Preview CFL east final

There will be thousands of people converging on downtown Toronto this coming Sunday. And it has nothing to do with the antics of the city’s Mayor. Instead, football fans will be watching the action inside the Rogers Centre as the Argos and Ticats battle it out in the CFL’s eastern final. These two teams haven’t faced each other in a game this big in 27 years.  And if the Cats win, they’re heading to the Grey Cup. That hasn’t happened since 1999. Ken Welch will join us in a moment to talk about the team preps for the big game.  But first Cindy Csordas tells us how fans are preparing.

“I’m like a kid right now on Christmas eve, times a hundred.”

Dan Black, or Pigskin Pete as he’s known, is just a little excited for the Tiger-Cats game this Sunday.  His Ticats take on the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL’s eastern final:  “Toronto Argonauts are our arch rival, we love beating them, but beating them and going to the grey cup, it doesn’t get any sweeter.”

Jason Allan and the Box J Boys started out as a group of thirteen, and grew to 30 screaming fans. They’re gearing up for this Sunday’s game:  “We’re gonna walk into the Rogers Centre in front of all the Argo fans, rip the Argos apart, then we’re gonna come back, prepare for next week we’re gonna shove the football down their throat, and bring the grey cup back to Hamilton.”

Thursday, troubled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said otherwise: “I’m gonna call up Mayor Britannia and tell him our Argos are gonna spank the little Ticats.”

A comment Ticats fans are laughing at. Jason Allan is part of the Box J Boys: “It is what it is, it’s a downhill spiral for that guy, but it doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re blue on Sunday you’re our enemy.”

Pigskin Pete: “We have our own agenda, the players have their own agenda on Sunday. Just win, no matter what comments are made, we don’t need no fuel, that cup in Saskatchewan is enough fuel for everybody.”

The Argos are in charge of the ticket sales since the games being played on their turf. I’m told there are still tickets available in the north end zone at the 100 level and some in the 500 level. Those tickets are about 30-38 bucks a piece but they’re going fast. So we know how some of the fans are preparing for the big game on Sunday. But how are the players getting ready? Ken Welch joins us with more.

Being inside a dome, weather will not be a factor. You can take it out of the equation. Conditions should be optimal for both teams to perform at their best. I think we’re going to see a good football game, one that, just like in most cases, will come down to big plays, turnovers or lack thereof, and execution.