Lindy Rough

Word is that gator is a straight shooter for Captain in October.

On Pink Hats and the Bandwagon

by Ryan


So I've been staring at this quote for the past hour.

Sid the Kid, the return of Don Cherry, the old Flyers uniforms, Montreal self-combusting, the four-OT game, Bucci and Barry, Chris Osgood clipping the dude with the butt of his stick, HD telecasts, a Wings-Pens Finals ... I have to admit, I'm enjoying the NHL playoffs. No, really. I even figured out how to find the games on my cable system and everything.

Bill Simmons, 5/22/08

So... what does that even mean? I get it, the postseason has been interesting thus far, it always is; but to see that from a guy who disowned hockey a decade ago and only to brings it out to make fun of... what gives? When did hockey become watchable from the Sports Guy Mansion with J-Bug and Hench on the wings?

I've been working on a few theories over here. The first one is that he's being genuine. Perhaps he is giving hockey a solid look for the first time because of that whole "Hey! The Bruins matter again!" thing and likes what he sees. Sure, the hockey hasn't been fantastic, but when you train yourself to cast it aside as garbage how could he possibly expect better? Perhaps he is finally understanding that the NHL can't live off the NBA model of strong personalities and that good, consistent teams with a likeable core are more important and fun to watch.

So yeah... there's that.

Another possibility is that he's full of crap and ESPN is forcing his hand. He has had some conflicts with The Four Letter recently, enough so that he has his own blogspot operational. Maybe mentioning the Don Cherry on Sportscenter gimmick is a way to mend fences. Heck, throw Bucci and Melrose in there, too!

We all know that this sudden hockey push is a test balloon for ESPN and the possibility of hockey returning, perhaps Simmons decided to help them out by throwing a major voice behind the game at juuuust the right time.

One other option, the one I've been weighing the longest, is that Simmons is simply an elitist. Bill started as just a sports fan, but moving out to LA and watching his hometown become the "City of Champions" has taken a toll on his everyman status. Suddenly he can pick and choose what he watches, he has a power over his audience to tell them what is watchable or like able.

He recommends books and people read them, tells them to follow a "Vengeance Scale" and people ask where their team's performance ranks. Simmons has a strong voice and a strong following, and let's face it, he's a damn good writer. I know I'm not the only one that started in the Internet sports scene reading every word he wrote, even if it was about things I didn't care about. Simmons can write a 30,000 word diatribe about the NBA and people that don't know who CP3 is will read it. That's the kind of power he has.

Because of this reach, he gets to pick and choose what he likes, even if it means throwing a team he loved as a child under the bus. For years all you would hear out of Simmons about hockey was how crappy the Bruins owner was, or that Joe Thornton is amazing and they got hosed in that trade. True as it was, it got old and he clearly didn't know what was going on by his own doing. Once ESPN dropped hockey, it was open season to mock the game.

So my question remains, why the change? Maybe he's for real, or maybe he just sees hockey moving towards relevance again and wants to be ahead of the curve. Regardless of the reason, it is good for the game that he is paying attention. Disgusting, filthy bandwagoner that he may be, for far too long hockey has gone without fringe fans. If it takes Simmons leading the charge of people who don't know what a Blackhawk is, so be it.

Hey, at least he watches the draft.

Roby's Forecast for Today

ISS GON' RAIN!

The Golisano Code

by Ryan



Does anything about that image strike you as odd? Season ticket renewals are nothing new; many people in the blogosphere have already received their forms. However, the button on sabres.com is a bit... intimidating, isn't it?

Think of it this way: do any of the people shown in that picture have season tickets? The photo is obviously taken during a Party in the Plaza last year during the playoffs, so anyone with seasons is going to be, you know, inside the arena. Yes, some people sell seats and maybe it was just a really nice day outside; but it is an interesting, if not subliminal message to send to your season ticket holders, eh?

Renew your tickets, or these people get them.

