Grey Cup 2012...

Argos close out magical season in Toronto with Grey Cup victory

Bruce Arthur | Nov 25, 2012 10:35 PM ET | Last Updated: Nov 26, 2012 12:21 AM ET
More from Bruce Arthur | @bruce_arthur

At one end of what felt like a darkened airplane hanger, stretching for miles in the depths of the Toronto Convention Centre, they lined up former Argonauts from Nick Volpe to Terry Greer to Michael (Pinball) Clemons, who naturally drew the biggest cheer. The voluminous crowd was spread out, and the fans at that end of the hall were encouraged to bellow “Arrrr-gooooos,” but it was swallowed up by the expanse. Big room.

Usually, that’s the story when the Grey Cup comes to Toronto. The league is never smaller than it is in Canada’s biggest city; the 1992 Grey Cup week was a notorious flop, with thousands of unsold tickets; the big game didn’t come back until 2007, when it was a qualified success. As more than one person mentioned this week, 2007 was great if you had a ticket to the Maxim Party in the CN Tower, or to one of the concerts, or were in the Convention Centre. But it got swallowed up by the megacity. Again: Big room.

This time, the Grey Cup didn’t occupy this city, but it fit the city.

TORONTO — They broke the Grey Cup somewhere in the whirlwind of Champagne and beer and big men in close quarters, letting out all the joy and pain and pressure from a long and strange season. The handle snapped clean off, but then, it’s never been the sturdiest trophy. Which is fitting, since the Toronto Argonauts, for all the 139 years of their history, have never been the sturdiest franchise.
On Sunday night, though, in the 100th Grey Cup, they were immovable from beginning to end in a 35-22 victory over the imploding Calgary Stampeders. The game capped a smashing Grey Cup week, during which Toronto felt more like the rest of Canada than it has in a long time; the dusty old Rogers Centre came alive in a way that it simply never does. Usually, this place is half-empty or worse, and the games feel small. This time the sellout crowd of 53,208 turned the dusty old dome into a multicoloured, raucous, sold-out festival. And their team measured up.
“It’s something we can be proud of the rest of our lives — that when all the lights were brightest, and all the eyes were on us, we answered the call and made Toronto a city of champions,” said defensive back Jordan Younger, one of this team’s most enduring presences. “As an athlete, it’s a perfect moment. I mean, perfect.”
This town has become a black hole of despair when it comes to sports, but for the Argonauts it’s been Toronto’s week, and Toronto’s year. From the moment this last-place team traded for quarterback Ricky Ray the conspiracy theories bloomed, as if the Canadian Football League had somehow convinced the Edmonton Eskimos to torch their franchise for the good of the big picture. Speculation swirled around the job security of Toronto’s general manager, Jim Barker, despite the heist. Late in Grey Cup week, speculation swirled around their immediate future. This team has always been a little uncertain, and this version was no exception.
But on Sunday, they were the best team in the country, and not by a little. No conspiracy theory would have arranged a 9-9 record in the regular season, a climb over Edmonton and Montreal in the playoffs, and the demolition of a team that had won 13 of its previous 15 games. But here we are.
“I think this was as much as anyone could have hoped for,” said Argonauts CEO Chris Rudge, standing clear of the puddles of Champagne in the plastic-wrapped winning locker room.
It was, on the balance, a very Canadian evening. Burton Cummings botched the anthem in both languages, singing what appeared to be the old version before they changed the words, but then, he was doing in the jazz style, so maybe it was just improvisation. The halftime show was Gordon Lightfoot and the kids, with Justin Bieber — who has nearly as many Twitter followers as there are Canadians — saying it was an honour to appear, even after being booed.

Darren Calabrese/National PostChad Owens.

