The Most Insignificant Franchise in Buffalo History

By Jon

After the success of our "Most Insignificant Sabre" series, we have decided to continue the series, this time taking a look at The Most Insignificant Franchise in Buffalo History (kudos to Brian S. for the idea.)

For those new to the Roost, here's how it will work: Nominations will be taken in the comments of this thread until Monday. We will then pick a few franchises as finalists, and we'll run one profile a day. Then it's up to the readers: A poll will be up on the Roost for a week, with the winning franchise receiving the title of The Most Insignificant Franchise in Buffalo History.

In order for a franchise to be nominated, the team must have played its home games in the Western New York area, and must have been in at least a semi-professional league. There is no minimum requirement for games or seasons played, and it can be a franchise that is still in existence (I'm looking at you Buffalo Dragons.)

For a little help, check out this Wiki page.

Like I said before, the first team will be profiled on Monday, so be sure to get your nominations in quickly!

Listen to the Kid

Also, Pudge for Farnsworth straight up? Are you kidding?

Could that be the third jersey logo?

Icethetics (formerly NHL Tournament of Logos) has an sneak peek at what some of the third jersey logos may look like this year.

Seems as if Buffalo's will look somewhat familiar:



I expect those things to sell like Nintendo Wiis (because who buys hotcakes anymore?). The jerseys will officially be unveiled on September 20.

The Five Best Deals of the Season

by Ryan

Judging from the great lukewarm response from the last post about the schedule, I wasn't going to do one about the five best deals of the year.

However, guess what came in the mail yesterday?



That's right, the mini pack is here, and it's time to pick some hockey games. To quote Chris, "Yahoo." So, here are my picks for the five best values of the year.

1. Thursday, October 30th: Tampa Bay (Value)- I know everyone has already tabbed the Blues game as the best value out there, but consider this: No matter what happens Tampa Bay will be fun to watch. Either it's going to be a brilliant combination of Penguins, Mullets, and four defenseman; or it will be a complete and utter s#*tshow. Either way, you're not willing to pay $30 bucks to see that?



2. 10/27 and 2/17: Ottawa (Bronze)- I know these are midweek games, but don't we still hate Ottawa? I know I do, and I can't pass these up when compared to a gold Islanders game.

3. Monday, December 22nd: Pittsburgh (Silver)- This is the best value as far as opponent (East Champs), Date (days before Christmas), and compared to similar games (Other Pens game is a gold). If you are going to splurge, I say make it here.

4. Tuesday, February 24th: Anaheim (Bronze)- The Ducks don't come around that often, and they are still a very good team. I'd like to take a closer look at the West this year, and this seems like a good chance to see a good team for cheap.

5. Monday, April 6th: Detroit (Silver)- Chris and I agree, Detroit is the team to see this year. Even if we are in the basement by season's end, they will be fighting for something, most likely the President's Trophy. It could be a huge game against a huge team, and I can't pass that up. If not for it being a Monday, it would easily be a gold.

Jay McKee has The Seven Year Itch

by Ryan

So this is sure to scald your retinas for the afternoon. St. Louis Blue Dan Hinote got married on Friday to Amy McCarthy, and they had an interesting wedding theme: The 1950s. More specifically, they had their guests dress up as celebrities from that era.

No, really.

During the dinner, the groom addressed his friends, family and fans. "It's been a wonderful day for my beautiful bride and me," he said. "You must be a bunch of screwed up people to dress up like the '50s, right? I have a teammate dressed as a woman."

So Jim Carrey was Castro, I guess that makes sense. However, who was the woman?

Jay McKee.

Befitting the occasion, St. Louis defenseman Jay McKee donned a blond wig, Seven Year Itch white dress and heels. Scary sight. Post cake-cutting, Hinote and McCarthy changed into Danny Zucko and Sandy Olsen costumes.

So, uh... somehow I can't picture that at all. Here, let's try this:



Yeah. Holy God. I think I need to lie down for a bit.

The Five Worst Deals of the Season

by Ryan

The pricing for the 2008-09 season has been announced, and just like the record industry, the Sabres have gone platinum. Of course this means that we will be paying even more money to get inside HSBC Arena. The addition of a fifth tier means even more crappy games that will cost you even more to see.

So, while we wait for our minipack forms to come via snail mail, let me share with you my picks for the five worst ways to see a hockey game out of the Slugs.

1. Friday, November 7th: Atlanta- (Silver) What, are we paying for Ron Hainsey's contract or something? Every game on a Friday is a silver or higher, but this is by far the worst. Keep in mind, people, Don Waddell is still in charge down there.

2. Friday, December 19th: Los Angeles- (Silver) Have the Kings done anything to improve this off season? I know the proximity to Christmas will drive the value of this game up, but the Kings are an awful team, and last time I checked Justin Timberlake was their most consistent goaltender. Not worth much more than a bronze at best.



3. Saturday, December 27th: Islanders- (Gold) Wow, I never thought I'd see an Isles game go gold. Ted Nolan is gone, so is Miro Satan, and with that goes any interest I have in paying a bill to see Mike Comrie and DiPi roll into town. Again, Christmas is a wonderful holiday, but so is watching the game on an HDTV and playing with all the cool crap you got two days before. I'll take the couch for this one.

4. Friday, February 6th: Montreal (Platinum) It's too easy of a pick, but every other Habs game is a gold. Go on opening night instead, leave this one to those with the funny money. (That's what they want us to do with these, right?)



5. Saturday, January 17th: Carolina (Silver) It's actually not too bad a game, Canes games are always fun. However, when there is a Bronze just a month later also on the weekend, why pay the extra money? Save that cash and buy a seat to see St. Louis earlier in the year.

---

Your picks for worst value in the comments if you'd like.

Ready to Run

by Ryan

By now I'm sure you are aware that the Marshawn Lynch Saga is officially over. Chancellor Goodell won't be dropping the hammer on Money, and barring a Fred Jacksplosion during the preseason, Lynch will be starting this fall.

To say this is great news is understating it a bit. In fact, let's give you chills courtesy of 289. (His awesome Training Camp photos can be found here)



That feeling you got knowing what comes next? That's what having an offensive threat in the backfield does for you. At any time Money can get the job done, and you can't help but get excited for what comes next.

However, when good news like this comes you have to step back and realize what a bullet we just dodged.

Marshawn Lynch was lucky. No, really; he's really, really , reeeeeeally lucky.

There could have been any number of things that screwed Money over this past month or so. First of all, the girl could have died. He could have been on the scene when caught and possibly intoxicated. He could have had "substances" on him. Heck, he could have mowed down that dancer in the crosswalk, too.

And that's just the first night. From then on any number of people could have conspired to make things a whole lot worse than community service.

Now this is all information you know, but it is worth considering a second time. Marshawn is fortunate enough to be a pro football player, and we all know the rules are different for athletes of his caliber. If not for his name, things would currently be much more dire for the kid. This is something we as fans have gotten used to, and over time our concern for a player's well being has gone from hoping they stay out of trouble to hoping they stay on the field.

Go back to what I led this very post with: Lynch will be starting this fall.

To most fans, including myself, that is what matters most. We are the people waiting for Chris Henry's suspension to end last season so we can pick him up on the fantasy waiver wire. The same people considering Tank Johnson to fill up a defensive need. We as fans become personally attached to players when they perform well; only to distance ourselves when their personal lives become muddled. When they show up in the papers, we reduce their value to their production only.

In the case of Marshawn Lynch, I'd like to hope that doesn't happen. I don't want Marshawn Lynch at running back only because he runs well, I want him there because I really do like him. He truly seems like a genuine person, someone excited to play football in this city. To strip that lovable demeanor away and see him as just a running back would be a shame.

My hope is that this incident was the result of a person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lynch made a mistake, and the hope of any fan is that he learns from this misstep and becomes both a better player and a better person because of it.

It may be wishful thinking, to consider a football player as anything more than such. However, isn't that what being a sports fan is all about?

Sabres Variable Pricing Announced

via Sabres.com

Looks like your best bets are weeknight games in October, December and February.

I'm looking at games to select for my own mini-pack and I've eyed out seven games so far. Four bronze games and three silver (Boston in October, Tampa and Pittsburgh in December, Ottawa in February and the San Jose, Anaheim and Detroit games).

With the Canadian dollar as strong as it is right now, it's no surprise that the Sabres are looking to take full advantage of those weekend games against teams north of the border. It is a bit of a bummer, however, that there are only three value games this year and that the last one is as early as December 1.

There are a nice stretch of home games in December and many of those are within reasonable value, especially on the weeknights (New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Ottawa).

The West Coast team mainly come into town on Friday nights and with the addition of the platinum tier, a silver ticket isn't that bad of a deal ($50 for 300 IV is still kind of pricey, but consider that the Sabres are still one of the cheapest tickets in the league).

Overall, it's a fair schedule. Sure both Philly and Rangers games are gold but it's because they're being played on the weekends.

Of those seven, I'll probably have to narrow it down to four or five. Maybe sacrifice the bronze Ottawa so I can go to the Sharks game.

Only thing left to do now is wait for the order form to come in the mail.

Is it October yet?

To Tide You Over

by Ryan

- Brian Moorman has a blog. I think that's about as good as it gets on a Monday morning.

- The Patriots signed LaMont Jordan, which I think is a bigger deal than people are making it out to be. A washed up running back from Oakland isn't supposed to scare you when they have Kool Aid Maroney around, but Jordan could be a big addition.

- Going Five Hole says that Matthew Barnaby will be interviewed for the ESPN hockey job. I agree with GFH, he won't get the job. However, he is an excellent spokesperson for the Summit Mall.

- Yahoo Sports has a nice little article about Leodis McKelvin and his arrival at camp. Sounds like a good first impression.

We'll be back later with something more substantial. Perhaps Manny Ramirez will tell someone he's willing to buy a puppy if one is offered to him.

Sunday Morning Youtube

I promise you by Friday this will all make sense. I was going to post a video of a buffalo getting torn apart by lions, but this ranks pretty high up there, too.

Getting Back to Form

Yes, Robert Royal will sign that football; but he's going to drop it first.

Just like last season.

Drawing Back the Curtain

by Ryan

Today has been a long time coming.



Training camp is here.

Last year in late November I wrote the following about the season:

Over the next six weeks we are going to see what this team is made of. This Bills season has been a play in three parts. Act One was the descent, capped off by the MNF game that could have killed their season. Act Two was the break even, the stretch of games against beatable teams. Act Three was last week, embarrassment on a national scale.

Act Four can be two things: The continuation of Act Three, or the test that proves this team is worthy of an extended season.

Act Four turned out to not be enough. It was exciting, but a 8-0 loss in the Cleveland snow killed our chances for playoff football. The next week was a literal s#$tstorm at the Ralph against the Giants, and a whimper of a game in Philly closed out a season once again full of what ifs.

Today is the beginning of "next year." Many people don't care about training camp, but for us it's the start of yet another play. Hopefully, this one will have three acts. The first two are always seen, but the third is what we have longed for: the postseason.

Donte Whitner may have guaranteed it, but we want to see it for real. This year may finally be it: the journey back to the playoffs. Perhaps things will finally turn around, and our hearts will tessellate once again.

For what it's worth, today I am excited, and I know I'm not the only one.



This is Billy Shaw's helmet, and its now the background on my cell phone. It will be there until something of importance takes it's place, and that probably won't happen until opening day.

Consider this the start of Act 1. Make sure you save some candy for the rest of the show.

Cardpost

by Ryan

No matter how hard you may try, the little kid in you will always get out.

Ever since I could remember I've collected sports cards. It started with football, and I'll never forget when I got my first Jim Kelly "Crash" card. You might know the ones, it was like fantasy football on a trading card. If he threw for a touchdown on the date listed, you sent the card in and got a shiny new one. I never sent a card in, I thought the original ones looked too cool.

Recently my trading card habits have subsided quite a bit. Every so often I will buy some hockey cards, and I think everyone tried to get a Sidney Crosby rookie a few years back (I have a few), but I just can't afford to drop a significant amount of my paycheck on cardboard. (Blogging just doesn't pay the bills, people.)

I do make one exception: Allen and Ginter.



These cards are modeled after the first trading cards that came with cigarettes. Topps started making them in 2006 and put baseball players on, as well as celebrities and a few otehr athletes. The series was very successful, and even I had a bit of luck pulling some nice cards out. My favorite of the set? A Manny Ramirez jersey card.

Since then I've been waiting each year to get my hands on the new set. On Tuesday the 2008 version came out, and I happened to be at the mall. I was $15 lighter when I left, but in return I did get an Empire State Building card, as well as a mini Joba Chamberlain. However, my new favorite card is this:



Jacoby Ellsbury is probably my favorite Red Sox player of Navajo descent. In fact, I may name my first born after him for his antics in the last World Series. To pull a card like that out of a pack is always a nice feeling; nice enough that I wanted to share it with you.

You see, I'm not one of those people who thinks my card collection will buy my retirement home. I understand the market, and I know the cards I buy won't net millions a few decades down the road. However, I don't buy cards to make money.

In a strange way, I think buying sports cards puts you just a bit closer to the game. It's not about looking at their stats, it's not about getting them graded and listed "near mint", it's about looking at a card and saying, "hey, that looks pretty cool."

I have a Chris Drury "Salute to Captains" Parkhurst. I think that is insanely accurate, and I still have that front and center. I have a Bobby Orr Parkhurst replica that is probably worth a dollar at best, but there is something about having Bobby Orr streaking up the ice that makes you keep it out.

Its fun to look at the different players moving from team to team. Each year a new player signs with a different team but they are pictured in their old jerseys. Players are traded mid season and are represented as a Red Wing or Star the whole season, only to have a dash or split stat reading the next year. I like watching a team's uniform evolve; it's always fun when the pictures are taken with the alternate jerseys on.

