The Canadian Press
The first moment you realize that something isn’t right with Ricky Ray comes a split second after he’s hit. You notice that while Ja’Gared Davis and Cordarro Law are rightfully celebrating their sack of Ray, their teammate, Junior Turner, who has a different angle of what is going on, immediately signals to the sideline for help.
At that point it is no longer about a football game between Calgary and Toronto. The Grey Cup rematch narrative has been abandoned, replaced with one simple question: Is Ricky Ray all right? Sitting in the president’s box (more on that later), you could feel the collective mood at BMO Field suddenly transform from being bummed out by the Argonauts’ performance to sobering thoughts about the long-term health of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play this game.
RELATED:
» MMQB: No reason for panic in Toronto
» Ray released from hospital; will miss ‘significant time’
» Mitchell near-perfect in win over Argos
There are different kinds of quiet at a sporting arena. There is the grumbling/defeated kind that had been persuasive for much of the third quarter as Bo Levi Mitchell masterfully carved up the Argonauts and had his Stamps leading by the ridiculous score of 34-1. Then there is the one that happens when you’re watching team trainers and medical staff all hunched over a very still Ricky Ray as players on both sides of the field are on one knee hoping, like the rest of us, that Ray will give a thumbs up and somehow get up on his own power. As you know, that did not happen, however on Monday night we learned some good news as Ray is expected to make a full recovery.
I re-watched the hit on Sunday morning and the eerie part was right before the play Glen Suitor was wondering if the team should think about taking Ray out. The Argonauts were trailing by 33 points with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Why not give prized off season acquisition James Franklin some reps against real action? Sadly that scenario never came to be.
My original idea was to write about what it was like down at BMO Field for the Argonauts’ home opener. The fact that it was against Calgary made this game just that much more attractive. On top of that, several members from TSN 1050 radio were invited to watch the game from the president’s box thanks to the generosity of Bill Manning and the team. As someone who never says no to a free drink and chicken wings, this was supposed to be a great night, and there were plenty of positives to be mined until the Ray injury. The weather was actually good by game time, a minor miracle when you consider it rained in Toronto for much of Friday night, Saturday afternoon and we got dumped on for much of Sunday. But by kickoff it was a perfect night to watch football. I’ve said it many times, this stadium is a great place to take in a game. Even the cheap seats offer you a good view of the action and you have the skyline to the north and a lake view to the south. I promise I’m not being paid by the Argonauts (except for the ribs I had) but I would recommend any sports fan to check out one game.
No Argonaut game would be complete without at least one full on hug from Pinball, who looked great in his tailored white sport jacket. He always reminds me of the most optimistic version of what a politician should be like. Just boundless energy as he went from person to person, looking you right in the eyes making you feel pretty damn good about yourself. Also seeing him was a reminder that though I try, I will never be able to make the white sport jacket look good on me.
Then there was the experience of sitting in the box next to President Bill Manning as Toronto’s offence was not able to generate a single first down in the opening quarter. Do I make the joke that it’s okay, as Toronto sold their souls to the Devil to win last year’s Grey Cup? Do I yell out loud about the soft cushion being given on the Stampeders’ outside receivers? I’ll give Manning credit, he took in all my gas bagging with good humour and if he was upset he did a great job of hiding it. I appreciate that the location of the president’s box is not in some elevated spot well above the general populace. You’re surrounded by all the fans, which helps to eliminate any sense of corporate elitism. I imagine Jerry Jones would not have approved of this design.
Maybe my favourite moment was talking with Michael Landsberg’s father, Ron, about the game. Ron has been a fan of the team since the end of the Second World War and it’s always fascinating to get that sort of historical perspective. Also it’s a bit surreal hanging around with one fan who remembers the game back in 1945 while next to me is one of TSN 1050’s producers who is under 30 and is suddenly totally hooked on TSN CFL Fantasy (He had Eric Rogers so he had to contain his excitement about Rogers’ night in front of Manning).
As for the game itself, it was soon after the start of the second quarter after Toronto squandered its best scoring chance after a 77-yard fumble return by Ronnie Yell. Not only did the Argonauts fail to convert their only big play into a touchdown, but then Ron Pfeffer missed a short field goal. Instead of a 10-7 game, Toronto came away with zero points, squandering the work done by Yell. Bo Levi Mitchell would then calmly march his team nearly 80 yards, culminating with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Rogers. 17-0, game over.
Watching Calgary’s offensive line maul Toronto from start to finish, it’s pretty clear that if Mitchell has even league average success hitting on his deep balls the Stampeders will once again finish in the 15-win range. You saw a different Mitchell than the one who struggled a week ago against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. On the Stampeders’ second drive he hit Reggie Begelton on a deep corner route for 39 yards despite the coverage provided by Cassius Vaughn. Than on their first drive in the second quarter again a well-placed pass, this time for Rogers who made a hell of adjustment on what would be a 38-yard reception. Mitchell was dialed in and there was nothing Toronto could do. The scary thing is that if Calgary had wanted they could have put up 60 on the Argonauts defence.
In the end, all the storylines about how good Calgary is or the joy one can take being surrounded by friends on a lovely night at BMO feel so insignificant next to backdrop of Ricky Ray’s health. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery to one of the classiest and most productive players in this game’s history.