Yes, the turf was slippery, the officials were foggy, and the air was so murky from the fireworks that you felt like it was the world’s biggest restaurant in 1985. Non-smoking, please.
But the game was a coronation, to conclude a struggle. Ray, the franchise quarterback acquired from Edmonton for a bag of magic beans, chucked an interception on the game’s first play from scrimmage. But the Stampeders went two-and-out, and on Calgary’s next possession Jon Cornish, the league’s Outstanding Canadian and leading rusher, fumbled an exchange with Kevin Glenn that Toronto turned into a Chad Owens touchdown. After a Calgary field goal, Glenn — in his first Grey Cup after 12-star-crossed years — flopped a short, errant pass to his right that was picked off by Pacino Horne and returned 25 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 Toronto lead.
The Stampeders, who had not lost a game since Sept. 23, were in trouble. Glenn just couldn’t keep a drive together. Cornish, who would be held to 57 yards on 15 carries, seemed lost in the pall of smoke.
It was 24-6 at halftime, and Calgary’s necessary miracles never came. A 105-yard kickoff return by Larry Taylor was called back for holding; receivers fell down, balls sailed, nothing worked. The Calgary Stampeders might well wake up Monday morning and wonder how, in the biggest game of what had become a remarkable season, everything fell apart.
Owens, the league’s Most Outstanding Player, caught just two passes, but running back Chad Kackert rolled up a combined 195 yards on 28 touches and was named the game’s MVP. Ray, the fulcrum, was rock solid. The defence, coached by former Calgary defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones, ate the Stampeders alive. Calgary had to negotiate its horse into the stadium; like its team, it didn’t have room to run.
And so, the end of a strange and compelling year. It’s easy to forget, but the Argonauts are a 9-9 team that struggled to mix in a sea of new faces and a first-time head coach, Scott Milanovich, in a season where the practice facility burned down. As Younger puts it in his gravel-soaked voice, “I told my teammates, man, we are blue-collar. We are not divas, we are not soft. We did this with no meeting rooms. We did this bouncing around a college campus, getting in where we fit in. We really pulled this off the hardest way we could, the most difficult and complicated way we could.”

Peter J. Thompson/National PostAs the Grey Cup was brought down to field level, the Calgary Stampeders mascot exited and Toronto fans new that the Argonauts, who went 9-9 in the regular season, had brought home the 100th Grey Cup.

They did, but they almost made it look easy at the end. As the Cup was carried in late in the fourth quarter, Calgary’s horse exited stage left, and the Stampeders committed 30 yards of penalties on one play. Next thing you know, Owens’ daughters were doing snow angels in the confetti.
Going forward, the Argonauts suddenly seem like a team that could be here again. Montreal is a dynasty in decline; Winnipeg is rubble; Hamilton will spend the next year as a refugee franchise, playing under bridges and in parking lots while a new stadium is built. Toronto could become the new Montreal, for a time.

Darren Calabrese/National PostRicky Ray has appeared in four Grey Cup games — three with the Edmonton Eskimos and one with the Toronto Argonauts — and has now won three of them after a 35-22 victory over the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday.

Maybe the Blue Jays will put natural grass in and evict their tenants, which is an idea that is suddenly swirling with some force; maybe a mess is right around the corner. But on the field, the future seems strangely bright.
Which, when you think about it, could be as unifying a force as the Grey Cup, in its own way. Toronto is a town that has been pitied of late; this will give the rest of the country something to cheer against again. It’s been too long.

Peter J. Thompson/National PostChad Owens left his mark for the Toronto Argonauts in a record-setting regular season, and has already had an impact with a touchdown in the first half of the 100th Grey Cup against the Calgary Stampeders.

Darren Calabrese/National PostToronto Argonauts receiver Andre Durie's, left, fourth quarter touchdown put the final exclamation mark on a dominant 35-22 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the 100th Grey Cup.

Romney...dislike mode!?

People 'unliking' Romney on Facebook

By Heather Kelly, CNN

updated 5:23 PM EST, Mon November 12, 2012 | Filed under: Social Media

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Mitt Romney's official Facebook page has been losing 11 fans a minute
The campaign has been mostly silent on social media platforms since Tuesday
A website, DisappearingRomney, tracks his declining number of Facebook likes

(CNN) -- Nobody "likes" a loser.

If losing the presidential election wasn't enough, Mitt Romney has been hemorrhaging Facebook friends.

People began unliking Romney's official Facebook page soon after the election results came in last week. The Washington Post noticed the drop on Friday, when the GOP presidential candidate's page was losing 593 likes an hour.

