Matt Grills

[College GameDay @CollegeGameDay]

Welles Crowther was a former Boston College lacrosse player and a New York City firefighter who carried a red bandanna.

On September 11, 2001, Welles ran into the World Trade Center to rescue those in need.

25 years later, his life and legacy endure with one of the most powerful traditions in sports, BC's Red Bandanna Game ❤️

[Matt Grills @matthewgrills]

@PdecisionsStool Tag me in the pic when he gets one, gotta see the pick-me-up funnel cake

[Matt Grills @matthewgrills]

@PdecisionsStool Thanks for showcasing Toronto, have a great weekend! Bear Down 🍻

[Matt Grills @matthewgrills]

@carlvallee For a player who accomplished so much, he still could be the first overall pick in the “what if…” athlete draft

[The Atlantic @TheAtlantic]

Miller Lite is a bad beer but an incredible beverage, @Tyler_A_Harper argues: “It is neither complicated nor offensive, and it derives its magic from this bland alchemy, this delicate equipoise of fizzy nothingness.” https://t.co/1bsBtA7uzV

[Talkin' Baseball @TalkinBaseball_]

Max Scherzer's eight-year-old daughter wrote a letter to the Blue Jays in December saying she hopes her dad is back on the team in 2026

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@matthewgrills: In defence of the Great One

https://t.co/Wxaa4HM8En

[Stephen Staley @stevestaley]

As so many friends and colleagues gather in Ottawa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Harper government, I wrote about the principled leadership that set him apart.

[Carl Vallée @carlvallee]

Great initiative by @stevestaley and @Sean_Speer. It would be easy to only point to problems; coming up with solutions is the real challenge and that’s what this project proposes to do. Looking forward to your many contributions.

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@stevestaley: Nigel Wright showed us that greatness and goodness can be one and the same

https://t.co/5diFAnWm8i

[Sean Speer @Sean_Speer]

“The Blue Jays are one of the most culturally significant teams in Canada. When I attend games with my young children, we are routinely sitting next to families who have travelled from across the country to attend a game in the shadow of the CN Tower. Watch a game on television as the Blue Jays travel to Seattle, Minneapolis or Detroit, and you will see more blue caps in the crowd than you will of the home team, as fans from British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario descend south of the border to cheer on their national team.

Ten provinces and three territories make up a market vaster than any regional U.S. market. It’s a market that stretches beyond the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, or Central Canada.” — @matthewgrills

[Matt Grills @matthewgrills]

With a second consecutive win coming out of the all-star break, the Blue Jays highlighted something I regretfully omitted in @TheHubCanada today. They’re playing genuinely exciting baseball with contributions coming from surprising places in the lineup

https://t.co/KHRIdNpdj4

[Toronto Blue Jays @BlueJays]

GIANT series win 😉

FINAL: Blue Jays 6, Giants 3

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@matthewgrills: Screaming Blue Jays fans are Canada’s summer soundtrack

FREE 3-month Hub subscription: https://t.co/B8hoCnqVCh

Full article here: https://t.co/D0lRyzjXh9

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@Sean_Speer: Maybe Ron MacLean is the one who needs to go

FREE 3-month Hub subscription: https://t.co/B8hoCnqVCh

Full article here: https://t.co/T4eEIJfCCm

[Sean Speer @Sean_Speer]

An ode to the button-down collar

This year marks the 125th anniversary of one of the most quietly revolutionary innovations in men’s dress: the button-down collar shirt.

First introduced in 1900 by Brooks Brothers, the style was inspired by English polo players who used buttons to keep their collars from flapping in the wind. But what began on the playing fields of Britain quickly became something far greater in the cultural context of North America. The button-down collar shirt emerged as a defining expression of the continent’s egalitarian spirit.

I’ve been exclusively wearing button-down collars for more than a decade. Part of it is aesthetic—I like the way they look. But mostly it’s philosophical. The button-down collar shirt is the quintessential North American look. It speaks to the values that animate this continent’s best traditions: individualism, meritocracy, and social mobility.

Unlike the stiff, detachable collars of European formalwear, which conveyed class distinction and sartorial hierarchy, the button-down collar is democratic in both form and function. It’s elegant without being elite. It’s tailored without being pretentious. Anyone can wear one. That’s the point.

In many ways, the button-down collar was a fitting innovation for a society that rejected inherited privilege and emphasized self-making. It conveyed respectability without resorting to formality. It suggested seriousness without snobbery. It was (and still is) a shirt for the aspirant and striver.

Brooks Brothers continues to produce its iconic Oxford cloth button-downs to this day, and many others now make their own versions. It has become a staple of men’s wardrobes and a subtle but powerful symbol of North American character.

The button-down collar shirt may seem like a small thing. But 125 years later, it still represents something big: the quiet dignity of a society built not on class, but on effort.

[Matt Grills @matthewgrills]

In his gut-busting glory, Joey Chestnut offers the nation a powerful kind of hope: that with a concoction of liberty, freedom, and grit, anyone can carve out their own place in history. @TheHubCanada

https://t.co/wi3MwIioFd

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@matthewgrills: Why it matters that Canada’s star university quarterback is going straight to the NFL

FREE 3-month Hub subscription: https://t.co/B8hoCnqVCh

Full article here: https://t.co/ElXMvAVs6t

[The Hub @TheHubCanada]

.@matthewgrills: It’s time for the CFL to scrap its silly rules and conform to the NFL game

https://t.co/3Qf4R3i8jO

[Pardon My Take @PardonMyTake]

The Ups and Downs of a Chicago Bears season

[Darren Rovell @darrenrovell]

Stealth Bomber over Rose Bowl taken by helicopter today from Michigan Sky Media out of Traverse City.