I know I'm rambling, but with sports cards everyone has a different reason for buying. The important thing is this: you always have a favorite card. For me, it will always be this:



1997 Pacific Miroslav Satan. I only bought one pack, and he was in it. There is something about luck and getting your favorite player that is just really cool. It also helps that you are young and impressionable and send it away to HSBC Arena to get signed. When you put your favorite hockey card in an envelope and aim to have a Slovokian man sign it and safely return it to you; you are talking about some serious trust.

Thankfully, I got it back in the mail a few weeks later, and it's been on display ever since. Even after the cell phone hand, even after the lockout, even after the Islanders and now the Penguins. It's going to stay on that wall for a long time, even if it is just to the left of a dart board.

Since it's a Friday and nothing is happening unless you are in Rochester, I want to hear your story. If you ever collected cards, or even just bought a few, tell me about your favorite. There is nothing to be ashamed of, unless it is a Pokemon card or something.

/closes closet door

Rochester Night

By Chris

Last night I took a trip down the 490, through rain and flooded highway to Rochester. A friend of my dad's invited me, my dad and my brother to a feast at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (soooo good) and a Rochester Red Wings game. Unfortunately Francisco Liriano had thrown a seven-inning, four hit, 10 strikeout gem the night before in a 13-0 win over Toledo. So we had to settle for a pitching match-up of Rochester's Philip Humber and Toledo's Anastacio Martinez.

We were also treated to a Howie Clark sighting in right field.

I had never been to a game at Frontier Field but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a simple little minor league park that reminded me of a combination of Jacobs Field (not Progessive Field) in terms of how the concourse was set up and Camden Yards in Baltimore (mainly because there was a lot of brick).

The game was decent. Rochester took a 9-0 lead going into the eighth in large part to a six-run fourth inning. Rochester lead-off man Jason Pridie belted two homers.

But the fun really didn't start until the eighth inning when Danny Graves came in to pitch. Danny Graves, the two-time Bison and former Reds closer who saved 41 games in 2004 and probably helped your fantasy team on its way to a championship.

Graves opened the eighth inning by throwing a ball. Nine balls actually. It was like watching Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn but without the velocity. Graves hit the first batter. Then he walked the second batter. Then he hit the third batter.

With bases loaded, he gave up a single, scoring one run. Then he walked the next batter. Then the skipper came out and took the ball away.

Seventeen pitches. Four strikes. No outs.

Toledo would score a total of six runs in the inning, but Graves was already in the dug out by then.

It made me wonder what happened to this guy? One minute he's on top of the world a two-time All-Star, saving 41 games for a major league club and the next season, he has a rough start, flips off a fan and he's stuck in the minors for three years. Then his game goes to hell and you wonder if he'll ever get a sniff of the bigs again.

Rochester ended up holding off the Mud Hen assault and won 9-6. We headed back to Dinosaur and got a rack of ribs to go. Man that stuff is good.

Reading with the Roost: The Blind Side

by Ryan

I would like to say that I am an above average football fan. My winter months are spent in front of the TV each Sunday, unless I'm tailgating outside of the Ralph. I watch football like it will give me some sort of special password, and the more I watch the closer I get to the answer.

However, there is much about the game I am ignorant to. It's really not my fault; no one has ever told me to devote myself to the game's intricate details. I have never played on an organized level, and while I understand a zone blitz, the majority of my defensive knowledge comes from NFL Quarterback Club '98 or one of the Maddens.

The thing is, I want to get better at it. The fact of the matter is that I understand hockey on a much deeper level than any other sport, and I want to level that depth of understanding.

A book such as Micheal Lewis' Moneyball helped out a few years back on the baseball front. Since then publications such as Baseball Prospectus have became the norm in the summer months, and much about the way I watch baseball has changed. Heck, I even have a shred of respect for YES Network because of it; they show on base percentages when batters come up.

As far as football is concerned, it took another book from Michael Lewis to move things along: The Blind Side.

In the book, Lewis takes his inquisitive nature and turns it upon the offensive line. He asks the simple question: why is the left tackle paid more than any other offensive lineman? What he found was an important development in football strategy (West Coast Offense), a revolution of sports economics (Free Agency), and the impact of a single linebacker (Lawrence Taylor). Most important of all, he found him.



This is Michael Oher, and he is the focal point of the book. There is far too much story to replicate here, but the important thing to know is that Michael was born to play left tackle. He is an absolute monster with regards to stature, but has a quickness in his feet, a wingspan, and a surprising power that gives him the perfect skill set to counteract the fastest pass rushers in the game.

The reason the left tackle is so important is because the majority of quarterbacks are right handed, which means they block the defenders he can't see: "the blind side." The rise of the West Coast Offense and its clash with Lawrence Taylor brought the left tackle to a place above the offensive line in regards to importance. Suddenly your best lineman had to be at left tackle; and no matter what anyone thinks, he must be handsomely paid for it.

While the game's evolution is extremely interesting to follow, the real reason to read is to hear Michael Oher's story. He grew up in the third poorest zip code in the country, West Memphis, Tennessee. One of thirteen children born to a crack-addicted mother, he was homeless for most of his life until a grandmother's dying wish made a man bring his son to the doorstep of Briarcrest Christian School. "Big Mike" was dragged along, hoping to get a basketball scholarship. He got a scholarship, but the hardwood would be his second sport. (Shot put would be his third)

It is a complicated story, complete with a struggle to maintain grades, assimilate to a wealthy lifestyle, and to simply communicate with his peers. Amazingly, a family takes him in and became his legal guardians. He started 10th grade almost completely illiterate, yet graduated on time and with a high school diploma.

His true purpose was found on the football field. The Briarcrest football coach got one look at his body type and knew he was born to play left tackle, and so he did. With only 15 games in his high school career, Michael Oher became the top left tackle prospect in the country. Hundreds of college coaches tried to lure him to their schools, and within the span of two years Michael Oher goes from a poor black teenager destined for gang activity to a budding NFL star.

If the above summary sounds absurd, you have to get your hands on the real text. It is an amazing story that doesn't end where I leave it. Lewis does a fantastic job retelling a story Michael himself seemed too shy to disclose, chronicling his brief life as a human interest piece as well as sociological interpretation of our culture. The simple question of football economics morphed into an amazing tale of one youth overcoming a society firmly stacked against him.

I really don't want to ruin the story, and it would be impossible to tell it any better than Lewis in this space. However, I did learn a great deal from the book, and have a new appreciation for the play of a left tackle. I know I'll look at the work of Jason Peters much different come September, and the name Michael Oher won't leave my head for some time.

Overall the book was done very well. It was hilarious, heartbreaking, and engaging, all at the same time. I'll leave you with my favorite part of the book, and you can leave your thoughts in the comments.

Michael listened to Sean's little speech without responding except to grunt "okay." He was still eerily calm, as if this whole fuss didn't really concern him. Finishing his lecture, Sean looked over at the Munford bench: Michael had picked up a 220-pound defensive end and moved him at least 60 yards. In seconds

"Michael," said Sean. "Where were you taking him, anyway?"

"I was gonna put him on the bus," said Michael.

Parked on the other side of the chain-link fence was, in fact, the Munford team bus.

"The bus?" asked Sean.

"I got tired of him talking," said Michael. "It was time for him to go home."

Sean thought he must be joking. He wasn't. Michael had thought it all through in advance; he'd been waiting nearly half a football game to do just exactly what he had very nearly done. To pick up this trash-talking defensive end and take him not to the chain-link fence but through the chain link fence. To the bus. And then put him on the bus. Sean began to laugh.

"How far did you get?" asked Sean.

"I got him up against the fence," said Michael.

The reinforcements...are arriving?

By Chris

Looks like we might have our sixth defensemen.

Henrik Tallinder-Toni Lydman
Jaroslav Spacek-Craig Rivet
Andrej Sekera-TEPPO NUMMINEN
Nathan Paetsch

“Teppo wants to play and he plays a style of game none of us see any reason that he can’t play,” Regier said following the Sabres’ HSBC Arena news conference to officially announce goaltender Ryan Miller’s five-year contract extension. “As long as he’s healthy and all indications are that he is, we’d like to have him.

“He’s one of these players league-wide that even with the recognition he’s gotten, he’s underappreciated. We got to experience some of that ‘underappreciation’ last year.”

At the right price and if he's healthy, Teppo would be a nice addition. I'm not exactly the biggest Numminen supporter in the world (understatement of the year...especially when he was playing with Kalinin--heart attack pairing of the ages), but for $1 million and 60-some games, I wouldn't really have a problem with the Sabres bringing him back.

He's a veteran who's been with the team for a few years now. He understands the game better than most and can provide a lot of the leadership that was missing last season.

If not, then the possibility of bringing back Nolan Pratt is another fine option.

Regier said if the Sabres don’t strike a deal with Numminen, they might revisit bringing back Nolan Pratt. The Sabres signed him for $550,000 last November and he played 55 games, collecting one goal and six assists while finishing at plus-1.

Either way, the Sabres need at least one more NHL-caliber defenseman on the roster and either Numminen or Pratt would be a good fit and would allow for Mike Weber to continue developing in Portland. I know I'm not holding my breath to see if Paetsch ever finds his game again.


Lindsay Kramer of the Post-Standard in Syracuse is also reporting that the Sabres have signed left winger Matthieu Darche to a one-year, two-way deal with the Sabres.

"I figured that's where I'll have a good chance,'' he said of the Sabres. "Lindy Ruff is a lot like (ex-Tampa Bay coach) John Tortorella. You get what you deserve. I decided the fit was good in Buffalo, and I liked the talk I had with (Sabres GM) Darcy Regier.''

It looks like the type of deal I half-expected the Sabres to sign Mike Ryan to (and maybe the still will although that seems very unlikely now).

Darche has size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) but according to his Sportsnet.ca's scouting report, he's not the most fluid skater.

He seems to be a good depth guy for Portland. I doubt we'll see him in a Sabres jersey unless the injury bug bites them again.

Right now the Pirates are looking something like this:

Forwards
1. Matthieu Darche
2. Nathan Gerbe
3. Marc-Andre Gragnani
4. Dylan Hunter
5. Tim Kennedy
6. Clarke MacArthur
7. Mark Mancari
8. Felix Schutz
9. Derek Whitmore
10. Marek Zagrapan

Defense
1. Chris Butler
2. Mike Card
3. Mike Funk
4. Mike Kostka
5. Mike Weber

Goaltenders
1. Adam Dennis
2. Jhonas Enroth

Also, Clarke MacArthur would not have to clear waivers to play for Portland, so he is an option for the Pirates roster in October.

If I missed anything, let us know. I did this off the top of my head (it's not as easy posting from work as you'd think).

Michael Bishop is a Genius

by Ryan

So the Toronto Argonauts "spoke out" about the Bills in Toronto nonsense last night on TSN's "Off the Record". I don't get TSN, but their website made a nice little story out of it to recap. Also, the video is here if you are interested, which I'm sure you are.

My summary: Blah blah blah "our turf" blah blah blah. "It's about money" blah blah blah.

Also, it appears someone on the team is willing to piss on my backyard, whatever that means.

In short, they aren't exactly happy about it. Now that's a surprise. I mean, would you be excited if you were a corner store and a Super WalMart was being built across the street? I wouldn't be throwing out the welcome mat in the locker room in this case either.

However, the best line I've seen in months on the issue came from Michael Bishop, the Argos backup quarterback. I'm not feeling up to transcribe the conversation, so let's quote the article:

Bishop even brought up the idea of having the Argonauts take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Buffalo and giving the NFL a taste of their own medicine.

Brilliant. Way to show us Buffalonains for exporting our football. Let's hit us where it hurts, with a CFL game with no infrastructure to support the playing field necessary. That's like having Olympic hockey played on an NHL sized rink. Oh, oops.

In any event, the idea is a bit absurd to begin with. I can't imagine the Ti-Cats or Argos coming away with much gained in such a venture, although I suppose that would actually help the area in terms of filling the venue for an extra game and giving the economy a nice boost.

Hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea after all. I guess the question is, would you go? I'm not so sure I wouldn't give it a try, if only to see how small the bench areas would be.

Roger Goodell, quake with fear, this idea is about to get some legs.

Lawrence Taylor

He is the very reason for the term "The Blind Side", and a whole lot more. Lewis' book doesn't make him the star of the show, but the villain and reason for writing.

You'll hear more about this in a few days.

Radoslav Hecl: The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade

By Jon

The people have spoken; It's finally time to name The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade.


Garnering 47 percent of the votes, former Sabres defenseman Radoslav Hecl is our winner. It was never a contest, with Hecl leading the voting right from the get-go.

Really, was there any question? He couldn't have been more insignificant. Less than a calendar year with the organization, no points, and a crazy last name to boot (For the record, it's pronounced "HEHSH-uhl," according to the 19th Annual Edition of the NHL Pronunciation Guide, which is edited by Mike Emrick. Really. I'm not making it up.)

Final results of the poll:

• Radoslav Hecl 47 percent
  
• Domenic Pittis 13 percent (tie)
• Jason Holland 13 percent (tie)
• Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre 10 percent
• Paul Kruse 8 percent
• Chris Taylor 4 percent

The Goose's Roost would like to thank everyone who participated in the series, especially those who voted.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Do you want to see similar series run at The Goose's Roost in the future? Maybe something with the Bills? Let us know, because it's a loooooonng summer.

UPDATE: Ryan has come up with a proper way to immortalize Hecl, but only because he has far too much time on his hands.

The Football Post

by Ryan


I want to get back into football.

