The Athenaeum Forum

They have met on 216 occasions in the regular season, plus many more times in the playoffs. The Rogers Centre and the site of the new Tim Hortons Field in which the two gridiron competitors call home are a mere 70 kilometres apart. Its one of the best rivalries in Canadian sport. Its the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The long-time foes meet again Friday at the Rogers Centre (TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7pm et/4pm pt) in a game that is a must-win for the visitors if they want to keep their hopes alive for home-field advantage against the Argos, should they meet in the playoffs. Argo head coach Scott Milanovich is a relative newcomer to the hostility between the two clubs. He joined the double-blue last year and guided them to a Grey Cup championship; a fact that drives die-hard Ticat fans insane. Milanovich has an extensive playing career in the NCAA, NFL , XFL and CFL before beginning his coaching career in NFL Europe, then moving back to this country. Despite all of these stops, he realizes this series is something special. "This would be the biggest rivalry Ive been a part of" the coach told TSN.ca. "Ive only been here for a year and a half, but this rivalry goes back. I think weve developed a little bit of a rivalry with Montreal, but this one is fun." Milanovich was only able to experience one Labour Day Classic at Ivor Wynne Stadium, a game in which the Argos scored 22 fourth-quarter points and won 33-30 on a last-minute field goal by Swayze Waters. The thoughts of that game obviously brought a smile to the coachs face. "The Labour Day game was an interesting atmosphere," said Milanovich. "One that I havent really experienced in the CFL before." Milanovich was a star quarterback at the University of Maryland before turning pro. His memories of his biggest rival there arent as pleasant as those of the Battle of Ontario. "Id probably have to say (Marylands biggest rival was) West Virginia" said Milanovich before starting to laugh when he added, "we werent very good, so good rivals were hard to come by." Chad Owens has been a part of the Argo-Ticat tradition for the last four seasons. He loves these games and is pumped about potentially getting back into the lineup for Fridays game after missing the last month due to injury. "Its big, were neighbours" chuckled last years CFL Most Outstanding Player. "Its a big game for both sides. Its a game that could potentially (with help from Edmonton) clinch first place in the East, so theres a lot riding on it." Owens favourite memory from the games hes been a part of was a post-season game. "My first year here was pretty special, when we went into Hamilton and won in the semis, to go on to the Eastern Final. That was a big win for us; the crowd was amazing and it was a great game." The Argos were major underdogs going into The Hammer, but would pull of a 16-13 upset win to move on to the Eastern Final in Montreal. Centre Jeff Keeping is in his eighth season with the Boatmen and recalled several memorable moments in the battles with Hamilton. He eventually settled on his favourite, somewhat fitting considering the amount of animosity that has been produced over the years. "I remember one game in 05 and our kick returner Bashir Levingston ended up getting into it with somebody in the stands," said the native of Uxbridge, Ontario. "They were throwing stuff down at him and then he had a moment of poor decision making and ended up throwing his helmet at them and things got heated from there." Things got heated after the helmet was thrown into the stands. That describes the intensity of the rivalry in one sentence. That said; Keeping loves the tradition of the Labour Day Classic. "Ive got to give them their due credit. Thats a hostile environment and the rivalry there - its been heated on the field, off the field, fans in the stands clashing - thats got to be the one for me." This weeks game isnt at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Sadly, there wont be any more games at the old Balsam St. facility. But when the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats run onto the field to play each other for regular season game number 217, the odds are pretty good that something interesting is going to happen. Brandon Mashinter Jersey . DETROIT LIONS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 9:30 AM (ET) Detroit - RB Reggie Bush, TE Eric Ebron, TE Joseph Fauria, WR Calvin Johnson, QB Kellen Moore, TE Brandon Pettigrew, OT LaAdrian Waddle Atlanta - CB Javier Arenas, DT Jonathan Babineaux, OT Cameron Bradfield, WR Freddie Martino, QB Sean Renfree, OT Jonathan Scott, LB Tyler Starr SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Seattle - DT Jordan Hill, CB Byron Maxwell, OT Andrew McDonald, TE Zach Miller, C Max Unger, LB Bobby Wagner, WR Bryan Walters Carolina - CB Bene Benwikere, LB Chase Blackburn, WR Philly Brown, G Amini Silatolu, G Trai Turner, RB Fozzy Whittaker, RB DeAngelo Williams HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00 PM (ET) Houston - OT Jeff Adams, DB Josh Aubrey, LB Brian Cushing, DB Darryl Morris, WR DeVier Posey, QB Tom Savage, LB Jeff Tarpinian Tennessee - RB Antonio Andrews, WR Kris Durham, TE Richard Gordon, DL DaQuan Jones, CB Coty Sensabaugh, OT Will Svitek, TE Taylor Thompson BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1:00 PM (ET) Baltimore - CB Chykie Brown, LB Arthur Brown, DL Chris Canty, TE Owen Daniels, G/C Gino Gradkowski, RB Bernard Pierce, OT Jah Reid Cincinnati - RB Rex Burkhead, DE Will Clarke, WR A. Tim Heed Jersey . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/ma ... ersey/.com) - The fading Ottawa Senators have a chance to make up some ground in the playoff race on Tuesday night as they play host to the New York Rangers. Joe Pavelski Jersey .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys . -- Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee.ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins have re-signed cornerback E.J. Biggers to a one-year deal. The team also announced Thursday that linebacker Brian Orakpo has signed his franchise player tender. The 26-year-old Biggers returns for a second season with the Redskins and will likely again serve a versatile fourth cornerback. DeAngelo Hall and David Amerson are the projected sstarters, and recently signed Tracy Porter is expected to be the nickel back.dddddddddddd Orakpo, who was designated as a franchise player earlier this month, signed a one-year tender worth about $11.5 million. He can still negotiate a long-term deal with the Redskins, but new coach Jay Gruden this week said he would be OK with Orakpo playing the season under the one-year deal. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '