TORONTO! It's the kick off of the World Cup and apparently 70% of us don’t care?!? How Toronto. What if I had a cute story about a dog?

00:00:01 - HEY LOOK! IT’S A CUTE DOG STORY: THE DOG WHO SAVED THE WORLD CUP

Tonight we begin with a canine caper! A stolen World Cup trophy. Monty Python named cops, a ransom plot run by people who may have learned crime from the Pink Panther and a story made for the internet, with a surprising Canadian connection. As Toronto welcomes the World Cup, we raise a pint to Pickles, the goodest boy in World Cup history.

00:13:26 - HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH FOR A TICKET?

Canada is playing its first-ever World Cup game on home soil and hundreds of tickets remain unsold. And we think we may know why, they cost approximately TOO MUCH.

But it makes us wonder: assuming you aren't house poor, grocery poor, or just poor - what's the absolute most, you would spend on a single event? From Nickleback to the Blue Jays, we get into our ticket fantasies, fails and limits.

00:26:00 - ELMER THE SAFETY ELEPHANT WAS A FREE AGENT?!?

Elmer the Safety Elephant walked away from Toronto at one point, and gave way to one of the most nightmare fuelled Toronto mascots, we bet you have never seen. Could we interest you in a Troll Doll version of Julian Fantino?

00:35:17 - IS SNEAKY DEE'S THE MOMENT TORONTO FINALLY SNAPS?

A Toronto Star opinion piece argued, we've become the city that preserves the shell while removing the soul. Is Sneaky Dee's becoming a condo symbol of everything Torontonians fear about the city's future? Will we snap or just move to Barrie?

OVER / UNDER APPRECIATED - 00:53:30

Every week we take a look at what’s over and under appreciated.

This week Frozen juice concentrate is making a no name comeback and the mere mention of it, brought up childhood complications. I’m so sorry to the panel.

Your therapist isn’t sending you to Las Vegas to do anything, actually, but this sign guy had a moment.

We think third is the new first, Toronto finished third in a ranking of World Cup host cities and we react exactly how you'd expect a city reacts to winning bronze - by being unnecessarily mean to Vancouver (Meagan edit: exactly how one should react to Vancouver).

01:12:45 - THE APPRECIATION PARADE

Vince tries his best to appreciate the World Cup civic havoc, Meagan’s down with the new keeper of Lord Stanley, and Dan is vibing with that Barrie guy, who let Jesus take the wheel of Air Canada planes.

We hope ya enjoy it! Thanks for hanging out with us for another week of Toronto's teams, memes and past scenes. Got topics or want to join the table? Get in touch with us!

Toronto! We had a full week of nice weather, what doom awaits us?

We begin with the oddest story that starts and ends with a Toronto twist. From meme of the decade Harambe, to barstool sports, and Toronto Tempo awkward timing, it all combines for a story, our local media didn't quite nail.

00:10:06 - Dan went to a bar Kiki Rice went to, then she GOT HURT - so can we blame him?

A scary moment for the Tempo leads us to wonder how it’s Dan’s fault. While Dan wonders, why are we trying so hard to keep people indoors during Toronto's three glorious days of summer? WNBA Outdoor games anyone? Patio watch parties?

00:17:20 - WHAT IF IT ISN’T THE INJURIES? TEAM CALEB.

The reinforcements are coming, they said. It will be fine they said. Vince wants the front office to push the chips into the middle of the table. Dan wonders if everyone is blaming injuries because it's easier than having a much bigger conversation. Dan's on the Caleb rant train, Vince not so much - we get into it.

00:30:11 - PATRICK ROY HAS ENTERED THE CHAT? NAH.

While Toronto media gives out flowers for “hard work” of the front office, we're pretty convinced this is Corporate Hiring Process 101. The real question: are the Leafs preparing fans for a bold choice, or just collecting résumés before they hire the hockey equivalent of chatGPT?

00:34:59 - DEAR SCEPTRES, PLEASE HIRE A WOMAN.

Expansion losses. Coaching rumours. Daryl Watts drama. Confusing decisions. Dan makes the case that this might be one of the messiest stretches in recent franchise history as the Sceptres try to explain how they got here.

00:41:56 - THE PWHL OPENED THE BOOKS AND REMINDS US MIDDLE CLASS MATH IS STRESSFUL.

The players union released salary information and suddenly everyone got a glimpse behind the curtain. We talk about the reality of trying to build a professional league, the economics of women's hockey, and just how much middle-class math is happening with your favourite players.

00:47:00 - DID A BLUE JAYS PLAYER FIND A STAR WARS FIRST?

A lightsaber pen. Star Wars Night. A first major league home run. If Disney got this script, it would be shelved for being too original.

00:53:20 - WHO IS ON YOUR RAPTORS MOUNT RUSHMORE?

Kyle Lowry gave his Raptors Mount Rushmore and so we give ours.

OVER / UNDER APPRECIATED - 01:02:34

This week we take aim at FIFA prices, why comedians shouldn't slide tackle in baseball, why nepo baby blue jay shrines don't surprise us. Can bigger fines stop out of control ticket pricing in Ontario?

Plus, one of the dumbest ever manager beliefs about baseball was debunked to his face, by Max Scherzer.

01:29:20 - THE APPRECIATION PARADE - OUR CHILDHOODS WERE RIGGED!

Vince reminds us why Alvin Williams is under appreciated and how the diversity in the booth, has never been the same. And Dan finally learns why he dominated his friends at NBA Jam growing up, spoiler alert - it was rigged.

We play you, a legendary confession from one of the game's designers. An apology may be owed to Michael Jordan.

That's it for this week everybody, thanks for hanging out with us for another week of Toronto’s teams, memes and past scenes!

Another week hanging out with, the Teams, Memes and past scenes of Toronto! Take a listen.

00:00:03 - STORYTIME: MADONNA VS. TORONTO THE GOOD

This week Dan Speerin takes us back to a time when Toronto's Morality Squad aimed their nonsense at the queer community and Madonna. But it also shaped Dan’s whole view of Canada being “not cool”.

What shaped your view of Toronto?

00:17:45 - Vince Kesavamoorthy shares his immigrant story of escaping a civil war, only to find snow in May, and a Blue Jays team about to repeat, all of this was a part of his cultural “Welcome to Canada”.

00:24:00 - FANS ARE DONE WITH TORONTO BARS NOT PLAYING THE TEMPO

The Tempo are building something special, but fans keep running into the same problem: why isn't my local bar playing them?

00:34:30 - THE BLUE JAYS ARE CURSED BY A WITCH (HEAR ME OUT)

Vince remains hopeful for the season, but the prosecution would like to submit several exhibits into evidence, that we were cursed by a witch.

00:42:30 - LEAFS FANS HAVE BECOME THE EX WHO CAN'T LET GO

Every Mitch Marner success, turns Toronto into someone refreshing their ex's Instagram at 2 a.m. We discuss why the conversation is getting weird, and why the larger Vegas success story deserves a whole lot more attention than Marner buuut that would involve Canadians reflecting and discussing the Hockey Canada scandal.

00:50:20 - DAN'S SCEPTRE COACHING CHOICE TO KEEP A FAMILY TOGETHER

Dan was calling for Toronto to go with a woman coach, from day one and now it might be finally happening. We give our picks!

01:02:25 - TORONTO VS USA SPORTS VOTERS

Scottie Barnes thinks being left off the NBA All-Defensive Team was nonsense. Vince lays out the case and Dan proposes a weird sports-media electoral college system because American voters still don't seem particularly interested in watching Toronto teams. From Dave Stieb to Scottie Barnes, it's an old sports problem and we want it fixed.

01:10:05 - SHAI, FLOPPING, AND A BOARD GAME DRAMA THAT COULD BE A WINDOW TO OUR AI FUTURE

A board game satire, pokes fun at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for flopping. So Shai lawyered up. The internet reacts exactly how you'd expect, but Vince thinks Shai has a case, while Dan talks about how this could be a window into our AI hellscape future, but he's not on Shai's side, for comedy protection. It’s one of the strangest sports stories of the week.

01:19:00 - THE NBA’S FAVOURITES FETISH, IS BAD FOR JOURNALISM

Will the future of sports journalism just become influencer fandoms? The one NBA playoff ruling that paves the way for propaganda over journalism.

OVER/UNDER APPRECIATED - 01:23:33

01:23:43 - DOES HOME ICE EVEN MATTER ANYMORE?!

Montreal fans booed their own team, for their disappointing play at home. We debate whether home ice advantage is the most over appreciated advantage in sports.

01:10:40 - BAD VIBES - IS ROGERS STADIUM CAUSING EARTHQUAKES?

Rogers Stadium concert noise, is still shaking nearby homes. Is it NIMBY whining, or legitimate concerns? A story that involves the phrase “sound absorption system” as we try to remember what Bill Nye taught us.


1:30:34 - THE BLUE JAYS CAUSED A WEIRD "ONLY IN 2026 SENTENCE" INVOLVING "AI WORSHIP WALK UP MUSIC"

What timeline is this? We explain how somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn with Dalton Varsho and we would like everyone to stop and consider what we've unleashed upon society.