I've joined two fantasy football leagues, but I have done no research yet. I want to go to training camp, but I have barely looked at the Bills roster since the draft. Something is wrong here, and it's going to change soon.

We're really not sure if anyone actually comes here to hear about the Bills, but we are by design a Buffalo Sports blog, and all of us care just a little too much about football to let it slide.

With that in mind, the next book I'm reading is Michael Lewis' The Blind Side. That will be done before the week is up. Seriously, it's a great read and I killed 100 or so pages last night alone. We will also start getting some fantasy... things together (Roost league, anyone?), and talking about some team names for sure.

Also, to get you back in the mood for football, I thought I'd share a few things I've seen around the blogosphere:

- The Dukes of Awesome have a nice post about Bills books to get you through the summer. They also have an awesome poster of Jim Kelly, which I wish I had.

- Buffalo Rumblings, which is probably the best Bills site on the web, has an interview with John DiGiorgio. That's just the start of the great material they have over there, so if you have the football itch like me check them out. Just don't ask to be traded if they make you a backup.

- Bills tickets go on sale August 21st. Just saying.

Reading with the Roost: The Code

by Ryan

The Code is another one of those books that is deemed a "must read" for hockey fans. The hockey world is much different down on the ice, and as fans the only way to understand that world is to hear about it from others. Earlier I read The Game, which put you inside the head of Ken Dryden, a goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens. Today we will talk about the world of hockey enforcers.


Ross Bernstein's The Code was an interesting look at the history of fighting in hockey, its impact and importance within the game, and how economics and the lockout have effected fighting. Bernstein talked at length within the book's 22 chapters, but he also interviewed many enforcers and journalists, letting them tell their own stories about "The Code" and the game of hockey.

The player interviews are certainly the highlight of the work. Hearing from guys like Tony Twist, Marty McSorley, and Rob Ray was about as enlightening as you could manage when talking to so called "goons". By far the best interview Bernstein conducted was with Paul Stewart, a former hockey enforcer who retired and became an NHL official. What better view of The Code than from someone who lived by it and then had to work alongside it?

For me this was the highlight of the book. Here's Paul Stewart talking about revenge:

"Revenge in hockey can be a b#$ch. I still owe Bob Schmautz for trying to spear me in the eye in Colorado one night. I had hit him with a beautiful elbow right in the chest, which knocked the wind out of him. I could have taken his chin off, but I didn't. So he came back at me with his stick, and we got into a stick fight. It was ugly. I even went after him years later at a celebrity golf tournament up in Pawtucket with a putter one time. Milt Schmidt had to get between us that afternoon, and it was a good thing he was there or that could have gotten ugly, too. I said, "You haven't got a stick now, how tough are you?" He was a gutless puke. He had no code and no honor. Hey, Schmautz-and you can put this in the book, too-anytime, anyplace. I'm ready for you."

Some of the stories are downright hilarious, with Rob Ray telling parents how to raise their children, Stewart punching a player trying to break up a fight, and Dave Hanson pulling off Bobby Hull's wig.

Overall I think Bernstien did a good job putting the material together. He tried to cover all aspects of the code, as well as what fighting has done to the game and the public's perception of it. He made sure to give both sides of the pro/anti fighting argument, even if that meant E.J. Hradek was involved.

While the material was good and I would recommend any hockey fan give it a try, I was a bit disappointed in Bernstien's writing. It was an odd mix of writing styles, and I have to admit I'm not familiar with much else of his writing, so I'm not sure if that is his style of if he was trying too hard.

At times the book read like an elongated term paper. While there were many cited sections in the appendix, there were many generalizations or points he tried to make that were just ramblings. It wasn't bad writing, just awkward, especially when he tried to use secular terms. I think he actually tried too hard to be "ordinary" with his style, using terms such as "S.O.B." or "mug" when referring to someone's face. It wasn't bad, just... clumsy, and something that tripped me up at times.

A perfect example of this was on page 209, when Bernstien was talking about violence on the junior level. One fight between two parents ended up with one man dying. Bernstein said, "One man died after being assaulted, and the other get ten years in the joint for manslaughter." Really? Joint? For such a serious topic, the colloquial terms didn't add anything to the material.

Again, this isn't a criticism of the book as much as the style it was presented in. The material was excellent, the interviews were great, and the book itself brought up a number of great questions regarding fighting and violence in hockey. A simple matter of diction doesn't matter in the face of all that.

The main point of the book was to give its readers the option: to fight or not to fighting? I have always been a proponent of fighting in hockey, and after reading I only reinforced my views on the matter. There is a reason for fighting in the game, and no matter what impression it gives to outsiders, the purpose overrides the negativity associated with it.

Reading has also given me a new view of Andrew Peters. I think looking over his actions and his role is important in determining his utility. He is a bad fighter and not a two way player, and I don't think he follows the code. (We've seen him turtle before...) However, we currently don't have a better option, and until we trade for Georges Laroque (could have signed him this summer...) we will have to keep him around.

God, that's depressing.

---

Any thoughts on fighting, Peters, and Rob Ray in the comments.

A Not-So-Instant Analysis

By Chris

Another thing I've been meaning to get around to is giving a more detailed analysis to the news of Ryan Miller's signing. Without further ado, here it is (it's tough trying to post anything of real substance when you're at work).

What excites me most about the Miller deal is that, if we're to believe him, there wasn't any doubt in his mind that he wanted to stay in Buffalo. And from his interviews over the years, Miller has really been nothing but honest. He said he wanted to stay here and laughed at the Detroit Destiny rumors because his heart was here all along.

He wears his heart on his sleeve. When things are going well, he'll let you know and when the going gets tough, he'll let you know then too. It might be harder to get a hold of the goalie after a tough loss, but generally, his mindset his pretty much on par with that of the rest of the team's. As a vocal leader, he's been as much a captain as anyone that's worn a letter in the last season and a half.

The contract itself is a great deal for the Sabres. There are a slew of free agent goalies available next offseason including Nicklas Backstrom, Tim Thomas, Manny Fernandez, Martin Biron and Martin Gerber, which would certainly drive up the market price. While Miller is the fourth highest paid goalie in the league with the new contract, that may not be the case by the time 2009-10 rolls around. Goaltender salaries are due to explode.

Miller is set to begin the prime of his career and is ready to carry this team for the long-haul. There's no question that last season was not Miller's best. He was spotty at times but he was also learning. He had never taken on that kind of workload before and stretched himself beyond anything he had done before professionally.

Luckily, Miller is a smart guy and has used the experience of playing in 76 games (the last 34 consecutively) to help him prepare for the rest of his career. Miller is near the top of the list of players that the Sabres are banking on a lot to bounce back from a down year (Afinogenov and Tallinder also come to mind). I don't see Miller being the type of player to crumble under the pressure of a new contract. If anything the distraction of not having a new deal in place this season would have been what hurt if he were to struggle in 2008-09. But, thankfully, that won't be an issue.

Miller is an All-Star goaltender. Had it not been for him, the Sabres wouldn't have made it to two straight appearances in the conference finals. He was pretty much the only bright spot for the team in the postseason two years ago when they ultimately fell to the Senators.

The face of the team is now Ryan Miller. If you see a Sabre in one of those NHL commercials, most likely it's going to be Miller representing our city. The long-term signing of a solid player and franchise goaltender bodes well for public relations. Not only is the front office slowly regaining the trust of its fans, but locking up key players has to look good to potential free agents looking to sign with a winner.

Yes Darcy and company have made some questionable decisions but they're quickly taking the steps necessary to keeping a winning team on the ice. In addition to Miller, they've got Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek under contract for a few more years. They've added potential studs like Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy to their farm club. They're also going to start working on a deal to keep Lady Poms in Buffalo before he hits the restricted market.

We may still be questioning whether or not the team has enough veteran leadership come October, but with another year to grow and solid goaltending, this team probably should make the playoffs, even if it is as a seventh or eighth seed.

At least now we can put the Jhonas Enroth Hype Machine to bed for a few years.

Roost Review: The Dark Knight

By Chris

I've been trying to write this brief review since I got out of the movie theater Friday morning.

The Dark Knight is one of those rare films that lives up to all the hype surrounding it. It's not just a great comic book movie, but a great movie in general. Considering the main characters are dressed up as a giant rodent and a clown, it's gritty and realistic. One of the greatest movies ever? Not quite. But it does rank just slightly below some of the great crime films of our time--The Godfather, The Untouchables, The Usual Suspects and The Departed. The fact that it is a comic book movie takes a little bit away from canonizing it, although it is a four star film in itself.

Now I haven't even actually been to a movie since Ocean's 12 (I really don't consider sitting quietly in a dark room for two hours "fun time" with friends), so it had to take a special kind of movie to get me back in the theater. The Dark Knight was that movie.

Despite all of the high flying antics, what the movie has at its core is a story about a city searching for hope. Batman is the dark masked beacon while Harvey Dent arrives on the scene as a "hero with a face." Eventually, Dent's fall from grace will leave him with a murderous split personality and the revelation to Batman and Commissioner Gordon that even the greatest can be corrupted.

Each hero loses something valuable in their war against the mob that corrupts Gotham. Batman, Dent and Gordon each struggle with crossing the line that separates them from the criminals. Holding onto their humanity and protecting those they care for prove to be more difficult than beating the mob itself.

Gary Oldman as Gordon and Michael Caine as Batman's faithful butler Alfred put forth the best performances in the movie in my opinion.

Heath Ledger was great as the Joker, don't get me wrong, but an Academy Award nomination seems doubtful. I bet that if he hadn't died shortly after filming, we wouldn't even be hearing the word "Oscar" now. The hype machine overreacted a bit on this one. People in the theater were laughing at his actions, but I found them to be more disturbing than humorous. The Joker in this film is more twisted and deranged than any version of the Joker we've seen before.

Ledger tauting one of the police officers in the interrogation room is one of the more memorable scenes that comes to my mind when I think about this film.

As far as a third Batman goes, I'm not sure what direction they will go in. A simple cat and mouse chase movie of Batman vs. the police vs. the mob might work. Then again, it might be best for them to just let it be after two (the box office returns will certainly disagree however).

I don't want to spoil too much, but if you haven't seen this movie yet, you should. Get past the fancy costumes and expensive gadgets and you've got an excellent crime epic that will have you talking about it days after.

Magic Tricks, Christmas, and Living up to the Hype

[03:25] Ryan: so here's the question:
[03:25] Ryan: did it live up to the hype?

[03:25] Rich: Yeah, I'd say so.
[03:26] Rich: The problem is that hype is such an animal.
[03:26] Rich: but it was outstanding, and it did everything I expected plus a whole lot more.

[03:26] Ryan: I think this is the start of a post...

---


Hype is such an animal.

Rich said what I've been trying to put into words for some time. Hype controls so much of what we do these days that it is increasingly difficult to be satisfied with anything. Lloyd Dobler had made it impossible to satisfy a woman, and ESPN has ruined your ability to properly enjoy sports.

---

I have a friend who happens to be a Red Wings fan. He is a fairly regular reader, and during the Cup Finals he gave me a pretty hard time for rooting against the Red Wings. This post in particular got to him, and he wondered why I was telling everyone to "take a deep breath" about the series after the thrilling Game Three.

It was a difficult explanation to give at the time, but I'll try again here: the reason I was so excited after that game was not because of the Penguins win, but because the series was finally living up to the hype.

For the first time since the lockout people were talking about hockey, and the Finals weren't living up to the big predictions people were assigning them. The Wings won the first two games handily, and the Penguins looked outclassed in every way.

Can you imagine that? Even when witnessing good hockey we were unsatisfied with the performance. We wanted to see competitive hockey, thrilling hockey. We as a society are never content with what we are given; never satisfied with the results. Even after the Finals ended there were those that claimed the series still didn't live up to the hype. Game Six wasn't good enough, the celebration wasn't good enough, Malkin wasn't good enough. Completely ignoring a fantastic Game Five and the fact that we were a Crosby backhand away from overtime in Game Six, people clamored for satisfaction.

It is a tough case to make recently, because so much of our sporting events have certainly lived up to the insane hype we attach to them. Even with the hype machine that is ESPN, even in this world of hyper criticism and dissection, so much of the sporting world is overwhelming our grandiose expectations.

Adrian Peterson lived up to the hype. The Winter Classic lived up to the hype. Super Bowl XLII lived up to the hype. The Celtics lived up to the hype. Wimbledon lived up to the hype. The Home Run Derby lived up to the hype. Even the MLB All Star Game was getting up there by the 14th inning or so.

In a world so full of hyperbole and inflated hopes, we have seen a surprising amount of things break the plain of tolerance with regard to our expectations. Still, even in this regard we are not left impressed. We want to see how the next Super Bowl goes. What city gets to claim itself "TitleTown"? Was this the greatest {blank] of all time?

No. In fact, who cares?

The impact hype has on our lives is quite stunning, and it has rendered us unable to truly appreciate anything remarkable we experience. Why can't we simply be satisfied with the things that live up to the hype? Why can't we merely be content with the result? Perhaps it is something Vonnegut would say, but why can't we accept the cards we have been dealt?

Christmas is the perfect example of why hype sucks sometimes. Everyone loves Christmas, but the fact of the matter is that it is 24 hours and nothing more. All that time to get ready for it, all those plans and money and excitement. In the end, it comes and goes quickly, and no matter how much cool crap you get it will leave you completely underwhelmed.

As a society we set ourselves up to fail in this manner. It is a cruel fate to get so excited about something you make yourself unable to be satisfied by it. We turn ourselves into Tantalus, unable to grasp the fruit above while the water taunts below.

