(NOT) EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE.
I don't know what the official attendance was for today's Argonaut Grey Cup parade, but it was nowhere close to the throng that attended the 1983 Grey Cup parade. Back in those days, the Maple Leafs were a terrible squad and had been for a few years (sound familiar?) The Bluejays were just getting good, but wouldn't win a title for another couple of seasons. The Raptors were still a decade away from being conceived. But the Argos were a force. From a 2-14 record in 1981 to an Eastern Conference title in '82 to the Grey Cup in '83, the Argos were hugely popular. Guys like Condredge Holloway, Cedric Minter, Paul Pearson, Jan Carinci, Dan Ferrone, Don Moen and Joe Barnes were easily identifiable on Toronto streets (or in the bars) And so it was that the 1983 Grey Cup parade was, in a word, terrifying.
29 years ago today, an estimated 60 thousand fans showed up along the parade route to cheer the Argos on. I was covering the event for CKEY radio, and was driving the station vehicle with Jim (Shaky) Hunt riding shotgun. We were part of the procession with the players and coaches, who were riding in vintage convertibles along the parade route. As the parade began, Hunt noticed a lonely soul, wearing a snazzy sheepskin coat, standing on the curb. It was Argo coach Bob OBillovich. "Hey Obie", yelled Hunt as he rolled down the window "You need a ride?" And so it was that I got to drive the Grey Cup winning coach and one of the greatest sports journalists ever into a war zone. You see, the Argos hadn't won the Grey Cup since 1952, and the fans hadn't seen a parade of any kind since the Leafs won in 1967, so they were up for just about anything. The CKEY car was an ugly, multi-coloured Plymouth Reliant. Inside was a smart-mouth talk show host (me), a controversial, outspoken personality (Hunt) and the greatest coach Toronto had ever seen since the days of Punch Imlach (Sorry Leo). When the fans, many of whom were drunk, stoned or both, saw the car and the inhabitants, they went wild. A bunch of them started banging on the hood of the car and then began rocking the car back and forth. "Arrrrrrrrgos" they chanted. We thought we were going to get tipped over. OBillovich, realizing that he might not make it to Nathan Philips Square in one piece, unlocked the back door, said "I'm outta here" and took his chances among the great unwashed. Hunt and I were "on the air" using the car's two way radio to describe the scene to the listeners, while at the same time begging for help. In my panic-striken mind, I thought that blowing the horn might quell the mob. It only made it worse. I can still feel the car almost tipping over on it's side as Hunt yelled something like "Hebscher, get us out of here". Remember, this was being broadcast live on the air. Up ahead, we saw other Argo "fans" trying to tip over the car that Carl Brazely was sitting in. It was a madhouse. While our car was still on all four wheels, Hunt opened the passenger door and literally jumped out of the car and into the crowd. He would be safer there. I continued along in the company car, which by now had dents, dings, a cracked winshield and wobbly shock absorbers to boot. My two passengers had disembarked into a sea of blue humanity. I continued to report on what I saw as Mounted police had to make their way through the crowd to settle everybody down. It was a celebration for the ages. 31 years of futility gone and forgotten.
I managed to escape with my life that day, and with a story to tell. How I survived the 1983 Grey Cup Parade.
Nice job by CP 24s George Lagogianes today covering the parade with a microphone and a cameraman in tow. Had George been there that day in 1983, reporting live, he likely wouldn't have had as cooperative a crowd as we had 29 years ago. Besides, the Argos had nobody like Adriano Belli, the Kissing Bandit, on that team. If any Argo player tried to kiss another one back then, he would've gotten a punch in the head and a kick in the nuts.
The traditional "bet" between rival Grey Cup mayors took an interesting twist when Toronto mayor Rob Ford was kicked out of office because he violated the city's conflict of interest rules. The deal was, the loser had to donate his weight in food for the Daily Bread Food bank AND wear the winner's jersey in council. . Naheed Sendi donated $650 to the cause and wore an Argo jersey at Calgary City Hall today. But what would've happened had the Stampeders won and Ford wasn't around to pay off the bet? Who would've worn a Stampeders jersey in his place? His brother? Dalton McGuinty?
By the way, a fabulous tweet yesterday from funny man Rick Mercer, who asked "Is it true? Rob Ford is the new governor of the Bank of Canada?" Really, when you think about it, what's happened to the leadership in this country? Mark Carney resigns from the Bank of Canada to take a post in England. Dalton McGuinty resigns as the province's Premier and prorogues Parliament. Rob Ford refuses to acknowledge his transgressions and gets yanked out of the mayor's office. What's next?
A great question was posed today: "Which Justin will be more popular in 10 years, Bieber or Trudeau?" Discuss amongst yourselves. I'm thinking Bieber, who will be 28 and likely still one of the hottest performers on the planet. Trudeau will be 51 and, hopefully for Liberal supporters, the Prime Minister of Canada. Imagine the possibilities. Do you think when the two Justin's get together in the Prime Ministers Office in 2112, Mr. Bieber will be wearing overalls?
I see that the Bluejays made some news today. Closer Casey Janssen had shoulder surgery (try saying that five times real fast), and he joins just about every other Jays pitcher who had some work done this year (Sergio Santos, Kyle Drabek, Dustin McGowan, Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero, etc.). Let's hope Casey is good to go in the spring. If so, the Jays pitching staff will be much improved, and perhaps the best in the league. The Jays coaching staff is now complete as well, with Chad Mottola, Luis Rivera and Demarlo Hale join John Gibbons' staff. Pete Walker is the new pitching coach and Dwayne Murphy goes from hitting coach to first base coach with an eye on the outfielders. Mottola is the new hitting coach. Hale is the bench coach and Rivera is the 3rd base coach and will also tutor the infielders. I can't ever remember spending this much time discussing baseball coaches, but their roles have evolved over the years. Does anybody remember the four Bluejay coaches in their first season, 1977? They were: Harry Warner, Jackie Moore, Bob Miller and Don Leppert. The manager was Roy Hartsfield. The team finished 54-107. Oh how times have changed.
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