is not the same as beating Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton or Saskatchewan. The Cats in the Bellefeuille era are 0-9 in those four places.

Hamilton doesn't tend to get a lot of respect from the CFL media, and part of that is because they haven't consistently beaten upper-echelon teams in their stadiums. This is not a woe-is-me statement, but Hamilton tends to not get the benefit of the doubt. It's somewhat understandable seeing as they have been terrible for the better part of this century.

Two 9-9 seasons followed by two first-round playoff exits does not lead to much respect. But beating Montreal in Montreal? That's a different story.

If the Cats want to finally get some respect, there is no better way to demand it than by beating a quality opponent on the road.

Hamilton has that opportunity on Sunday.

Last-Minute Classique News

The just-retired Otis Floyd is going to lead the Cats out onto the field before tomorrow's game against Montreal. I expect a LOUD pop for Floyd when he emerges from the tunnel. There is no better way to get the fans fired up than having one of the most animated players in recent Ti-Cats history lead the Black & Gold onto the field for tomorrow's huge matchup.

Also, don't forget that the Purolator Tackle Hunger program will be at Ivor Wynne Stadium tomorrow to accept your donations of cash or nonperishable food items. If you donate, you can have your picture taken with the Grey Cup. This is for a good cause, and all the food donated will help people in Hamilton who truly need it. Whatever you can spare will, I'm sure, be much appreciated.

Aren't the Cats Playing the Als This Week?

Despite not playing one another this week, it seems as if the Argos are very focused on the Ti-Cats as Labour Day approaches.

The Argos decided to post a video where some members of the team decided to hurl some insults Hamilton's way:

Some were funny (I chuckled at Mike O'Shea's comments), some were ripe for comebacks (Byron Parker guarantees that he'll score touchdowns Labour Day, eh? That's fine, the Cats can guarantee wins on Labour Day) and some were just stupid (Why even ask Cedric Gagne-Marcoux? He's always injured before the Classic is played. Why does Jeff Johnson live near a smelly swamp? Doesn't that say more about him than anything else?).

But it was all in good fun. The Cats took shots at them (though at least that was when they were playing one another), so it's only fair that the Boatmen return the favour. Also, I had to laugh at Hamilton-native Bryan Crawford avoiding saying anything negative about the city. Deep down, you know he wants to ditch those ugly blue uniforms and come back home. It's cool, Bryan, we'll welcome you back with open arms once you come to your senses.

And Stevie Baggs's quote is all that is needed to end this piece:

I'm sure they are tired of coming in here and getting beat.

Now on to some serious news.

David Braley wants to see the Labour Day Classic between the Argos and Cats alternate between Hamilton and Toronto.

He says that the Cats will "fight like hell" to ensure this doesn't happen.

He got that right.

Scott Mitchell was adamant that the game would always be played in Hamilton:

"Our position is clear: Labour Day is our home date and our fans love it. It's a total non-starter and I look forward to hosting the Argos next year on Labour Day.”

Moving the game wouldn't be the end of the world, but it also doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The Argos couldn't even work things out to make this year's game work, and now they want to host the thing? Braley needs to get his own house in order before he goes trying to Shanghai games from his provincial rival.

If Mitchell is this steadfast in his refusal to even talk about it, I can't see there being any way that the league will listen to Braley. He has a lot of clout, but this would be foolish. You risk alienating an entire fan base – a fan base already angered by the cancellation of this year's traditional Labour Day matchup – by doing this, and for what reason?

Cats fans are going to be putting up with a lot over the next couple of seasons, so Braley floating this idea at this time seems pretty selfish. For a man who usually has the league's best interest at heart – he doesn't own two teams for the money – he seems to be taking a "me first" attitude on this one. It might be in the best interest of David Braley to have the Argos host the Labour Day Classic against the Tiger-Cats, but it is not in the best interest of the league.

Sorry, David, Labour Day belongs in Hamilton.

Enough About Labour Day

A lot was being made by fans and media about the fact that the traditional Labour Day meeting between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats would not be taking place this season. For the majority of us, this story died back in February about a week or two after the league unveiled its schedule. I criticized the league for not ensuring that the Labour Day Classic took place in 2011. My anger, however, did not last long. For most of us, this was a dead story. We had moved on.