01:32:51 - THE APPRECIATION PARADE

Our two moments of appreciation this week involve Spongebob cast members and broadcasters to checks notes BE IN THE ARENA.

Enjoy the show and say hi on threads!

Welcome to the weekly show that talks about Toronto's memes, teams and past scenes. Pull up a chair and have a laugh with us!

00:00:01 Dan's Toronto Past Scenes: This week involves the raunchy history of the Toronto Blue Jays, and one Toronto Sun story from 2014 that gives a reaaaally outside the box take, on how we can turn a losing season around.

Your story clue: “I guess you could say the story this week, is really organ centric.”

00:13:40 : THE TEMPO Are Doing Things Every Other Toronto Team Wish They Could: Our roadtrip movie montage wish for the Tempo is coming true, and we notice how the Tempo has that certain something, you’d like to sprinkle across Toronto sports.

00:24:45 : BLUE JAYS CURSED? “There’s a game this week that proves the Jays have been cursed by a witch” There’s a game that haunts Dan from this week, and why he thinks the record should be better, despite all the petting of the injury drama llama.

00:32:20 : BLUE JAYS BRIDESMAID PARADE: Did the Blue Jays accidentally dodge a massive bullet this offseason? We discuss a recent Jays Journal article that takes a look at 4 off season signings we didn’t land, that we should be happy about (so far).

00:37:15 : LEAFS DATA DUDES AND SLIDE DECK MOODS: Coaching chaos, offseason panic, and the annual tradition of convincing ourselves this year will be different with the Leafs taking a look at one of the gents from last week’s TorontoAN coaching picks.

00:39:34 : PWHL FIRST CANADIAN CHAMP: We wanted the Charge, we won’t lie, or at least a game five, but hey there’s one positive Toronto connection this week!

00:40:53 - Is the PWHL’s Takeover Tour Becoming a Bad Look? - Expansion money is exploding, valuations are skyrocketing, and women’s hockey suddenly looks like one of the smartest investments in sports BUT when two out of four expansion choices, aren’t from a branded takeover tour that dangled expansion hopes, should the Mark Walter group and the marketing team sit down and rethink the comms strat?

00:54:55 - WE DO NOT AGREE ON KAWAI - Should the Raptors retire Kawhi’s number? Dan takes Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady’s side that it’s a hard NO, but our own Vince flips a table and tells us all where to park our opinions - and it’s not a green P.

01:08:27 : FAN SERVICE - “A TV CREW STOPPED A TORONTO HEIST?!?”: AN NBA trailer made a tv oopsie appearance leading fans to scream “NBA conspiracy!” the Blue Jays broadcast crew chased down a downtown thief, and do Buffalo fans even feel pain at this point?

01:13:11 - “NBA PLAYERS DON’T COMPLETELY HATE TORONTO!” : We dive on into the Athletic’s anon NBA player poll, and talk the findings we find more interesting than others.

01:24:11 “UNDER APPRECIATED/OVER APPRECIATED” Collared shirts for work, Ant’s dap-gate, your high school coach, and that anonymous NBA player poll we just spent 10 minutes on is kinda problematic tbh.

Turns out, we’re split on whether the purple Barney Raptors days need to come back immediately. And finally, we need to make home and away jerseys AN ACTUAL THING AGAIN. We’re looking at you NBA!

01:40:00 - The Appreciation Parade

Our weekly final segment brings the appreciation.

Vince talks about a Toronto trade that keeps on giving, and we finally found the perfect theme night for grumpy old man Dan.

That’s the whole ball of wax kids, thanks for listening, share wherever you share things, say hello on threads or x, and we’ll see ya next week when Meagan returns!

- Toronto Appreciation Nite

Welcome to another week of the past scenes, teams, and memes of Toronto! It’s Toronto Appreciation Nite for the Weekend of May 15th!

This week we celebrate Craig Berube by talking about the times we’ve been fired. And then tell you, the completely normal story of a Toronto coach getting fired, rehired, and then publicly asked to wear a paper bag over his head because apparently the 1970s didn’t have HR.

• The Tempo launched and the streets of Toronto were thrilled, even when they lost. We talk about why we’re even excited than before, and why we believe the upcoming road trip will be a great bonding experience, because every movie ever, told us so.

- The Jays went 3-3 this week, and as you may recall, Dan’s been ranting all year about “where is the hitting?” and all it took was the Magic of Barbie! Dan was there for the Jays 14-1 Barbie Day win, and tells us a tale of two meathead men, who tried to ruin it for everyone in his section.

