Prime Time Sports - 5:40PM Today

[Areathrasher]

Missed this. Recap?

[Cashcleaner]

Yeah, I'd avoid that whole "Argos are arrogant" thing.

It's not a dig at the fans, or even so much the organization. It's more an observation of how the club has operated over the past few years.

But this is where we lose face. Hybrid grass is installed in big leagues all over the world. Famous teams play on them including but not limited to:

Chelsea
Arsenal
Liverpool
Man City
Man United
Tottenham
Bayern Munich
and on and on….


If the biggest leagues in the world play on this hybrid surface… surely MLS teams can play on it too?

The real issue is whether hybrid grass can support CFL football and soccer being played concurrently and what's the plan if it doesn't?

Well obviously the issue isn't about hybrid turf by itself - like you said, it's about the pitch being used full-time by both a CFL team AND a soccer team. I suppose I should have clarified that point more.

The hybrid stuff is still looked at as grass - because it is. It's just reinforced to make it stronger. Elite player won't play on turf, and the players at the clubs listed certainly don't look at their pitches as anything but grass.

But yes, the issue is the pitch quality. And Wembly is a great reference point. An NFL exhibition game destroyed the pitch before an England match.

That's the key modifier. BMO Field won't be hosting the odd exhibition game from time to time, the pitch is gonna be played on a regular basis by us and the Argos. Even with a hybrid turf, how it's able to keep up under those conditions is really up in the air right now.

[Shakes McQueen]

I wish brunt or blair would be on instead of "get the pucks in deep" ken reid.

Ken Reid, much like Damien Cox, just craves Bob's approval. He also fancies himself a jokester, which makes him truly insufferable, because when you get past that facade, there's no real knowledge there.

[prizby]

Cheers everyone...anyone who missed it:

http://pmd.fan590.com/podcasts/pts/p...11th---6pm.mp3

from 37:45 on

A few tips for being interviewed on live radio/TV I've picked up over the years:

Remember to speak slowly and clearly and calmly.
Don't say "ummmm" "ahhh"

this was the toughest

ARGOS are coming, like it or not.

and like it or not, we don't have to roll out the red carpet for them

Explain this for us, I'm sure Bob is going to point this out.

Credit to Leiweke; always keeps his word; said he'd owe us 1 if we took the #NoArgosAtBMO banner down for one game; buys us drinks post game

Happy to; read the first dozen words; stop at that.

Keep the talking points simple. This isn't about soccer fans hating on CFL fans and vice versa - your argument should simply come down to the fact that BMO Field is completely unsuitable for the Argos.

We REQUIRE a grass field to keep our current players happy, and to ensure that future talent won't be turned away. The grass pitch just will not stand up to the punishment from both teams, and the proposed hybrid turf will likely only mitigate the negative effects of such.

McCown will undoubtedly talk about how BMO Field was always intended to be a multi-use stadium. Tell him that regardless of what was talked about in 2005-2006, BMO Field was built, had grass installed, and renovated multiple times since then all with the approval of the city and Exhibition Grounds board.

And further remind him that the Argos did in fact have a chance to groundshare with TFC at York university. A deal that completely fell apart because the Argos backed out to stay at Rogers Centre. I would also like to know where the Argos get their arrogant attitude - seeing as how they feel like they bully everyone around to give them all that they want.

A lot of what I feel I said; I honestly was expecting him to debate me on some of the points, not really roll over and accept them; maybe if it was at 5:40 like planned, he would have...I had a lot of counter points saved for an actual debate, but I guess timing sometimes sucks

[Jack]

I think they may have expected a bit more dirt.

[Pint]

Once they heard the banner was allowed back up next game and for the rest of the season they seamed to lose interest. Seams like most of what had been reported during the day about the banner being forced down and trading that for beer etc was false (no shit, i saw the interaction myself).

Really think they wanted to run the big bad boss man throwing his weight around in new stadium angle etc.

Anyway it was good publicity for noargos@bmo

[brad]

Great job. Got the point across as pro TFC and not anti-Argo. Gave Bob nothing to contest.

[Cashcleaner]

Good job, Priz. A bit of a shame the issue wasn't the show's lead, but it seemed to me that McCown and his crew couldn't really find a flaw in your argument.

[aajking]

Well done! Look forward to TFC stories becoming more a priority for sportscasters in the future. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

[ensco]

It's the Leiweke part that made this interesting for McCown, not the TFC or the Argos part. This whole thing is a Leiweke vanity project, and McCown must be dying to tee off on him for it. Too bad he also works for him.

He actually was being a good journalist there, letting the facts speak.

