When I attended my first Argonauts training session last season, one of the things that shocked me was how small Chad Owens really is.  Yes, I appreciate that it states quite clearly in his bio that he’s 5′ 8”, but to see it up close in person is still surprising.

(Let’s just say my respect for Owens increased ten-fold, especially when you compare him to how big the majority of the other players are.)

In any event, when the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player needs new clothes, it would make sense that he goes to Brown’s Menswear, which specifically caters for gentlemen 5′ 8” and under:

Fingers crossed Owens will prove to be as smooth and slick on the football field during the 2013 season.

Photo credit: @Neiley64

If you have any questions, please email me at paul.taylor@bluetoro.ca

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By paul.taylor
• March 6, 2013
• Comment

As you’re most probably aware, Canada is officially phasing out the penny.  Obviously this is a bitter blow to people who try to give as little change as possible to the homeless.

However, for anyone who likes to help out those less fortunate, RBC bank are asking people to drop off their pennies at any branch across the country between now and February 9th.  All the money collected will be used to support Free The Children’s clean water projects around the world.

Not too surprising, helping raise awareness is CFL legend and Argonauts Vice-Chairman Mike ‘Pinball’ Clemons, seen here with volunteer Jacob Neayem and musical artist Tyler Shaw respectively:

All three were in attendance at a special Free The Children media event to kick off this week’s RBC project.

To help show the public that every single penny helps, Free The Children announced how much had been raised so far:

We’re thrilled to announce that together, so far we’ve collected 70 MILLION #pennies for #WeCreateChange! twitter.com/craigkielburge…

— Craig Kielburger (@craigkielburger) February 4, 2013

I think it’s fair to say that’s a lot of money.  However, there’s still plenty of work to be done so grab all of your spare pennies and get down to your local RBC branch as soon as possible.

Photo credits: @jacobneayem and @TylerShawMusic

If you have any questions, email me at paul.taylor@bluetoro.ca

You can also follow us on Twitter @bluetoro_ca and like us on Facebook

• By paul.taylor
• February 6, 2013
• Comment

No doubt a lot of you were feeling rough yesterday after celebrating the start of 2013.  The question is, how did you cope?  Whether its sleeping it off, taking a few aspirin or starting your New Year’s health kick, everyone will have had different ways of dealing with their hangover.

However, I’m guessing none of you decided to fight it with a dip into the icy waters of Lake Ontario.  As outrageous as this sounds, that’s exactly what hundreds of people did yesterday for the Toronto Polar Bear Dip, an annual event that has been raising money for various water projects around the world since 1995.

Just in case there’s any doubt as to how crazy you have to be to take part in the event, this should answer your question:

Amongst those participating were Argonauts offensive lineman Joe Eppele, along with former teammate Kevin Eiben and Greg Wojt of the Eskimos.  Here they are with the original Polar Bear dipper Gaye Courage*:

* If, like me, you thought it was a typo or couldn’t possibly be her real name, note the media pass Ms. Courage is wearing around her neck.

And here’s the guys getting ready to go into the water.  Note the look of trepidation on their faces as they suddenly realise what they’re about to do:

Fortunately the guys survived and Eppele, who just signed a contract extension with the Argonauts, has committed to taking part again next year, complete with his set of antlers.  If you’re interested in taking part yourself, or just want to learn more about the event, click here to visit the website.

Photo credits: @kimrupnarain & @keiben

• By paul.taylor
• January 2, 2013
• Comment