• Speaking of the Jays, in our group chat debate this week: Why isn’t everyone more panicked about the Jays forgetting how to hit baseballs? Listen to Vince try and talk Dan off the ledge… at least until July.

• From the “i guess we have to talk about the Leafs, right?” File: SPOILER ALERT: Berube’s out, nobody is surprised, and we run down the lesser talked about names, who we think fit Ted Rogers and John LeafsGPT model of a modern major manager.

• No Frost Three-Peat: We’re rooting for Ottawa, but as they launch expansion, does the PWHL have a branding problem, if the takeover only takes over 50% of the time? Why fans are upset, but should they be?

• The Raptors are not getting Giannis. Please log off the internet. The case for why Giannis isn’t going to be the answer.

• In our fan Service segment - we dive into fantasy fill-ins.

Over on Offside, Davis Schneider picked Roy Halladay as the former Jay, he thought the modern roster needs most. So who would you draft from the past? Vince wonders if the Rocket would fit on the team, while Dan makes a draft rule, that feels a little anti chewing tobacco.

• Minor League Weirdness: Have you ever sat on a ball, so it could go down into the crust of the earth? We thought the World Series fence-ball was peak baseball weirdness. We were wrong… so, so wrong.

• Toronto Public Health Soccer Branded Swag? We can’t stop thinking about what happened to the Dean and Annie on Community, but yeah somehow this became sports content. Shots fired, or you know, not so much.

• And in Over/Under Appreciated:

- “The Tempo”: Good name? Well, in a Toronto Life article we learned of another team name, if the team wasn’t named the Tempo and we’ve never appreciated “Tempo” more.

- Spaghetti as a Baseball Snack? The internet is on a mission to let you know what major league stadiums allow you to bring your bagged spaghetti. Find out if Toronto made the list, and why you may have to show a pasta prescription.

- Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to return to Canada again like an ex texting you at 2 a.m, hoping you forgot what they did. WE DIDN’T FORGET AFFLECK!

• And Finally on our Appreciation Parade:

- Dan loved OPERAMANIA II and sings the praises of the Opera Revue, and Junction City Wrestling - because Toronto culture is impossible to explain to outsiders.

- Vince talks about the legacy of Jason Collins and how we still have a long way to go for queer players in professional sports.

So pull up a seat at the table, and we'll call Rusty. Come for the odd story of Harold Ballard toe clippings, stay for the Barbie Day bro-ha-ha and learn about our Tempo faves. All that and more on this week’s Toronto Appreciation Nite.

Are sports lotteries rigged? This week we get into the weeds on the origins of sports skepticism, talk about why Ed Rogers flirtation with AI evangelism is just the beginning, and remember the true ego of billionaires with one really absurd Ted Turner story. Plus, we’re stoked about the Tempo, and are helping ya join our new fan bandwagon to understand what’s ahead!

So yeah, fans are asking are lotteries rigged? That’s what many fans believe, so we rewind to the origins of one of sports’ most enduring conspiracy theories: the first ever NBA Draft Lottery. We revisit the league’s cocaine crisis of the early 1980s, David Stern’s desperate attempt to clean up the NBA’s image, and the infamous “frozen envelope” theory that convinced generations of fans the Patrick Ewing lottery was rigged for the Knicks. Was it clever marketing? League-saving manipulation? Or just the moment sports fans collectively decided nothing is random anymore?

Which brings us to Leafs Nation. Clearly the main story in the city this week, is the roller coaster for Leafs Nation. We dig into the Maple Leafs’ eyebrow-raising hire of John Chayka and what it says about the modern arms race in sports ownership, analytics, and AI-driven decision-making. From Ed Rogers, long time corporate obsession with “numbers, numbers, numbers” to hockey’s growing class of spreadsheet savants and data whisperers, we unpack why executives keep chasing the next market inefficiency and whether Chayka represents innovation, theatre, or both.

Plus:

• The Raptors’ season-ending debate: did they miss a golden opportunity against Cleveland, or wildly overachieve?
• The Blue Jays’ offensive nightmare fuel and whether this lineup should officially trigger panic.
• The Toronto Tempo’s WNBA debut season, expansion expectations, and why nobody outside Canada seems to believe in them yet.
• “Manager cosplay” in sports history, featuring Ted Turner literally trying to manage the Braves himself during a 16-game losing streak.
• Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” becoming the official soundtrack of sports trolling Canada.
• Stormy the Hurricanes mascot somehow becoming the internet’s latest chaos agent.
• And in Over/Under Appreciated: we take on: not being American, TTC fares, Blue Jays Cameo side hustles, and how a baseball team, almost bankrupted a lunch chain by going off on a hit streak.
  

