Top 150 Moments? Great! How about a Bottom 150?

[shayman]

I really like the Top 150 Argonauts Moments list, especially when i realize I was lucky enough to witness more than a few of these personally. Thank you, Mike Hogan and Paul Woods. (and Don Landry, and Danny Webb, and James Fraser). I bet it was a blast putting that together.

In a spirit of fun, and realizing how lucky we all are to be fans of this great franchise with its awesome history - what would be on your Bottom 150 list?

I'd include:

* July 26, 2007: Frank D'Angelo performs "O Canada" and is booed so badly that he's forced to issue a press release apologizing.

* A halftime show in the Sherwood Schwarz area that consisted of fans racing to see who could drive a screw into a block of wood with a power drill the quickest. Imagine how much fun that was to watch.

* Another Sherwood Schwarz halftime show, featuring supermodels attempting to kick field goals (and the band was invited onto the field to play "Tada!" after each one

* Anything to do with John Huard - popsicles, etc (although his resignation led to Pinball Clemons as coach, so THAT was a positive)

* In the dark days of the mid-1990s, an outdoor pregame fun fair kind of thing that featured a big inflatable slide for the kids, which happened to be a model of the Titanic, crashed into an iceberg and sinking, which was maybe not the best metaphor

[gilthethrill]

The hiring of Bart Andrus as HC for the 2009 season?
QB Kerwin Bell getting Pinball so mad that Pinball had to be restrained by players on the Argos sideline as the season slipped away on a cold November Saturday afternoon in Hamilton in 2001?
QB Kerwin Bell spiking the football after scoring a TD only to have the ball strike him in the groin at a high velocity.
Kerry Joseph signing/ Michael Bishop contract extension press conference.
Never getting Neg List QB Luis Perez to sign his name on a contract.
An incident on the train ride home after an embarrassing loss in Montreal in September of 2016 that resulted in the releasing of 3 starting Receivers.

[shayman]

I wrote up a few of my favourites. At least from the pregame/halftime show perspective. Good and bad.

https://blog.hayman.net/blog/2023/10...alftime-shows/

[Will]

These are on-field lowlights (in no particular order):

1. Allowing Matt Dunigan to leave as a free agent after the 1991 season. Whilst there were other factors at play (off-field too), the consequence of this move was that the Argos fell to 6-12 in the 1992 season, and went 14-40 over the next three seasons. This also exacerbated the team's decline in Toronto.

2. The 8 for 8 trade that sent Tracy Ham to the Argos. He was put into a run & shoot offense that didn't fit with his skill-set. the Argos were 3-15 and Edmonton won the Grey Cup that year.

3. 2013 and 2021 Eastern Finals

4. Losing the 2007 East Final at home. Who knows what happens if Argos win the Grey Cup that year? C & S ownership started to fall apart the next year.

5. The 2016 Grey Cup Festival generally. It was embarrassing to see so many events lightly attended.

[kellynjk]

Okay I definitely need to see the "Argos players join Argos Cheer" again - maybe sometime this year - it was awesome!!

[ArgoGabe22]

Not sure if these are the "worst", just some bad moments I remember.

1. Wet T-shirt contests?
2. The Bart Andrus Era was just bad football.
3. Can one argue the move to the Dome was ultimately a bad move?
4. Drew Willy Trade. The trade itself was a write off. No team really "won" the trade and defended it at the time but that was just a low point and might have been the first time I openly booed the Argos at halftime.
5. Kerry Joseph joining the Argos while Bishop went on a nice undefeated run as the starter was just awkward.
6. Prefontaine traded to Edm. I believe he went public with his displeasure. Glad he came back and retired as an Argo.
7. John Avery impersonating Pinball on TSN's Off The Record and expressing his displeasure, when he would be replaced by Ricky Williams. Also just awkward.
8. Anthony Davis signing in the 70's for big money. Was a bust.
9. Pacino Horne's holdout. Just came and gone.
10. Eastern Final post game melee with Edwards, Murphy and Ticat fans.
11. "Home is where the heart is, its also where we hit people" marketing campaign. Which I thought was a bit of an overreaction by non-football fans online. Would probably look worse today.
12. Byron Parker challenging an online poster to one on one. Can we say who that was? LOL. Makes the situation worse/funnier?

[shayman]

Trying to remember - did the Wet T-Shirt contest thing actually happen? I thought it was a plan that Jeff Giles and Geoff Fardy had cooked up, but it was (thankfully) kiboshed by the commissioner before the season started.

[shayman]

2000: Lions 51, Argos 4, a home game in which it sure seemed like the players had just quit on their coach, was just about the lowest on-field point I can remember. Huard may walk plank after Lions embarrass Argos

[gilthethrill]

Trying to remember - did the Wet T-Shirt contest thing actually happen? I thought it was a plan that Jeff Giles and Geoff Fardy had cooked up, but it was (thankfully) kiboshed by the commissioner before the season started.

Then CFL Commissioner Micheal Lyscoe (sp) dropped the hammer on that idea and rightfully so.

[Will]

Not sure if these are the "worst", just some bad moments I remember.

