Ticats

Wednesday August 30, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday August 30, 2017

“We made a large and serious mistake:” Bob Young apologizes to TiCat fans

Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young is apologizing after a controversial near hire that sent fans and corporate partners into a frenzy.

“We made a large and serious mistake. We want to apologize to our fans, corporate partners and the Canadian Football League. It has been a difficult season and we are searching for answers. This is clearly not one of them,” Young said in a statement on Tuesday.

Art Briles – whose invitation to be a coach here was pulled late last night, was fired as the head coach of Baylor University last May after an investigation discovered the school mishandled numerous sexual assault allegations, including some against football players and that “football personnel chose not to report sexual violence and dating violence.”

CEO Scott Mitchell says the franchise was caught off guard by the level of anger that would follow the hiring of Briles, who’d been at the centre of one of the largest sexual assault scandals in U.S. college history.

“We underestimated the tsunami of negativity that was going to happen,” Mitchell told The Fan590 radio station in Toronto.

Mitchell said he believed Briles deserved a second chance after being fired from Baylor but society and the media decided it wasn’t the time. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Friday October 2, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday October 2, 2015 O Canada: Nationalism soars as Jays head into postseason glory For most Canadian baseball fans in the last 22 years, the red maple leaf as a fall classic has been the preserve of trees in their autumnal splendour. But not this October. We as a nation are about to be reminded of that little red symbol on the Toronto Blue Jays logo, during what is hopefully a full month of October baseball in the Great White North. The maple leaf is once more going to be the totem of a Canadian nationalism not seen since the days of Kim Campbell, Pearl Jam and season five of Seinfeld. Whether the players are Canadian Ð it matters not. The Jays are CanadaÕs only Major League Baseball team Ð and their incredible success over the last two months gets the nationalist blood flowing. ItÕs a tribal instinct that makes us all feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves. When Josh Donaldson won the teamÕs last home game in September with a walk-off home run, the SkyDome Ð ahem, Rogers Centre Ð physically shook. It was a tremor felt across the country, united once more by the possibility of whatÕs to come. Part of the reason for the current passion is the excruciating time that has elapsed between anything meaningful (read: winning) in Canadian professional sport. The last World Series and Stanley Cup wins by Canadian clubs both last occurred in 1993. The nationalists have been gnashing their teeth ever since. WeÕve seen this phenomenon before: I remember the overwhelming patriotism fuelled by the Blue Jays in 1985, when the team first won the American League East. Elspeth Cameron wrote in this paper that the club had done Òmore for Canadian nationalism than Terry Fox or Anne Murray.Ó A few years later, in 1992, when the team won its first of back-to-back World Series championships, the country hit peak patriotism. The only comparison journalists could draw upon for the key moment was Pau

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 2, 2015

O Canada: Nationalism soars as Jays head into postseason glory

For most Canadian baseball fans in the last 22 years, the red maple leaf as a fall classic has been the preserve of trees in their autumnal splendour. But not this October.

We as a nation are about to be reminded of that little red symbol on the Toronto Blue Jays logo, during what is hopefully a full month of October baseball in the Great White North.

The maple leaf is once more going to be the totem of a Canadian nationalism not seen since the days of Kim Campbell, Pearl Jam and season five of Seinfeld.

Whether the players are Canadian – it matters not. The Jays are Canada’s only Major League Baseball team – and their incredible success over the last two months gets the nationalist blood flowing. It’s a tribal instinct that makes us all feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves.

When Josh Donaldson won the team’s last home game in September with a walk-off home run, the SkyDome – ahem, Rogers Centre – physically shook. It was a tremor felt across the country, united once more by the possibility of what’s to come.

Part of the reason for the current passion is the excruciating time that has elapsed between anything meaningful (read: winning) in Canadian professional sport. The last World Series and Stanley Cup wins by Canadian clubs both last occurred in 1993. The nationalists have been gnashing their teeth ever since.

We’ve seen this phenomenon before: I remember the overwhelming patriotism fuelled by the Blue Jays in 1985, when the team first won the American League East. Elspeth Cameron wrote in this paper that the club had done “more for Canadian nationalism than Terry Fox or Anne Murray.”

A few years later, in 1992, when the team won its first of back-to-back World Series championships, the country hit peak patriotism. The only comparison journalists could draw upon for the key moment was Paul Henderson’s famous goal in 1972. (Continued: Globe & Mail)

 

Some Toronto love, Hamilton?