Join our weekly comedic look at the best of Toronto’s memes, teams and past scenes with Dan Speerin, Meagan Dingman and Vince Kesavamoorthy!

Are you a fan of Toronto? Complaining about Toronto? Congrats, you found your new weekend group chat.

This week, we jump into the chaos behind one of the biggest events in Toronto sports history. Dan unpacks the weird tale of how the SkyDome nearly hosted a blackout mid Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior, why Canadian content rules shaped wrestling, and how VHS sales and Canada’s lack of PPV, got us on the map.

On Over/Under Appreciated: Should you have prop comedy in your Home Run celebration, when you’re having a terrible season? Have alternate jerseys got out of control, but did the Athletic get a little melodramatic about the Yankess? Heinz sponsored an NFL draft pick, and gave them a lifetime supply of ketchup. If the pick gets cancelled, do they have to give it back?

Plus, Toronto’s bizarre 24-year street meat freeze. Could we be in for even MORE HOT DOGS?

In the Six, Six, Six, debate: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs sports Drake and making the city uncool again? Can the Raptors remain on a comeback trail, but can they really do it without Quick? Is anyone else getting hyped about the Tempo? The Blue Jays handled the Hoffman situation well, but it did take too long?

Plus: Fan chaos, a once in a million baseball play and moments of “oh, no”.

In our Appreciation Parade that celebrates the Sceptres, women’s soccer and proves clickbait can also be correct!

Join Dan Speerin and Vince Kesavamoorthy and Meagan Dingman, for the only sports show that might become a Condo. It’s our weekly look at Toronto’s teams, memes and past scenes. Pull up a chair, and join the group chat for another weekend of Toronto Appreciation Nite!

It’s a new era of Basketball in Toronto, and we’re getting hyped about the Tempo launch, and the Toronto Raptors playoff run!

But first, Dan kicks things off with the surprisingly petty origin story of names on the back of jerseys. A story that includes the beatles, cancellable offenses of a previous era, and the Toronto Maple Leafs trying blue letter activism.

And then on “Under Appreciated/Over Appreciated”

Meanwhile in city planning we talk the World Cup. with U.S. Soccer leadership jumping gigs and countries, questionable planning from tailgating to logistical uh-oh’s, and cities (including Toronto) still figuring things out, is the upcoming World Cup starting to feel a little… UH OH EMOJI?

Corporate Sports are getting a bit much but it’s how we pay the bills now, I guess. This year in Augusta, The Masters might as well have doubled as a private aviation convention. The number of jets, was staggering, even by billionaire standards.

The new Tempo franchise is begging all headlines everywhere to use “setting the tempo”. So we did, we’re not proud of it, but we’re not ashamed either. You know?

Will expectations be wildly unfair for an expansion team? Is anyone worried it’s pressure they can’t meet? Vince thinks everything is coming up Tempo and shares the reasons to be excited about the "playoffs now" mentality, while Dan talks about the path paved by women's sports in Canada and abroad, that makes this all possible even if it doesn’t work out in the victory column.

Vince or as we call him now, 'V' the North, breaks down why 12 ESPN insiders, are all wrong about the Raptors chances against Cleveland and then we dive into the ongoing, slightly confusing beef between Bill Simmons and anything Toronto-related. Is it bias? Is it Boston trauma? Is it just content contrarianism?

Has anyone checked to see if Carlton Bear needs a hug? As Sunny days go to New Jersey, Craig Berube has Dan’s favourite “huh?” quote of the week.

We prove that we’re not Vancouver Appreciation Nite, by giving a typical, we’re in the centre of the universe response to Vancouver’s MLB dreams.

On the diamond, things aren’t pretty and the power rankings have soured on the Jays. What’s the one stat that had us shaking our heads? It says volumes.

Plus, the Sceptres continue to test everyone’s prayer beads, blowing leads and teasing an early exit, Dan is leading the early call, with an unpopular opinion.

And in our appreciation parade, Vince shouts out the docs that go beyond Jackie Robinson day, and Dan learned the whimsy and magic of hearing a National Anthem whistled by a "Hall of Fame" whistler. Yeah, that's a sentence.

As Meagan made like the Blue Jays and hit the IL, join our shorthanded squad of Dan Speerin and Vince Kesavamoorthy, for the only sports show that might become a Condo.

It’s our weekly look at Toronto’s teams, memes and past scenes. Pull up a chair, and join the group chat for another weekend of Toronto Appreciation Nite!