By Saturday, Mashable said the exodus was up to 847 friends an hour, and as of Monday morning, Romney's Facebook page continued to lose around 11 likes every minute.

For those who enjoy interactive graphics with their schadenfreude, the site DisappearingRomney.com shows Romney's Facebook likes dropping in real time. A ticker at the bottom of the page tallies how many people have unliked Romney's page just in the time users have been on the site.

Not that Romney is hurting for social media pals. As of Monday afternoon, he still had more than 12 million Facebook fans and 1.7 million followers on Twitter.

The former governor's team hasn't been doing much on social media lately to persuade people to stick around. After a flurry of activity leading up to the election, his official Facebook and Twitter accounts went silent for four days afterward. On Saturday, the campaign finally posted a photo of a sad-looking Romney with the message, "From the bottom of our hearts, Ann and I thank you for your support, prayers, efforts and vote. We are forever grateful to every one of you."

By contrast, President Barack Obama acknowledged his victory last week with a pair of posts on Twitter and Facebook that quickly went viral. And his social media accounts have been active in the week since the election.

Romney's recent silence extends to his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose campaign's Twitter account has not been updated since the election. However, Ryan did update his personal (pre-campaign) Twitter and Facebook pages with two Veterans Day posts over the weekend.

The official Republican National Committee's Facebook page has also been quiet since Election Day, when it reposted a thank you to Romney from GOP Chairman Reince Priebus.

After Obama was first elected four years ago, his official Twitter, Facebook and, yes, MySpace pages (it was 2008, after all) went quiet for a time.

One explanation is that the staffers who manage these accounts either move on or are typically given new responsibilities after an election. It's unlikely that Obama or Romney were posting to Facebook and Twitter very often themselves.

Hiatus...

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.

I want to thank every American who participated in this election...... whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone...... whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.

I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.

In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward. I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America's happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.

And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago.

Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady.

Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog's probably enough.

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics...The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.

But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the life-long appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley.

You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in.

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something else.

You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity.

You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift.

You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse whose working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won't change after tonight, and it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers.

A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.

We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this - this world has ever known.

But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.

To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.

To the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president - that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we share. That's where we need to go - forward.

That's where we need to go.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path.

By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over.

And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.

You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do.

But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our Democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That's the principle we were founded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth.

The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.\

I am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.

I've seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.

I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.

And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.

I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own.

And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president.

And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future.

I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States."

-Barack Obama

44th President of the United States of America

Chicago, Illinois

November 7, 2012

2channel Anime Saimoe 2012: Top 16

1st: Toki Onjouji

2nd: Kuro Matsumi

3rd: Nodoka Haramura

4th: Hisa Takei

5th: Shana

6th: Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere

T-7th: Saki Miyanaga

T-7th: Yuu Matsumi

9th: Akari Akaza
10th: Yayoi Kise
11th: Ako Atarashi
12th: Sena Kashiwazaki
13th: Hinata Hakamada
14th: Koromo Amae
15th: Sanya V. Litvyak
16th: Kirame Hanada

2channel Anime Saimoe 2012: Odds, Grand Final

Toki Onjouji EVEN

Kuro Matsumi 20-1

Prediction: Toki Onjouji by >=150

Over/Under: 500

Over

2channel Anime Saimoe 2012: Results, Semifinal 2

2channel Anime Saimoe 2012: Results, Semifinal 1

ISML 2012: Lunch Hour, October 30, 2012

Brian Griffin: That was Faze to Love by Miyuki Hashimoto from her 2006 album "Lovey-Dovey." I'm Brian Griffin and in this midnight edition of the Lunch Hour, back on the menu for the final time this year is the International Saimoe League and the fifth winner of the Heavenly Tiara is Kanade Tachibana, who is with us here on the Lunch Hour. Kanade, welcome to the program.

Kanade: Good afternoon here in Tokyo, Brian. It's a pleasure to be here once again.

Brian: A pleasure to have you, dear leader of the Free Moe World. Well, are you satisfied yet?

