Aug. 29, 2003. 12:42 AM
 

Argo bashing the 'clean fun' way all for the good of the game
By Scott Radley

Bill Andrews remembers the moment The Phrase became legitimate.

It was in the mid-'80s. Former Tiger-Cats' coach Al Bruno was being interviewed and at some point, the discussion turned to the hated Argonauts. In a hilarious moment in which the fans and the team emotionally melded into one, Bruno turned to the reporter and said, "Yeah, you're right. They do suck."

At that instant, Andrews became a disciple of the mantra. And the seeds of a cottage industry were planted.

Chances are you don't know the 36-year-old millwright. But if you have even the most basic understanding of anything to do with the tenants of Ivor Wynne Stadium, you're likely familiar with his work. At least, the stuff he does in his off hours.

Since 1999, he's been the guy behind Argos-Suck.com. A web site dedicated solely to the trashing of the Argos. In a lighthearted kind of way.

To promote it he's had an airplane trailing a banner fly over the stadium on Labour Day. He's hung banners on 403 overpasses. He's had buttons, hats and shirts made. And there's been tons of word-of-mouth. After all, every time someone at the stadium yells Argos suck -- which is basically all the time whenever Toronto is in town -- it's a plug for his site.

"It's good clean fun," he says. "It's meant to promote the whole rivalry."

Andrews grew up in town, just off Aberdeen. From as far back as he can remember, he's been a Cats' fan. He saw his first live game with his grandmother in 1981 when the Alouettes and Vince Ferragamo were in town. The Cats won 16-11. That one experience made him a die-hard.

By the early '90s, he was a regular. Season tickets. Tailgating before every game. Then he and his buddies went to the 1997 Grey Cup in Edmonton between Toronto and Saskatchewan. He bought 500 Argos suck buttons to try to peddle. He couldn't keep up with the demand.

"Everybody wanted those flippin' buttons," he says.

After making an unexpected profit on the sales, the idea of taking things further really took off. A web site to promote their distaste for the double blue was born.

"(It was) Just guys being really stupid," he says. "And a lot of beer."

From the day he and his buddies went online with the idea, the hits started coming. He estimates there've been close to 20,000 visits already. And the site has grown.

Today there are photos of Argos suck buttons at various places around the world. Everywhere from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to Bourbon Street to Stonehenge to Euro Disney to the White House.

There's the hall of fame with it's lone inductee, former coach John Huard. There's even an online game in which you can mess with Mike O'Shea's face.

But his favourite part is the celebrity photos. Famous people wearing the buttons. Or being ambushed by having their photos taken while not realizing someone behind them is holding one up.

His favourite is Chris Schultz. He'd love to get Pinball Clemons, though he suspects the Argos' coach would be co-operative, thereby taking most of the fun out of it.

Ironically, Andrews admits he's a little bothered when the whole Argos sucks thing takes on a nasty flavour. He's seen people act like idiots and turn the fun mantra into a near-homicidal chant. It makes him uneasy.

"It's never been a hatred," he says. "You want to see the league thrive. It's all about fun. But I'll be blunt. I don't like them."

Even now. Which isn't easy. Because an 0-10 record can suck the spirit out of even the most ardent fans. Hits on the site have been down a bit. Submissions have fallen off. Interest is at a low ebb. Some of his friends are needing their arms twisted a bit to come out to the games. Even he's feeling the strain. Partially because of the team and partially because of the twin 14-month old girls at home that take much of his time these days.

"It's got a bit stagnant lately," Andrews says.

But he knows it'll come back. As soon as the wins start happening, the enthusiasm will return. And when it does, the spite that's always been there for Toronto will be back too.

"It's a passion," he says. "Absolutely. There aren't enough people in the town who are proud to be from this town."

That sucks.

sradley@thespec.com or 905-526-2440