Well, apparently Sun Media's Bill Lankhof didn't get the memo.

This past Monday, Lankhof wrote a piece that was syndicated across the Sun's vast network about how he felt the CFL had erred in not scheduling the Argos in Hamilton on the first Monday of September.

My problem isn't just with Lankhof unburying a dead issue, though that is part of it. My main problem is that his article is filled with ridiculous statements, as well as multiple inaccuracies, and I just didn't feel right letting it sit out there without being criticized.

So I decided to break down his column and offer up my take on what he wrote.

You ready? Because here we go.

This is the week the Canadian Football League commits a grievous sin.

We start off with one of the most hyperbolic statements in the piece. I'd hardly call the rescheduling of a game a "grievous sin." It's not the end of world that the Cats and Argos will play on August 13th as opposed to September 5th. Yes, it's not ideal, but it's also not a big deal.

This is the week it shoots itself in the foot. Again. Everyone knows the CFL lives in a parallel universe foreign to the rest of humanity north of the 49th Parallel. But it beggars belief why they so often have to go and prove it.

By playing a game three weeks early, the league is far from shooting itself in the foot. Again, it's not a big deal.

I also don't understand what he means by saying "everyone knows the CFL lives in a parallel universe." I certainly do not think or feel that way. I think the CFL made the best of a bad situation. I was angry about it initially, but time has healed that.

Like this Saturday. CFL decision makers have the Argonauts playing Hamilton in what comes as close as it gets this year to the traditional Labour Day Classic. I know, it’s August.

In fairness to the CFL, their hand was forced. While I didn't like their reasoning, it's not a big deal. (I feel like I'll be saying that a lot in this post.) Lankhof needs to check his facts before he makes statements such as the one above. It was problems with the Rogers Centre SkyDome that forced this to happen, not the people at the CFL offices.

But this is the CFL. They can’t count to September, without a scoreboard. Or, so it sometimes appears.

I could go into needless Sun Media bashing similar to how Lankhof needlessly bashed the CFL, but I'll refrain.

Failing to schedule the Argonauts in Hamilton has to be one of the biggest bonehead marketing moves since the invention of the San Antonio Texans.

And here we have the most hyperbolic sentence in the piece. This is just a flat-out ridiculous statement. I can't even begin to fathom how he views these two things in the same way.

Sports fans are enamoured of tradition.

I couldn't agree more... except that the "tradition" such as it is, only stretches back, uninterrupted, to 1995. Also, there is a tradition of Hamilton playing Montreal on Labour Day as well. The Cats and Als have played on Labour Day eight times, with Hamilton holding a 7-0-1 record. So while it is a small tradition, beating the Als on Labour Day is also part of Tiger-Cat lore.

Tradition beckons fans thousands of miles to experience Fenway Park or to sit on an ice flow more commonly known as Lambeau Field.

Would pointing out the fact that it's ice floe, not ice flow, be petty?

Tradition keeps the Indianapolis 500 alive while open-wheel racing was dying. Tradition is watching the Grey Cup on TV, even when you haven’t seen another game all year and can’t tell the players without a lineup printed off the internet. Not that I would specifically know about that ... but, I’m just saying.

This was probably the paragraph that made me angriest, the last sentence in particular. Nice to know a guy who gets paid to cover the CFL can crack jokes about not knowing who the players are. Since Lankhof writes about the CFL, is he saying that no one reads his work? Does that mean he thinks his job is unnecessary?

Tradition is buying a hot dog at a ball game, even though everyone already knows they hold the culinary delight of rolled up sawdust on a bed of ketchup.

Lankhof says more than once in this article that "everyone knows" what he believes. He's positioning his opinion as fact, and that simply should not be done. Everyone is a lot of people, and I don't know of any issue where you get 100% support, especially when it comes to the CFL.

And, tradition is sitting on a butt-worn wooden bench at Ivor Wynne at the dawn of September, watching the Ticats ring the Argos’ bells as a warm-up for when school bells ring. Since 1995, the Ticats have an 8-6-1 edge in games and it is probably more a tradition for Hamilton, than Toronto, fans. But this is the one game on the calendar that still draws provincial-wide media attention. It is special for the players, too, most of those who have experienced the atmosphere say it is the biggest game of the year this side of the Grey Cup.

