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, problems in leadership at the NHLPA and more
The Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have not met in an East Division Final since 1986. Patrick Robinson Saints Jersey . While that may seem like an eternity, and by CFL standards it is, this battle harkens back to a battlefield of an era that predates this rivalry by several centuries - Ancient Greece. The Argonauts name can be traced back to the Toronto rowing club that adopted that moniker in 1872. It honours the Greek mythological tale of Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece. So how do the Ticats fit into this epic tale? When a team employs an offence that features two different quarterbacks, it has been known to opponents as a two-headed monster. That evokes the Greek mythological creature the Hydra, which had several heads. If one was cut off, another one would immediately grow in its place. The Argonauts vs the Hydra. A super bout for the ages. For the Ticats of current day, Henry Burris gets most of the snaps at quarterback during the course of a game. Dan Lefevour is not only the short yardage QB, but takes over when head coach Kent Austin believes that an offensive play or series that features his strengths is called for. So do the Argos have to change their defensive scheme for Hamiltons multi-headed offence? "Not at all," all-star middle linebacker Robert McCune told TSN.ca. "Were still going to run our defence. When Lefevour comes in, we have a good idea that its maybe a run or some kind of short yardage pass, but Henry can run the ball too, so we have to prepare for both of them." Safety Matt Black had very kind words for the short-yardage specialist. "Lefevour is a great quarterback," said the Toronto native. "You saw what he did at the end of (Sundays) game. Hes a powerful runner and can get the tough yards." Lefevour basically runs a wildcat offence. Black says that the key to stopping it is simple. "Be disciplined," continued the first-year starter. "If your job is to capture the edge, then you have to capture the edge. If your job is to cover the tight end, then you have to cover the tight end. The moment you start getting nosey and peeking is the moment hell pull it or theyll run a trick play and hurt you on it." In theory, it sounds like a great offence to run, unless of course you talk to the starting quarterback. While Burris hasnt been complaining about the rotation, most quarterbacks will tell you they play better when theyre allowed to get into a rhythm, something that Burris certainly wasnt able to do against the Alouettes in the East Semifinal. Argos head coach Scott Milanovich, a former star NCAA quarterback who played pro in the CFL, NFL, XFL, AFL and NFL Europe, was hesitant to speak specifically about the Ticats situation, but ended up doing so anyway. "My personal experience would be that any quarterback is going to tell you the same thing; that theyd rather be out there for every play," said Milanovich after Wednesdays practice. "I assume Henry would say the same thing, but theres been a period of time this year where wed put Zach (Collaros) in on second-and-three, second-and-four, maybe not for an extended period of time like theyre doing, but most quarterbacks generally dont want to come off the field, so I dont know that Henry would feel any different (laughs)." Argos quarterback Ricky Ray has never been a part of an offence that rotates its pivots the way the Ticats do. Early in his Edmonton days, the QB with the hot hand would be the starter, but they didnt rotate as often as Hamilton does. Would Ray find the situation difficult? "I havent had a lot of experience coming out and then going back in," said the East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Player. "You just have to make the best of it. Theres nothing you can really do about it, you just try to stay in it mentally when youre not out there. The biggest thing is just trying to stay loose, staying warm and being able to go back in." So while not ideal for quarterbacks, Hamilton has proven that the two-headed monster can be a dangerous opponent to contend with. How do the Argos slay the beast on Sunday? Toronto rookie linebacker/rush end Shane Horton has the perfect man for the job. "No question, its Vader." Huh? "Vader has the force like nobody else." It should be noted that Horton is a fanatic about the Star Wars series. He wears a Darth Vader tee shirt under his uniform on game days and his Twitter handle is @Darth_ShaneO So how would the Sith Lord defeat the mythological creature? "Hed just give him a force choke with two hands instead of one." Is that what Horton plans to do against the Ticats? "No, no 15-yard penalties. Im going to go below the helmet." In the legend it was Heracles, not Darth Vader, that slayed the Hydra. The Argos are hoping to channel their inner Greek hero on Sunday. Mike Hogan is the radio play-by-play voice of the Toronto Argonauts on TSN 1050 radio. You can hear the broadcast on TSN 1050 in Toronto or online at TSN1050.ca beginning with a one hour pre-game show at noon eastern time, followed by the kickoff at 1pm.Natrell Jamerson Jersey .In a statement released Friday, the Catalan club said the Brazil stars recovery would be monitored to determine when he can begin training again. Marcus Davenport Saints Jersey . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win.How about getting the hockey juices flowing with the Stanley Cup final teams touring Europe for a September series against Europes top clubs? As the NHL and the NHL Players Association work to finalize an agreement to bring back the World Cup of Hockey in September 2016, a tournament of the top eight hockey nations to be held in Montreal and Toronto, officials with the league and players union are already musing over other plans to spur revenue. The NHL has rich, long-term TV contracts in both Canada and the U.S. and it generates billions of dollars from corporate sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandise sales. Several NHL team owners told TSN that the leagues biggest unrealized source of revenue is income generated from abroad. North America, after all, represents less than five per cent of the worlds population. The timing has never been better for the NHL to look at international rights, said Ken Yaffe, a former executive with the NHL who oversaw the leagues international business. The NHL has labour stability and media rights stability, said Yaffe, who now runs Yaffe Sports Ventures, a New York sports advisory. The last World Cup, even at the darkest hour of the league, with the CBA expiring a day after the Canada-Finland game in September 2004, was still a bright light for the sport and generated profitability. Now with the great domestic foothold for the league, what better time to look overseas for new ventures? To that end, officials with the league and NHLPA have discussed the possibility of establishing a four-year cycle that might see the league continue to participate in a mid-season All-Star Game, the Winter Olympics, a rekindled World Cup, and games between NHL clubs and those from Europe. One concept discussed would see NHL teams play against clubs in hockeys new Champions League, which was conceived after soccers hugely popular international tournament of the same name. The Champions League is in its first year and features 26 teams from countries such as Germany, Austria, Finland and the Czech Republic. We have been informed by the league and the union that they have not decided about their fall 2015 European plans, said Szymon Szemberg, the Champions Leagues chief operating officer. Once they do, we would like to coordinate our plans with them. To be sure, discussions about new international ventures between the NHL and its players association are in their early stages, and its possible that the league and NHLPA might decide not to commit to any other international plans until after the World Cup in 2016. Moreover, organizing international events are complex. Timing is an issue. Some NHL franchise owners would resist the idea of taking a mid-season break in February to play games against European clubs, one senior team executive said, citing insurance and player injury issues. This is a league thats still pretty traditional, the team executive told TSN. You would have some owners questioning any kind of pause in the schedule because it might affect a teams momentum and the teams in the south would resist because that time in February after Super Bowl, before March Madness, is their time to shine. Jermon Bushrod Saints Jersey. In 2014, the NHL took a break in February to participate in the Sochi Winter Games. But the World Cup will be held in September 2016, before the start of the NHL season. Thats a time of the year that more easily lends itself to be used for international money-generating events, sources told TSN. You could easily start the NHL season at the end of October, said one official involved in talks between the NHL and its players association. Guys nowadays are coming into training camp in great shape and then for the first month of the season, you have some teams with four- or five-day breaks because schedule makers dont want to go up against the NFL and baseball playoffs. That means guys are practicing more during October and the truth is, they dont need it, the person said. During the shortened season when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, they had one full practice. All year. You know how many full practices they had last year? Two. International revenue will be crucial, especially for the union in coming years if the league is to expand its $3 billion-per-year business. The unions licensing revenue is down sharply compared to past years, a source confirmed, because the video-game and trading-card industries have been hurt by an overall slowdown in the economy, limiting their ability to pay rights fees to all sports leagues. Even if the league and union are able to reach agreements with one another, as well as European teams, over international games in September, there are other possible challenges. You have European leagues starting their season a month before us, so you could have those teams taking a game against an NHL team very seriously, a source told TSN. Then you have the NHL teams who look at this as an exhibition game. And thats how players can get hurt. The NHL has already toyed with international games. From 2008-2010, after the NHL rejected the proposal of buying the Champions League - a move that would have amounted to a $20 million investment to establish a permanent toehold for the NHL in Europe - NHL clubs including the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning traveled to Europe to play games against local European clubs as well as in NHL regular season games. The NHL has made modest investment overseas, but theyve been distracted over the past 10 years because for a period, you have had teams in trouble, problems in leadership at the NHLPA and more recently, great success with the outdoor games, which frankly are easier to organize than international efforts, an NHL source told TSN. The NHL and union in recent months have also discussed the leagues future participation in the Olympics. Its possible that the NHL might decide to limit the ages of players who participate in the Olympics, following soccers lead. To ensure the World Cup is soccers marquee property, FIFA only allows three players over the age of 23 to play on each Olympic team. 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