1. Wet T-shirt contests?
2. The Bart Andrus Era was just bad football.
3. Can one argue the move to the Dome was ultimately a bad move?
4. Drew Willy Trade. The trade itself was a write off. No team really "won" the trade and defended it at the time but that was just a low point and might have been the first time I openly booed the Argos at halftime.
5. Kerry Joseph joining the Argos while Bishop went on a nice undefeated run as the starter was just awkward.
6. Prefontaine traded to Edm. I believe he went public with his displeasure. Glad he came back and retired as an Argo.
7. John Avery impersonating Pinball on TSN's Off The Record and expressing his displeasure, when he would be replaced by Ricky Williams. Also just awkward.
8. Anthony Davis signing in the 70's for big money. Was a bust.
9. Pacino Horne's holdout. Just came and gone.
10. Eastern Final post game melee with Edwards, Murphy and Ticat fans.
11. "Home is where the heart is, its also where we hit people" marketing campaign. Which I thought was a bit of an overreaction by non-football fans online. Would probably look worse today.
12. Byron Parker challenging an online poster to one on one. Can we say who that was? LOL. Makes the situation worse/funnier?

I'm not sure if we had figured it out by that point.

[kellynjk]

* July 26, 2007: Frank D'Angelo performs "O Canada" and is booed so badly that he's forced to issue a press release apologizing.

Oh man I remember that - it was SO CHEESY and so embarrassing. I couldn't believe they let that guy sing at the game - remember he used to have that bad tv show that he paid to put on tv on some local network! That was definitely one of the low moments at an Argo game!

[argofandave]

My worst moment in Argos history would be the second game of the two game total points East Final in 1986 against Hamilton.

[ArgofanIan]

My worst moment in Argos history would be the second game of the two game total points East Final in 1986 against Hamilton.

I lost a dozen donuts to a Ticat fan on that game... it was so painful to pay him. I think we were up by 20 ish points at one point. This game and the Calgary GC loss in the rain have to be the most painful losses to me.

Lots of off field pain but don't want to talk about that kind of stuff this week.

[ArgoRavi]

My worst moment in Argos history would be the second game of the two game total points East Final in 1986 against Hamilton.

All the East Final home losses (1984 in OT, 1986 (Game 2), 1988 (after a dominant 14-4 regular season), 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2021) are real low points, in my opinion. That 1986 game was as bad as any although 1984 leaves me pissed off to this day.

There's nothing worse than losing a divisional final at home.

[OV Argo]

Zack Collaros gifted to the Bummers that gets them 2 straight GC wins ?

[Argo57]

All the East Final home losses (1984 in OT, 1986 (Game 2), 1988 (after a dominant 14-4 regular season), 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2021) are real low points, in my opinion. That 1986 game was as bad as any although 1984 leaves me pissed off to this day.

There's nothing worse than losing a divisional final at home.

You took the words out of my mouth Ravi, nothing worse than losing the Eastern Final especially to Hamilton.

[argolio]

Sept 12, 2008 blowout home loss to Winnipeg. Never seen an Argo crowd get that ugly. A boo-fest right to the end.

[Will]

Zack Collaros gifted to the Bummers that gets them 2 straight GC wins ?

I think this needs some time to play out still, however I would lean towards saying no here. Yes, the Blue Bombers won Grey Cups in 2019 and 2021, however, it isn't as if this trade set the Argos back either. The 2019 season was a lost cause anyways, the 2020 season was wiped out by COVID and the Argos have finished first in the division three years in a row with one Grey Cup in that span.

["Issues"Mcgee]

This one started out as a low point but ended in glory:

2017 Home Opener vs the Ticats. The Argos had successfully moved to BMO Field the season before, so they had the championship banners raised at their new home for the first time. It was to be a glorious moment symbolizing the team's new found stability and triumph over the adversity they had faced in the seasons leading up to the move to BMO.

Ticat fans were everywhere and they brought their attitude with them. Y'see in those days, Hamilton used to beat the Argos a lot.

The pre-game ceremony started off great but, as the banners were rising, it was immediately apparent something had gone wrong. A clown show ensued with one of the workers falling over and getting dragged across the field by the rope he was holding on to. During that frantic scramble, one of the banners ripped in half. I forget which year it was, because the whole scene was traumatic to watch and I may have partially blacked out due to the stress of having to sit through that.

It was humiliating. The laughter of the Ticat fans in the audience was unbearable, but no one had predicted what happened next.

The Argos destroyed the Ticats. Absolutely slaughtered them 32-15. It was never close. As for the Ticats fans, I will always remember how their moods completely shifted. They became hostile. They were frothing at the mouth. It was incredible.

The game was so good, everyone forgot about the banner raising disaster. It was never talked about or mentioned after that.

[Will]

This one started out as a low point but ended in glory:

2017 Home Opener vs the Ticats. The Argos had successfully moved to BMO Field the season before, so they had the championship banners raised at their new home for the first time. It was to be a glorious moment symbolizing the team's new found stability and triumph over the adversity they had faced in the seasons leading up to the move to BMO.

Ticat fans were everywhere and they brought their attitude with them. Y'see in those days, Hamilton used to beat the Argos a lot.

The pre-game ceremony started off great but, as the banners were rising, it was immediately apparent something had gone wrong. A clown show ensued with one of the workers falling over and getting dragged across the field by the rope he was holding on to. During that frantic scramble, one of the banners ripped in half. I forget which year it was, because the whole scene was traumatic to watch and I may have partially blacked out due to the stress of having to sit through that.

It was humiliating. The laughter of the Ticat fans in the audience was unbearable, but no one had predicted what happened next.

The Argos destroyed the Ticats. Absolutely slaughtered them 32-15. It was never close. As for the Ticats fans, I will always remember how their moods completely shifted. They became hostile. They were frothing at the mouth. It was incredible.

The game was so good, everyone forgot about the banner raising disaster. It was never talked about or mentioned after that.

The 2017 Grey Cup banner was raised during the 2018 home opener against Calgary.