The point of all this is that we have it much better than we think. As sports fans we attach a greater meaning to our games than they actually have. This is completely okay, and I'm here to tell you that you should take the time to enjoy them when they are as good as advertised. We deserve to be satisfied, and lately we should be.

---

That conversation I began with could have been about any number of things. Ryan Miller's contract, the Red Sox game, maybe even an iPhone. However, it was about The Dark Knight, and I agree with what Rich had to say.

Chris will review the movie in full, but I felt the need to elaborate on its hype. The movie may not go down as the best of all time, and Heath Ledger may not win an Oscar, but it lived up to the hype. In the face of immense pressure to deliver, in the wake of a tragic death and a level of almost fanatical devotion to its characters, The Dark Knight delivered on every level.

It may not be the best way to look at things, but to me that's all that matters.

Miller signs five-year extension

From Sabres.com:

The Buffalo Sabres today announced they have signed goaltender Ryan Miller to a five-year contract extension. Miller, who will enter the final year of his contract this season, is now signed with the club through the 2013-2014 season.

UPDATE:
WGR550 reports that that deal is worth $31.25 million, $6.25 million each season.

I see nothing wrong with that deal. The length is great and the money is competitive.

Press conference coming up in a few minutes. More to come.


Top goaltender salaries 2009-10
1. Miika Kipusoff $8.000 million
2. Roberto Luongo $7.500 million
3. Henrik Lundqvist $6.875 million
4. Ryan Miller $6.250 million
5. Jean-Sebastian Giguere $6.000 million
6. Evgeni Nabokov $6.000 million

Left out in the Warm

by Ryan

Last year when the Sabres schedule was released there was so much to look for. When was the first time Briere and Drury would be back in town? Who do we open against to raise the banners? What about Ottawa? Most important of all, what about that game on New Year's Day?

It would take an extra few months to get official word about the Winter Classic, but once everything fell into place it went down as one of the greatest events in Buffalo sports history. Finally something unique was given to this town, and we as fans savored every moment of it.

However, this year's schedule release brings a different feeling. Namely, a feeling of being left out. Kevin at Bfloblog fleshed it out nicely by saying "big deal", and that's kind of what I'm feeling as well. The lack of excitement isn't my problem, as much as the reality that something is no longer ours.



Hang a "9" over it and consider that logo to be stalking Brian Campbell. The Winter Classic is officially an annual showcase, and Elwood Blues' parole address gets hosting duties this year.

Keep in mind where I'm coming from on this. This was certainly inevitable and something you can't possibly get upset about. The fact of the matter is that the Winter Classic was profitable and great for the league, and so it will be repeated until ran into the ground. However, you can't help but get taken aback when you hear Brian Campbell talking about another Winter Classic. See for yourself:

Colder than it is in April, but so what? It was cold in Buffalo, too, but Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell, who played for the Sabres in last season's Classic, remembers the intoxicating buzz around the city leading up to game day.

"The city was all wrapped up in it," Campbell said. "It was, 'How do you get tickets?' 'What are you doing to get prepared?' 'What's your tailgate going to be like?' It was mayhem, a lot of fun, and something you take a lot of pride in."

Campbell also recalled how difficult it was to adjust to the conditions.

"I was on the ice for a goal against (21 seconds into the game) in because my defensive partner tried to pass it and there was too much snow on the ice and it wasn't going anywhere," he said. "I personally did not like the game at that point. Then I scored and the game was the best thing ever."

Somehow the term "intoxicating" is completely appropriate. The entire section reads a far cry from the "f$%king stupid Ice Bowl" we've seen for ourselves, but you can't help but laugh at the little ginger's enthusiasm. Deep down he knew he would love it, it was the beer lying to him all along.

Again, it's nothing to get upset about, but it is a strange feeling. This year I glanced over the schedule with little to look forward to. Who even knows if mini packs are still around come October? With all the fun things happening for other teams, it's just tough to look at a bunch of dates and get excited. Not just yet, at least.

Hey, at least it won't be at Yankee Stadium. That mock-up just never looked right, did it?

Our Plans for Tonight

Expect a full review from Chris by morning.

Hey look! The schedule is out!

Buffalo Sabres 2008-2009 Regular Season Schedule

Day Date Opponent Time (E.S.T.)
Friday October 10 MONTREAL 7:30 PM
Monday October 13 @NY Islanders 2:00 PM
Wednesday October 15 @NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Friday October 17 VANCOUVER 7:30 PM
Saturday October 18 @Atlanta 7:00 PM
Tuesday October 21 BOSTON 7:00 PM
Thursday October 23 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
Saturday October 25 @ COLORADO 9:00 PM
Monday October 27 OTTAWA 7:00 PM
Thursday October 30 TAMPA BAY 7:00 PM

Saturday November 1 WASHINGTON 7:00 PM
Monday November 3 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Friday November 7 ATLANTA 7:30 PM
Saturday November 8 @ Boston 7:00 PM
Wednesday November 12 ST. LOUIS 7:00 PM
Friday November 14 COLUMBUS 7:30 PM
Saturday November 15 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Wednesday November 19 @ Boston 7:00 PM
Friday November 21 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 PM
Saturday November 22 NY ISLANDERS 7:00 PM
Wednesday November 26 BOSTON 7:00 PM
Friday November 28 PITTSBURGH 7:30 PM
Saturday November 29 @ Montreal 7:00 PM

Monday December 1 NASHVILLE 7:00 PM
Thursday December 4 @ Florida 7:30 PM
Saturday December 6 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Monday December 8 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Wednesday December 10 TAMPA BAY 7:00 PM
Friday December 12 TORONTO 7:30 PM
Saturday December 13 @ New Jersey 7:00 PM
Wednesday December 17 NEW JERSEY 7:00 PM
Friday December 19 LOS ANGELES 7:30 PM
Saturday December 20 @ Montreal 7:00 PM
Monday December 22 PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Friday December 26 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Saturday December 27 NY ISLANDERS 7:00 PM
Tuesday December 30 WASHINGTON 7:00 PM

Thursday January 1 @ Toronto 7:00 PM
Saturday January 3 @ Boston 1:00 PM
Tuesday January 6 OTTAWA 7:00 PM
Friday January 9 NY RANGERS 7:30 PM
Saturday January 10 @ Detroit 7:00 PM
Wednesday January 14 @ Chicago 8:30 PM
Thursday January 15 @ Dallas 8:30 PM
Saturday January 17 CAROLINA 7:00 PM
Monday January 19 @ Florida 7:30 PM
Wednesday January 21 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Tuesday January 27 @ Edmonton 9:00 PM
Wednesday January 28 @ Calgary 8:00 PM
Saturday January 31 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM

Monday February 2 @ Anaheim 10:00 PM
Wednesday February 4 TORONTO 7:30 PM
Friday February 6 MONTREAL 7:30 PM
Saturday February 7 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Wednesday February 11 OTTAWA 7:30 PM
Friday February 13 SAN JOSE 7:30 PM
Sunday February 15 CAROLINA 6:00 PM
Tuesday February 17 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Thursday February 19 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Saturday February 21 NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Tuesday February 24 ANAHEIM 7:00 PM
Thursday February 26 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Saturday February 28 @ NY Islanders 7:00 PM

Wednesday March 4 MONTREAL 7:30 PM
Friday March 6 PHOENIX 7:30 PM
Saturday March 7 @ Ottawa 7:00 PM
Tuesday March 10 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Thursday March 12 FLORIDA 7:00 PM
Saturday March 14 ATLANTA 7:00 PM
Tuesday March 17 @ Ottawa 7:30 PM
Friday March 20 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 PM
Saturday March 21 @ NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Wednesday March 25 FLORIDA 7:00 PM
Friday March 27 TORONTO 7:30 PM
Saturday March 28 @ Montreal 7:00 PM

Wednesday April 1 @ Atlanta 7:00 PM
Friday April 3 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Saturday April 4 NEW JERSEY 7:00 PM
Monday April 6 DETROIT 7:00 PM
Wednesday April 8 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Thursday April 9 @ Carolina 7:00 PM
Saturday April 11 BOSTON TBD

Analysis and more fun to come.

A Novel Idea

by Ryan

Today is the big day: the NHL's full schedule is released to the public.

However, the Sabres weren't the only team that had a "soft release" of the schedule on Wednesday. The Toronto Maple Leafs made an announcement that certainly involved the Sabres, and you may not know anything about it.

It may only be preseason, but on September 22nd the Sabres will take on the Leafs at the ACC. It will be a fifth preseason game for the Leafs, which I guess is something special, but there is a larger catch attached:

Admission is free.

The Leafs and Coca Cola have teamed up to give away free tickets to the game in an effort to get a different kind of crowd at Leafs games. It's an interesting way to say "thank you" to the fans that simply can't pay $300 bucks a seat but still splurged on that Kyle Wellwood replica. Git R Done, boys.

All Leafs bashing aside, it is a pretty nice gesture. A free ticket to a hockey game is hard to come by, and reaching out to your fans after a frustrating playoff drought always bodes well with the public.

I hadn't heard about this until checking the Leafs' site, so I tried to apply for the drawing. Heck, who wouldn't road trip it to Toronto if the tickets were free?

Oh wait, you have to be a resident of Ontario. Within a fifty mile radius of Toronto, to be exact. Well isn't that unique? An exclusive event for Leafs fans that only they are invited to attend. Who actually tries to keep events local like that?



Carlton you greedy bastard.

Your Sabres Schedule Preview

Let the countdown begin.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that the team’s 39th season of operation will begin on Friday, October 10 when the Montreal Canadiens visit HSBC Arena.

Two of the Sabres home “at large” games will be against the past two Stanley Cup Champions. The Sabres will battle the defending champion Detroit Red Wings on Monday, April 6. The 2006-07 champion Anaheim Ducks will head into HSBC Arena on February 24. The remaining “at large” game will see the return of Head Coach Wayne Gretzky and the Phoenix Coyotes in Buffalo on March 3.

via Sabres.com

The RFAs are signed

Some signing news as we wait for the partial schedule to be released:

Clarke MacArthur and Mark Mancari have accepted their qualifying offers and Dan Paille has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Sabres.

We'll post the figures as they become available but it's good news to have Paille locked up for a few years. This is MacArthur's year to make the leap so expect him to have a more prominent role with the big club this year as well.

UPDATE:

The Buffalo Sabres have announced the signing of forward Daniel Paille to a two year contract.

Paille will earn $900,000 in the first year of the deal and $1.35 the following season.

A very good deal for the Sabres. By the time is contract is up, the make up of the team will be different (right now only Vanek, Roy, Hecht and Gaustad are under contract in 2010-11) so the money should be there to give Paille a significant raise if he earns it.

Schedule Day! Kinda!

by Ryan

So today is the slowest sports day of the year. It's the day after the All Star Game (well, still the "day of" really...), and no other major sports league is currently in season.

What are we going to talk about today?

Well, thank the Sabres for trying to fill the gap with some hockey talk.

The big stories:

-Season ticket renewal is at 97%, with 500 or so tickets being given to Blue and Gold Club members. Glad that $100 bucks is getting them something.



-The full NHL schedule comes out on Thursday, which will be loads of fun. We can't wait to tear through that bad boy and start planning our mini packs.(If they are doing that this year, that is...)

-However, today at noon the Sabres will announce the home opener opponent, as well as three "at large" opponents. Hopefully a Mid Major picked as one of the three, perhaps Ball State sometime around Christmas. Let's do some bracketology for the three possible teams.

- Chicago- The "at large" opponents are most likely going to be picked to maximize revenue for teams, and my guess is the Sabres will want to squeeze a gold game out of a Western Conference opponent. Chitown will be that team, with Campbell, Kane, and $13 million goaltending tandem to boot. If we don't see the Hawks at HSBC this fall, I'd be moderately surprised.

- Toronto- probably not, but it would be smart of them. I want as much Jeff Finger in my life as possible this winter.

- Calgary- Perhaps, we don't go out West enough...

- Pittsburgh- Nah, too much demand for Sid and Gino.

- Carolina- Still have bad blood? Absolutely.

(Note: No one seems to be sure how exactly this "at large" thing works. For all we know they can only be within the conference or something. Let's put it this way, tell us who you'd like to see an extra time in the comments, and if you are reading this after noon today, hopefully you know for yourself.)

UPDATE: The scheduling format actually was changed and takes effect this upcoming season:

This season, the NHL has revised its scheduling format. Each team will continue to play an 82-game schedule, but the breakdown of opponents has changed.

Each team will play their divisional opponents six times (24 games in total), four games against each non-divisional conference opponent (40 games in total), one game against each of the 15 non-conference opponents and three "at large" games.

Why Second Place Matters

by Ryan



This ball probably went about 502 feet. Or maybe somewhere in the high 470s. Whatever, did you see Josh Hamilton freaking hit last night?

Wait, wait, let's backtrack a bit.



Ah yes, this is the big news story we all should be talking about. Brett Favre blahblahblahblahblah "I'm a premature quitter" blah blah blah.

You know what? Screw you Brett Favre. Last night we found more important things to think about.




Josh Hamilton absolutely stole the show last night, and I for one couldn't be happier. I normally don't find much to get excited about during the Derby, but to see a kid like him just rake like that was outstanding. Probably the coolest thing I've seen in Yankee Stadium since Mark Bellhorn's home run in Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS.

The story of his past will be told over and over again, but seeing someone live "The Dream" in front of millions of people was a refreshing twist on something that had become so trivial. The Home Run Derby didn't have the most star studded of lineups, nor did it have a Yankee to be a crowd favorite. However, it only took two home runs for Hamilton to become the star of the show, and before it was over everyone was chanting his name.