Now I know the Sabres front office isn't trying to send that message, but the reality is that it is true. How many people are in the Blue and Gold Club? How many more would be interested in seasons but don't want to plunk down that $100 bucks? For the first time in the decade, there is an overwhelming demand for Sabres tickets, and raising ticket prices isn't going to drive that demand down. The Sabres have a groundswell of support, and a few nagging season ticket holders isn't going to make a difference when there are thousands waiting to take their place.

I'm not trying to sound like a conspiracy theorist here, but it is interesting to consider the message sent by this image. The obvious intent of the picture is to show the enormous support Sabres fans have shown the team recently, but when you consider what that means to your bank account, things suddenly seem a bit more dubious. Maybe it is Larry Quinn showing us just how helpless we are in the grand scheme of supply and demand.

---

See Bucky? I can do it too! It's not that hard, man...

Is it Saturday Yet?

by Ryan

First of all, if you haven't read Patrick Hruby's E-Ticket article on Fighting you should definitely give it a look over. With all the press the Roy incident gets and the Bertuzzis and Simons we've seen recently, a work like that can really give you a good perspective on fighting in the game. Just when I really start to rail on ESPN.com's hockey coverage they come through with something completely different. Dang.

Reading a piece like that only makes me want to read The Code that much more. There is a whole world of hockey that people watching the game today miss, and I really want to understand that side of it. My inherent hockey IQ tells me that Andrew Peters is a waste of oxygen and Kaleta will be called a "turtle", but I want to know these things for sure. One thing I do know is that after reading Hruby's work, I may have to hit up a Crunch game this fall.

---

The Penguins/Red Wings match up is one the league would have killed for back in '05. While Comcast Versus would have loved a Flyers/Wings final , having Crosby and Malkin on the big stage will be the opportunity to promote the game the NHL has been waiting for. Think about how well the Winter Classic did against Bowl games on New Year's Day with Sid the Kid on the ice. How much better can the NBC broadcast of Games Three and beyond do with the best trophy on the planet at stake?

Sports Media Watch thinks the broadcast could easily see a double digit increase of last year's numbers. Based on the strong showing the NHL's Saturday and Sunday broadcasts have had thus far, I can't disagree with that. Even with a conflict in Detroit with the Pistons, the national broadcast still has many strong markets (Buffalo included) that will carry a higher number than previous finals with small market teams.

CNBC's Darren Rovell wondered if this year's Finals will bring any new hockey fans to the fold, and to be quite honest, it's a good question. However, what I was more surprised about was this:

In other NHL news, I love the fact that the top selling item on NHL.com throughout the playoffs has been a replica Stanley Cup . As you can see this isn’t just some trinket. It’s two feet tall and it’s $250. Year over year sales for this replica cup are up 34 percent during the playoff period and 45 percent over the regular season.

Really? This?

I mean, that is pretty snazzy, but $250 is a lot to spend on a replica. I will admit that one of my favorite pieces of memorabilia is in fact a mini Stanley Cup, but that was given to me just for attending the first game post-lockout.



While it is very nice, it probably doesn't hold as much value compared to a big boy like that. For example, this is what happened to many of them when the Bruins lost their first game in the "New NHL":



There is a joke to be made about that garbage can but I'll save it. I guess I'm satisfied with a plastic Stanley Cup until we win the real one, God forbid. Some people aren't as content. Hey, it's a better investment than one of those "Stanley 08" jerseys people buy. If I see one more person stand up and wave to the camera in one of those, the Stress Buffalo gets it.

[Thanks to Kuklas Korner for both links]

Sabresfan88 Owns Us All

by Ryan

After three rounds, here are the standings for our little game of pick 'em.

Third Round:

Ryan- 5 points, Nailed Dallas.
Jon- 0 points for the second round in a row. Brian Murray is flat out jealous.
Rich- 2 points, Pens right.
Chris- 2 points, same is Rich.

Coolman856- 2, got Detroit right.
Katie- 4, both picks right.
Becky- 4, both picks right.
Sabresfan88- 6 points, nailed both.
Anon- 4 points, both picks right.

Totals:

Sabresfan88- 22
Chris- 19
Rich- 18
Ryan- 18
Coolman856- 17
Anon (Erika)- 14
Jon- 12
Katie- 10 (Two rounds)
Anne- 4 (One round)
Becky- 4 (One round)

If you'd like to get a head start on picks, the fancy new pop up comments are where to put it. We'll have a big preview for the finals up before the week is over.

