Argos play 2 games in six days this week and if they lose both these games their playoff chances are slim.
Argos play 2 games in six days this week and if they lose both these games their playoff chances are slim.
march/april weather is a greater threat than argos for switch back to plastic pitch ... it was brutal at times, especially the defoe year. actually, this year had the best march conditions since they put in the grass.Originally Posted by glaze
Last edited by Onyx; 08-29-2016 at 08:58 PM.
^ CFL season begins in June
If they lose those two, they will still be within 2 games of a home playoff game with lots of time to get those points back.
Does anyone have a free pair of Argos tix? I want to go, but don't really want to pay when I know that they are giving away 5k free tix /game.
Try ticket trader.
Or walking up to the stadium gameday.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
Perhaps "silly" is the wrong word but as of today, there has been no evidence to suggest that this won't work.
Will a torrential downpour in the fall during a stretch of close games make for challenging conditions one day? Sure. Maybe.
But that one off shouldn't be the "I told you so" moment that sends everyone over the top. This whole season has been terrific from a shared perspective. Grass has been pristine. Game days for both teams have their own branding. Roof is excellent.
In any given season there may be some challenge with this but on the whole, it's working.
I am not an MLSE fan... I think you know that.. but in this instance they have been right. They leveraged outdoor hockey and CFL football into stadium expansion and told us that soccer wouldn't suffer. It hasn't. They were right on that. If anything, the new stadium has injected new interest in the team and resurrected what was becoming a library in terms of noise vs other clubs like Portland.
I dare say that the "atmosphere and new stadium buzz" has injected interest in TFC games that may have been waning.
MLSE was right. This can work. Soccer can take priority.
Completely disagree. You've taken the fact that a new stadium buzz has injected new interest in TFC games and completely ignore the work of improving atmosphere that was already in motion. I can understand that since you weren't there.
I'm not looking for the "I told you so" moment. It will be full of people saying "It's not THAT bad" when it didn't have to be at all. We know this. This reno didn't need a groundshare. It needed the Leafs for a couple of years.
The fact you're bringing this up again after so many pages in tells how long you've been away. We've been very lucky to have the weather we have had this season. There will be days we could have avoided from this move. Enjoy the fact it's not an issue to you.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
we've been REALLY lucky with the weather as this summer has been atypically dry - one of the motivations for the roof was as the fact that it rains frequently on game day - to quote Tim Leiweke:
Ive been to many of the games this year. Its almost like theres a direct correlation between rain and a TFC game, Tim Leiweke, MLSE president and CEO, told a breakfast question-and-answer session with Toronto FC supporters Saturday.
Ive never seen anything like it. Are we cursed or what? Its just the most incredible thing Ive ever seen. We got to get you a roof. The owners know it. [MLSE chairman] Larry Tanenbaum is actually involved now day-to-day on the design of the roof.
Didn't really need $90m in Renos which were paid partially by government subsidies on a stadium they don't actually own but whatever. We have one.
And if it didn't need a ground share then perhaps Leiweke didn't get the message when he was touting Grey Cups.
The irony is that without the Argos, TFC wasn't getting renos.
Done looking for negatives in what is a positive situation so far.
And yes, you have been there longer than me in recent years. If that entitles one to want to see a Canadian tradition fail, or to continue to keep an eyebrow raised with weather reports that's fine. I was on that side. Very wary of turf. Thought this would be a mess. But the evidence is clear that the ground share works. I'm wrong. Happy to see that.
I go in peace. Enjoy your vigil.
Awesome ending. Truly.
Only correction I'll make is I'll repeat I'm not here to tout or back the failure of a Canadian Tradition and have been consistent in this saga of a thread that I wanted what was best for both teams. Grey Cups are one time annuals and were a long way from sharing a schedule. If the Carny Barker implied more he didn't admit to it until the 11th hour well after everyone failed in doing what I, and many Argos fans would aim for first - getting their own stadium or sharing with a Uni team.
But I will continue the vigil/weather reports and hope for the best.
Much respect for your different take.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
this is the kind of back and forth I enjoy ... different opinions - one brotherhoodAwesome ending. Truly.
Only correction I'll make is I'll repeat I'm not here to tout or back the failure of a Canadian Tradition and have been consistent in this saga of a thread that I wanted what was best for both teams. Grey Cups are one time annuals and were a long way from sharing a schedule. If the Carny Barker implied more he didn't admit to it until the 11th hour well after everyone failed in doing what I, and many Argos fans would aim for first - getting their own stadium or sharing with a Uni team.
But I will continue the vigil/weather reports and hope for the best.
Much respect for your different take.
Cheers!
FYI
Check out this tweet at [URL]https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/770650076993716224[/URL]
Wow, that seems really late. I think the MLS buzz will be completely & truly dead long before then.
Might be that way to allow for some rearranging of certain East playoffs if necessary.
trying to buy more space to expand the playoffs even further
Years have gone by and Ive finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: A pretty move, for the love of God.
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I dont give a damn which team or country performs it.
-Eduardo Galeano
Last years final was Dec 6th
oh come on Pookie, don't be so damn self righteous. No one, not even you, can declare the project to be viable in the middle of a dry summer. The issue is rain. and snow, and what wet weather will do to the pitch when there is a professional football game on it. Until we see that, no one can possibly say that the groundshare works. And its hard to believe the ground will stand up to CFL football in a downpour. As of today, though we do not know. all we know is that in perfect weather, its been ok.
There is an additional risk too: football chews up the field. Football fans call for turf. "must have turf to protect the Canadian institution" etc etc. We get turf, lose future Giovinco's. That's the issue.
wouldnt the next step be hybrid if the grass cant handle the rain and snow before full turf?