The Derby is pointless. It's simply another chance to put a trophy on your mantle, and while I give Justin Morneau all the credit in the world for the win, the story of Hamilton's performance has to be remembered in the long run. We're not here to talk revisionist history and declare Hamilton the winner, but he gave us something more than the Twin ever will last night.

In this era of instant history people are constantly searching for special moments. The Home Run Derby certainly lived up to the hype, which is surprising at best. Hamilton's performance may satisfy that desire for greatness many have, but for me its significance lies in its value when compared to the other "stories" the sports world follows.

How special is it to see a guy putting his life back together before your eyes when put up against an over the hill quarterback refusing to fade into the background? Favre going on television whining about playing time and feeling wanted is just absurd when you think about how privileged Captain Wrangler is compared to Hamilton.

Where Favre is clinging to a world he knows so well, Josh Hamilton is just trying to survive his own demons. Brett talks of an itch to play football, unable to be a normal person, a "former quarterback". Hamilton knows that same itch, except giving in for him would be committing career suicide a second time. For Hamilton the tag "former" will always apply, along with it "recovering", "addict", or "alcohol."

---

Baseball and football are mere games. However, we cherish their play and those that participate, claiming them heroes for something they are paid to do. The accolades we rain down on these athletes is hyperbolic, and Favre is one of the biggest benefactors of this verbal praise. Hamilton's show last night will only add to the compliments he receives, but it seems so much more appropriate at the moment.

Listen, I'm not here to give you a moral lesson or anything, so let's just say that last night was pretty freaking cool, no matter who ended up winning.



Watching Josh Hamilton swing for the Utz sign over the bleachers reminded us what sports is all about. Sports are supposed to be fun, and watching a meaningless contest on an off day was just plain fun.



Watching Favre pout "On the Record" reminds you that the "other" side of sports sucks sometimes, and only makes you look like a whiny bitch.

"Boo? F#$k You!"

Chase Utley knows how to handle the Yankee Stadium crowd:



He wasn't the star last night, though. More on that later...

[via Deadspin, The Sports Hernia]

Who is The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade?

By Jon

For those keeping up with The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade series we've been running, the day has finally come for you to cast your vote! Make your voice heard by voting in the poll posted at the top of the right sidebar, just underneath the header. Or, you can click here, if that's easier for you.

Voting will be open until Monday, July 21st at 5:00 PM Eastern. After voting closes, we will crown our winner and make sure we pay our respects with a fitting tribute. If you vote, feel free to back up your choice in the comment section of this post.

For those who need to review our six finalists, here are the links:

• Jason Holland
• Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre
• Paul Kruse
• Radoslav Hecl
• Chris Taylor
• Domenic Pittis

Also, here is the link to the original post.

Remember, your vote needs to be cast by Monday July 21st at 5:00 PM.

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Domenic Pittis

By Jon


In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Our final candidate is Domenic Pittis, courtesy of Keller.

Domenic Pittis
#83, 12, 28, 38 (... Seriously)
Center
1998-2000, 2003-04

Drafted: 1993 (Round 2) by Pittsburgh

Acquired by the Sabres: Signed as a Free Agent on July 30th, 1998

Regular season stats as a Sabre: 14 games (according to hockeydb; the Sabres media guide says 15 games), 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, 12 PIM

Playoff stats as a Sabre: None

After Buffalo: After his first stint as a Sabre, Pittis played 69 games with Edmonton and 2 with Nashville, before returning to the Sabres for his final two games. He has played the last four seasons in the Swiss-A league.

Ebay swag: You can find a handful of Pittis cards on ebay, but some may find this page a little more interesting.


Puck bunnies, rejoice! A quick Google images search unearthed a few pictures of Pittis with females in local bars, this one with Soupy, himself.

Why Pittis should be Most Insignificant: Pittis went through four numbers and two stints in the organization, yet could never catch on with the big club.

Why Pittis should not be Most Insignificant: He led the AHL in scoring in the 1998-99 season, possibly giving some Sabres fans high hopes and leaving his name etched in their memory.

There you have it, folks. The last of our six finalists. Expect a poll to be up within the next few minutes.

"Portability Value"

by Ryan




A portable team will also attract interest from prospective buyers/investors in connection with a move to another city.

If the above had anything to do with Buffalo, we would be flipping s#$t right now. However, this is only Nashville, and only Boots Del Biaggio.

The idea of an ownership group purely seeking to "flip" a team (like a house!) is actually pretty scary when you have an owner straight up dying and another one purely focused on profit margin.

Mirtle has had good coverage of this all along, but it's something to think about on a day when not much is going on.

Sunday Afternoon Youtube

You can consider this a precursor to a review of Bernstein's The Code.

Few things about this one:

- Andrew Peters has not improved.

- I think this was the one fight in which I didn't root for my team's player.

- One of these days we will review Rob Ray's book. Just not today. Or anytime soon.

- Bonus video:

Two Stupid Things

by Ryan

This, which is probably the stupidest death-related-Cubs-fan story I've ever seen. There is a joke about all Cubs fans turning to dust waiting for a championship somewhere in there, but I'm too tired to make it.

This, which is by far the most predictable story of the summer, is re-freaking-diculous. Just go away already. Everyone either loves or hates you, and coming back will only turn more people to the latter opinion.



Can't we just leave it at this? So much cleaner this way. Bret, there are no fancy graphics packages or stirring tributes involved when you are a backup quarterback. Ask Vinny Testaverde.

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Chris Taylor

By Jon

In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Today's finalist comes courtesy of Peter Farrell at The Ultimate Sports Road Trip, former Sabres forward Chris Taylor.

Chris Taylor
#16
1999-2004
Center

Drafted: 1990 (Round 2) by the New York Islanders

Acquired by the Sabres: Signed as a free agent on August 13, 1999.

Regular season stats as a Sabre: 90 games, 8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points, 32 PIM. Not quite a point-a-game player.

Playoff stats as a Sabre: 2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 2 PIM

After Buffalo: After coming to Buffalo by way of the Islanders, Kings, and Bruins, Taylor stayed in the Sabres organization for two seasons after seeing his final action with the big club, captaining the Amerks through the 05-06 season. As is the case with all of the finalists so far, Taylor headed overseas, playing for the Frankfurt Lions for the past two seasons.

Ebay swag: I could only find one piece of Chis Taylor merchandise on Ebay (this 1995-96 rookie card), however this guy is kind enough to show off the crown jewel of his online merchandise collection: A pair of game-used socks worn by Taylor himself.

I would question the legitimacy of the socks, but who would lie about owning a pair of Chris Taylor's socks? Also available, a pair of practice-worn socks by Andrew Peters and another wore by Mike Ryan. That guy should get an extra vote; He obviously knows a thing or two about insignificant Sabres.

Why Taylor should be The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Last night, when Ryan and I were discussing who the remaining finalists should be, Ryan grabbed his media guide and was convinced that Taylor had only played two games as a Sabre, when in fact he had mistakingly looked up Taylor's playoff stats. That's how insignificant he was: It was completely believable that Chris Taylor played in 88 less games than he actually did. Also, 20 points over 90 games isn't going to cut it for a forward, whether you're a defensive forward or not.

Why Taylor should not be Most Insignificant: He did play for 90 games as a Sabre, and some fans might consider him significant for being "that bastard that wore 16 after LaFontaine was traded."

That does it for Chris Taylor. We'll be back tomorrow with our last finalist, and then we will put it up for a vote. Is Chris Taylor The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade?

UPDATE: We're gonna hold off on the last finalist until Monday. The poll will also be up after we post our last finalist.

Reading with the Roost: The Game

by Ryan

I think I read Ken Dryden's The Game at the perfect time. It's summer, I had post concussion syndrome, and I was completely removed from any form of hockey. In those conditions, even with a concussion-shortened attention span, I devoured The Game in two days.

To say that the book is great would be an understatement, but to say it is phenomenal would imply you like reading these kind of books. Dryden is very intelligent and downright brilliant when it comes to discussing the game of hockey, and if you are a fan you simply must give the book a read.

The book's format is odd, only covering a number of days; but so much is discussed over the course of the work. Dryden's preparation for games was to completely clear his mind of everything related to "the game", and in that process his every thought on hockey is spilled onto the pages.

Dryden talks of the game's history, how the Habs' team culture has changed with winning, and how he has changed as a hockey player. He talks candidly about many of his own teammates, the various teams in the league, and his thoughts on retirement. There is just so much covered, but I tried to narrow down a few sections to talk about.

Page 5:
There is something remarkably strong about a team that wins; and something remarkably weak about that same team when it doesn't. The team that is "more than just a hockey team," the athletic, cultural, and political institution that inspires romance in more than its followers, is just a hockey team if it loses; and the romance disappears. The team that won together, our favorite metaphor for sharing and cooperation, loses as twenty separate guys, each running for his own lifeboat.

There was so much about the books' opening pages that rang familiar it surprised me. The arc of success Dryden described seemed to be a path the 06-07 Sabres team followed to perfection. However, the frustrating and terrible thing about it is that the Sabres acted that way with absolutely no prior success. The more time I put between myself and that season I see a team that lost its way down the stretch; and it only makes their subsequent collapse more painful to remember.

Page 73:
Nothing is as good as it used to be, and it never was. The "golden age of sports," the golden age of anything, is the age of everyone's childhood. For me and for the writers and commentators of my time, it was the 1950s. For those who lived in the 1950s as adults, it was the 1920s or the 1930s. Only major disruptions like wars or expansions can later persuade a child of those times that what he feels cannot be right. For me, the greatest goalies must always be Hall, Sawchuk, Plante, and Bower.

To me this proves that no one is ever satisfied with the current state of hockey. Dryden himself says that hockey isn't perfect, but the fact that it is an inherently flawed game is one of the reasons we love it so much. Every generation has said the previous one was better, and it is a fact that will not change.

The interesting thing is that today an emphasis has been put on labeling things as "the greatest" or "the best." Part of this is the "ESPN effect", in which an artificial hype is injected into events to bring viewers to the fold. However, for the most part hockey has been left out of this movement.

While every college football team is openly argued as the greatest ever, no one questions the greatness of Dryden's Canadiens when talking about the Red Wings, and no one is putting current goaltenders in Dryden's category. Even when Carey Price was being compared to Patrick Roy this spring there was much debate against the comparison. It is an interesting exception in the world of sports, one that is actually quite refreshing.

Page 158:
But there's one more thing. What does money do to the game on the ice? How does it affect a player? In playoff games, does Guy Lapointe put aside his shot-blocking phobia because of money? And what about Lafleur and his relentless brilliance? What about Robinson and Gainey and Lemaire? What about the so-called money players? Do they play the way they do because of money? No amateur would believe it, nor would many fans, nor indeed many players, but on the ice, in a game, more money, less money, playing for team or country, a blocked shot, a body check, a diving save comes only from instinctive, reflexive, teeth-baring competition. Money, like other motivations, comes from the mind and has nothing to do with it. More money can't change that.

This is something I've always wanted to believe, and while it may be less true in the era of max contracts and arbitration, you still want to believe that on the ice the money doesn't matter. Later on in the book Dryden will talk about playing the Red Wings, who were awful at the time. Only then, when a game was "easy" and other thoughts could creep into their minds did bonus incentives or contract expectations come up. Perhaps this has changed over time, but so much of what Dryden describes is still the same today. You have to wonder how much "the game" actually changes as generations pass.

---

Much of what Dryden talks about mirrors the same discussions hockey fans have today. The fundamental "problems of the game", the defensive mindset of teams, the differences between "speed" and "quickness", the way good teams play. However different we think the game is, however "advanced" the rule changes have made hockey, it is still the same game.

Dryden wonders who is the authority when it comes to rule changes, citing the history of Canadian hockey and its roots in defense. A decade before the trap, he predicts the same problems will be repeated over and over again. In his prose he is a true goaltender, seeing the entire ice, understanding the game completely as it is happening.

His foresight does not come simply from his own brilliance, but rather a complete fundamental understanding of hockey. He has studied its history, lived a part of it himself, and wants to follow it as it progresses. It is admirable at the very least, and to me quite inspiring. Even with a career in law, even with a family, even with other interests, "the game" is still with Dryden. As a mere fan, you can only hope the sport affects you that much.

There is a lot more to talk about with the book, but I'm curious to see what other people think. If you have read The Game, I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments. If you haven't and have some time to kill, I'd say pick it up before the summer is over.

There is so much time left before you see the puck drop in October. Why not get a glimpse behind the lean?

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Radoslav Hecl

By Jon

In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Today we'll take a look at Radoslav Hecl, another suggestion from Brian S. in the comments. (What can we say? The man knows insignificance.)

Radoslav Hecl
#21
2002-03 Season
Defenseman

Drafted: 2002 (7th Round) by the Sabres

Acquired by the Sabres: via Draft.

Regular season stats as a Sabre: 14 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 2 PIM

Playoff stats as a Sabre: None

After Buffalo: According to this 2002 Draft Evaluation I found on Hockeysfuture.com, Hecl was 27 when he was drafted, so the Sabres wanted him to achieve some level of production right away. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to cut it, Hecl went back to Slovakia and played there for three years. He played in the UK for one season and played this past season in Italy.

Ebay swag: Be sure to get your hands on an autographed puck from Hecl's days as a Sabre. Autographed in gold, and now 20 percent off. Buy it now for $1.59 plus $4.29 shipping.

Someone forgot to tell Radoslav that here in America we sign our first name in front of our last name.

Why Hecl should be The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Hecl couldn't have been in the Sabres organization for a shorter period of time. He was drafted in '02 and gone by the end of '03; A pretty incredible turnaround. I was pretty shocked that this guy played one game in a Sabres sweater, let alone fourteen.

