When Chad Owens was photographed at Brown’s Menswear earlier this week, I thought little of it.  However, despite not being particularly bright, even I started to wonder what was going on when he was also pictured yesterday at Ferraro Hair and Body salon:

Finally, I managed to put two and two together after this photo of the CFL Most Outstanding Player with Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller and UFC featherweight Frankie Edgar:

It turns out Owens was getting ready to go to last night’s Conn Smythe Sports Celebrities Dinner.  Here he is looking sharp as he enters the events at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, closely followed by Brian Burke and Olympic Gold medallist Tessa Bonhomme:

Bringing up the rear is Donald Fehr.  I’m not sure who he’s talking to but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re engaged in a negotiation of some kind.

In its 62nd year, the event offers support to the Easter Seals Kids, which helps physically disabled youths and young adults become more independent.  Here’s Owen’s hanging out with Zane and Luke:

Owen’s and Edgar also caught up with former All Star Argonauts linebacker Kevin Eiben who retired this week:

We can argue all day about who is toughest but you’d be crazy to pick a fight with any of them.

If you’d like to know more about the Easter Seals Kids or make a donation, click here.

Photo credits: @Ferraro710, @sheilaghrennie, @ChadOwens2 & @keiben

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By paul.taylor
• March 8, 2013
• Comment

Rogers announcement that they’ve renewed their agreement with the Buffalo Bills to continue playing in Toronto for another five years has understandably been met by a barrage of criticism and proclamations of insanity.

Ridiculous ticket prices at the outset, a lacklustre tailgating experience, stale crowds and a poor Bills team all contributed to the first deal not going particularly well, despite what Rogers may claim.

However, I’m here to tell you it’s time to embrace the Buffalo Bills ‘experiment’.  What? No, I haven’t lost my mind. Well not entirely anyway.  Let me explain.

While NFL fans in Toronto proclaim their love the game, it’s still been a struggle to fill the SkyDome.  A lot of supporters say they don’t go because they’d rather watch their own team instead of one borrowed from another city.

I’d like to say I believe them but we all know this is a crock! It’s purely because the Bills are not a good team.  If the New England Patriots played in Toronto every year, the stadium would be packed to the rafters.

While I appreciate fans want to see an exciting and winning product on the field, it’s only one game a season.  If you truly love the NFL, shouldn’t this be enough to go to the stadium?  Is this not the dream, to watch NFL football in your own city?  You don’t even have the excuse of excessive ticket prices anymore.

Further to this, and even more crucially, is how this reflects on Toronto.  No matter how much Torontonians want to talk about their passion for the NFL, perception is reality.  If you want your own team, do you think it’s going to impress Roger Goodell and the owners if you can’t even sell out ONE game a year?

All this tells the NFL is that the hardcore fan base isn’t big enough.  The average attendance for the five regular season games so far has been just over 49,000. Now add the fact that even a capacity crowd of 53,506 would still fall short of the lowest average attendance in the NFL for 2012 (54,216 in Oakland playing before an 86% capacity) and it doesn’t bode well.

NFL fans in Toronto would also do well to think long-term in respect of this Bills experiment, because the NFL certainly is.  It’s bad enough trying to encourage fans to go to watch teams in established cities when you’re out of contention.  Toronto doesn’t even have a team yet but they already have this problem.  Again, this does not reflect favourably.

The final point we have to accept is the reality that the NFL will not be putting a team in Toronto anytime soon.  Roger Goodell has shown no interest in this whatsoever, instead talking about returning to Los Angeles and expanding their brand globally by placing a franchise in London, England.

Even the ongoing uncertainty over the long-term future of the Bills in Buffalo is an issue, despite recently agreeing to extend their lease at Ralph Wilson Stadium for a further 10 years.  Toronto, and more specifically Rogers, have high hopes of purchasing the team if they do have to eventually relocate.  As it stands, the odds of this are diminishing.

As such, if and when the Bills do move, Toronto wouldn’t even get one game per year anymore.  Overall, what I’m labouring to say is you should take advantage of the opportunity to watch NFL football in Toronto while you still can. As the saying goes, no one appreciates what they’ve got until it isn’t there anymore.

Photo credit: @BillsBoobs

If you have any questions, email me at [email protected]

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By paul.taylor
• February 2, 2013
• Comment

You may have noticed I virtually never write about the NFL.  Why?  For those who haven’t quite picked up on it yet, this particular website mostly concentrates on the Toronto sports teams (I guess we sort of, in a round-a-bout, kind of way can include the Bills in this equation.)

However, I actually have the NFL to thank for what is now a full-blown passion for the major sports leagues throughout North America.  That’s because, back when I was 12 in sunny old England, I was first introduced to what we refer to as ‘American Football*’, which then led to my gradually gaining an interest in basketball, baseball and, yes, finally hockey.

* Why did we call it that? Well, because the English already play the proper version of football and we had to have some of differentiating between the two.  Kind of like what my parents did to help us know which grandparents we were going to see when we were kids.  One set were referred to as ‘Grandma with the dogs’ and the others were ‘Grandma with the cats’, which was strange as they didn’t actually own any cats.  In fact, come to think of it, they had a small farm which had a variety of animals, except for cats!  Why am I only just wondering now why they weren’t called ‘Grandma with the horses’ or something like that?!?!

I pretty much fell in love with the NFL immediately despite, until that point, growing up on a steady diet of ‘soccer’, cricket and rugby.

People ask why and I have no real way to explain it.  I’m guessing it’s similar to when someone discovers they’re gay or enjoys watching Two and a Half Men.  You may try and fight it, it might be frowned upon by you friends and it could potentially cause you endless grief, but you just can’t help the way you feel.

In essence, this is an extremely long way of saying that with the playoffs now upon us, I thought I’d write a column about the NFL.  Let’s call it my ‘five observations from the NFL.’  Oh, it’s already up there in the title isn’t it?  I guess we can begin then:

1) Call me a stubborn fool, but despite his successful return from a career-threatening neck injury, I still believe Peyton Manning is overrated.  I’ve always said that he can have all the pretty statistics he wants during the regular season, but he usually chokes when it comes to the playoffs.

Even the one year Manning actually won the Super Bowl with the Colts, he had to rely on the defence and running game to cover for his poor play until he finally woke up in the second half of the AFC Championship game.  As such, I will continue to stick to my guns on Manning until he wins another Super Bowl.  (Yep, I pretty much have to get this out of the way now as in just over a month I may well have to eat humble pie.)

2) Concurrently, as much as I rate Tom Brady, even if he wins a fourth Super Bowl, (and perhaps even a fifth), I refuse to agree with those saying this would put him ahead of Joe Montana and make him the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL.

This is not to say I think Montana is the best of all time . (It’s impossible to answer this question definitively when you take into account all the different eras the game has been played in, the improvement of the playing conditions, rule changes to promote the passing game and so on.) However, you can’t deny the guy was clutch: 4-0 in the big game with zero interceptions.  As we all know, Brady has thrown interceptions in the Super Bowl and also lost twice on the big stage.

Click here for part two

Photo credit: @DrewTheQue

• By paul.taylor
• January 4, 2013
• Comment

Another eventful seven days with plenty more action both on and off the court/ice/field.  Let’s dive straight into the best pictures and stories of the week because I have a pub crawl to get prepared for this afternoon:

1) I suppose we should start with the Buffalo Bills latest venture across the border to play in Canada.  I think it’s fair to say the game was yet another disaster for the Bills, Rogers and Toronto’s chances of getting their own NFL in the future.  (A paying crowd of 40,000, with only 35,000 turning up, just isn’t good enough.)

In fact, you know it’s bad when the highlight of the whole event was the halftime performance of “Gangnam Style”:

2) Spare a thought for the long suffering Bills fans, who, after being destroyed 50-17 by the Seattle Seahawks, officially saw their team miss the playoffs for the thirteenth straight season.  In many ways, the fans deserve our respect for their undying loyalty and optimism.  However, this guy might be pushing his luck:

3) While we’re talking about teams from New York, it seems like the perfect excuse to check in on the New York Jets and Mark Sanchez.

Unfortunately for Sanchez, after the 14-10 defeat in Tennessee, he finally lost his starting job to Greg McElroy.  The following picture may offer some clue as to how it came to this:

Don’t worry Mark. At least you’re still dating the stunning Eva Longoria………..WHAT?  He lost her as well?!  Bad times my friend, bad times.

4) Closer to home, there has at least been some good new on the Toronto sports scene: the Raptors won four straight games for the first time in two years!

However, not everyone on the team has been reaping the benefits of this recent upturn in fortune.  Landry Fields, for example, had his manhood questioned by some brave person on Twitter.

Fields managed to rise above the jibe with his answer.  However, I would have been severely tempted to just respond by sending this photo of his girlfriend:

I think we can safely say that’s one present that will be getting unwrapped well before Christmas day.

5) I admire Lebron James as much as the next person.  He finally proved last season that he can handle the pressure of crunch-time and is now looking to cement his place as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

What makes Lebron stand out is his ability to excel at any position on the court.  However, I’m not sure this is want they mean when he’s referred to as the best all around player in the NBA:

6) Sticking with the Heat, what bugs me most about Lebron’s continued ascent to legendary status is that a certain Chris Bosh will get to grab his coat tails and go along for the ride.  Who knows how many undeserved rings Bosh will end up with now?  And yes, I AM bitter!