Summer Reading

by Ryan

When you are young and impressionable, you are taught that summer is the best of the four seasons. Then you grow up a sports fan in Buffalo and realize that nothing of importance happens during the long days. Here in the Roost, we intend to use up that time to make ourselves better sports fans, and what better way to kill daylight then by reading?

We thought it would be an interesting experiment to share this summer reading with you. So, below is the initial list of books we intend to read this summer. They are subject to change and you are welcome to suggest others to us, but we will make note if there are any changes. Attached to each title is the Amazon.com link to purchase the book, if you'd like to play along.

This post will be attached to the sidebar and updated with a date for "discussion" of each. So far that discussion will be a post breaking the book down, with anyone willing to chime in doing so in the comments. Consider it a book club without having to pretend to read crappy books and gulp down crappy coffee. If you'd like, you can bring your own biscotti, we won't hold it against you.

Kübler-Ross model- Required reading for all sports fans, or anyone who happens to be a human being. This probably won't be a post, but it is good to know as a fan.

The Game, Ken Dryden- Every Habs fan I know will quote this at some point in their life, may as well know what they are talking about.

Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk- The book is always better, right?

Between the Lines, Ray Scampinello, Rob Simpson- Hockey book written by a ref. It has to have some good stuff in it.

Killing Yourself to Live, Chuck Klosterman- If you've read his stuff on ESPN.com, you know why this is included. A great read otherwise, I'm a big fan.

A Season on the Brink, John Feinsten- I've heard good things, and it was laying around in my house. What else am I going to talk about until October, right?

God Save the Fan, Will Leitch- We may not do this one after all, but everyone in the blogosphere has to give it a shot, right?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson- Just to prove that Rich is indeed not dead.

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Micheal Lewis- Hyped as the "Moneyball of football." We'll be the judge of that.

Ball Four, Jim Bouton- If you don't know, you will soon enough.

For the Love of the Game, Michael Shaara. Again, the movie probably doesn't do it justice.

Blink, Malcolm Gladwell- I've always wanted to read it, and Rich has. Now I have an excuse.

The Code, Ross Bernstein, Marty McSorley, Tony Twist- A bit behind on this one, but it should be well worth the wait.

Live from New York, James A. Miller, Tom Shales- Chris says it will be done in a week or so, so expect to see this one first.

---

My guess for the my first book is Dryden's The Game, with a date around the end of the Cup Finals. Setting dates for these things probably won't be an exact science, but we promise you there will be plenty of notice. As mentioned before, if you have any ideas or blatant criticisms of this, feel free to post them in the pop-up comments.

Not Stamkos, but... Somebody

by Ryan

Think back to 2005, when the phrase "Now do you believe?" was still applied to Santa Claus and the NHL was finally reaching a labor agreement. When the ping pong balls were put into place for the Entry Draft, the Sabres were one of four teams (Rangers, Penguins, Blue Jackets, Sabres) with the best chance to get the first pick: three ping pong balls.

I'm sure you know the story from there. The Penguins got the first pick and Sidney Crosby in the process, while the Sabres ended up in 13th (!?!) place and drafted Marek Zagrapan. Today, Marek Zagrapan is nothing more than a name with expectations attached, while Sid the Kid is leading the Penguins out of exile and into the Stanley Cup Finals.

The point I'm trying to make here is that the NHL Entry Draft matters a whole lot more than most people think. Yes, free agency is huge in today's game, but development from within is the only way the Sabres will ever win a Stanley Cup, plain and simple. Take a look at the two teams in the Finals this year and tell me the draft isn't important to their success.

Yes, players like Sykora (Pens) and Rafalski (Wings) were brought in last summer, but it is the players like Staal and Whitney for Pittsburgh and Zetterburg and Holmstrom for Detroit that have been the foundation of these playoff runs. Postseason success is about more than high prices superstars; (I'm looking at you, Danny...) the entire roster needs to be filled with depth and talent for long-term success in spring.

That talent simply cannot be bought for cheap in the free agent market. Heck, take a look at the Red Wing's roster, only five players have a $3 mill/year hit on the cap. After this season that number will most likely increase, but that only shows you how much urgency is in this year's playoffs.

It is fascinating to watch a team like Detroit play knowing how much they do with so little. It is this envy that makes you a better hockey fan, examining what it is that good teams do that your team does not. One of the things Detroit does is draft ridiculously well, and so if you are a Sabres fan, your favorite weekend in June is 20-21st.

The Sabres have actually done very well with draft picks in the past, and even recently Darcy's work seems to be paying dividends. Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera may be the two defensive stalwarts we've been waiting for, and this fall is the first year Marek Zagrapan will be given a serious look at training camp. With two first round picks this year, Darcy will once again be given the chance to pick a player we expect big things from.

If you are big on the draft, this is the site you will fall in love with. (Thanks to Mirtle and Kevin for the head's up) The NHL's official draft site has one of the best set ups for looking at individual players with the best information possible. Just looking over the player bios is enough to get me excited about draft day.

ESPN.com, of all places, has one of the first mock drafts I've seen. With the 13th overall pick, the Sabres "take" D Colten Teubert, ranked 18th overall in North America (reeeeeeeach!!!). Actually, looking over his profile I'm pretty satisfied with the "selection". He certainly won't be making the team this fall, but only Staals do that, anyway.

Speaking of that, Jared is available...

Leaping the Selachimorpha

by Ryan

Does anyone remember when ESPN's Page 2 was good? I do. In fact, like many bloggers out there, Page 2 was my link to the underground. It was a different take on sports, one that reminded you of what you did with friends when watching the game. Bill Simmons was there, Dan Shanoff had the Daily Quickie, and it made ESPN.com something that was more than just "news." In fact, one of the first times I heard of "Deadspin" was on a Page 2 post.

Then something happened. First of all, some of the best writers of a generation died. Ralph Wiley and Hunter S. Thompson died within a year of each other, and suddenly the page seemed... empty. New writers moved in, but Shanoff went on his own, and Simmons moved to his own sub page and stopped writing as much.

In the opinion most people I know, the page went to hell. Now that may not actually be the case, but it certainly took a turn for the worst. I went from an everyday reader to an occasional glance once or twice a week, and even then it was mostly a check on Simmons' page. Once I hit the blogosphere and found people really worth reading, well, it was no contest.

The problem with Page 2 is that they just don't get it anymore. They found a model that worked and ran with it to a fair amount of success. But when your stars disappear and you try to run that model with Jemele Hill, well, good luck buddy. As great as Uni Watch is, he has his own blog with much more content on it and notifies of an ESPN update. No sense in checking for that.

The fact of the matter is that Page 2 has "jumped the shark", and this post is more than enough proof.

I mean, seriously? F#$k that post. How hard pressed are you for content that you need three people to put together something as unfunny and uninformed as that garbage? We get it guys, hockey is a joke and you don't understand it. It's a "niche sport" just like Norby says. Whatever. So stop talking about it. Don't scrape together something about glow pucks and Elisha Cuthbert and expect it to fly.

What bothers me so much about this post is not that it is uninformed (it is) but that people still read this garbage and think it is the mainstream because The Four Letter tells them it is. I may not know much about the corporate aspect of the blogosphere, but reading Mirtle's interview with Greg Wysnyski really makes me think we are moving in the right direction with things.

There is an audience for a hockey blog on a site like Yahoo Sports, and people can read Wysnyski or Mirtle or even a blog like this and decide for themselves how they feel about hockey and how the game itself is growing. You don't have to listen to some talking head tell you what to think; go read someone's blog and decide if that fan is seeing his team right. I know I wasn't reading some San Jose newspaper when Campbell was shipped off, I was on Battle of California seeing what they think of him.

One of the things I've heard said about hockey is that there are not many causal fans, you are either hardcore or not paying attention at all. Looking at our site numbers and the reaction our posts about other teams get, I would have to say it applies to the blogosphere as well. There isn't much room for someone with only a passing glance at hockey to talk about it. There are too many people who give a damn out there that deserve to be read over some retreads trying to make a five-hole joke.

