Sam Merulla please shut up

Would someone please tell Sam Merulla to shut up...

When he has put as much money into the Ti-Cats as the Caretaker has or run the business like Scott Mitchell has then he can speak... Right now all he is doing is getting his name in the paper... Let the Caretaker work out it out with the CFL and he will get us the Grey Cup shorty... The more he talks the more the CFL will stay away...

[url=http://3downnation.com/2015/09/16/hamilton-councillor-says-cfl-owes-city-some-grey-cups/]http://3downnation.com/2015/09/16/hamil ... grey-cups/[/url]

A Hamilton councillor is demanding the Canadian Football League honour what he says is a commitment to bring two Grey Cups to the city within the next ten years.

Ward 4’s Sam Merulla plans to introduce a motion at council next week directing city staff to meet with the league and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats so the city can host a Grey Cup “as soon as possible.?

Merulla says the league dangled the championship games when council was discussing the pros and cons of contributing $60.2 million to the $145 million Pan Am Stadium project. Due to limitations presented by the old Ivor Wynne Stadium, the city hasn’t hosted a Grey Cup since 1996.

“During the great stadium debate, I can recall vividly the CFL stating clearly in correspondence and presentations that Hamilton would have two Grey Cups within 10 years of the stadium becoming occupied for football,? Merulla said in an interview. “The two Grey Cups signify a commitment from the CFL that they need to keep.?

CFL vice-president of communication Matt Maychak says the Grey Cup is coming to Hamilton – it’s just a matter of when.

“The bottom line is that the Ticats want to bid on a Grey Cup for Hamilton and I’m sure our Board of Governors looks forward to bringing the game there,? Maychak said Wednesday. “Hamilton is a great football city and Tim Hortons is a state-of-the-art facility. We all expect the Grey Cup to come to Hamilton at an appropriate time.?

But the city will likely be waiting at least a few years longer. It’s been widely reported that the 2016 Grey Cup game will be played in Toronto – which hosted the event in 2012 – before heading to Ottawa for 2017 as part of the country’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The CFL has yet to make a formal announcement.

“We just attended Grey Cup in Toronto and I was a little bit surprised that they were on the list again so quickly,? Merulla said.

The are other issues. Stadium builder Ontario Sports Solutions has yet to provide details of the expansion which would allow Tim Hortons Field to go from its normal configuration of 24,500 seats to the 35,000 necessary to host the Grey Cup. It’s one of hundreds of deficiencies still outstanding and the city is holding back $6 million from the builder as a result.

The terms of the 20-year lease agreement between the city and the Ticats states they will work together to make “reasonable efforts to bid for the right to host two Grey Cups during the first ten years subject to mutual agreement of the Tiger-Cats and the City.?

While it’s the team who applies to the league to host the Grey Cup, an organizing committee of civic leaders typically spearheads the effort and Ticats’ CEO Scott Mitchell says Merulla motion is a positive step.

“I think it’s very helpful. We’re long overdue to hold a Grey Cup in Hamilton,? Mitchell said. “I think everyone understands how massively successful Tim Hortons Field has been and I think it’s great to hear that council is behind getting the process started.?

The Grey Cup isn’t just about the game: it’s become a week-long event that generates a massive amount of income for the host city and franchise. The 2013 Grey Cup in Saskatchewan – which the host Riders won 45-23 over the Ticats – generated $93 million in economic benefit to the province and boosted the team’s bottom line by $9.3 million
It would enable us to showcase the renaissance the city continues to go through on a national stage,? Merulla said. “Part of the incentive for the city to support the stadium was that we would see two Grey Cups.?

Sorry forgot to add

We don't an organizing committee of civic leaders that typically spearheads the effort... I know the Box J Boys could do a better job then the local political hacks...

Whether you like Merulla or not, how are his comments harmful to the Ticats? Mitchell, at least publicly, is putting a positive spin on them.

He is in no position to be demanding the CFL do anything.

What do any sports leagues and the owners hate the most? Some politician telling them what do.

He is completely clueless when he says “We just attended Grey Cup in Toronto and I was a little bit surprised that they were on the list again so quickly,?