Anyway, in an entirely unrelated matter, here’s a picture I found of an NBA player and a Hollywood actor:

7) Perhaps more closely connected to the Heat than I’d care to admit, the Blue Jays continued to build their super-squad by trading for veteran knuckleball sensation R.A. Dickey.

Suffice it to say, there had to be someone out there who decided to take an immature approach to ‘analysing’ this latest addition:

Admittedly, I’m just annoyed because I didn’t think of it first.

8 ) And finally, as the NHL continues to play the part of’ ‘Scrooge’, people are more worried than ever, especially after Bettman cancelled more regular season games, this time through to January 14th.  Indeed, there are concerns about the long-term ramifications if the season does eventually get cancelled.

It could even lead to future Christmases where Grandpa puts little Johnny on his knee and tells him the story about “a wonderful magical place that existed many years ago, that used to bring joy and happiness to millions of Canadians”:

Anyway, sod the NHL!  Just enjoy your weekend and if you’re going to any Christmas parties, be safe!

• By paul.taylor
• December 21, 2012
• Comment

Well that was an eventful weekend; the Raptors are on a tear with their first two-game winning streak of the season, Toronto hosted another disastrous NFL experience, otherwise known as a Buffalo Bills game and the Marlies won twice.

Did I miss anything?  Oh yeah, I also heard something about the Blue Jays maybe making another trade and I think there’s a lockout going on at the moment.  Let’s get to the mailbag:

Q. In my opinion, the five-year deal to have the Bills play games at the Rogers Centre hasn’t exactly been a success.  How close are we to having our own NFL team in Toronto?

Rob - Toronto

A. Well that depends.  If the advertisers are to be believed, Toronto already has an NFL team.  You’ve heard the radio adverts right?  The ones that go something like this:

“Quick! While there’re still available!  Buy tickets for YOUR Buffalo Bills.  That’s right! YOUR Buffalo Bills, who we originally used to try and fleece you out of your hard-earned money by setting ticket prices at an astronomically high price, but then, after realising we totally overestimated your passion for the team, gradually lowered the cost every year, but now, in year five, still have trouble selling out, hence why we’ve resorted to doing radio promos where we refer to the team as YOUR Buffalo Bills.”

In all honesty, as you say, the five-year deal with the Bills has not been a success.  In fact, it’s bordered on being a disaster.  Let’s just say that an announced crowd of 40,770 (in reality, only about 35,000 showed up) for an NFL game isn’t exactly going to convince Roger Goodell and the owners that having a team here is a good idea.

It doesn’t matter anyway, because everyone knows the first place likely to be granted any relocated franchise (because the NFL’s not expanding any time soon) is Los Angeles, the second-largest market in North America.

And while the NFL is looking to grow the game outside of its own country, they’re thinking further afield than Canada, where they already have a hard-core following.  Much further afield.

Having spent time speaking to Goodell and CMO Mark Waller during the buildup to the 2011 international series game in London (England not Ontario), it’s clear the NFL would rather place a team on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to just North of the border.

As such, I think Toronto is just going to have to accept the Bills as the closest they will get to having their own NFL team for the foreseeable future.  In fact, with the Bills needing the money that playing in Toronto generates, to have any hope of remaining in Western New York, there’s every chance Toronto will soon be enjoying two ‘home’ games a year.

Go on, just embrace it!  Repeat after me: “YOUR Buffalo Bills!”

Click here for part two

• By paul.taylor
• December 17, 2012
• Comment

Due to popular demand, we present a second edition of top pictures and stories of the week.  (Okay, I’m lying. I just wanted an excuse to share some more photos with you.)

1) Two games into the NBA pre-season, it appears that Raptors head coach Dwane Casey is already feeling the weight of heightened expectations:

Maybe someone should help lower Casey’s high blood pressure by advising him that no one is expecting too much from his team this year.

2) Hot off the press, Paulina Gretzky has been spending some time in Toronto this week:

This is only newsworthy due to the fact she was actually photographed with her clothes on for a change.  But what does this mean?  Is hell about to freeze over?  Maybe the Mayans’ are right after all…………………

3) A Pittsburgh Steelers fan was lucky enough to have his photo taken with the Blue Jays Jose Bautista before last Sunday’s home game versus the Philadelphia Eagles:

I guess after the season he suffered through, Bautista just wanted to be associated with a winning team for once.

(Hold on……………….aren’t the Steelers now 2-3 after last night’s shock defeat by the Tennessee Titans?  Never mind Jose.)

4) Sticking with the Blue Jays, watching the MLB playoffs during this week, (especially the continued success of the Baltimore Orioles) has only served to remind us of what could have been.