In a way , though, Page 2 is right. This year's Finals match may prove to be something that gets people interested in the game. Playoff numbers are already up a noticeable amount, and the quality of information in the hockey blogosphere is only increasing. That quality of information, however, isn't going anywhere in the MSM. Even with all the vitriol many have for ESPN, it is certainly a big deal and will continue to be until all the little kids named after it sue for damages. Even with a groundswell of independent interest, hockey will continue to struggle with clowns like this knocking the game on major sites.

Even so, it's good to see things slowly but surely changing for the better. Norby and his writers may not care much about Malkin versus Zetterberg, but I know a whole lot of you out there do. That doesn't stop it from pissing the s#$t out of me, though.

When We Last Saw Them...

by Ryan



The Stars were celebrating a victory right underneath Al the Octopus. Dallas is the first away team to win at the Joe this postseason, and so the rage on Al's face is completely justified. Tonight the series shifts back to Dallas and its "college football" atmosphere, whatever that means.

Tonight's game is my favorite kind of playoff game, as I really have no clue what will happen. Dallas has won two straight while Detroit looks tentative and, quite frankly, scared. Turco is still playing lights out, and as good as Detroit's offensive output has been, if Turco keeps his game up the Stars will always have a chance in this series.

People seem to think this series is over, simply because the Wings went up 3-0. Now I'm not a proponent of the "every 33 years" theory, but when a team has clawed back to a Game Six, I think things aren't as clear cut anymore. Dallas is a streaky team that seems to be in the middle of a streak, and a home team in this situation always has an edge.

Detroit's overall strength lies with their rediculous depth, and Johan Franzen exploding is a perfect example of that. His absense is noticable while he deals with concussion-like symptoms, and is only lightly working out. Superstars like Zetterberg and Lidstrom will step up, but guys like Dan Cleary and Thomas Holmstrom are the ones that will make the difference. The defensive effort on both sides has been outstanding so far, and so the third and fourth line players become all the more important in big games.

This post is very Morgan-esque in analysis, but that's because I really have no idea what will happen tonight. That very fact is what makes it so exciting, though. Watching the Penguins crush Philly yesterday was fun, but I expected it to happen. Watching the unknown unfold in front of your eyes is really what playoff hockey is all about; and if it gets to a Game Seven with a trip to the finals on the line...

[shiver]

One thing I do know is that the pressure is on Detroit, and the weight of expectations may once again prove too much for a team on the brink. Hey, it's not like we know anything about that, right?

Thinking Ahead

by Ryan

We haven't talked about the Sabres in a while here, but that's probably because they haven't been doing anything worth talking about. The last time we saw them they were making the usual excuses, taking team photos, and signing hockey cards that I most certainly own.



Now that their season has ended, they have officially lost all form of humanity to fans. In the coming months, the players we have come to know and love begrudgingly accept are going to become nothing more than a name on a roster. These players that we like for their personalities or sweet haircuts will be ground down into digestible numbers and made into the paste that is contract talks.

Now, we have been getting ready for this time of year for a while now. Chris has been playing with salary cap numbers for some time, and we've been taking evaluations on players and yadda yadda yadda it's too early to actually do anything with this.

However, Scott Cullen has been going through some "off-season gameplans" for teams, and a few days ago he did Buffalo. I actually read this expecting to disagree with almost everything, but I was pleasantly surprised with what he had to say. With the exception of a few players (Clarke and The Kaleta! mostly) he did a good job of understanding what the team has to do and targeting players that may need to be moved.

I'd take a second to read it over and consider what he has to say. Take a look at the three teams that are left. What do they have that we don't? We are going to be talking a lot about what we think the Sabres should do this summer, but if you want to kill a few hours at work on a Monday, why not start now?

The Fall of Icarus

Apoligies to Chagall, but Daniel was certianly the star of this disaster.

Wa-ha Happend Was...

by Ryan



Yeah, I think that sums up the night. Well, kinda. Let's take a closer look at that ticket.