Are there still wooden benches? I sit in the same seat for every game, and mine is metal. Does anyone still have a wooden bench? I'm genuinely curious.

The Labour Day Classic does draw media attention, but so has this one because Lankhof is writing about it. Any game between the Argos and Cats should draw media attention, not just because it is played on Labour Day. To say that the media should only pay attention because the game is on Labour Day doesn't sit well with me.

The atmosphere is great, but Saturday's atmosphere will be as well. So was the atmosphere on July 29th... and July 16th... and... you get the point. In my opinion, the fact that the Ti-Cats are competitive makes the atmosphere better, not the opponent. Labour Day used to be the only game that mattered to fans because the Cats were 1-8 or so entering the game. I stress used to. In the last couple of years, the Cats have become a competitive team, and that makes the atmosphere better, not a specific opponent on a specific day. Labour Day is still a big deal, but for me, it's not the be-all and end-all anymore.

Tradition is, perhaps, the reason this league still lives in the hearts of oft-absent fans. And, now the league has killed a part of that last vestige that can still bring fans back to the park. At least for this year, it’s not happening.

Really? Killed? That's a strong word, no? And he ends with, "[a]t least for this year," which is the important part. It's only one year! But even if it's not, and the Als become the new Labour Day rival, is that such a big deal?

If you follow college football, you'll know that BYU-Utah (known as the Holy War) is one of the most anticipated games for those two schools every year. Due to Utah's move to the Pac-12, the game will be played in Week 3 in 2011, instead of the final week of the season, as was tradition. Does that mean that that game will hold any less meaning to the fans of either school? Of course not! It's no different with the Argonauts and Tiger-Cats. The rivalry means something; the date is secondary.

With less than 15,000 fans showing up for Argonauts’ games, the CFL is already irrelevant for far too many sports fans in the GTA. In Toronto only big-league sells. It’s why the Marlies are an afterthought and it’s why junior hockey has spent the past 30 years playing to family and girl friends. It is why a half dozen soccer leagues have failed and the CFL, to be honest, simply isn’t viewed by many as major league.

This is all well and good... but it has nothing to do with Labour Day. Just because people in Toronto have delusions of grandeur and think they are better than the rest of this great country, that doesn't mean that the rest of the country feels the same way. Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal all have "big-league" teams, yet their CFL franchises still attract fans. Blaming the CFL for not being big-league enough is a weak excuse that seems to only come from those in Toronto.

And, now, the league has just handed them another reason to feel that way.

No, they didn't, because Labour Day has nothing to do with games in Toronto. This is a Hamilton event, not a Toronto one.

Dumb.

Depending on what we're talking about, I agree. No Argos on Labour Day: not dumb. My commenting on this silly article: 50% dumb. Lankhof for writing this piece: "big-league" dumb.

Leave it up to the CFL to believe it is the only earthly institution which can actually change the Gregorian calendar and move the hype surrounding the Argos/Ticats on Labour Day.

Why doesn't the hype follow? Does a Bears-Packers game suffer from less hype if it's in October instead of December? Does it matter when the Leafs-Canadiens game is on the calendar for the hype to be there? Why does it matter when the Battle of Ontario is staged if the rivalry is supposed to matter?

The Alouettes and Ticats may be in a battle for first place, and the Argos may be losing face at 1-5, but come Labour Day, Hamilton fans only get worked up when Stevie Baggs hits someone and they bleed Double Blue.

Well, as a Hamilton fan, I can say that this is categorically false. I'll be just as happy to see Stevie Baggs (or any Ti-Cat defender) hit an Alouette player. I'm sure there are many fans that feel the same way.

It’s tradition.

If we're talking about Stevie Baggs hitting Argos on Labour Day, that's not a tradition. Baggs has never played for the Tiger-Cats in a Labour Day Classic.

No team can engender animosity in a Hamilton fan like the Argonauts. Or vice-versa.

I can't comment on how Argo fans feel, but I do agree completely that no team engenders more hate, at least from me, than the Argos. In fact, I hate them more than any other team in all of sports. Not the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Heat, USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines or any team from Boston (Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins) takes more of the brunt of my hatred than the Toronto Argonauts.

The Labour Day Classic was, in a league desperate for headlines and publicity, the one CFL event that might yet make urban cottage-lovers consider giving up a weekend kissing up to a bass.