As such, let’s end their campaign on a high by signing off with a more aesthetically pleasing image of the Blue Jays 2012 season:

5) Due to the fact they play a regular season game every year at the Rogers Centre, the Buffalo Bills are the closest Toronto currently comes to having a team in the NFL.  In that respect, the Bills fit right in with the current sentiment Torontonians have about most of their professional teams:

6) The Maple Leafs are suffering more that most during the ongoing NHL lockout.  However, while I can understand their efforts to continue finding ways to make money, this is getting a little ridiculous now:

7) With the regular season nearly here, the Miami Heat are excited about defending their championship.  Trust Chris Bosh to ruin the moment.

I’m not sure what Bosh has trodden in, but Lebron James and Dwyane Wade appear to be telling him what he’s just done, while Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis examine the evidence.

(All I can say is they are better people than me. I wouldn’t have said anything.)

8 )  Finally, I’m not particularly into politics (something tells me this doesn’t surprise you) and I know this has absolutely nothing to do with sports.  However, with the US Presidential election fast approaching, I couldn’t resist sharing the following image with you:

If ever any photo fit the phrase ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, this is it.

• By paul.taylor
• October 12, 2012
• Comment

Here are my three picks for the NFL games coming up this weekend.  A few interesting matchups are set, and after this weekend we will be in a better position to separate the best teams from the middle pack.

Patriots vs Broncos

First of all, on Sunday afternoon, the Denver Broncos will visit the New England Patriots. After an impressive second half against the Bills last week, Tom Brady and his offence finally seem to have clicked for the first time of the season.  However, this was also helped by the play of the Bills’ defence on the other side of the ball.

After week one’s surprising win against the Steelers, Peyton Manning has been less than impressive even if the Broncos did beat the Raiders last week 37-6. The edge on defence definitely goes to Denver, but I believe the Pats’ offence is simply too strong, and they will be playing at home.

Pick the Patriots.

Chargers vs Saints

The Sunday Night special should be a good one. The Saints, who have yet to win a game this season in four starts, will be hosting the somewhat surprising San Diego Chargers. If the Saints still hold out any hope of challenging for the playoffs, they will need to win this game.

I believe the Dome will help them break that losing streak. After all, they lost by a single point last week to the Packers, and they would have won if it wasn’t for their very average kicker. Drew Brees connected with his favorite weapons regularly in Green Bay, and look for him to repeat his actions in the dome this weekend.

Pick the Saints to win.

Upset special of the week

In the last featured match-up of the week, I am not so sure why, but the Vegas line sees the Seattle Seahawks as the underdog in their duel against the Carolina Panthers.

It is true the the Seahawks have looked great at moments and not so bright at other times in the early going, but the Panthers always seem to find a way to lose. Even if the Panthers are at home, I prefer the visitors in this NFC battle.

Pick the Seahawks to win.

• By Manny Frag
• October 4, 2012
• Comment

As promised, here’s the first 5 rules.

1) You must support the team from the area where you grew up.

The only exception to this is if your city has no team, but you enjoy watching the sport/league in question. A prime example is in Toronto, where people follow the Buffalo Bills, as there’s no NFL team in Southern Ontario. (Not yet anyway. The new deal between The Bills and Rogers will be interesting.)

2) In the event your city does eventually get a franchise, you’re allowed the choice of sticking with your current team or following the new one.

However, you can only pick one; you can’t support both.  I appreciate you may have trouble deciding which to follow, much like dating two girls at once. But continuing to divide your loyalties just proves you’re not serious enough about either of them. It doesn’t matter if one plays two big ones up front while the other is nice and tight at the rear.

I’m talking about deciding between two soccer teams, of course.

3) No bandwagon jumping.

You stick with your team through the good times and bad. I realize certain franchises have more downs than ups.  However, much like family, you’re stuck with them. (To be fair, you could never accuse Maple Leafs of this. If anything, they are TOO loyal.)

4) If you move to another city for college or work reasons, you’re not allowed to change your allegiance to the team in that area (unless the city where you grew up had no professional team; see rule one).

By all means go to the games, but you can’t pick them as your new team. Like your wife, it’s “till death do us part.”  (Speaking of the missus and partners in general, you can’t swap over to following her team “just to keep the peace”. This move automatically brings into question your very manhood and deserves a “bitch-slap.”)

5) Even if your favourite player is traded away/signs elsewhere, you cannot start supporting their new team.

Much like moving cities, you can watch the new ball club whenever they play (as long as it doesn’t clash with your team’s schedule), but that’s it.

Right, I have a wedding to go to.  Click here for part two.

• By paul.taylor
• July 27, 2012
• Comment