Maybe if he followed the CFL or did a bit of research he would know it all has to sale of the Argo's and what David Braley got as part of the deal.

He says he "vividly recalls" seeing something in writing from the league ; ) So it wasn't in any kind of agreement that is enforceable.

But why should he shut up? Taxpayers have poured money into the stadium and a Grey Cup is now 4, 5 or 6 years away? A quarter century without hosting a Cup?

I naively thought a new stadium would host within 2 or 3 years of being built - like is happening in Ottawa - and I'd be sitting there in my season seats (instead of in the rafters or end zone where I've been for previous Cups).

1 CUP IN 43 YEARS!

What do politicians and taxpayers hate? Sports leagues and owners taking their money, and telling them what to do.

How is his statement clueless? There was a Grey Cup in Toronto in 2012, and now they’ve jumped to the front of the list for a few more. Part of Hamilton’s deal when getting a new stadium was a Grey Cup. Just because the Argos deal included a few Grey Cups, that doesn’t mean you can just forget about what Hamilton was promised.

Merulla is doing the right thing, and good on him.

Merulla stated that in the list of defiencies for the Stadium, one of the defiencies was the ability to expand THF to
35,000 seats to hold a grey Cup has not been satisfied.
By putting a notice of motion that the City wants to host a Grey Cup, when this inevitably ends up in court over that and many more deficiencies, the Court should surely look in the City’s favour.
$6M is being withheld from the Builder at the moment, and I would think the City should keep every penny of that and more

Not a fan of Sam but I agree completely.

Politicians should shut up and let the private sector and professionals do their job. The only thing that the city should be involved in, is providing the stadium to the team for that date and maybe giving it to them rent free. I am sure the team will have to pay for the temp stands.

Speaking of Sam , whatever happened to his/Ticats big sign idea of about a year ago , that was supposed to promote the city and tiger-cats ............ It was supposed to be erected on city land on the QEW , did the ministry squash that or is it still in the works ?

This is ridiculous. The City should not just sit back and let the league/owners run all over them.

I guarantee you one thing…Merulla never “attended” the last Grey Cup game in Toronto. Don’t forget, he never wanted the new stadium and he doesn’t really like the Ticats. Merulla loves to get his name in the paper and is only interested in the economical benefits the city of Hamilton would get for hosting the Grey Cup and nothing else.

What are you talking about?? the Tiger Cats are a private company and they have a stadium lease with the city, how is that “letting the league owners run all over them” ??? running all over what?

The city paid for a large portion of the stadium, and were promised a Grey Cup. Should council just sit back and twiddle their thumbs while the league gives other cities Grey Cups and ignores Hamilton?

Merulla attends Cats games regularly. I don’t know if he has season tickets but he is there quite often.

I think it's about time that somebody has stood up and said that Hamilton needs to have a Grey Cup. Without City councils blessing the city won't get the game. It needs to start somewhere.

I agree totally, I am not going to get into his politics since this is the forum.

However like the article said “CFL vice-president of communication Matt Maychak says the Grey Cup is coming to Hamilton – it’s just a matter of when.”

I have my faith in the Caretaker and Scott Mitchell that they will get it when it is best for the team and the city. I just don’t want Sam Merulla to ruin our chances by saying something stupid which he does quit often.

Scott Mitchell and Bob Young aren’t the only people who get to determine when it’s best for the city. It’s nice that Sam stepped up and said he thinks the best time for the city is right now.

It's time somebody stands up and if it's true that the CFL said that if Hamilton City Council agreed to the stadium that they would receive two Grey Cup games in Hamilton within 10 years and they should.

Why would Toronto and BMO Field take precedence over Hamilton in hosting the Grey Cup, especially when the last time Hamilton hosted the cup was 1996 and Toronto most recently in 2012?

The Caretaker, Scott Mitchell, the Tiger-Cats, the City, the Province and the Federal Government all worked hard to get a new stadium built in Hamilton for the Pan Am Games and a great place for Football and the CFL Hall of Fame in Tim Horton's Field, and they have every right to expect the deal be honoured in hosting the Grey Cup in Hamilton.

GO CATS GO!!!