Who says the league is "desperate for headlines and publicity"? Well, since Lankhof is writing about it, that tells me they are getting both headlines and publicity.

And if the game is going to stop cottagers from going north, wouldn't it be easier to convince them to stay in mid-August than on the last long weekend of the summer?

Instead, for the first time since 1995, the closest fans of the Argonauts and Ticats will have to getting on a good hate is this weekend. It just isn’t the same.

Again, this is incorrect. The Cats and Argos play twice more, both in Toronto, during the last six weeks of the season. So there are at least two more chances to get a good hate on for one another. As for it being the same? When I go to Toronto, my hate doesn't dissipate, and neither does that of the people I attend the games with.

When the 2011 schedule was first released fans reacted angrily, lighting up Twitter and chat room bulletin boards.

He's right, there was a lot of anger, six months ago when the schedule was released. But you know what happened? We all got over it. Perhaps he should too.

You know the feeling; like when you’re a kid and someone steals your lollipop, or your Triple Scoop has just been down-sized to a single scoop courtesy of the family pooch. Gut-punched.

Upon first reaction, the news sucked. I, like a lot of people, was very angry. But again, six months have passed, and most of us have moved on.

No Labour Day Classic?

Yes, no Labour Day Classic. But we do get a great game between the Als and Ti-Cats to look forward to, which doesn't sound so bad to me.

Next thing you know they’ll be telling us there’s no Easter Bunny.

Um, I think Bill's mother needed to have a talk with him about 50 years ago.

There is an official explanation. And, isn’t there always with this stuff. When the CFL released the 2011 schedule, it reasoned that a competitive imbalance would occur if the Argos played in Hamilton on Labour Day, as it would’ve been the Argos’ sixth road game in nine games.

I can't disagree with Bill on this one. The reason given was bunk, as I pointed out way back in February. That said, I gave the league a break when it was discovered they made the best of a bad situation. The Rogers Centre SkyDome wouldn't play ball, so my anger went towards them and shifted off the league a bit. I still think the excuse is garbage, but what's done is done.

In retrospect, considering the way the Argos have been playing, letting them get out of town would’ve been doing them a favour. But, I digress.

How exactly was the league to know how good or bad the Argos would be when they unveiled the schedule? Far be it for me to stick up for the Argos, but this line was completely unnecessary.

Bottom line is that the league’s failure to get the Argos into Hamilton on Labour Day is like telling a kid that this year there’s no Christmas.

No, it's like telling a kid that instead of celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December, it's going to have to be done on the 4th, and that it's not Mommy and Daddy's fault, but their work will only let them have the 4th off. The game is still happening, just not on the same day it has in the past.

It just shouldn’t happen. Period.

Well, it did happen, and like a vast majority of the fans in both Hamilton and Toronto, Lankhof should get over it. Period.

Cobourne's Number, Clarification on the Cats in 2012 and Some More Schedule Talk

When a new player signs, the first thing I always wonder is what number he will wear. Avon Cobourne wore #6 in Montreal, but Marquay McDaniel wears #6 for the Cats. So this got me wondering what number he will wear when he takes the field for the first time with Hamilton.

So what did I do? It's 2011, so I took to Twitter to ask the man himself. His answer was short and sweet: #22.

So anyone who wants to grab an Avon Cobourne jersey early (as in before they find their way onto the shelves of the Tigertown Store), you now know what number to put on said jersey.

In my piece where I took the CFL to task for the Labour Day Classic fiasco, one of the reasons I was so angry was because I thought that the Cats would be playing all of their 2012 games away from Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Well, thanks to one of my Twitter followers, I have been informed that the Cats will likely play 2013, not 2012, away from Ivor Wynne Stadium while it undergoes renovations.

I still do not like the idea that the Argos and Cats won't be playing on the first Monday in September in 2011, but at least we Tiger-Cat fans won't be robbed of the Labour Day Classic two years in a row.

Continuing the Twitter trend, as many of you probably know, I Tweet what I write to my followers. When I Tweeted my post about the schedule fiasco, the CFL's Twitter feed responded. I don't blame the league, per se, for the scheduling problem; I understand that the stadium formerly known as the SkyDome is to blame. But more should have been done to ensure that the Labour Day Classic was played.

That said, I wonder if the reason the schedule was delayed so long (it took almost three weeks from first mention to actual release) was because the league was doing everything it could to get the Labour Day Classic on there?

What's done is done, but I hope I never have to write about the Argos not being in Hamilton on Labour Day again.

No Explanation Will Suffice

I needed to take a day to digest it all, but to say I am one angry Ging' would be an understatement.

I do not care for any explanation that the league conjured up; to not have the Argos in Hamilton on Labour Day means that there will be no Labour Day Classic in 2011.

The league talked about competitive balance. Fine and dandy. Where was the care for competitive balance in 2010 when Hamilton and Winnipeg played four times in seven weeks? (Five times in eight weeks, if you count the final pre-season game.)

Where will be the care for competitive balance when the Cats will likely have to play their entire 2012 season on the road?

Where is the care for competitive balance when this season, in a schedule the league just released, the Cats will play six of their last nine games away from Ivor Wynne? Don't give me the junk that the Moncton game is a home game. It's a "home" game, not a home game. The Cats will not be playing in front of 25,000 of their fans in the friendly confines of their stadium. So the Cats can play six of nine away from home to end the season, but the Argos can't play six of nine from home to start the season?

Also, teams play front- and/or back-loaded schedules all the time; this would have been no different. Montreal played their first three games on the road in 2010, and it didn't seem to hurt them any. (In case anyone forgot, they won the Grey Cup.)

To make matters worse, since the 2012 CFL season will not be played at Ivor Wynne Stadium, while it undergoes renovations for the Pan Am Games, that means that we Ti-Cat fans will go two years without seeing the hated Argos descend on Hamilton to get their butts whooped on the first Monday of September.

This is unacceptable. I was very much looking forward to the 2011 CFL season (and I still very much am), but the loss of the Labour Day Classic casts a dark cloud over the entire year. What should have been a great day (the day the schedule was released) turned into an unmitigated disaster.

Thanks, CFL. Good job.

P.S. I have added the Tiger-Cats' 2011 schedule to the side bar.

Hamilton 28, Toronto 13

Now that is what I call a Classic. That's what Labour Day is all about. Great crowd, intense atmosphere and a Tiger-Cat victory over the hated Argos. Does it get any better than that?

Positives
Where to begin. Just an all around great game. But I have to start in a place where I have been very critical all season.

A big, BIG hand to the Tiger-Cat Secondary. I know Cleo Lemon isn't exactly a Hall of Famer in the making, but the three interceptions by the Secondary – one each by Geoff Tisdale, Jerome Dennis and the much maligned Jason Shivers – helped pave the way to a Tiger-Cat victory.

Kevin Glenn once again had a very efficient afternoon. He was hitting Receivers left and right, and looked very comfortable in the pocket. This is becoming so commonplace that I feel no need to point it out, but Glenn deserves all the kudos passed his way. It's nice to have a real QB behind Centre for the Cats.

Arland Bruce gets held in check? No problem, Dave Stala and Marquay McDaniel step up. Teams can take away Bruce, and someone else will kill them. The talent at WR is out of this world.

The Defensive Front Seven continue to do everything asked of them. Garrett McIntyre is quickly starting to become one of the best D-Linemen in the entire CFL. He has a motor that doesn't stop, and he just has a knack for getting to the QB.

Negatives
Sadly, even in victory, this wasn't a flawless game. Once again, DeAndra' Cobb showed he is not the same player this year as he was last year. He just doesn't get the job done. He has spurts, but it looks like he is very much mired in a sophomore slump.

On the same note, the Offensive Line isn't helping much. They are fantastic in pass protection, but they don't have the same intensity when run blocking. I don't know if it's so much Cobb's problem, the Line's problem, or a combination of both, but something needs to be done because teams need to be able to run to win.

Final Thoughts
What more can I say? This Classic was classic. It was just an awesome afternoon. I'm hoarse after cheering from the time I got to the game until I walked in my house after the traditional Victory Slurpee.

The Tiger-Cats are now riding a four-game winning streak, have jumped the Argos for second place (and now own the tiebreaker over them as well), and the game this Saturday against Montreal is now the biggest regular-season game for the Cats in I don't know how long. On Saturday, the Cats will be playing for first place in the East Division. I can't tell you the last time the Cats were atop the East. Heck, I can't tell you the last time they were even close. Today, even though it was the Labour Day Classic, is just the appetizer for next week's main course.