Yes, and it was awful. Interest really waned as the playoffs dragged on, including some breaks. I thought they were going to tighten it up this year, not have it go so late. Now they went even later.
We were told (Phil or Pint might remember more details) that hybrid is actually really costly to replace.
because of the strands weaved together...it is very difficult to replace say just between the hashes of a pointy ball field.
You'd have to strip it all out...so you might as well not even bother.
MLSE has a an entire field or 2 or 3 near hamilton ready to be harvested and transplanted to BMO with minimal notice if the Argos completely destroy a field during a rain storm.
Agreed. The playoffs need to be somewhat fast and furious. While I know we have our share of single-table champion supporters around here, the chances of a North American league ditching playoffs are slim to none. As such, the games need to come at you like a Euro or World Cup. Every few days there should be a game, then a week, maximum, between semis and the final. Of course, in Toronto, it's tough to generate buzz when the Raptors and, especially, Leafs start playing right in the heat of TFC's season. With the Leafs rebuild showing some promise, they're going to be getting most of the spotlight, while the Raps will mop up most of the rest. And then if the Jays go deep in the playoffs, TFC will be lucky to get any love from the non-diehard support. And then it's even less likely for people to show interest in out of market MLS matches.
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
No other sport in North America has to deal with having an international break of two weeks in the midst of their playoff schedule.
It is what it is.
I don't think it's self righteous to declare the project viable when the facts are that it has been.
We can discuss facts or I guess I can buy you and your Strawmen a beer, which ever is more interesting.
Of course a rainy day might change it... for a game or two. But by and large, it's dry in Toronto more often than it is wet. The summer has about 9 days of rainfall in each of July and August and totals 3.1inches. Those are the facts of the situation.
The Argos don't play in the spring so we really just concern ourselves with Mid June through whenever MLS wants to end its season (which may turn into February at the rate they are going).
I'm not sure if you've been on BMO over the years. We rented it when it was turf and rented it when it was grass in the early days. I can tell you that my experience on the grass was like they held a junior golf clinic the day before. It was chewed and full of potholes like you would expect on a city pitch that isn't watered... only thing missing were the weeds.
What we have now is miles better than what we've ever had.
Now maybe it rains for 40 days, I read that happened in a book once. Maybe floods unleash a herd of gophers. Maybe Woodbine closes and MLSE move them in. (That's 3 beers I owe your buddies)
But for the most part, I'm going to comfortably assume (based on facts) that next summer will have more sunny than rainy days and those days that are rainy will give this excellent grounds crew time to cope and repair... using that "extra field" they grow... prior to the next game.
I think a 2x4 team group stage would do well to drive interest as it would keep 8 markets involved theoretically for 3 games over 10 days.
- You could reward the higher seeds with home games so for example the 1st place team would play 3 home games vs the 3 other teams, 2nd place would play one road and 2 away and so on and so forth.
You could follow this with a cross one game playoff or 2 legged series to get to the mls cup which would be hosted by the top remaining team.
unless its TFC, i will be in Christmas mode by then and not give a poop
I call bull shit. I listened to the Dean Blundell show every morning back in the day from like 2007 to 2010 and sporadically there after. He never once, as far as I recall, said any back handed or snide comments about TFC or soccer in general. I do recall them doing lengthy, comedic segments about how the Argos have no fans in Toronto and constantly berating that franchise. However, nothing about TFC. They even had a jersey and scarf pinned up inside the old EDGE studio location, which was located on Yonge, a few blocks south of Dundas.
He mentioned TFC today actually. Most of it was positive in terms of them playing really well lately and how Giovinco is now injured. He was unsure if they were still in first (confirmed by his cohost) and said they played a stinker on Saturday.
The two stick also came up, and he said he sees how it was offensive but had he been in Montreal as a TFC fan and Mtl fans put something like that up, he would have laughed it off. He did close off by saying why are people getting so worked up for...after all it's only MLS which is Minor League Soccer.
Regarding the late final, I guess this is what you get when you have a 34 match season plus up to 6 more playoff games.
So he generally spoke positively only to ruin it all by dismissing the league. That's just as bad as not even talking about us at all.
so what happens when the champions league matches are played within a couple of days of a pointy ball match...that will happen next season.
oh btw on average in Toronto in June 66mm of rain, July 69mm of rain, August 80mm of rain, September 76mm of rain October 61mm of rain...now what happens if the rain event is during a pointy ball game and we have upcoming mid week matches and weekend matches? we will see this during a more normal Toronto summer. There is no way this is a normal as a motorcycle rider i know how wet the previous summers have been (less riding days) compared to this year which is dryer (more riding days)...
Umm 80mm is just over 3 inches of rain which is what I said.
If we see rain during matches the following could happen:
1. Pitch is fine
2. Pitch is not fine but repairable
3. Pitch is shit
... 2 of the 3 options are manageable. The 3rd, if unplayable, would likely result in a match being rescheduled to when the pitch is repaired.
Worst case scenario, they slog through a rain soaked game (or the reminants of a rain soaked game) in which the conditions become muddy and/or the balls don't roll true. The same thing happens during matches played in soccer only stadiums... such as UEFA competitions in France in 2016... in which the pitch was compromised by repeated use during a stretch of wet weather. The only solution to that is a dome. No one wants that do they? (And yes you can have a dome with real grass... but I think we taxpayers are done handing out corporate welfare to MLSE for stadiums aren't we?)
You can either worry or get on with it. There is no evidence to support your worry thus far though.
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