Really good job by prizby. THAT is how you protest something - with respect, and the ability to adapt with subtlety. Leaves the other side dumbfounded.

[Yagbod]

It will be back on Wednesday, possibly with the old one from last year that was up every game and garnered zero attention.

It would be really cool if there were some others there as well. Please chip in if you have the time. It may be a done deal but we don't need to roll over and take it lying down.

[OgtheDim]

Games on Rogers Sportsnet............maybe they won't be as fastidious about avoiding anti-CFL discussions.

[Huyton]

Credit to Leiweke; always keeps his word; said he'd owe us 1 if we took the #NoArgosAtBMO banner down for one game; buys us drinks post game

Now there's a great way to make sure that Anti-Argos signs sprout up all over the stadium...the possibility of free beer if you take it down!

[Yagbod]

Now there's a great way to make sure that Anti-Argos signs sprout up all over the stadium...the possibility of free beer if you take it down!

We did not get free beer as part of any deal for taking it down. There is a semi colon in that tweet.

We get a meeting with Leiweke to discuss the issue. That was the deal.

He saw us after the game and invited us into their free beer tent. Not part of the deal. I think he felt bad because he was crazy angry at us at the time he asked us to take it down.

It will be back up tomorrow.

See my timeline for an explanation of what happened.

@Yagbod

[Rotoomm]

Could having the sign up not display bad publicity? I read on a separate forum that, for example, the NHL teams all have multi-use facilities, many of which compromise the conditions of the ice. The point was made that if these teams in a billion dollar league can share these public facilities with other franchises, sports, concerts etc, why can't/shouldn't TFC? legitimately, could you see Leaf fans brining signs like this to a Raptors game, or Toronto Rock game (which is a smalller budget league, much like the CFL)?

Tough argument, but at least MLSE has come outright and said that they are willing to spend millions on leading technology to ensure the pitch is sufficient... Having said that, as it has been stated, the pitch may not be perfect, but if less that perfect ice surface conditions can work for the NHL, why shouldn't they be able to work for MLS?

[Fort York Redcoat]

Could having the sign up not display bad publicity? I read on a separate forum that, for example, the NHL teams all have multi-use facilities, many of which compromise the conditions of the ice. The point was made that if these teams in a billion dollar league can share these public facilities with other franchises, sports, concerts etc, why can't/shouldn't TFC? legitimately, could you see Leaf fans brining signs like this to a Raptors game, or Toronto Rock game (which is a smalller budget league, much like the CFL)?

Tough argument, but at least MLSE has come outright and said that they are willing to spend millions on leading technology to ensure the pitch is sufficient... Having said that, as it has been stated, the pitch may not be perfect, but if less that perfect ice surface conditions can work for the NHL, why shouldn't they be able to work for MLS?

Not good enough.

Why lower your standards to compare with others?

[Rotoomm]

Not good enough.

Why lower your standards to compare with others?

I think with responses like this it comes across like we think TFC is bigger than franchises in billion dollar leagues. Will the pitch be perfect every game? No, but has the pitch been perfect in every previous game? Absolutely not. Im just trying to relay the point that TFC fans could be come across as spoiled if we expect to have our own stadium all to ourselves, when even the wealthiest franchise in the NHL makes due with less than "perfect" playing conditions. Do their fans bring signs in demanding the Leafs get their own home? Things like this probably shines in a really bad light to those on the outside.

[Fort York Redcoat]

I think with responses like this it comes across like we think TFC is bigger than franchises in billion dollar leagues. Will the pitch be perfect every game? No, but has the pitch been perfect in every previous game? Absolutely not. Im just trying to relay the point that TFC fans could be come across as spoiled if we expect to have our own stadium all to ourselves, when even the wealthiest franchise in the NHL makes due with less than "perfect" playing conditions. Do their fans bring signs in demanding the Leafs get their own home? Things like this probably shines in a really bad light to those on the outside.

Move this talk back to the Argos to BMO thread. I'll correct your misunderstandings there. This is for talk of the radio show. Feel free to share how you felt the guest speaker came across.

[prizby]

I think with responses like this it comes across like we think TFC is bigger than franchises in billion dollar leagues.

why shouldn't we...it gets rammed down our throat every chance from Tim and Tim about how they want BMO Field to be world class; how they want TFC to be world class; the least we can ask for is every attempt to keep the pitch world class

[brad]

^^not to mention that MLS states their goal to become a top league. That does not happen overnight, it takes ongoing growth of the league. Part of that is not taking backward steps to shared, inferior stadiums.

[GabrielHurl]

video is up here now - http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/tfc-s...ow_ids=1617293