BRING ON THE ALS!

Oh yeah, and.....

ARGOS SUCK!!!!!

Labour Day Classic Memories

Everyone has memories about games they have attended. If you're a Tiger-Cat fan you probably have the most memories of games that took place on the first Monday of September. Any Tiger-Cat fan worth his or her salt has been to a Labour Day Classic or two. So, with the Labour Day Classic just a couple of days away, I figured it would behoove me to share with you my Labour Day Classic memories. There are three games I remember vividly.

Labour Day, 1991

I'm not going to lie: I did not attend this game because of the Tiger-Cats. I was an ardent supporter of the team, but I begged my Dad to take me to the 1991 Labour Day Classic for one reason and one reason only.

This man:

The Rocket

Yes, I went to the 1991 Labour Day Classic to see an Argonaut. But not just any Argonaut.

I went to see The Rocket.

Growing up, I loved the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Their best player was Raghib Ismail, aka The Rocket. I had seen The Rocket play on television, and now I had my chance to see him in person. It pained me that he signed with the Argonauts, but doing so allowed me to witness The Rocket live, which for a nine-year-old boy who loved Notre Dame was a dream come true.

Looking back, I have no recollection of what The Rocket did that day: about how well or poorly he played or whether he scored or not. What I do remember, however, is the 0-8 Tiger-Cats putting the boots to the 6-2 Argos. The final score was 48-24 for Hamilton. The Cats went in heavy underdogs and laid an absolute beating on the future Grey Cup champions.

I went to see The Rocket, but what I experienced stuck with me much, much longer.

Labour Day, 2004

There were games in between, but 2004 was something special. Not only was this a rebirth year for the Cats (they were coming off a 1-17 2003 season), but the team's and fan base's energy was renewed because of new owner Bob Young. The Cats were 5-5 entering the game, while the Argos were 6-4. This was probably the last time the Labour Day Classic held such importance before this year.

This game I did not attend. The previous September, I moved to Toronto, and I watched this game on the CBC instead of taking it in live.

I regret that I missed it because what a game it was.

This one ended in a 30-30 tie after double overtime, Troy Davis had the game of a lifetime, and when all was said and done, the Cats made a re-believer out of me. Not that I ever lost faith or anything. Heck, I wore Tiger-Cats gear in Toronto during the 1-17 season.

While I held onto my Tiger-Cat love, and I would defend the team to all those who dared disrespect the Black & Gold, the feeling that the 2004 Labour Day Classic gave me didn't come back for quite some time.

That time was 2009.

Labour Day, 2009

As much as 2004 was a rebirth, 2009 felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The Cats were a very respectable 4-4, which came as a great shock coming on the heels of two 3-15 seasons. Optimism was renewed in Hamilton. I was once again caught up in Tiger-Cat fever, having moved back to Steeltown in May of that year.

This Labour Day Classic was hardly a classic, but it was the first one in a long time where the Cats went in as the favourites.

They did not disappoint.

The Cats manhandled the Argos from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. The only time the Argos put up any fight was right at the beginning of the game when the best player Toronto had, Running Back Jamal Robertson, scored a TD. After that, it was all Tiger-Cats. Glenn threw for two TDs, Dave Stala caught his first Labour Day TD as a Tiger-Cat, and Arland Bruce played well in his first game against the Argos since being dealt from Toronto to Hamilton earlier in the year.

When the season ended, the Argos were in complete disarray. They finished the season at 3-15, failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year and fired their Head Couch Count Chocula Bart Andrus after only one season.

The Tiger-Cats, on the other hand, ended the season with a 9-9 record, their first non-losing season since 2004, made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2001. It was a return to relevance for the Tabbies.

Labour Day always holds a special place in a Tiger-Cat fan's heart. I know there are many more Labour Day Classic memories to come. I'm sure the day I take my newly born nephew to his first Classic will be very special. Maybe this year's game will provide something worth remembering as well.

But that's future, and I'm here to remember the past. These are some of my Labour Day Classic memories; I'm curious to hear some of yours.

