Last winter, the Toronto Argonauts talked about winning the 100th Grey Cup at home.
They were delusional. Just trying to sell tickets, right?
Well, after that they went out and got Ricky Ray, surrounded him with the team's best receiving corps in years and meticulously added players who would make an impact on defence.
Oh, and Chad Owens had a season like the CFL has never seen before.
For most of the past decade, the one thing separating the Argos from the Grey Cup has been the Montreal Alouettes.
They are the dean of the CFL East. For them, the Eastern final is just foreplay.
Except this time, the Alouettes were ordinary.
Anthony Calvillo looked more like a 40-year-old quarterback than a guy who threw for over 4,500 passing yards each of the last five seasons.
Star receivers S.J. Green and Jamel Richardson couldn't take advantage of an inexperienced Argos secondary that was also missing East Division all-star Patrick Watkins.
Ricky Ray did what Ricky Ray does: keep his cool, throw bombs and spread out his targets.
Although the Argos' roster is full of talent, including many off-season additions, Ray is the backbone of everything they do.
The veteran quarterback didn't get rattled early on when his team made some brutal mistakes and fell behind 10-0. When he took big hits, he got back up and threw for a few more of his 399 passing yards on the day.
Another player who deserves a mention is running back Chad Kackert, who ran up 139 yards against the Als.
When the Argos released league rushing leader Cory Boyd earlier this season without a real explanation, I was livid.
But it turns out Toronto knew what they were doing. Kackert helped lead the team to a Grey Cup berth, and Boyd lost his starting job in Edmonton.
Owens was a huge factor, and he set an Argos' playoff record of 207 receiving yards without fumbling the ball once. Hanging onto the ball has been a major issue with him this year, so we'll see if he can repeat that feat on Sunday.
Impressive rookie Dontrelle Inman also had a crucial touchdown grab early in the second half that tied the game and got the Argos back in it after a poor first half. Kackert's running major a few plays later gave Toronto a lead they wouldn't give back.
The Argos' defence really buckled down in the second half as well to prevent a Montreal comeback.
Still, it all came down to the vaunted Argo Bounce. Rookie cornerback Pacino Horne took a dumb penalty late in the third quarter that gave the Alouettes a chance to swing the momentum back their way.
He redeemed himself later, first stripping the ball away from Eric Deslauriers when the Alouettes were threatening, and then tipping the pass that Brian Bratton dropped in the end zone on Montreal's last-gasp attempt to tie the game.
That little touch may have been the difference between the Argos going home and playing at home in the Grey Cup.
***
I'm not sure what to make of the late Monday night announcement that John Gibbons is coming back to manage the Toronto Blue Jays.
I know that I certainly had a queasy feeling in my stomach when I saw the news.
The first thing that comes to mind about Gibby, who first managed the Jays from 2004-08, is his infamous run-ins with Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly.
Hillenbrand deserved some come-uppance for what he did and I still don't know why Lilly was mad at Gibbons for taking him out after he got roughed up for seven or eight runs.
I admire the fact that Gibbons dealt with insubordination rather than letting it slide, the way John Farrell did last year.
That's one sure-fire difference: Gibbons is probably the most passionate manager the Jays have had in recent memory, and after finding out that John Farrell was just biding his time last year waiting to go to Boston, that is a breath of fresh air.
Whether you like playing small ball or not, bringing in speedy players like Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio has given the Jays a very fast team. It would be foolish not to take advantage of what you have, and Gibbons wasn't a proponent of small ball the last time around.
I'm also concerned that he could end up clashing with players like Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus. Maybe he can help channel their personalities to be more effective, but that can also backfire.
It just seems like a weird fit.
The guy did produce the Jays' best season since the World Series wins, and surprisingly enough, only Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox have won more games while managing the Jays. But it just feels wrong.
I'm still excited about the Jays' instant makeover of the past week, but I'm not sure what to expect from Gibby the second time around.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at sports@estevanmercury.ca, on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins blog at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. Sorry NHL, but you just lost some Canadian fans to the Blue Jays, maybe for good.