Posted by The Hamilton Spectator on Thursday, October 1, 2015

Graeme’s Gallery 2014: Hamilton

The tradition continues with a whole Spectator opinion page devoted to:Graeme Gallery 2014 - Hamilton

October 28, 2014
October 25, 2014

Coming tomorrow: Graeme’s Gallery, the special world edition…

Friday November 28, 2014

Friday November 28, 2014Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday November 28, 2014

Rare football double-double brewing in Hamilton this weekend

(By Scott Radley) It was a brisk November Saturday in Winnipeg — aren’t they all? — when the undefeated, second-ranked McMaster Marauders showed up to go head-to-head with the Manitoba Bisons in a Canadian university semifinal game. The next day, it was the Tiger-Cats’ turn as they visited the hometown Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League’s East final.

Nobody at the time was thinking much about geography and how it might be awhile until a similar story could be told again.

Yet it turns out that weekend 13 years ago was the last time a city hosted a CFL and interuniversity semifinal on the same weekend and won them both. Meaning the McMaster Marauders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have a chance to do something incredibly special this weekend.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013On Saturday at 4 p.m., the Marauders will take on the Mount Allison Mounties in the Mitchell Bowl at Ron Joyce Stadium. The winner goes to the Vanier Cup to play for the national championship in Montreal. The next day at 1 p.m., the Ticats face the Montreal Alouettes at Tim Hortons Field. Winner goes to the Grey Cup in Vancouver.

Win them both and this city will kick off one of the great weeks of football anticipation and pigskin partying this country has ever seen.

“It would be one hell of a week in Hamilton,” Ticat legend Angelo Mosca says.

A handful of Canadian cities have attempted to pull the home-victory double since Winnipeg last did it. As recently as 2013, Calgary hosted both games. While the University of Calgary Dinos advanced, the Stampeders lost. Just as had happened in 2010. In 2002, the Alouettes won when the double took place in Montreal, but McGill lost.

There have been other permutations and combinations. Cities have had their two teams play on the same weekend, but not both at home. Cities have had their two teams win the semis but on different weekends. But it’s been a while since the stars aligned and both hosts won and advanced to their championship games within 24 hours of each other.

It’s already a huge deal. Amazingly, there’s more.

Adding an exclamation mark to Hamilton’s claim as Footballtown or Gridironland or whatever the souvenir T-shirt manufacturers might come up with, is the fact that next week this city is hosting the OFSAA Bowls. Nine high school provincial championships will be played at Ron Joyce Stadium, three each on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Saturday August 23, 2014

Saturday August 23, 2014Illustrated by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 23, 2014

Two-Thirds of the New Stadium for Labour Day Classic

At so many steps along the way in the endless saga of Tim Hortons Field, it’s been easy to come to the conclusion that things couldn’t possibly get any more ridiculous.

Apparently they could.

While it’s certainly encouraging to hear that progress is being made and the place may be partially ready for the Labour Day game — a final decision will be made early next week — the fact that the word partially is included in that sentence is just another head-shaking moment in a long string of them.

Honestly, who opens a brand-new stadium halfway? These moments come along once every generation or longer in most cities.

You’d have to be 92 years old to have been alive the last time a new stadium opened here. So it’s a big deal. Yes, even historic.

Pan Am Stadium Chronology

Pan Am Stadium Chronology

Can you imagine any other major city unveiling its largest construction project and one of its centrepieces when it’s not yet done? Neither can we. Yet in Hamilton, it appears we’re going to ease our way into it as if we’re moving into our new house but can’t use the unfinished master bedroom, dining room and kitchen.

If the word embarrassing hadn’t been so overused, we’d throw it out here again.

On the flip side, what other choice is there? Blame the Ticats all you want for refusing the West Harbour, but that’s old news now. At this point, the team has been backed into a corner and has no choice but to do what it can with this situation.

If the city says the stadium can be used, the Cats probably can’t refuse to play there and still expect the contractor to pay them $1 million a game in penalties. Not without a fight. Besides, where would they play instead?

Back at Mac? They’re going to turn down 18,000 seats to go with 6,000? Even if they wanted to do that, the Marauders have the field locked up for their opener, which starts at the exact same time. Right as thousands of students are trying to move into their residences, which would create traffic havoc on campus.

Could the Cats go back to Guelph? Possibly, though there are only 4,500 seats, so most fans would have to stand or sit on the hill around the field. That said, the university’s athletic director has expressed his willingness to make something happen if needed. (Source: Scott Radley, Hamilton Spectator)