Charity Abounds This Labour Day

Labour Day is a day to celebrate the hard work that millions and millions of average citizens put in every day. What better way to celebrate those people than by giving something to those less fortunate.

Floyd, Knowlton and Johnson at CAW Local 504

Otis Floyd, Markeith Knowlton and Jamall Johnson took time on their off-day to deliver 600 Labour Day tickets, which the best Linebacking group in the CFL purchased themselves, to members of the CAW Local 504, which represents workers at the soon-to-be-closed Siemens plant.

While we could not take part in what Floyd and company did, there is a way that we can help.

Once again, the Purolator Tackle Hunger program will return to Ivor Wynne Stadium on Labour Day. This program collects food to help local food banks, and all the food donated at Monday's game will go to the Hamilton Food Share. Cash donations are also accepted.

Also, the Purolator Tackle Hunger program donates the Quarterback's weight in food for every sack during the CFL season. So when the Tabbies register a sack on Monday, not only will it be a big play for the Tiger-Cats, but it will help out those in need as well. "And with a fatty like Cleo Lemon" that could be a lot of food.

Also, everyone who brings food or cash donations will get a chance to have their picture taken with the Grey Cup. I implore everyone to bring at least one non-perishable food item and help out those in need. Let's show the country that Hamilton has a heart that matches the gold on the uniforms.

The Labour Day Classic

It's All Fun and Games... Unless It's Labour Day

If there are any fans in Calgary and Edmonton that are reading this, they may take offense to this, but I don't care. The one and true Labour Day Classic takes place in Hamilton, Ontario.

I have said twice previously that the greatest rivalry in all of professional sports is Hamilton-Toronto. It's the most intense rivalry I have ever witnessed, and the annual Labour Day Classic is the apex of that rivalry.

It's not just the fans that feel this way either. Players feel it as well. Here is what Ti-Cat Centre Marwan Hage had to say about playing the Argonauts on Labour Day:



"That's what we live for." I repeat, "That's what we live for." For fans and players alike, truer words were never spoken.

One of the easiest things in the world to do is hate the Toronto Argonauts. Citizens of Toronto seem to believe that they are better than everybody else. They look down their noses at our blue-collar town. They think we want to be them, that we envy them, that only Toronto matters. Arrogance of the highest order, that is portrayed perfectly in the following video:



"How many 'o's' are there in loser?" Only one, but there are more than a couple in Toronto Argonauts, and when it comes to the Labour Day Classic, the Argos have been on the losing end more often than not. Hamilton has a record of 29-13-1 on Labour Day. It would take a winning streak from now until my recently born nephew is old enough to drive for the Argos to tie the series. 

Labour Day is different from any other day; the Labour Day Classic is different from any other game. In a city where the citizens feel that an honest day's work deserves an honest wage; where hard work and getting your hands dirty is a sign of strength, not weakness; where the term "working class" is worn as a badge of honour; in Hamilton, it is nice to be able to watch the Tiger-Cats kick the living daylights out of the Argonauts. It's nice for Hamilton to be able to stick it to the elitist snobs that inhabit Toronto. Aside from winning the Grey Cup, there is no better feeling than beating Toronto. The season, regardless of record, can be considered a success if a Ti-Cat victory against Toronto is achieved. In fact, it's part of the Hamilton Code.



Labour Day: there is nothing like it.

Best Ti-Cat Game of 2009: #3

#3 (Week 10): 34-15 WIN vs. Toronto

The one game that means anything to Ti-Cat fans, regardless of how bad or good the team is, is Labour Day. The team seems to recognize this, as they tend to turn up the heat during the annual September clash. In 2009, the Cats just pounded the Argos. The game wasn't pretty; it wasn't a clinic; it wasn't a back-and-forth affair. It was a beating, pure and simple. It is that beating that puts the 2009 Labour Day Classic at #3 on my list.

PREVIOUS: #4 (Week 6) vs. Edmonton

Must Be the Slow Time of the Year

Where is all the news? It has been slow going the past couple of days. Aside from the Argos signing Cleo Lemon, not much has occurred that is newsworthy. Hopefully there will be some action next week.

To hold you all off until there is something of note to discuss, enjoy this great video that the Tiger-Cats debuted during the Labour Day Classic this past September. If you don't get excited by this video then you are definitely not from Hamilton.