Why Hecl should not be Most Insignificant: I'm digging for stuff here, but he was a seventh round draft pick that played in his first professional season on this side of the pond. That counts for something, right?

Finalist #4: Radoslav Hecl. I think he's gonna be pretty hard to beat; If you disagree let us know in the comments.

...Dad?

by Ryan

So things are moving along nicely with The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, which is surprising considering I'm not involved at all.

Anyways, a few pictures have been brought to our attention, and they have only brought up more questions when it comes time to finally vote.

First of all let's address the fans of Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. Jean-Luc, or "Double Hyphen" as I like to call him, had two separate jersey sightings by our very own Jon and Porky from Side of Pork.

Jon provided a photo for the original post:



And just last night Porky came through with this bad boy:



This was taken at the Winter Classic, and if you are dumbfounded that he is standing next to a guy in a Curtis Brown jersey, you aren't alone.

Now, here's the question: are these two people one in the same? They are both white jerseys, but the one from the Classic appears to be a CCM. Jon's fan seems to be turned at an angle that could obscure the tag on the back, but they seem to wear the jersey a bit differently.

This one's up to you guys, really. If your vote will be somehow affected if it turns out he has two distinct fans, then so be it. I'm still shocked those two jerseys still exist.

---

Our second picture comes from Anne of Sabretooth's House, who dug deep and found a picture of Jason Holland in a Sabres jersey. The link to that picture is here, but it's too small to post here. However, I wondered something when I saw that card: Who is that behind Holland?

There were two possible candidates: Alexi Yashin, or Randy Cunneyworth. Both are possible, and if it's Cunneyworth, well, it seems we have come full circle.



This is Yashin, who sort of fits the bill if you ask me. He is my best guess, but don't we all hope it's...



Cunneyworth? I completely forgot he was the Sens' captain at one point, which only shows you what a laughingstock the team was at the time.

I know this post is lacking answers and only poses more questions, but I thought you'd want this information at your disclosure. Anyone have some ideas?

|_|

By far the coolest picture of the summer.

Drinkin' Down the Kool Aid

by Ryan

It was about this time last week I was bored stiff by the lack of activity down at the HSBC Arena war room. Tonight I feel a bit different about the way Darcy has been handling the offseason.

I am admittedly hard on the front office, and as a fan you always want to see action, fireworks, anything to get you excited about the "direction" of the team. Seeing big name after big name sign elsewhere is nothing new, but watching guys you know are within reason go off the market is downright annoying.

So what is it that has made this summer seem suddenly bright?



The Steve Bernier Saga.

When the initial word broke that Bernier had been traded, you had to be a bit baffled by the decision. Sure you expected another move, but why give up so soon on a former first rounder that showed a bit of promise? At the going RFA rate, he wasn't going to fetch a huge cap figure, so why not move out a larger number (Timmy, Max, Ales) and make a splash with a defenseman?

Then came the Rivet trade.

I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty high on Craig Rivet. I like his game, I like his contract, and I like what he can mean to a hockey team. In between the Bernier trade and bringing in Rivet, Chris sent me a text asking "If you were Miller, do you re-sign based on this offseason?" I said absolutely not. Now, I'd take a look at this and reconsider:



Still, it wasn't until today that you really appreciated the series of trades the Sabres have made. With the news of Steve Bernier's offer sheet from St. Louis, suddenly Darcy looks a whole lot smarter.

Now that isn't to say Darcy knew an offer sheet was coming. Rumors support the theory, and word is that Vancouver had given notice of an impending offer sheet in the Backes deal, but that doesn't mean anything really. Darcy could have been looking to dump Bernier, and because he was suddenly a Canuck the Blues went after him in retaliation.

No one will ever really know the circumstances of the trade and subsequent offer sheet, but I do know I wouldn't want Steve Bernier at $2.5 mil per. The moves made on July 4th seem reasonable, but combined with Bernier's increased price tag and Darcy comes off looking very... smart. In July, that's about as good as you can ask your GM to be.

This doesn't mean I'm satisfied with this offseason just yet. In fact, Chris and I agree that Jason Smith was very doable. However, Darcy has already achieved two very important things this summer.

The first of which wasn't really on the fans' radar, but certainly something Darcy is satisfied with. By flipping Bernier for Rivet, he has finally gotten a defenseman in return for Brian Campbell. Because of the picks and the players involved, Rivet and Campbell will be inexorably tied, both in the media guide and the general awareness of the fans. That's a huge deal, and will mean even more as time passes and memories fade.

The second bi product of the move is freeing up a roster spot for forwards. While there is still much to be decided, the fact of the matter is that Paille and Kaleta deserve to be in the top 12 and players need to be moved out. The sad departure of Bernier only shows how important Dan Paille is to the front office, and who knows if Marek Zagrapan makes the leap into the NHL this fall.

I know everyone has an opinion on how things are going this summer, and there seem to be two distinct camps. The first camp is skeptical about every move (or lack thereof), and the second is just excited to have a warm body coming to town. In fact, Bucky Gleason had an excellent article about the problems the Sabres have had with bringing in free agents.

Sadly, he is spot on with regards to how Buffalo is viewed by prospective players. This management has a reputation regarding how it takes care of current players, and it's not exactly a glowing endorsement. The track record is there, from the Rigas era to last summer's Briere/Drury situation. Until that reputation is rectified the Sabres will continue to struggle when it comes to luring free agent talent.

Fixing that image will take some time, but it should be the focus the remainder of summer. Getting Ryan Miller under contract before October is the biggest obstacle the Sabres will face; and it will make or break Darcy Regier's career. Pominville deserves attention as well, but just from the way Darcy talks about Ryan Miller, even to the press, you can practically feel the importance Ryan takes on in his mind.

We've seen far too many players walk out the door in this city. It's about time we nail one down before he gets a look at someone else's yard. It's not impossible, and if it gets done, consider me ready for another glass of Kool Aid.

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Paul Kruse

By Jon

In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Today's candidate comes from dave in Rocha of BfloBlog fame: Paul Kruse. If you have any other nominations, leave them here or in the or in the original post.

Paul Kruse
#24
Left Wing
1998-2000

Drafted: 1990 (Round 4) by the Calgary Flames

Acquired by the Sabres: Traded from the New York Islanders (with Jason Holland, no less) for Jason Dawe at the 1997-98 deadline.

Regular season stats as a Sabre: 66 games (66!), 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points, 206 PIM

Playoff stats as a Sabre: 11 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 8 PIM. He played in 1 game during the 1998 playoffs, scoring one goal and racking up 4 PIM. Anybody remember this?

After Buffalo: After being released during the 1999-00 season, Kruse played in only one more NHL game, with San Jose in 2000-01. He also played three seasons overseas.

Ebay swag: $8.55 will get you this "rare" photo of Paul Kruse (in the Flames jersey) getting his ass handed to him by Shane Churla. A must have for any diehard Kruse fan.


Why Paul Kruse should be Most Insignificant: Kruse was an established player before arriving in Buffalo (He played in over 300 games for the Flames and Islanders before coming to WNY), and yet, people seem to forget that he existed (dave in Rocha even questioned whether or not he met the 10 game minimum.) Rob Ray was clearly top dog as far as fighters were concerned, leaving Kruse hidden by his shadow. Granted, he was a fighter, but 5 points in 66 games? That's Peters-esque.

Why Kruse should not be Most Insignificant: He did play 66 games, although some would argue that is why he should be Most Insignificant. He was in plenty of fights as a Sabre, which might make him stand out in the mind of a few diehards.

Paul Kruse: Finalist #3. Is he The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade? Have at it in the comments.

Off the Post

Kyle Smith looks like a cross between the lead singer of Coldplay and the gay guy who played Doogie Howser. This makes him understandably angry about life, and he takes that genetic scorn out on movies for the New York Post.

"Set your bosoms to heave and prepare to have your bodices ripped: "The Other Boleyn Girl" is in the house with a pair of 16th century foxes."

It's gems such as those that make him completely qualified to talk hockey, right?

Of course.

SLAP SHOT

DEAR ANNOYED HOCKEY FANS: I DON’T GIVE A PUCK

A stifling cloud of sadness hangs over me as I write these words. Can you taste the despair? All across this great land of ours, from Saskatchewan to Manitoba, the grim fact is beginning to settle in: Hockey season is over.

It's been a solid month. It settled in that Saturday when there wasn't a game. We're okay.

Remember the Stanley Cup final between whoever it was and whoever they beat? Remember how the series lasted several games? Congratulations to all the residents of wherever. Perhaps it was Las Cruces, or Laredo, or Tuscaloosa, or some other hockey-crazed metropolis with a fanatical devotion to the sport dating all the way back to the late spring of 2006.

New Mexico? Texas? Alabama? Someone pulled up Google Maps right quick. This is by far the worst "Red Wings have no fans" joke I've ever seen.

Hockey fans may accuse me of not knowing the details of their great love. And they will be right.

Okay, so... why are you still writing?

Because the truth is, I'm not even sure there was a hockey season this year. I mean, are they still on strike, or what? Or was it a lockout? Or do they sometimes just cancel the season for lack of interest?

You mean like when television networks cancel shows because of a lack of interest? Not that you'd know anything about that. You see, everything Kyle Smith writes is gold, including all three episodes of Love Monkey. Great stuff, man; Tom Cavanagh's best work since "Providence".

Hockey fans have their mullets in a twist about me. This is because I keep mocking them and their human demolition derby. Last month I got angrygrams protesting my frequent hockey-fan jokes. Why do I keep making fun of these people? Because it is easy, and I am cruel.

Okay?

One guy sent me an angry e-mail full of surreal references to testicles. Which is a really telling metaphor when you're defending the only major sport that doesn't use a ball. Well, there's curling, which combines the atmosphere of hockey with the skill set of custodial work.

A ball joke? Really? This is where you missed the boat, it's dick jokes here on the series of tubes.

OK, I just went to NHL.com. Time for some statistics! Last season, which was 37 games long, all teams qualified for the playoffs, which meant an additional 223 postseason matches per team. The current season ended in June, but began in 1974. There were 132 violent fights, and then the second game of the season started.

For the record, the NBA has the same amount of regular season games (82) , playoff teams (16), and playoff series length (best of 7). But I'm sure he's a baseball fan, their abbreviated season helps keep him interested.

Why is hockey so vile and yet so boring?

Sounds a lot like Bee Movie, which you loved.

Maybe because it wafts down like a low-pressure system from the most boring country on Earth, America's hat, a place that puts you on trial if you express politically incorrect opinions and makes you wait eight years to get your strep throat treated.

{Waiting for Bryan Adams joke...}

We are talking about the land of Molson, Labatt's and other strange brews so vile and boring that, even in high school, when I would get drunk on Asti Spumante or Harvey's Bristol Crème or some other dusty near-poison from the back of the parental liquor cabinet, yes, even in high school, when having a drink with a friend meant gulping in the woods and chuckling feverishly like sprites, I thought Canadian beer tasted like something collected from the floor of the locker room after everyone has taken a shower.

Is that all one sentence? Really? He didn't even break out a semi colon on that bad boy. I'm not sure if I should be impressed or just confused.

(And drank it anyway.)

Okay, now I'm confused.

I believe, but am not sure, that there is a National Hockey League franchise called the Penguins. There is also one called the Ducks, and the Tinkerbells, and the Wee Willie Winkles (from, of course, Winnipeg). Cute family-friendly names are essential if you are going to get Mom, Dad, Scooter and Trixie to attend the bloodlettings of unibrowed Muscovite thugs.

Non-threatening franchise names:
NFL: Dolphins, Saints, Cardinals
NBA: Clippers, Wizards
MLB: Marlins, Blue Jays, Padres, any form of "Sox", Twins. Jesus, Tampa Bay's moniker is literally a freaking ray of sunshine, and you are picking team nicknames as reason hockey is glorified bloodletting?

My friend Chris was once arrested by New York City police after participating in (and winning) a street fight that lasted for exactly one shove and two punches, one of which missed. In a hockey fight the referees stand by like the UN in Darfur while carotids spray the ice like cherry flavoring on a Slurpee.

Is this the "I have cool friends" part of the argument, or the "political metaphor" part of the argument? I know his friend with two punches (Peters?) is important and all, but I really think he tugged on the heartstrings with a Darfur mention. God damn you Don Van Massenhoven, you genocidal maniac.

That last bit wasn't even an exaggeration. In February a hockey player nearly died on the ice when a skate sliced open his neck. The most surprising detail of this injury is that it happened accidentally.

No, the most surprising detail was that Jokinen didn't just keep playing after his skate clipped Zednik. Shit like that happens all the time, man.

Even hockey's one great moment occurred very . . . hockeyishly. The Miracle on Ice against the Soviet Union wasn't even the final - the USSR still could have won the Gold, and the US team could have finished anywhere from first to fourth depending on how it did in the followup game against Finland.

Greatest, not only. At least Smith had time to look the format up on Wikipedia in between writing the "male version of Sex and the City". Hey, throw away all the reasons that game was important and point out the tournament set up. You got me there.

And it wasn't broadcast live, though it happened in Lake Placid at 5 p.m. By the time Jim McKay came on ABC to tell us we were about to see the epic clash, everybody already knew we'd won. That's hockey for you: when the game was on TV, everyone had to pretend to get excited again.

Yes, because everyone in Lake Placid whipped out their cell phones and text messaged the world the final score. In fact, Al Michaels yelled his famous call because it was a miracle he got a signal up there with his iPhone.

---

Hockey is far from perfect, but if you are going to knock it at least know what the hell you are talking about. Simply saying "Canada sucks, violence is bad" is not a strong enough case. For being called the American Nick Hornby, he doesn't know shit about sports.