Kanade: More than. I never thought I would see the day that I would be named the winner of this Heavenly Tiara, but...it has finally come. I was in tears, hugging Yuzuru when it happened. I can now say that I have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in my Saimoe career. And now everything will be a bonus.

Brian: When Eucliwood Hellscythe spoke to you over the phone telling you she conceded, what were your thoughts?

Kanade: At least I didn't die again. *laughter* No, actually she didn't feel bad at all because she didn't expect to get this far and finish runner-up in this thing. We had a chat about the race and about the future and that was that. Eu's a cool person to be with, and it was an honor to have faced him in this final race.

Brian: It's a party down at SSS headquarters, with Yuri Nakamura and Yui also picking up victories. A clean sweep for Angel Beats. What do you think of that?

Kanade: It's a bonus. Yurippe and Yui were in tears when they found out that they also won their final matches. It's been a blessed day for all of us, and I think the voters smiled at the legacy we left, the message we sent. Truly, this will go down as the best day ever in our lives. We will never forget October 30, 2012. No one here will.

Brian: What does your husband Yuzuru Otonashi think of this victory?

Kanade: He was crying too. He whispered to me: "I knew I made the right choice when I wanted you to be my wife." And we shared a long kiss and then I spoke to everyone at the rally. Our two-year old son was sleeping, so he couldn't get to see us celebrating. I think Yuzuki is going to be happy when he finds out his mother is the Leader of the Free saimoe World. Or maybe he won't care because he still thinks of me as Mom.

Brian: The three of you make a wonderful family, for sure. Let's talk a little bit about the Korea tournament. We know that Hitagi Senjougahara is now the Moe President for the Republic of Korea but there has been talk that next year's elections will possibly have an overhaul in terms of the layout. What do you think?

Kanade: I think free and fair elections are a wonderful thing, and for the committee there to change something that isn't broken is a clear sign of disrespect to the process of finding who is most moe. It's a process that is unnecessary, and I hope the committee in Korea will have a change of heart and stay the course. I talked with Hitagi last week about the plans she has for leading that country and they are big plans. She wants to help continue the legacy Homura left this year but accelerated a little bit. I think Hitagi is going to make a great Moe President of Korea and I wish her all the best.

Brian: Kanade Tachibana, the fifth winner of the International Saimoe League, is here with us. Kanade, there is only one tournament remaining and that is the 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament, where the Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan is going to be elected. And it will go to a representative from the Saki Party. What are your thoughts on the story down there?

Kanade: First off, congratulation to Saki for finally breaking through and make it their year in Japan. However, commiserations must go to the other competitors that were left in the dust. It's not right that the number of voters in that contest has to dwindle due to IP bands. You can never get rid of multiple voting, no matter how hard you try. The world should be allowed to vote in a contest of 2channel's prestige. To limit the votership destroys credibility and really calls into question the leadership of the people at 2channel, who should know better in terms of organizing this tournament. My pick to win this all is Toki Onjouji over Kuro Matsumi. I talked with Toki two hours ago from her hospital bed and I told her to hang in there because she will get through her situation. It's great to see that she is recovering, if slowly.

Brian: Your thoughts on the Diadem winners: Ririchiyo Shirakiin and Kuroyukihime?

Kanade: These are two friends of mine that will get it done next year. If I don't get assigned to the Stella Division next season, I expect to give both of them a stern challenge because I want to take on the best moekkos out there. Hime and Chiyo have a huge upswing and I can't wait to face them, if it is possible.

Brian: Finally, any message you want to give the fans out here in America?

Kanade: Thank you for your support throughout this campaign. I hope to represent everything great about the world and I look forward to taking part in this competition next year. And to the people on the East Coast, please stay safe and dry. My heart goes out to all of you out there. Take care of yourselves. I love you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Brian: Kanade Tachibana, our 2012 International Saimoe League champion. Thank you for stopping by.

Kanade: Any time. I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Brian: Up next, we talk about the storm that has been ravaging the East Coast and left destruction in its wake, Superstorm Sandy. This is the Lunch Hour on 97.1 WQHG, and if you want seconds, don't go anywhere...