Yeah, I... I can explain.

---

So Rich sends me a text at 4:49 PM.

"Let's go to the Bandits game. You down? It's the league championship game."

Of course I say yes. However, I had prior engagements and told him I would meet him downtown, assuming tickets would be set. Well, Rich doesn't have the series of tubes at his current residence and was going to get tickets downtown. Of course, I could have bought 300 level seats at 8:30 this morning and we would have been fine, but what good story ends like that?

As I'm on my way down to the arena, Rich tells me that they don't have seats together anymore. That's fine, we've done this before. To the scalpers! Well, the scalpers happen to have a multitude of like-minded customers to pick from, and the price is just a bit too high for broke people of our demographic. (read: holy crap man, I know where that seat is and this isn't a gold game.) So... now we're in downtown Buffalo and don't have a ticket into the lacrosse game.



Third Row, first two seats. $21 total.

We missed two innings, but we got to see the Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Dunn Tire Park. It was a heck of a lot cheaper than paying three times face for a seat next to Mr. Pillar and Big Sweaty Guy in row 10. In fact, there were two people just in front of us that couldn't get Bandits tickets either, so that was fun.

Some things I learned tonight that you just can't get anywhere but minor league baseball:

- IronPigs backup catcher John Suomi has Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life" as his at bat music. This led to the conversation in which I firmly stated that my MiLB at bat music would be this. Forever.

- Bison on Bison crime is just out of hand these days.

- Dunn Tire is very... old school with their stats. They listed at-bats for everyone (which was helpful, actually) but didn't bother with any on-base percentages or pitcher stats that, well... are more indicative of a good pitcher. Not complaining, just mentioning that no one in the Bisons gameday crew seems to have read Michael Lewis.



After the Bisons won 5-2 and they got done blowing some stuff up to the tune of "God Bless America" we decided to head back down to the Arena to see what was up with our original destination. We got inside the atrium just in time for the last few seconds of the game, and as the crowd flipped out and a few high fives were exchanged, we slipped inside the Sabres Store to see what would be available.

I've never been around for any kind of championship celebration, but it was pretty cool to be there when they first wheeled out the championship shirts and hats. You never really get to see those kind of things happen when you are at a game or at home, so missing out on tickets and just... being there was a pretty interesting feeling.

After buying the obligatory shirt (and making the obligatory "Ethiopian children in LumberJax gear" joke) we just kind of stood around watching people yell and scream. The overall celebration was a bit underwhelming, but I guess they are saving the riot for when the Bills or Sabres do something worth buying a shirt for.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend either of us are huge Bandits fan and fully grasp what this means for the fanbase, but hey, at least Larry Quinn brought us that championship we've been waiting for. Anyone can say the cliches about winning, so I'll just go ahead and say it was nice to walk away from HSBC Arena in May with something to cheer about. Celebrating a banner that actually means something is nice, even if it is going to be orange.

So yeah, that was my night.

If you are looking for the real story, I'd check out USRT. For some reason I can't access their site tonight, but I'm positive they have something of more substance up about the matter.

When I Think Of...

by Ryan

I don't read Buccigross often, but commenter Brian S. brought this to my attention.

Buffalo Sabres: Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, fans, bad management. Rick Jeanneret ("La-La-La-La-LaFontaine!" "May Day!"), Dominik Hasek, The French Connection line, The Aud.

He says not to grade him, but where's the fun in that? My turn:

John Buccigross: Drury Mancrush, Late Night Sportscenter, overrated, reticent, mailbag, only option available.

Now while I do miss NHL Tonight, I don't actively search out Bucci's opinion on things, especially whether or not he thinks management screwed the pooch last summer. Everyone knows things went wrong, it is those that cling to it that are worse off.

Also, I think it's just super that he mentioned the Winter Classic for the Penguins and ignored it with the Sabres. Did he run out of space after listing the mistakes?

Whatever.

Because That Was Really Harsh...

Some people don't like Manny Ramirez. I'm not some people.

There's Been an Accident at the Meth Lab!

The best part about it is that the hole in the fist doubles as a coozie for your Keystone...