[Hat tip to Sean Leahy of Going Five Hole for the head's up.]

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre

By Jon


In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Today's candidate comes from Brian S. and seconded by Porky at Side of Pork in the comments: Former Sabres defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. If you have any other nominations, leave them here or in the or in the original post.

Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre
#34
Defenseman
1998-2000

Drafted: 1995 (Round 7) by the St. Louis Blues

Acquired by the Sabres: Traded from St. Louis Blues with a 2nd round pick in the 1996 draft and a 3rd round pick in the 1997 draft to the Sabres for Yuri Kymylev and8th pick in the 1996 draft (via hockeydb)

Regular season stats as a Sabre: 27 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, 32 PIM

Playoff stats as a Sabre: 4 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 4 PIM

After Buffalo: After being traded to Columbus for "future considerations" during the Expansion Draft, Grand-Pierre went on to play two full seasons for the Blue Jackets and parts of a third. Since then, he saw time in Atlanta, Washington, and overseas. This past season, Jean-Luc played for the Lowell Devils of the AHL.

Ebay swag: You can get a puck, autographed by Jean-Luc outside of the players hotel in St. Paul, for $8.95 or best offer. I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm saying any offer is going to win it.

Why Grand-Pierre should be Most Insignificant: He played in 31 total games for the franchise, and his claim to fame is still being "one of those big black defensemen that played a few games for us."

Why Grand-Pierre should not be Most Insignificant: Amazingly, some people still walk around with his jersey on. Porky claims to have seen a Grand-Pierre jersey at the Winter Classic, and I just came across this the other day:



I walked in to my friend's house on Saturday night and spotted this picture on a photo collage on his wall. It is apparently a friend of his, and the picture was shot around Christmastime of '07.

So he's got at least two fans out there.

That does it for our second finalist, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. Should he be the "winner?" Let us know in the comments.

Wow

by Ryan

There are a lot of good things coming out of Tropicana Field these days. The Rays are an exciting team and have the division lead; and even as a Sox fan I appreciate the talent on the roster. However, I have to agree with Fire Joe Morgan and say that this is f$%king stupid.



This is Dr. Stat, who fills fans' minds with "useless information" and makes them incapable of enjoying the wonderful game of baseball.

Look at that nerd, with his big glasses and pocket calculator, ready to compute someone's on base percentage in a jiffy. What a poor excuse for a baseball fan, the kind that knows what VORP is.

Did you know that Evan Longoria's OPS is .890? Wait, that doesn't matter, because Evan Longoria looks like a baseball player, so he must be pretty good.

In other news, we are the second result when you google "Swoopy Nipples", so that must count for something.

The Perfect Spokesperson

"Andrew Peters in Locker room sporting the Bench Warmer"

It's so funny you just can't make it up.

Programming Note

Just a quick programming note....

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade series will continue tomorrow. Family obligations prevented me from posting the last two days. Plus, it's a holiday weekend, why would you be sitting at your computer reading a blog anyway?

Bobby Orr

Consider that video a prerequisite to my post about Ken Dryden's The Game.


What a player.

Uhh...What?

by Rich

I was looking through the results of today's MLB action over at the Four-Letter, and checked on the box score and recap of the Brewers game to see if former 'Cane Ryan Braun did anything today. Well, Braun went 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout, a performance which was notable only because the walk immediately preceded Prince Fielder's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

Brewers manager Ned Yost had this to say about his portly first baseman's clutchnessticity:

"'P' thrives on those situations, game-winners. There was no doubt in my mind that he wasn't going to find a way to get a hit somewhere."

So...there was doubt that he...would get a hit? Either Ned Yost has a disturbing lack of faith in his cleanup hitter, or he hasn't quite figured out that whole double-negative thing yet. Either way, it doesn't bode particularly well. I guess playing the Pirates will do that to you.

The Brewers wrap up a three-game home series against Pittsburgh tomorrow, after which Yost is expected to hold a press conference regarding whether or not the Brewers shouldn't not try to make a trade for C.C. Sabathia.

Christmas in July

by Ryan

To those of you who purchased one of these:



We here in the Roost have a gift for you:



With a seam ripper you're just a few minutes of work away from a shiny new blank jersey. No need to drop another few bills on a new uni when you can just recycle. Perhaps you can re-invest a few numbers and get one of these bad boys:



This is just another lesson for us all: always buy jerseys based on contract length.

...

Jon.

From Darcy's lips to your ears (and computer screens)

By Chris

Here's a transcription of the Sabres press conference today regarding the Steve Bernier and Craig Rivet trades. Also some info on where the team stands with Ryan Miller, Maxim Afinogenov and Jason Smith. I'll be interjecting briefly here and there.

Media: Can you fill us in, so far, on the two transactions today? Is that it for today?

Darcy Regier: That’s it for today. We’ve obviously traded Steve Bernier to Vancouver and really the focal point was to acquire a defenseman in this process. So effectively use the assets in the Steve Bernier trade to acquire Craig Rivet and we think we’ve accomplished filling a very important need for the hockey club. Craig brings tremendous leadership, character. He’s a proven veteran and a very good player. So when I think you put him in with our hockey club he’ll make a very significant contribution to this team.

Were we all wrong to think that Bernier seemed to be an important part of the future when he was acquired for Brian [Campbell]? Did something happen there? Was it an issue of not being able to sign him; did he want too much?

No, I think when you looked at our right wing, we really had six right wingers there. So it was a situation in which we looked at the right side, we looked at the individual players and we knew that we had to add to our defense. We really came down to who could we move in order to acquire the defenseman. It took two separate deals but that was really the decision. The decision was to take one of our quality forwards and acquire a quality defenseman.

So it looks like Afinogenov will still be around. And of all the right wingers to trade for picks (Afinogenov, Kotalik, Pominville, Stafford and Kaleta), they choose Bernier? Okaaaay...

The quality that Craig brings, most of it is leadership and experience, and physicality, too.

That’s right. He’s got a physical aspect to his game. So when you look at those three components, you look at some of the young guys that we have coming up, whether it’s Sekera, Weber, in hopes that they make our hockey club, I think that the blending of the experience and the youth going forward is going to be a very good for us.

It'll be nice having a guy on the blueline that isn't afraid to hit people. I've wanted a big mean Canadian defenseman since Rhett Warrener left. We had Brad Brown for awhile (but he kind of sucked) and Jay McKee was that guy for one year, so maybe Rivet can finally fill that void and do it well for three more years.

Obviously you’re comfortable getting Rivet basically in essence of Campbell and the draft picks because that’s basically what happened.

Yeah I guess you can reduce really, we acquired a first, a second and a third round pick for Brian and then used that to acquire a first pick and Craig Rivet. So I think it’ll prove out well.

We'll know in the year 2017. We need to see if Tyler Ennis was worth a first rounder and how those two picks work out. So Rivet can bomb, but the trade might still be a success if two of those other four aspects become something that can help the team. Gotta love fundamentally building a franchise via trades and the draft.

Have you had any inquiries about some of the other players like Maxim Afinogenov? Have you had a number of teams call you on him? Is there anything going on, on that front?

No, the Max front is very quiet. I expect Max to start with us based on the activity of the summer. I think Max will, the focal point will be for him to, if he’s here, I expect he will be here, to kind of regain his form and have the type of year that he had two years ago.

Worst news of the day. It's time to cut ties with Afinogenov and his $3.33 million cap hit. As exciting as he may be, he's even more frustrating. I guess the fact is that no one even wants him so we're essentially stuck with him. When I talked to Ryan, he wouldn't even be shocked if Max was signed to an extension if he bounces back. I think I'm going to be sick.

Are you happy with where the blue line is now? Are you looking to pick up maybe someone else; I know you were kind of linked to Jason Smith earlier in the week too.

I think we were linked to everybody that was available that hasn’t been signed yet. We will look, continue to look for ways to improve our defense but I think the goaltending’s been covered. I think it’s been a great addition for our defense. Our forwards were in good shape going into the off season. In fact we had too many forwards. So if we had an area where he had extra depth, it was really up front and we did what wanted to do which was convert some of that back into the defense.

I still think the Sabres need to re-sign someone like Pratt to split time with Paetsch in the sixth spot. As much as I like Weber, I don't think he's ready to take on that kind of role. Plus, if two guy get hurt on the blue line (very likely to happen), we're looking at Weber and someone like T.J. Brennan in the top six. Not good news. We're still thin on proven defensemen.


Have any further talks with Ryan Miller’s agent? Any updates on his situation?

No but I expect we’ll talk with either Ryan and/or his agent in the next couple days.

And from the talks you’ve had do you think Ryan wants to stay here long-term?

No I think Ryan hates Buffalo and wants no part of our cheap ass organization. I'm actually wondering why I even bothered coming back last summer for three more years. I guess it's probably because I wouldn't be able to get work anywhere else. Look at poor Dave Nonis. He had to crawl back to Brian Burke. I don't want to look that desperate. Come on. What do you think he's going to say? He's going to give fans hope that Miller won't turn his backs on us at the end of the year when he signs with Detroit.

I do think he wants to stay here long-term. I’m optimistic. We’ll know more when we hear back from his side but I remain optimistic with respect to Ryan.

How do you think the impact might have been of some of the other goaltenders signing a potential contract for Ryan?

Well I don’t think it altered the marketplace significantly. Huet is not as…is obviously an outstanding goaltender. I think the only reason he’s not in Montreal is because you’ve got one of the best young goaltenders in an awful long time entering the league in Carey Price. And I think if you look Fluery’s contract in Pittsburgh, it’s reflective of the market as well. I don’t think there’s been any significant upward movement in that marketplace.

I can't believe Darcy made sense of that question. It literally took me ten minutes to transcribe it, trying to get the syntax mostly right.


Can you be a little more specific on Rivet’s game and what he brings to the table? Obviously he spent a lot of years in the Eastern Conference.

Yeah he did.

Does he have a role on special teams, what will that role be? How does he round out your defense corps?

Well, I think if you look at his numbers, he may have had the best offensive year of his career. When you look at 35 points in 74 games, he’s someone that can certainly contribute on the power play, he’s going to play in penalty kill situations. He’s logged over 20 minutes a game in San Jose. I think he’s a guy that can help on both sides, offensively and defensively.

Do you think you have enough depth there at defense now or before the season yo need to acquire a little more depth there, considering that Mike and Andrej are maybe bound for this team?

Depth-wise I think we’re OK. If we can add to it we certainly will but I’m pretty comfortable with where we are depth-wise right now.

I wouldn't be shocked at all if they decided that they're really not that comfortable with Paetsch playing a regular role. That guy turning into Jeff Jillson last year really screwed up their plans on the blueline. Thank goodness Sekera stepped up (and hopefully he won't pull a Paestch).

Is Jason Smith still a possibility? Is he still on the radar?

I had a conversation with his agent yesterday. I have not spoken to him today. I know he was close to making a deal. Is he on the radar? Well we’ve had…We’ll see where it goes. I haven’t talked to him today. He may be signed for all we know.

Happy to see we're actively pursuing him. And from what's been reported, he hasn't been signed. Yet. One year, $2.5 million. Do it, Darcy.

Any update on Paille and Macarthur? Any talks with them yet?

I did talk to Danny Paille’s agent today and we played telephone tag with Clarke’s agent the other day so those talks will continue.

How important is it for you to get a defenseman for you in the first few days of free agency?

I think at some point in the summertime we needed to add a defenseman. When you look at the marketplace it was quickly drying up in the free agency. When we looked at the unrestricted free agency marketplace for defensemen, and looked at the cost of doing business in that area, we made the decision to look in the trade route, trade marketplace. We think that Craig is an outstanding addition to this hockey club.

So Henrik Lundqvist is basically, is that approximately where you think Ryan’s numbers might be?

I wouldn’t attach it to one individual goalie. I really think it’s a group of goaltenders that Ryan belongs with and will be treated fairly amongst that group.

Miller is a top eight goaltender. He'll be paid like a top four in this marketplace. I can live with that.

Sabres trade for Craig Rivet

By Chris

We were looking for that secondary deal and it looks like this is it.

The Buffalo Sabres acquired veteran defenseman Craig Rivet from the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

The Sharks sent the 33-year-old veteran and a seventh-round selection in the 2010 Entry Draft to the Sabres in exchange for second-round selections in the 2009 and 2010 Drafts.

No word on if that second round pick is the one the Sabres got in exchange for Bernier or not. After signing Rob Blake for $5 million and acquiring Dan Boyle and his mammoth $6.67 million cap hit in the last two days, the Sharks needed to move someone out. Darcy Regier pounced on the opportunity and brought in the veteran defenseman.

Rivet will become the Sabres highest paid defenseman next season. The 6'2'', 210 pound defenseman will make $3.5 million each year for the next three seasons.

Last year, he tallied 35 points (5 goals, 30 assists) in 74 games with the Sharks. Twenty of those points came on the Sharks powerplay (2 goals, 18 assists). He also registed 104 penalty minutes last year and recorded 73 hits and 79 blocked shots.

Rivet has played at least 70 games in every season dating back to 2002 when he was with Montreal so he's durable. Hopefully that trend will continue on a Sabres blueline that seems more fragile than Brian Campbell's psyche.

He logged an average of 21:11 of ice time per game in the regular season last year, good for fifth on the team and fourth among Sharks defensemen. He was a +3 last year and is a +10 in his 13-year career.

Rivet is a right handed shot on the blue line, which the Sabres desperately need and can play effectively at even strength, on the powerplay and shorthanded (he was among top six on the Sharks in Time On Ice in each of those situations last season).

Oh yeah and he's willing to fight, too.






