TICATS ADVANCE TO THE GREY CUP

TORONTO – Henry Burris threw three touchdown passes to rally the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a wild 36-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division final Sunday afternoon.

Burris cut Toronto’s half-time lead to 24-17 with a late TD strike, then led Hamilton to a 27-24 advantage heading into the fourth. After watching Argos star quarterback Ricky Ray tear it up in the first half, Burris outduelled Ray in the second to lead Hamilton to its stirring victory.

Burris drove Hamilton to set up Luca Congi’s 23-yard field goal to go ahead 27-24 entering the fourth. Burris’s 14-yard TD strike to Greg Ellingston capped a 68-yard march to open the second half that made it 24-24.

Burris was especially cool when Hamilton took the ball at its own 38 with 6:55 remaining. He marched the Ticats to the Toronto 14-yard line – including hitting Bakari Grant with a key 25-yard completion on second-and-19 – to set up Congi’s 20-yard field goal to make it 30-24 with 1:14 remaining.

Toronto took over at its own 35 and Ray took the Argos to the Hamilton 44 before the hosts turned the ball over on downs with 53 seconds remaining. Marc Beswick rounded the scoring by recovering Chad Owens’ punt return fumble in the end zone on the game’s final play.

Hamilton advances to the Grey Cup game next Sunday in Regina against either the Calgary Stampeders or Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Ticats haven’t won the CFL title since ’99.

Burris’s heroics came before a raucous Rogers Centre gathering of 35,418 – that included embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford – for the first East final between the longtime rivals since ’86. That’s the largest attendance in the facility for a CFL game since more than 50,000 watched the Argos beat Calgary in the 100th Grey Cup game last November.
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TORONTO – Scandal-plagued Toronto Mayor Rob Ford caused a bit of a stir Sunday when he showed up at a CFL game to cheer on his hometown team.

Ford donned a Toronto Argonauts jersey and even posed for pictures with fans before heading inside to watch the team take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a berth in the Nov. 24 Grey Cup in Regina.

Fans gathered around the controversial mayor as he took his seat, shaking his hand and giving him high-fives while those sitting behind him looked angry at having their view blocked by the commotion.

Ford is heading into yet another showdown at city council Monday that could see his mayoral powers further watered down.

Councillors are holding a special meeting to vote on a motion that would see Ford’s office and budget essentially moved to the control of the deputy mayor.

It follows two motions passed Friday that weakened his authority, and Ford has threatened to take legal action against council.

The Argonauts publicly scolded Ford after he made crude sexual remarks on live television while wearing the team’s jersey.

CFL commissioner Mark Cohon had also asked Ford – a die-hard football fan – not to attend the game.

(Canadian Press)