Sure the hit from behind in the last one was very dirty but when was the last time a Sabre defensemen took out a guy like that and then defended his actions by dropping the gloves?

He wore an "A" in San Jose and it sure wouldn't kill the Sabres to have some more leadership on their roster.

As long as he plays with an edge, I'm willing to look beyond the salary and other circumstances (like how Brooks Oprik is five years younger and signed for three years longer than we'll have Rivet for at $.25 million more per year).

Rivet should be a good addition for the Sabres but it would still be nice if they could bring in Jason Smith for one year (I'll take him at $2.5 million) to round out a top six of Lydman-Tallinder, Spacek-Rivet and Sekera.

Nathanpaetschwho?

Bye Bye Bernier

By Chris

Well this certainly came as a surprise while I was eating lunch today:

Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- The Buffalo Sabres traded RW Steve Bernier to the Vancouver Canucks Saturday, in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2010 and a third round pick (Los Angeles’ selection) in 2009.

This move certainly looks like one that sets in motion the wheels to another deal. For what, though, no one outside of the front office can really be sure. Bernier has a load of upside who was hampered by an injury and a tough adjustment period in his short time in Buffalo. He made a giant splash in his debut game but fell off the radar quickly after that.

Perhaps Darcy and company are looking to collect picks in hopes that it will sweeten a secondary deal. Maxim Afinogenov is still an option to trade away but what is he really worth?

Perhaps the Sabres are looking at putting the money that would have gone to Bernier (a restrcited free agent) towards new deals for Jason Pominville and Dan Paille. Then again, it's not like Bernier was going to make that much in the first place, so it's certainly not a salary dump move.

Whatever the next move is (and whenever it happens), hopefully it will make the Brian Campbell trade seem like it was worth it. As it stands, the Sabres traded Campbell for 2008 first round pick Tyler Ennis (who, at the earliest, is three years away from making the team), a third round pick in 2009 and a second round pick in 2010.

At this rate, we won't know how the Campbell trade really affected the team until at least 2014--six years from now.

The next few days and weeks will certainly be interesting. Now we wait.

Update: Blogger Placed on PUP List, Cleared for Posting

by Ryan



This was me at about 1pm yesterday, just before I got a my CT scan. Thankfully they told me it is "only" a concussion, with no further damage or bleeding. However, I was advised not to play any sports for seven days, or whenever the symptoms go away.

I was also given "The Talk" by about eight nurses concerning the use of helmets. I'll take their advice to heart, but mostly I'm concerned about getting a new player to model my game after.



Not cutting it anymore.

In any event, today is the 4th of July, and I'm going to be honest; you shouldn't be reading this. Seriously, check in once or twice, read these and leave a comment, then go outside and blow something shiny up. Eat some food. Really, it's the 4th of July, the Sabres aren't exactly lighting up the UFA market, and you deserve a break.

I feel pretty bad about the lack of posting around here recently, but I really can't put many thoughts together with enough coherence to bother posting it. I promise you will see a lot more action around here once my attention span exceeds-(I'm not going to lie, I just zoned out, started watching TV, took some aspirin, and still don't know what to write here anymore.)

--

Last year I was in Boston for the 4th, and it was freaking awesome. Not as awesome as this, however:



That guy at the 3:10 mark? That's me everytime I hear this.

Happy 4th of July, everyone.

The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade: Jason Holland

By Jon

In a quest to determine The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade, The Goose's Roost will profile one effectively useless player a day. After the profiles are all said and done, we will put up a poll with all of the finalists. The player receiving the most votes will be crowned Most Insignificant.

Since Keller provided the most suggestions, we decided to start with one of his picks, Jason Holland. Feel free to leave further player suggestions in the original post (or right here. I'm not picky.)

Jason Holland
#20/29
Defenseman
1998-2000

Drafted: 1994 (Round 2) by the New York Islanders

Acquired by the Sabres: via trade on March 24, 1998. The Sabres traded Jason Dawe to the Islanders in exchange for Jason Holland and Paul Kruse (remember that name.)

Regular Season Stats as a Sabre: 12 Games, 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Point, 8 PIM

Playoff Stats as a Sabre: 1 Game (in the 2000 playoffs, for those wondering), 0 Goals, 0 Assists, 0 Points, 0 PIM

After Buffalo: Holland signed with the Kings after his time in Buffalo, even appearing in 52 games during the 2003-04 season. After the lockout, Holland couldn't find work in the NHL, and played professionally in Italy and Germany.

Ebay swag: Make sure you get your bids in on a set of two "rare and official" Jason Holland rookie cards. One dollar and they are yours.




Why Jason Holland should be The Most Insignificant: He was so unmemorable, I can't find a picture of him in a Sabres uniform (though my Google skills are lacking.)

Why he should not be The Most Insignificant: He came over in a deadline deal for a moderately popular player (Dawe) that was on a team that everyone loved and remembers (the 1996-97 squad.)

So there you have it, our first finalist for The Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade. Should Jason Holland be the "winner"? Let us know in the comments. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next finalist.

Free Agency '08!

[Refreshes TSN's Trade Tracker]

Jacob Riis Agrees

by Ryan

So I'm not the biggest basketball fan, but unlike Jon and Chris, I'm trying to get better. Rich is a big basketball fan, and I'm slowly trying to follow the NBA close enough to actually post about it.

The guys over at USRT seem to be one of the few local blogs that post about the NBA, and I'd love to get a better feel for the league and maybe start, you know... talking about it come next fall.

The concussion is preventing me from creating a proper segue, so let's just say that USRT came through with an interesting article from the Buffalo News.

First off, let's all agree this is a brilliant idea if you live around here. No matter what Jon may say, there is interest in the NBA in the area. People here watch the games, people here hate the Spurs, and people would come to see a game in person. I would certainly pay the price to see the Raptors in Buffalo, and I hope it works itself out.

But that's not what we're here to do. Let's take a look at what the good people at TSN.ca have to say about the idea.

Wait, not the article, that's just a summary of TBN's work. Instead, check out the "comments" at the bottom. Here, let's just sample a few:

can see pre-season games...but why regular season games??...do owners anymore care about the fans at all...liie how greedy can they get...if they start playing regualr season games in Buffalo then I am cancelling my season tickets...

No, no, no........

This is embarrassing. Playing in Buffalo makes NO sense from a business perspective. Americans aren't that eager to accept an unproven CANADIAN basketball team. They have 29 other teams. The Raps were division champs but aren't consistently competitive.

Wow, that sounds so familiar. You would think their entire franchise is at risk or something. I mean hey, it's not like the games would be a last ditch effort to make money in the region, right? This is just... preseason games, and maybe a regular season game or two. Hell, we can call it the "Raptors in Buffalo" series, with a shiny new logo for the event and everything!

I've decided that when they play here, I will write a book entitled "How the Other Half Lives", complete with flash photography!

After Thirteen Hours

by Ryan

So it's official: I'm concussed.

With that in mind, let's go with some quick hits because I can't seem to keep thoughts straight for very long.

-Did it occur to anyone else that Brian Campbell gets to play in another "F@#kin' Stupid Ice Bowl"? I'm sure he's thrilled.

- Mirtle has the remaining free agents. Thank God, because I lost track of everything at about 5pm today.

- I sympathize with Tim Connolly. This sucks.

- A Subway commercial just used the word "Yumrocket". Holy F#$k.

- Hockeybuzz was hilarious today. Really, I don't care if they count my page views, the comedy is golden.

- This is the plastic version of our new backup:



Yup, that's the kind of thing I want forever frozen in time.

- My assessment of the Leafs: Hagman=good. Finger=bad. CuJo=meh.

- The latest on Free Candy isn't so great. I'd say he isn't worth $5 million, so let's see what he gets tomorrow.

- Two re branding issues were resolved over the last 48 hours: Goose re-signed so we don't have to change the name of the site, and Soup didn't sign with the Sabres, so we don't have to start writing about Nazi kittens. Glad that threat is gone.

- If the Sabres sign Ron Hainsey, my fantasy sleeper list may be ruined.

- Does anyone know what's going on in Tampa?

- Freaking Rays.

- Can we throw Peters under the bus yet? I have a photoshop all ready and everything. Please?

- Make sure you get in your last few suggestions for our Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade. Starting tomorrow we pick a few to profile, then set up a vote. What can I say, it's exciting times here in the Roost.

- This is a nice hat. I like this hat.



Do it.

Lalalalalalime

By Chris

I found out when I got into my car, just leaving work and turning on the radio. When I got home, I got the full details.

5:04PM Buffalo signs UFA goaltender Patrick Lalime to a 2 year deal worth $2-million

He's the reliable veteran the Sabres were looking for and he's not that expensive. Considering how weak the goaltending free agent class is this year (and the entire class as a whole), it looks like a pretty good signing.

The key for Lalime to be successful in Buffalo is to establish himself early in the season as a reliable option. The Sabres are only going to ask him to play about 20 games but if Lalime cracks early, then there once again is no confidence in the back up goaltender.

When the Sabres had Biron backing up Miller, they knew they had a reliable guy that was trusted by his teammates. Throw an unknown in there (potential chemistry killer) and suddenly everyone is second guessing their decisions on the ice, especially in their own end, because no one is sure if the guy between the pipes is going to stop that shot. If Lalime shows early in the season that he can give the team a chance to win, then it should be a happy marriage.

I mean, he's gotta be better than Thibault, right?

What You Need to Know

by Ryan

Here is what you need to know about us and free agency:

- I may or may not have a concussion from a hockey hit delivered by a guy named "Pancakes". No, I'm not making that up.

- Thanks to thepensblog, my phone will scream "HOSSA!HOSSA!HOSSA!HOSSA!" after every text message today. After that, it's the Sabres goal horn.

- If you want to chat about the events of today, you can IM us at GoosesRoost28, or email us at goosesroost[at]gmail[dot]com. I know I'll be around until five, and the rest of the crew will be checking up on things throughout.

- If you don't know where to go for news, your first stop should be Tsn.ca. Their UFA Day coverage is just nasty, with interviews and a whole bunch of other stuff for you are going to want.

- Your second stop should be James Mirtle, M.D. Actually, he should be your first stop before noon. Seriously, go there now or you'll miss out on things like this or this or this. Seriously, Mirtle is a monster when it comes to hockey talk, and if you don't read him we can't be friends.

- The rest of the "Helpful Hockey Links" on the sidebar will be... helpful today. WRG550 will be your best bet on the radio, and if you have NHL Network I think it's safe to say they will be talking about things.

- Have we mentioned before that HockeyBuzz blows?

- Free Candy.

- Make sure you join the discussion about the Most Insignificant Sabre of the Last Decade.

- I need to lie down.



Do it.

Free Agency Insomnia, Part Two

by Ryan

The Sabres will do nothing in free agency as usual

Second result.

It may not be the general consensus here in the blog, but it's a fear that certainly hits home.

Let's face it people, last year freaking sucked. It was soul crushing, mind numbing, disgusting, and just plain filthy. Every bad thing that will ever happen to you on Canada Day will be measured by last July 1st. In fact, for a little while we called it the "Canada Day Massacre" around these parts.

But that was in the moment, back when we forgot the world wasn't ending. In the early stages of July it is easy to get caught up in the moment, trapped inside a "hockey event" so rare this time of year. Here is what I had to say about it that night, sifting through what had been:

We all deserve the burden of guilt for thinking it could be any different. To live that terrible sham, thinking this "New NHL" will help keep us in the game. How many people championed the lockout as necessary to help smaller franchises stay competitive with rising player salaries?

And yet, here we sit, captainless once again.

Just so you know, I wasn't listening to The Cure or anything, so my wrists were safe. It was probably Ryan Adams' "Love is Hell" or something. Moving on...

I think it is time we as Sabres fans face the reality of the situation: we may never compete on July 1st with anyone. The system just isn't put in place to work for us, no matter what the intention is.

As depressed as I was at that point, I still believe what I wrote a year ago: the system isn't designed to work for us. The market isn't controllable, it keeps getting more expensive while talent is getting weaker and less numerous, and teams are forced to pay regardless. Small market teams that must aim for the cap median aren't designed to be big players in the UFA market. That's just how it goes, and I've resigned myself to that fact.

However, July 1st won't always be the s#%tshow it was last year. Today marks an interesting turning point in the franchise: for the first time since the lockout, the Sabres have to do something in free agency.

Now, it may not be an epic move with a max contract involved, but we do need a defenseman and a goaltender. Something has to give, and quite frankly it will. It may not be right at 1pm, it may not even be today; but someone new will be in a Sabres uniform, and that's pretty darn exciting.

New things are fun. They are shiny, say nice things, and give you a sense of hope to carry you through August, which is an evil, evil month in the hockey world.

Look at the reception Bernier got when he first showed up around these parts. He did what every new player does at the trade deadline: play one good game and tail off. People still love him. He may be the next Steve Heinze and half the fan base still won't give a crap.

The point (yes, I have one) is this: today will be a distinctly different July 1st than last year's model. Today will be fun, and even if it is a little frustrating it won't be soul suckingly terrible. So we have that going for us.

Just look around the blogosphere at the news that Paul Gaustad re-signed. We as fans are just so happy that something finally happened, no one seems to care the terms of the deal. However, you can consider me satisfied with the contract our third line center has. Every good team needs a Bob Gainey, and Goose just may be the kind of guy to take that role.

Who knows right now? Right now is the time for speculation, wild or otherwise. Now is the time to dream of that missing piece, that "one player away" that takes a good team and makes them something special. Today is the day for an upgrade, the day for a "better than Thibault", and maybe, just maybe; today is the day for Free Candy.

The Sabres will do something in Free Agency today. At this point, we're already better off.